Colonel

Got the micro lathe from Amazon. It was under £200, though something similar is more now. As far as I can tell, the next step up is a Proxxon at well over £500, after which you are quickly heading towards four figures and more. These days, unless you are seriously into workshop practice, can't help wondering if a 3D printer might get more use, especially for small fittings and the like.

I've taken the Bulleid Pacific as far as I can at the moment. Now need to take it down the Club on Tuesday, to see how it performs on the two 0 gauge layouts. One is an Inglenook type, the other is our tail chaser , North Circular, so it will be interesting to see how it copes with Peco 6' radius points and the outer circle of the same radius on the main layout. So, back to the Pay Train, for a bit of light relief and have spent the weekend producing the main boiler fittings: chimney, dome and safety valves. This meant getting out my 'micro lathe'. Very much a halfway house between using a drill chuck and files to turn up basic components, compared to even a basic lathe, it has nevertheless helped me produce quite a few things - though I shudder to think what true model engineers would say! Here is said machine: there's a three jaw chuck on the left, with just a pointy thing on the right [am sure it has a proper name], so you need to find the centre of the brass rod [or other material], to set it all up. The micro lathe came with this plastic gizmo which helps scribe multiple centre lines. Not terribly accurate, but have found if you do lots of them, even if the lines don't meet up in the centre, you can still mark a centre point as shown below. You then drill a fairly deep hole for the pointy end to go into. Locking this into the brass rod obviously stops things flying off when turning takes place. The lathe isn't very powerful, so how found it is a case of many passes with the cutting tool, doing about a quarter of a millimetre at a time, so as not to stress the motor, finishing things off with files. Tedious, but effective. I keep thinking about buying something better, but for the limited amount of turning I do, it is probably not worth it. The chimney turned out ok, but the dome [above] turned out too small. Bear in mind I'm working from basic, small scale plans and grainy photos, but it didn't look right, on the loco. Waste not, want not, I cut off the base and used this to mount a white metal casting of a pair of safety valves. Luckily, found a white metal dome in my spares box. It was too tall, but about the right diameter, so I filed it down and hopefully, it looks the part. So, the little loco is starting to look the part at last, albeit still a way to go.

Add brake rigging to the list of pains when chassis building! The use of fine tubing to set things up is definitely one I'll be using.

Starting to come to life. Sure you are not working in Gauge 1?

Fairly sure numbers on wagons were hand painted. When you compare pictures there can be quite a few subtle variations. For other stock, have a look at the Fox Transfers website. They may well have something close and remember seeing a BR Mark 1 coach being restored on the Kent & East Sussex at Tenterden and they were using Fox Transfers too!

Mine arrived yesterday and it is a fine thing for which the authors should feel very proud of.

A few days off recently, as I accompanied my wife, who is a member of Rochester Choral Society, on a tour of the Barcelona area, singing in a number of cathedrals and basilica - culminating in an International Mass in the Sagrada Família, no less. Nice weather, excellent singing [none of it by me], along with good food and wine too. Starbucks and others take note: a coffee in Barcelona is only about two euros, a glass of wine four, AND they fill it up too. Anyway, since getting back have been doing battle with the Bulleid pacific. Assembling the valve gear is fairly straightforward, checking it will run smoothly is another matter, simply because with so many parts, there are so many variables: things to catch on something else, fixings to come loose, etc etc. Above, you can see the chassis hooked up to my ancient [over 40 years old] H&M Clipper. When testing locos and chassis, it is very much my first choice, being a very basic controller: if the model runs well with it, chances are it will work even better with something more sophisticated. Have mostly used 12ba nuts and bolts to hold the gear together. Ensuring they don't catch on other parts of the motion is obviously important - likewise not coming undone either! Still some tidying up to do, while [below], the eccentric cranks on the centre driver are proving troublesome as I can't find a reliable way to hold them in the correct positions. Mostly they are ok and I've had the chassis running on the bench for a couple of hours in total, including at full speed in either direction. Nothing has fallen off, which is encouraging and were this my own loco, I'd probably put up with it, because I'd know what to do, but this is someone else's model, so it needs to be both right and robust. 'Tis certainly a handsome beast though and also the largest loco I've ever worked on too.

Even more room in 7mm scale/36.75mm gauge!

Outside frame locos always look good with the cranks twirling.

Great stuff - it is a very nice kit and remember that when I built my first one over ten years ago, it went together really well, especially the simple, fold up chassis. However, might have to hide behind the sofa as recent projects on these locos make me think my model will now be generic at best!

A virtual layout... Guess it had to come sometime and am certainly not belittling such an intriguing project as clearly a lot of work and research has already taken place. The skills are different, but the end product will be fascinating. Looking forwards, with developments in AI, we could get see virtual time machines that could take us back to any point in railway history that we fancy. It may not be railway modelling as we know it, but it still has much to offer.

Don't know, but whoever was sitting on it probably need a fresh pair of underpants...

Having done a decent job so far on the body, I'd say go for it with the chassis. There are rtr and bogie kits out there that are worth looking up. Try 'Locos n Stuff'. Mainly narrow gauge, but Mark Clarke does a large range and offers both etched and 3D printed chassis, including replacements for Tenshodo spuds. I've got one of his bogies under my 21mm gauge Donegal railcar and it runs very nicely. He doesn't advertise widely, but his website is a delight, with all sorts of ideas and products. Even if you are not interested in narrow gauge, there is something for everyone here!

Yep, that is very nice indeed. Always worth filing a small flat on the tyres, which makes any vehicle 'sit' - as though it has real weight.

Great scenes and though I've said it before, fine trackwork that actually looks broad gauge. Just goes to show how lower profile rail improves things.

A Chatham Club member did it back in the early 90s on an 0 gauge LMS Crab 2-6-0, using a Portescap RG7 to move the gear and a second one to drive the loco. At the time, remember I wasn't alone in being very unimpressed at the use of an expensive motor just to move a small part of the linkage a few millimetres. Thinking about it now, it was seriously clever stuff in that pre digital age. Not for me though - but I have put working inside motion in my Sligo Leitrim 'Large Tank'. Fiddly, but easier than Walschaerts. That said, in model form, valve gear isn't as daunting as it might seem. Building a working chassis can be far more time consuming.

Looking at recent comments on Alan's workbench, am finding there are issues with the Battle of Britain loco - though some [all?] of them may be down to build faults, rather than the Acme kit. No idea how old it is, or who the original builder was, but when it came to fitting the valve gear, quickly found that things were wrong, not least the bracket holding the expansion link had been soldered too far back. This led to the radius rod being unable to reach valve rod from the top half of the cylinders. The solution was to move the bracket forward and suddenly, everything started to fit. The Premier Components valve gear parts, being profile milled nickel silver, are nice and chunky, but don't come with with aforementioned valve rods, so I had to make them, using nickel silver wire for the rod itself, to which a short pieces of brass tube was soldered. Then filed a flat on this to which I soldered a link from an old fret of steel inside motion parts, which was then bent twice at 90 degrees to align it with the radius rod. I've used 12 and 14ba nuts and bolts to assemble the valve gear parts, although I've now run out after doing one side, so am awaiting an order from Squires to complete the other side. However, have at least been able to test what I've built so far, though wasn't surprised to find some more fettling was needed. The loco was built as a static model and while the coupling rods roll well enough, one of the connecting rods was fouling the centre crank pin, so this needed filing back to clear. The valve gear has been about 90% ok, but there is a clunk which I think I've traced to the valve rod and combination lever - see below: The combination lever is the part that 'hangs' vertically from the valve rod [the cranked piece sticking out of the top cylinder]. I've fitted a short link from the top of the combination lever to the U shaped bracket running across the frames, but the valve rod is still flapping around. Now, I've only ever fitted outside Walschaert's twice, both more than ten years ago, so if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. For example, one option might be fix the valve rod in the cylinder, to stop it moving at all, letting the rest of the motion take up the slack, but not sure if this will work. More pictures below may [or may not] help. You'll see the tapered reamer now has a better [temporary] replacement in the form of the cut down cocktail stick. This will eventually be replaced with some nickel silver wire when I make up the other side. Meanwhile, things are progressing on Sidhe, aka the Fairy/Sprite pay train. First, I added some weight, both to the front end of the boiler and in the side tanks, both nicely over the driving wheels. With that done I could then put the outer skin on the tanks. With hind sight, I should probably have used some thin brass for this, as the 20thou plasticard split on the curve on one side, needing some epoxy to fill the gaps. Other work has included front buffer housings [nice brass ones I had in store], cab steps and the two boxes, one each side, below the footplate. No idea what they were for though... The smokebox door came next, along with some beading around the splashers. I tried making a chimney this morning and not having any suitable brass rod, though I'd try turning one from dowel. However, as you can see, it didn't work out, because the wood I used is not dense enough. Oh well, now need to put in an order for some more brass rod. You might just notice that the frames have been primed and painted, but there are still plenty of jobs left, including cab interior detail, boiler fittings, various hand rails & so on, so a while to go before painting.

Great photos - it could have been such a good preservation project...

Fine work! All sorts of interesting ideas and techniques here that are well worth considering for future projects. Just need to remember to check this thread first when the time comes...

When you look at the photo of the footplate on the chassis, it is easy to see why rtr Irish steam outline locos are so rare. The extra width required for 21mm gauge makes accommodating splashers a compromise too far. Had to smile at the coupling hook - done the same (or similar), so many times...

Peco do Gauge 1, as do Tenmille and Cliff Barker. Marcway of Sheffield might be worth a look, as they certainly do custom work in 0 gauge. I've been happy to use Code 100 FB rail and copperclad sleepers for light weight broad gauge on Northport Quay, Belmullet and Arigna Town, but can't help thinking that the larger scale will benefit from proper chairs and fixings. Last time I costed buying rail and sleepers to make my own track, using C&L parts, it wasn't much cheaper that buying ready made!

That looks splendid - well done. As Alan says, shame it won't be running, but will definitely pose nicely! Great addition to the 7mm scale SLNCR list.

Valencia Harbour, Courtmacsherry and several narrow gauge, including several Donegal, plus Arigna and Victoria Bridge. He also has done North British, Vale of Rheidol and Welshpool with his latest project being GWR broad gauge! He could actually mount a small exhibition on his own, though would need a fair bit of help!

They've got more than enough stock to fill the storage sidings, but (like all of us, I guess) always want more to ring the changes. Mick is a prolific builder and works to a very high standard, with all his steam outline locos having working inside valve gear (3mmfs, remember). Last time I spoke with him, he was busy making bogie coaches. Forget which type, but scratch built bodies, in nickel silver with all the window openings fretted out by hand...

Truth can be as strange as fiction. Several classes of British locos at work across Europe, including 66s and, recently 91s in Bulgaria.