Meadb Class 800 Gauge O

[murrayec]

Another Class 800, this time it's 'Meadb' is in the workshop for completion- valve gear, break gear, wheel weights, some cab detail, painting & lining.

As it came;-

So I set about stripping down the chassis and came across a number of issues;- only two of the axle bearings were soldered into the chassis, the others had been super-glued in but all have come free to rotate with the axles- see photo of bogie above, their all loose to. The plunger type electrical pick-up system was very poor, some of the plungers were frozen in their housings and did not make contact all of the time. The chassis required a few more frame spacers- it was a bit bendy!

So with a plan of action the frame spacers were made up from .5mm brass sheet in the 'L' shape for stiffness, a pcb copper clad pick-up board was cnc'd out- as I'm going with wiper pick-ups off this board- no stinking plungers! Holes drilled, M2 nuts soldered to the new spacers and the plate fixed with M2 bolts- this holds the frame spacers in when soldering them in the chassis.

Spacers in, time to solder the axle bearings in. The coupling rods were cleaned up, to be used with the axle jigs to centre the bearings when soldering them in. I do this on a glass sheet with two rulers on edge to support the chassis by the axle jigs.

Done.

The cylinders were cleaned up after removing the old crosshead guide bars, the valve front end was drilled to take the valve rod housing that sticks out the front- done with 1mm dia brass wire locctite'd in. The valve back-end guides were cnc'd from .5mm brass sheet and folded up for soldering on. I came up with a lolly pop stick trick to hold these parts in position for soldering- a cross shape with a spigot that seats into the valve end and the parts clipped on?

Worked a treat!

The remainder of the valve gear was cleaned up and I noticed we're missing some parts- the Valve Rods and the Anchor Links! The link will be cnc cut from NS sheet with other parts later, but the valve rod requires a bit of machining- 2mm square bar was rounded up on the lathe with a file leaving a 3mm long square at the end, then cross drilled for a rivet, then .5mm slotted to create a clevis, after a bit of filing.

I made these a bit fat as the holes in the valve housing are large.

Wheels have been cleaned up and the wheel weights in .5mm brass being epoxied on.

Eoin

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2019 by murrayec

[warb]

Top Class pure engineering

[Galteemore]

Eighty years on, Bredin would be proud! 

[Warbonnet]

Absolutely stunning Eoin!

[murrayec]

Thanks all for the great comments above.

I intend to paint the chassis, wheels and body at the same time, so next up was to decide on the works to the body, after a good inspection I decided that some soldering and soldering clean-up was required and decided to add a little detail here and there so out to the sand blaster.

All cleaned up.

The cab will be getting a backhead but there is a gaping hole in here, the footplate is a bit wonky to, and a lot of residue solder everywhere- so another blast in this area is required, and I came up with an idea to fill the hole and fix the footplate- more on that later!

After doing that I started on detailing the front end by drilling out the footplate and the smokebox door to take brass wire handrails, footplate lamps and some rivet detailing.

Smokebox door rails and footplate steps handrails installed with .7mm brass wire.

Smokebox door rivets going on with the help of the Nutter.

And as one can see in the above photo the Smokebox door hinge is non existent! so came up with an idea for that using .5mm brass wire, two Gauge 00 handrail knobs and tiny brass tube strap end details to line up with the door straps. The NS frame was drilled for the knobs, these will have to be glued on as the door is resin cast and wont take soldering heat.

Vac pipe parts for soldering up, done with brass wire, brass tubes and guitar strings.

A bit of soldering and gluing to do......

Eoin

 

[popeye]

What a beauty, a fine looking engine. 

[murrayec]

The replacement valve parts and other nickel silver parts were cut out and cleaned up.

Break shoes cut from Tufnol and been prepared here to slit the backs and mount them on their hangers.

Shoes mounted on hangers with brass pins yet to be trimmed and glued, break rods and other break parts prepared for assembly.

Nice set of cnc engraved engine plates and those little bit to the left are the break hanger spigots which will be soldered onto the chassis to hold the break gear.

Breaks on, this assembly is removable by springing the break hangers off the support spigots and it comes away in one piece. Electrical pick-ups installed and wiring just completed.

A quick test on the rolling road to see if the breaks need adjusting and check for electrical shorts- all fine.

Next was to start on setting up the valve gear, the motion brackets to hold the crosshead slide bar were folded up and soldered.

Then the crosshead slide H bar is made up of 3 .5mm NS parts, jigged and soldered.

Then the slide bar brackets are soldered onto the chassis, quite a bit of fettling to get the bracket to hold the slidebar horizontal.

The LNER valve kit crossheads needed some mods- the drop link was shortened and drilled for riveting the Anchor Link to, and the slides on the heads was modified to take the NS 800 type slide covers.

When the crossheads were done and the 800 cover soldered on all was offered up to the cylinder, fettled & fitted. The slide bar is filed down at one end and fitted into a hole in the cylinder, this part will be fitted after the painting is done.

Next was the Expansion Link, I was not happy using the LNER open type link as the 800 has a solid link and the LNER just doesn't look right, also I've cut parts for working oiler gear which needs a pivot hole right where there is an opening in the LNER one. So NS .5mm laminated parts were used to do this.

I went with solder paste for this one as the parts are so small it's hard to use standard wire solder without flooding the parts and having a whole lot of cleaning up afterwards.

Pasted, clamped, soldered, and minimal clean up.

Link completed except for opening up the holes. Thats one of the discarded LNER Expansion Links to the left.

Then the Eccentric Rods, they needed a flute cut down the middle, so they were mounted on an angle plate, viced up in the mill and a .5mm flute cut.

That looks a lot better, better scale!

Eoin

[KMCE]

Superb work Eoin.

I am particuarly impressed with the expasion link construction as I konw how difficult it is to solder up small parts.

Excellent build & looking forward to seeing more.

Ken

[Georgeconna]

What Art Gallery will this one be on show in?

 

[Galteemore]

Very neat work, Eoin. I like the removable brake gear 

[murrayec]

On the 800, this is the mod I make to the LNER crosshead and slide bar, its a single H slide bar with a bolted clasp around the bar holding the crosshead on so I use a .5mm NS folded plate soldered onto the LNER bits after the head is filed down.

The unit is clamped using the slide bar to set the gap, the slide bar is removed and the unit is soldered, being careful not to get solder in the slidy bit . The end of the slide bar has been filled down to fit into the cylinder backplate.

.5mm NS 800 detail bits just about to be soldered onto the eccentric rod, this end will be screw fixed to the return crank with 12BA screw.

All the valve gear is now riveted and ready for a test fit. The lifting arm has a 1.5mm steel rivet soldered onto it which fits into the radius rods lifting slot.

.5mm NS 800 detail bits in the motion bracket, these fit onto brass bush crankpin bearings fitted into the motion bracket which are counter-sunk to take the 12BA screws.

Fitting of the gear.....

....and we've got problems! The anchor and drop links are fouling the cylinder backplate and jamming the gear, its not much- the thickness of a 14BA screw! In the photo below one can see the anchor link is disconnected from the crosshead to allow overlap otherwise the crosshead can not travel this far. New anchor links will have to be cut and made a bit shorter.

Other than that link problem everything is working fine, the valve rod may need a bit of attention also, its a bit sloppy in its cylinder but not fouling, will decide on that when the gear is test run under power......

Eoin

 

 

[murrayec]

So on the Class 800, after sorting the valve link problems I returned to final body and chassis work;-

Fixing up the gaping hole in the cab and installing a not so prototypical backhead (it's what the client gave me and he's happy to use it!), the brass cover piece was folded up and made to fit.

I installed a BA screw in the backhead so that its bolted in and can be changed in the future.

The step in the floor is required to clear the wheels and to allow the chassis to be fitted in.

Next is the steam dome- its missing it's edge for about 70% and just would not look right! I cut a hole in a piece of .5mm styrene card to the diameter of the flange and stuck it on around the dome to fill the recess with plastic filler. The dome seems to be part plastic and lead so decided to keep the soldering iron away from it.

Filled ready for painting the undercoat then I will clean it up.

Next the oil pump boxes on the running boards- I'm doing the drive rods from the valve gear for these and as the came they are in the wrong position- to far back and to far in from the edge so.....

....pop them off, filled the holes in the boxes with brass rod for drilling new 14BA taped holes.....

.....soldered back on in the correct position with BA screw showing which will hold the little brass hand-wheels and drive gear in place.

Detail bits are now glued onto boiler front with epoxy. The buffer shanks were de soldered for the painting process.

Bogie truck is next, I made frame stretchers in .5mm brass for back and front of bogie with a little bit of rivet detail.

After folding up the stretchers the bogie was jigged up to keep all straight n level in relation to the axles, the stretchers taped to a piece of mdf to hold in position while soldering.

All soldered up.

Then the tender chassis, one of the the middle axle bearing needed to be re fixed to the springing system, a short length of brass tube was used to slide over the spring and then soldered to the bearing without soldering it to the spring or chassis frame.

Next installing the tender breaks.

The breaks are done as per the loco and can be removed by springing off the spigots soldered into the chassis frames

I decided to de-solder the tender WM spring n axle boxes, this will make the painting and lining process in this area far easier. The buffer shanks were also de-soldered for the painting process.

Cleaning up.

Done.

Soldering up the vac pipes.

Done, bent into shape and cleaned up.

and we are now ready to start the painting process.....yippee

Eoin

 

 

Edited January 24, 2020 by murrayec

[popeye]

This will be something special. 

[Noel]

Sublime as ever from the forum's prima brass master. 

Edited January 25, 2020 by Noel

[Georgeconna]

Crikey you want your wits about out doing this Loco. Great work Eoin.

[murrayec]

I got back to the Class 800 last week to get ready for some painting;-

First I cleaned up the nameplates and filed back those awful edges, that's an incorrect 'a' in there, old Irish script never had an 'a' like that- it was an 'A' like this!

Masked off the side window & front brass window frames.

And proceeded to mount everything on sticks and things for aholding while apainting.

Wheels tyres were masked up and the wheels screw fixed to ply with a washer under, the screw is loose so that the wheels can be rotated.

First is the etch primer, a very light coat over everything, but still able to see through to the metal under.

Then 3 days later the first coat of enamel primer.

Everything.

Today was a small bit of filling in readiness for the second primer coat.

Some of the smaller parts got a second coat today so next step is a bit of colour......

Eoin

 

[Noel]

Art is happening here. Fabulous looking at those photos. Better than watching a youtube of a Tesla production line.

[murrayec]

The first bits of colour going onto Maedb, this is the first coat of GSR 800 green, it looks a little dark as this is the first coat over the grey primer- chassis, wheels, break gear, and satin black going onto the detail bits.

Loco & tender body filling is now complete and are a coat of undercoat behind......

Eoin

[murrayec]

Loco and tender bodies caught up paint-wise with the chassis parts today, after I added a few details to the loco- firebox top detail, steam dome detail and firebox washout bolts, all done with styrene and stuck on with Deluxe glue n glaze which I find the best glue to stick to paint

Then touch up undercoat and two coats of GSR 800 green.

Detail parts getting their final paint touch-ups, two small gauges will be turned from brass bar to mount on top of the backhead.

And first coat of blue on the name and number plates.

The name plates are going to be a bit fiddly as they are aluminium and will have to be highlight painted to give a brass look, whereas the number plates are brass and will be rubbed down on emery paper. I should have cut out new nameplates in brass!.....

Next step is the black paint to the loco and tender bodies.

Eoin

 

[murrayec]

While waiting for that green bodywork to go off I got back to finishing the wheels and chassis.

I made up a little jig for painting the wheel tyres satin black, two bits of mdf with M3 threaded inserts to bolt the wheels down loosely on a raised surface.

Then rotated by finger while paint brush is applied from the other side.

Chassis and wheels are now complete and given 2 coats of Alclad Klear Kote Semi-Matte.

The insides of chassis frames were hand painted with red oxide.

Chassis up and rolling, a bit premature put the best place to store the wheels and chassis to stop them getting scuffed sitting around!

The GSR 800 green was never my favourite livery but it's now growing on me.

Eoin

[popeye]

Great work, nearly there. 

I don't think i have ever seen a picture of a GSR loco in that shade of green.

maybe if someone has such a thing they could post it up to have a look at.

[murrayec]

19 minutes ago, popeye said:

I don't think i have ever seen a picture of a GSR loco in that shade of green.

maybe if someone has such a thing they could post it up to have a look at.

@popeye here is a link to SSM's OO kit built sporting the 800 green;-

Also a link to Ian Rathbone's recent paint job on a SSM GSR 800 OO kit of which I enquired with him the colour mix he used;-

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/152458-gsr-800-class/&do=findComment&comment=3942064

Eoin

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, popeye said:

Great work, nearly there. 

I don't think i have ever seen a picture of a GSR loco in that shade of green.

maybe if someone has such a thing they could post it up to have a look at.

The Great Southern green was a different shade entirely CIE green - and was only applied to the three 800s, which only wore it for five or six years before getting CIE green after 1945. Due to the fuel shortage, they weren't even seen out and about much WITHIN that five or six years. Everything else the GSR had was always grey in pre-CIE times.

The only example surviving of the actual green paint is on two of Cyril Fry's models in Malahide. Ironically, though, the actual GSR paint is on two models of DIFFERENT classes of loco, which were grey!  And his model of 800 is in CIE green....

At some stage I will try to colour-match this paint on these engines so that a RAL number can be ascertained.

 

[murrayec]

Buffer beams next, I decided to paint these first before the black.

Quickly masked up.

First a gloss white coat was sprayed on and then the red.

Note;- don't use that Lidl paper for masking if using white spirit- the inks in the print dilute and leave marks behind on the model.

So masking up for the black paint- Humbrol Satin 85, using brown paper this time!

And two coats applied.

The tender unwrapped and looking great, a few small fixes done here n there. A coat of lacquer and we're ready for lining!

The loco is still masked up for painting the cab.

Turning two 4mm dia brass gauges for the backhead, this photo is of drilling the pipe holes after two gauges are marked out on the brass bar.

Turning completed with recessed dial faces and .8mm brass wire glued in for the pipes. The dial faces are inkjet prints with transpaseal stuck on to protect.

The completed backhead with finish Alclad II Semi-Matte lacquer.

The completed name and number plates.

The completed lamps and vac pipes, the bezels in the lamps is epoxy resin glue lumped in to give a dome shape.

Cab cream paint is complete just needs the brown paint below the windows all round....

....and it's ready for lining also.

Eoin

 

[popeye]

Just stunning. 

[Noel]

As Miley might say "Well holy God, merciful hour, jeepers that is well just desperately incredible, tis it." 

[murrayec]

800 Loco body unmasked today after completing the cab painting, a few minor touch-ups are required- mainly the black getting in under the masking at the rivet details, the roof edge also needs attention. The masking is still on the window frames just in case you are wondering!

Eoin

 

[KMCE]

Fantasitc paintwork Eoin. 

I also like the finish - its bright without being  too glosssy. 

More power to your elbow!

Ken

[murrayec]

A bit of cab interior stuff being made up now- Internal window frames and seats, cut from .5mm styrene and ready for painting.

Paint work touch-ups have been done in readiness for a gloss lacquer for doing the lining. The buffer beams were edge lined in satin black with a bow pen and then touched up with paint brush.

The crew turned up in the workshop today on an inspection of the works, the fireman was a little optimistic bringing his shovel loaded with coal!

It's a beast, when you got something to scale it to your reminded of it's size!

Eoin

 

[DiveController]

Lovely work on the cab. Thank God they can stand on their own two feet, rather than a huge plastic base.

Edited July 15, 2020 by DiveController

[murrayec]

800 lining!!

After an attempt to line part of the loco with black & yellow lines by hand I had to give up. The model just wasn't built with lining in mind- rivets and wavy parts just lead to a complete mess. After a clean up I have gone back to the decals that came with the model, unfortunately the decals are black and cream which, is the main reason I went at it by hand.

I did set up a hand painted yellow line on one of the decals lines but this would not soften and settle down around the rivets, due to the paint I reckon which doesn't work like decal print? To add to the woes the decals are quite old, cracked and scuffed from handling- they started to fall apart, so I sprayed the sheets with a couple coats of varnish.

I cant keep going around in circles on this so crunch time- Black & Cream it is.

Here are a few photos of the cylinder lining, there is a line of rivets on the lining edge where there shouldn't be, lots of decal softener and careful dabbing with cotton buds eventually got it to sit down, I'm not looking forward to the tender- rivets everywhere.....

Eoin

 

 

[murrayec]

The Class 800 chassis work continues;-

With the cylinders lined and lacquered it's time to assemble the whole thing to a running chassis. First I added small PB anchor wires to the crankpins on the return crank ones only- just in case! This is a Guy William's technique- PB wire bent over the screw head and down into drilled holes in the wheel,

once the pins are in a dab of 180 deg solder to hold them in place.

 

Pick-ups, breaks and wheels installed.

Then the connecting rods are fitted, preparing the valve gear, and crosshead slide bars epoxied on.

The valve gear is riveted together with little .8mm steel rivets, a few of the fixings are 14BA screws so that the system comes apart!

Left side done.

And right side done, I will leave the Loctite to set proper overnight before I give it a run!!

I started the lining on the tender, this is the set-up for lining around the axle-boxes- marked up with white pencil using one of the boxes as a template.

With the boxes on.

And more lining.

A few paint touch-ups are require on the lines, but will wait until all the lines are on before doing that........

Eoin

[murrayec]

Boiler bands and splasher lining going on the loco, a bit of a nightmare with the decals falling apart! I did lacquer them before use as they are old and scuffed and I hoped the lacquer would reinforce them, it did to a point but a few of the bands split up into small bits anyway. Once on and lined up one will never notice....

Eoin

 

[warb]

Something else

warb

[JasonB]

Yet again Eoin, model engineering at it's best.