Tullygrainey Posted February 2 Author Posted February 2 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Galteemore said: It’s actually more than likely there was an overlap Alan. Lovely work. I do like black Irish tank engines Yes, me too It's a shame one of this pair didn't make it to Witham Street. Edited February 2 by Tullygrainey Quote
Metrovik Posted February 2 Posted February 2 (edited) Stunning Model, Alan, although I've always felt that the UTA livery looked a bit like the Graham farish shredded wheat loco.... Edited February 2 by Metrovik Typo. 4 Quote
jhb171achill Posted February 3 Posted February 3 3 hours ago, Metrovik said: Stunning Model, Alan, although I've always felt that the UTA livery looked a bit like the Graham farish shredded wheat loco.... Well, the UTA did shred the railways under their control........ 2 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted February 3 Author Posted February 3 6 hours ago, jhb171achill said: Well, the UTA did shred the railways under their control........ Had them for breakfast, you might say 1 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted February 3 Posted February 3 13 hours ago, Tullygrainey said: Had them for breakfast, you might say Resisting the temptation to milk this one 1 Quote
Galteemore Posted February 3 Posted February 3 4 minutes ago, Patrick Davey said: Resisting the temptation to milk this one You’re toast if you do 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted February 3 Posted February 3 1 hour ago, Galteemore said: You’re toast if you do Great slice of humour there GM 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted February 4 Author Posted February 4 You may have noticed my model of No 18 started out as a full English 1 2 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted February 4 Posted February 4 Hopefully the DCC chip is of good quality and doesn’t get fried 1 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 After a very enjoyable weekend with Patrick Davey's Brookhall Mill at the Bangor Show last weekend, my loco-building gene started to agitate again. What next? A number of folk have suggested (and keep suggesting!) a BCDR Baltic but those things still have too many wheels and whirly bits. As well as all things BCDR, I have an abiding affection for scruffy little shunters, both steam and diesel and in my to-do drawer for a while now has lurked an etched kit for a Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0 saddle tank crying out to be built. So I've made a start on it. Since it's not by any stretch an Irish loco, you'll find the build in the 'British Outline Modelling' part of the forum. Alan 4 Quote
Galteemore Posted March 28 Posted March 28 Get you re valve gear Alan. Thank goodness the SLNC never bothered with such twentieth century monstrosities. What about No6 or 16 next? Know what you mean about that gene too- I am planning out a 10thou footplate right now…, 3 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 53 minutes ago, Galteemore said: Get you re valve gear Alan. Thank goodness the SLNC never bothered with such twentieth century monstrosities. What about No6 or 16 next? Know what you mean about that gene too- I am planning out a 10thou footplate right now…, Yes David! By coincidence I’ve been pondering No6 for a while. That particular wheel arrangement, along with 4-4-0s too seems to be tricky to get working properly so I’m tempted by the challenge. I have a copy of Mike Sharman’s little book ‘Flexichas’ in which he describes a novel approach. I’d like to try it! A bogie tank would be good too. I did one from an Adams Radial but it would be nice to get a bit closer to the prototype with a scratch build. What are you planning with that footplate? 2 Quote
Galteemore Posted March 28 Posted March 28 (edited) Sounds good Alan. No 6 in either incarnation would be delightful. As for me, I am returning to a long-stalled project to build an ex-GNRI 4-4-0, a J class….now on its second attempt at a chassis…..bottom pic shows attempt 1, before I managed to find a Beyer Peacock GA. Top pic shows bogie almost ready to roll. Edited March 28 by Galteemore 8 1 Quote
David Holman Posted March 28 Posted March 28 Alphagraphix do the County Down 2-4-0 in 7mm scale and the MGWR G2 as well. The photo on the website of the latter is the one I built. Did a GER E4 2-4-0 as well, back in the day. Nowhere near as challenging as a 4-4-0, because they are not much different to an 0-6-0. Bit of side play and springing on the front wheels and Robert is your father's brother! Well, mostly... 2 1 1 1 Quote
Gabhal Luimnigh Posted May 18 Posted May 18 On 13/4/2023 at 2:00 PM, Tullygrainey said: A bit more progress with Number 29. Some nice wheels from Alan Gibson... Then, some paint on the frames, gearbox in, wheels on and quartered using my trusty G.W. Models wheel press and quartering jig. A great little device that takes some of the agony out of a tricky job. Wouldn't be without it now. Rods held on temporarily with bits of wire insulation. We have a chassis that rolls under finger power without any tight spots. That's a relief! Motor in and under power, it shuffles along very nicely. chassisrun.MOV 30.31 MB · 2 downloads Now, about that bogie.... Still travelling hopefully, Alan That wheel press looks the business 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted May 30 Author Posted May 30 (edited) After the distractions of industrial railways, both standard and narrow gauge, it’s back to the County Down. After much pondering, I’m going to have a go at one of the BCDR’s 2-4-2T tank locomotives. Beyer Peacock supplied two of these in 1896 and 4 more in 1897. Before long they were edged out by the more common and more successful 4-4-2T bogie tanks. The first one was scrapped in 1924 but some were still working in 1949. Deciding how best to build a 2-4-2 chassis, I rummaged through my collection of guru advice. In Mike Sharman’s little booklet “Flexichas”, there is an elegant design with a floating gearbox cradle and compensated pony trucks each end. Elegant but complicated. I closed the book and tiptoed quietly away. Iain Rice’s “Locomotive Kit Chassis Construction” has a photo (page 48) of a 2-4-2 chassis with radial trucks at each end. That might be do-able and it might steer better than simple axles with sideways movement at each end. So here we go. As usual, I started with the rods. I used an Alan Gibson universal rods etch (4M92) and a little jig made from PCB and brass rod to make sure both rods were the same length. (If they’re not, game over) I’m going to try these radial truck etches from London Road Models. Received wisdom suggests that the chassis needs to be narrowed at each end to allow the trucks to do their thing. This usually means joggling the frames. On a kit with nice half-etched lines for folding, maybe. On a scratch build and in my hands, I could see disaster looming with the likelihood of chassis frames bent in all sorts of unhelpful directions. My solution is frames made up in 3 flat parts with the end sections overlapping and fastened inside the centre section. Even this was difficult enough to build straight. More jigs. OO chassis spacers for the centre section and narrower 10mm ones for the end sections. For the coupled wheels, one fixed axle and one with hornblocks. Poppy Woodtech chassis jig pulling its weight again. Remains to be seen if I can make this work. But nice to be back on the County Down Alan Edited May 30 by Tullygrainey typo 7 4 Quote
Galteemore Posted May 30 Posted May 30 (edited) Tasty !! I’m building the same chassis arrangement right now, which has floating axles at each end. No easy solution with such things…. Edited May 30 by Galteemore 2 1 Quote
Patrick Davey Posted May 30 Posted May 30 And we're off! Have you decided on a livery and number yet Alan? 1 Quote
David Holman Posted May 31 Posted May 31 Seriously clever stuff - got to love those jigs! My Alphagraphix 2-4-2T uses a similar system to the one for Cleminson 6w coaches with the pony wheels lightly sprung to both guide into curves and stay on the track. Mostly successful, but remains a bit of a problem child because the pony wheels can stick, while in a ideal world it would be nice to have them with pick ups to spread that load as well. Hence will be watching with even more interest than usual. Looks a super project and having just bought some universal rods from Gibson, that little jig is a very timely reminder! 2 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted May 31 Author Posted May 31 9 hours ago, Patrick Davey said: And we're off! Have you decided on a livery and number yet Alan? Probably one of the longer lived ones Patrick - No 7 which apparently came to grief in an accident at Queen's Quay in 1949 or No 27 which was scrapped around 1951. Livery options include: a) Vauxhall Burgundy Red, because I've got the paint b) GNR(I) unlined black, so it can sneak in undetected at Brookhall Mill c) Some variation of BCDR lined green Probably c) 1 1 1 Quote
jhb171achill Posted May 31 Posted May 31 4 hours ago, Tullygrainey said: Livery options include: a) Vauxhall Burgundy Red, because I've got the paint Do I detect the Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway edging in here? 1 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted May 31 Author Posted May 31 9 minutes ago, jhb171achill said: Do I detect the Waterford, Limerick & Western Railway edging in here? only by coincidence I suspect. It’s what was left in the paint-shop after a certain Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST was outshopped. 5 1 2 Quote
jhb171achill Posted May 31 Posted May 31 That really looks the business. Perfect weathering too, and surrounding scenery. 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 2 Author Posted June 2 Another little jewel from the High Level stable. This is a RoadRunner 60:1 7 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 4 Author Posted June 4 Well, this bit works at least, despite the video making it appear as if the wheels are turning in the opposite direction from the rods! Trick of the tech. no7.MOV Had the usual trouble getting the crankpins in straight. I think they must all be at the same 'not quite straight' angle because the chassis rolled smoothly under finger power right from the off. The chassis got a coat of Halfords etch primer followed by matt black before the wheels went on. Wheels were a very tight fit on the axles - so tight the wheel press couldn't push them on first time and they had to be gently reamed. The radial trucks next. They'll be a bigger challenge I think. Four wheels on my wagon Alan 4 Quote
David Holman Posted June 4 Posted June 4 Fine progress thus far, Alan. Don't know if this will help, but here are a couple of pics of my AlphaG GSWR 2-4-2T. The pony trucks sort of float on a couple of 0.9mm N/S wires, though am wondering if 0.7 would be better. 0.5mm phosphor bronze wire for the pickups on these wheels, but they have tendency to stop turning going through points. 3 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 4 Author Posted June 4 12 minutes ago, David Holman said: Fine progress thus far, Alan. Don't know if this will help, but here are a couple of pics of my AlphaG GSWR 2-4-2T. The pony trucks sort of float on a couple of 0.9mm N/S wires, though am wondering if 0.7 would be better. 0.5mm phosphor bronze wire for the pickups on these wheels, but they have tendency to stop turning going through points. Thanks for these David. The London Road radial trucks seem to follow a similar principle but implemented differently. They're intended to have a central wire which encourages them to self-centre but they may need optional spring wires either side to provide downward pressure and stop them tilting. This is Iain Rice's take on it. Fiddly and a tight squeeze in 4mm. Image: Copyright Wild Swan Publications Ltd. 2 Quote
David Holman Posted June 4 Posted June 4 Interesting, but then Rice always is. Since his dad demise some of his books, especially the American track plan ones are going for silly money, like £200+... Will be good to see how you get on, as there is certainly room for improvement on my model! 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 15 Author Posted June 15 Eight wheels on my wagon now. The London Road Models radial trucks slot into guides soldered to the chassis frames and are prevented from falling out by short lengths of brass wire underneath. The trucks slide from side to side in a gentle arc. A length of 0.33mm brass wire soldered to a frame spacer at one end and slotted into a tab in the middle of the radial truck acts to centre it. It also provides some downforce. Pickups on the coupled wheels are 31swg phosphor bronze wire soldered to a bit of gapped PCB epoxied across the frames. A first run through the points on Loughan Quay looks fairly promising. All the wheels are turning in the right direction despite the video evidence. Honest. IMG_0122.MOV It's spinning its driving wheels in places but the addition of some weight and a bit of tweaking of the truck springs should improve things. All in all, it's performing better out of the traps than I expected. I think this might work! Onward and upward Alan 9 1 Quote
David Holman Posted June 15 Posted June 15 Always nice when a hand built chassis does as it is supposed to! Very neat. 1 1 Quote
Tullygrainey Posted June 22 Author Posted June 22 The BCDR 2-4-2T progresses slowly. I soldered guard irons and brake hangers to the chassis - all a bit of a faff because they should've been done before the gearbox went in and the wheels went on. Anyway, after all the mucking about I checked the chassis was still running ok. Was it? Nope! One half revolution of the wheels and it seized up. Couldn't see what the problem was at first but eventually traced it to this... Seems I'd been waving the soldering iron around like Harry Potter's wand and managed to melt some teeth on the final drive gear without even noticing. Clumsy? One yeah! Minus 1000 brownie points and no supper. Luckily, High Level sell spares and in the meantime, I borrowed a replacement from an unbuilt gearbox in the to-do drawer to keep this project on the rails. Next up, the running plate, made from 15 thou brass sheet. In common with the later BCDR bogie tanks, the running plate on the 2-4-2T narrows just ahead of the water tanks. This is No 30 at Cultra. What should have been a simple rectangle ended up taking a lot longer to do and involved filing a bit out of one flange on the 1.5x1.5mm brass angle strip used for the valances so it could be bent. The end result is more or less symmetrical but since you won't be able to look at both sides of the finished loco at the same time ... Buffer beams are two thicknesses of 15 thou brass. Now I look at that last photo, I can see a pickup wire being stand-offish with its wheel. I'll give it a severe tweezering later. Alan 9 2 Quote
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