Mark's workbench - lockdown loco build (page 17)

[Mark Forrest]

With the wheels in, the next job was the brakes. These were soldered in place and the various rods and linkages added.

With that done I could start to add the coupling rods. Firstly, as a 2-4-0, I turned the motor by hand to check for any tight spots. Satisfied that nothing was catching I clipped on some leads and off it went.

 

 

Adding the other half of the coupling rods I had myself a proper 0-6-0. This time I had a few clearance issues with where I had placed the brake for the centre axle, but that was soon resolved and the chassis had a short run along a length of track placed on my bench.

 

So far, so good. Only issue I have is there is a bit if tightness when the compensated axles move up and down, presumably I need to open up the holes in the coupling rods a little to allow for this movement?

[Jol Wilkinson]

Mark,

 

if it runs okay on level track I would leave alone for the present. Most track level does't vary too much if reasonably well laid. Running in over a period will normally ease the bearings and crankpin bushes a bit.

 

If it is still a problem, start as a 2-4-0 to see if you need to very slightly open out the rods with a broach, then go onto the other rod (set up as a 0-6-0).

 

Jol

[Mark Forrest]

Thanks Jol. Good point, if the track is so bad that the compensation has to move that far, I suspect I'll have bigger issues to deal with!!!

I'll give it a little run on the rollers while I continue adding more of the detail parts to the body. Really enjoying the build.

[Worsdell forever]

Looks like you're hooked now! As Jol says, running in should help but if you have to open up jut one at a time and only the smallest amount, turn the mechanism to it's tight spot then wiggle the rods to find which one is tight.

[PenrithBeacon]

...

 

Today, after a triumphant day of bathroom tiling, I fitted the wheels.

...

 

 

I can remember, though not too distinctly, when I had that sort of energy.

 

Nice project, enjoying the thread.

 

Regards

Edited March 24, 2016 by PenrithBeacon

[Mark Forrest]

Looks like you're hooked now!

Yes - it's much more satisfying than opening boxes isn't it!

This kit is providing me with exactly the right level of challenge as I cut my teeth in the world of kit building.  I'm learning loads and really enjoying it; can't wait to start on the next one.  I've set myself a target to get this one finished (well maybe not painted) by the time I go to S4 North; where I'll buy another, most likely a Coal engine.

[Mark Forrest]

On closer examination of the chassis, I identified a slight wobble in the wheels on the centre axle that was causing the coupling rod on one side to brush against the brake block.  I (reluctantly and very carefully) removed the wheels from the axle and set them up again with the wheel press.  It's still not 100% perfect, but a lot better.  With that done I gave the chassis a bit of a run on the rollers while I was adding the springs to the inside of the splashers on the body and folding/soldering the footsteps for beneath the cab.  It's now much smoother running.

 

One thing I wasn't sure about was how much sideplay to allow in the axles.  The kit comes with 00, EM or P4 spacers, the instructions mention using the EM spacers in P4 if a lot of sideplay is needed.  As I've not yet finalised the track plan for the layout it will be running on, I decided to go ahead using the "proper" P4 width spacers.  As it stands I have about 1mm of sideplay in the front and centre (compensated) axles but have chosen to have practically none in the rear (driven axle).  With that setup I had no idea how it would run.  Apprehensively, I put the chassis on Fryers Lane and gave it a run (no pick ups yet so still on jump leads).  To my relief it ran faultlessly through the B8 crossover.  

 

The other side of the tandem turnout leading to the rear siding is a B6, the siding itself has a reverse curve of about 1.3m radius, which also includes a gradient; I'm pleased to say it ran fine on that too (once it had pushed the Duff out of the way).

[Worsdell forever]

I usually keep the driven axle (normally the rear) fixed with minimum sideplay on the front and as much as is possible on the centre of an 0-6-0.

[Worsdell forever]

I usually keep the driven axle (normally the rear) fixed with minimum sideplay on the front and as much as is possible on the centre of an 0-6-0.

To add, one reason for this is to stop the loco running down the track diagonally, with sideplay on front and centre or front and rear the loco can be twisted round, if that makes sense. Curves only need the centre to move.

[Mark Forrest]

Another little flurry of activity last night saw the buffers and coupling hooks soldered in place, the dome prepared ready to be glued in place and the bolier soldered to the footplate/cab.

 

[Adam]

Very nice - but is the cab roof meant to be angled forward (streamlined? ) like that? The cab back definitely seems to be higher than the front and I find it difficult to believe that the real thing was quite like that.

 

Adam

[Mark Forrest]

Very nice - but is the cab roof meant to be angled forward (streamlined? ) like that? The cab back definitely seems to be higher than the front and I find it difficult to believe that the real thing was quite like that.

 

Adam

Thanks & well spotted, I'd missed that looking at it in real life, only became apparent when I saw the photo on screen.

 

The cab rear/bunker is a separate subassembly, that (should) slide under the roof and bolt in place. I have a bit of fine tuning to do as it is pushing the roof up a bit currently (not by much, perhaps 0.3mm; but doesn't it always look worse in a photo?). Cause of this is probably some variability in the flares on the bunker, which in turn affect the overall height. Should be easy enough to sort out, I just need to file the extension panel that fits between the cab rear and the roof - it has been handy having it as a tight fit as it stays in place without putting the bolt through!

[Adam]

Yep, I'd reckon 0.3mm is in the ball park and the cause must be the one you identify - that's the only variable I can see that might have caused the shift upwards and irritatingly, one you can only spot with everything else in place! Still, it's nice clean work and that's to be admired. Nice to see the progress, and I look forward t seeing it finished.

 

Adam

[Spitfire2865]

Wow. Did you polish it or are you just that neat with soldering? It looks great. And I even rather like the cab roof error. Has a bit of a pregrouping flair to it.

[Mark Forrest]

Wow. Did you polish it or are you just that neat with soldering?

Thanks. I gave it a quick clean up and it has had a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner after any big sessions of soldering.

 

Two big learnings for me have been how nice nickel silver is to work with and how little solder is required to make a joint.

[wagonbasher]

Thanks. I gave it a quick clean up and it has had a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner after any big sessions of soldering.

Two big learnings for me have been how nice nickel silver is to work with and how little solder is required to make a joint.

What solder are you using?

 

Andy

[Mark Forrest]

What solder are you using?

 

Andy

Some 145 degree stuff from Hobby Holidays and their phosphoric flux. Tiny quantities though.

[iak]

Splendid job Mark.

Nice to see another diesel modeller delve into days long gone by...

[Flymo748]

Thanks. I gave it a quick clean up and it has had a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner after any big sessions of soldering.

 

Two big learnings for me have been how nice nickel silver is to work with and how little solder is required to make a joint.

 

I can't remember whether I showed you my solder balls at Missenden ;-)

 

Intended for the electronics industry and available stupidly cheaply via eBay from Hong Kong, they are perfect for placing a tiny and accurate amount of solder for a joint.

 

David Brandreth is also an advocate of "precise" soldering, and wrote an excellent article in the late, lamented Finescale Model Review if I recall correctly.

 

Cheers

Flymo

[Mark Forrest]

I can't remember whether I showed you my solder balls at Missenden ;-)

 

Intended for the electronics industry and available stupidly cheaply via eBay from Hong Kong, they are perfect for placing a tiny and accurate amount of solder for a joint.

 

David Brandreth is also an advocate of "precise" soldering, and wrote an excellent article in the late, lamented Finescale Model Review if I recall correctly.

 

Cheers

Flymo

I know we discussed them over a pint, but I didn't take a look. Had a look at some on eBay; does look like a very pragmatic way to get consistently small amounts of solder onto the iron, will give them a try.

 

Yes, I read David's article, IIRC it was mainly focused on whitemetal, but I picked up a few ideas, particular using a syringe and needle to deliver flux rather than a brush.

[57xx]

I can't remember whether I showed you my solder balls at Missenden ;-)

 

Intended for the electronics industry and available stupidly cheaply via eBay from Hong Kong, they are perfect for placing a tiny and accurate amount of solder for a joint.

 

They sound easier than cutting tiny bits off a reel like I've been doing recently.

[Mark Forrest]

I managed to get some pick ups fitted to the chassis at the weekend, after a lot of fiddling and a fair bit of cursing!

 

This evening, I've continued fitting pipe work and fittings to the body. The cab is now sitting squarely too (chimney, dome, etc are still loose).

 

I'm not sure the cast white metal sandboxes that came with the kit are the correct ones; if they are they will need quite a bit of fettling to make the fit. Out of curiosity, to see if I was up to it, I had a go at making my own out of some scraps of brass; quite pleased with how the first of these turned out.

[Mark Forrest]

Looks like I'll miss my self imposed deadline to get the loco finished by S4 North this weekend; not that I'm remotely bothered by this, I'm having too much fun tinkering with it!

 

Had planned to do some work on a building for Fryers Lane tonight, but in the end I made up another sandbox instead. I got one of them soldered in place (needs a bit of tidying up) but the other fell apart when it got it a bit too hot when adjusting it with the iron!

 

[Mark Forrest]

Came back from Scalefour North with loads of kits and bits to keep me occupied and with my modelling mojo fully topped up. Looking forward to a couple of hours at the workbench this evening. A couple more locos joined the growing pile of unbuilt kits, along with three more wagons. Still aiming to finish what I've started before I begin on those; but let's see how long that lasts!

[Flymo748]

Looks like I'll miss my self imposed deadline to get the loco finished by S4 North this weekend; not that I'm remotely bothered by this, I'm having too much fun tinkering with it!

 

Had planned to do some work on a building for Fryers Lane tonight, but in the end I made up another sandbox instead. I got one of them soldered in place (needs a bit of tidying up) but the other fell apart when it got it a bit too hot when adjusting it with the iron!

 

2016-04-14_09-59-41.jpg

 

Hi Mark,

 

It's a shame that we didn't have longer to chat at Scalefour North.  I like the sound of your new purchase though...

 

On the disintegrating sandbox, this is where using different temperature solders comes in, together with a variable iron.  I do almost all of my soldering with 179 solder, and that means that if I want to add extra detail without it all falling apart, I can drop to the 145 stuff.

 

In your case, I suppose that you could use some of the Carrs 100 degree solder if you have it.  I wouldn't like to do the job using 70 degree low melt though, as I find that this gives fundamentally a different type of joint when used with brass or nickel silver.

 

Anyway, I'm sure that you'll soon have it sorted.  The model looks great - it will be lovely to see it finished.

Cheers

Flymo