Bacup - Mills in the hills

[Timara]

A bit of an update; been painting, building, upgrading and buying things in the past week.  <snippety snip>

Upgrading:

It's Tim's fault. He had a couple of Airfix/Dapol LMS suburbans on his demo table the other day and was fitting Shawplan laser glazing to them

 

 

I knew you'd get the bug .  They're rather effective aren't they?  Something I've done since the weekend is paint the inside of the windows black.  It helps to disguise the scale 9" thick sides

 

Look forward to seeing what you intend to do with that BSL youbought too.  Might it meet with a razor saw, along with a friend or two?

[Jason T]

And now for something completely different (and a bit scruffy, but getting there). You may recall that last week I made an impulse buy and bought an L&Y 'A' Class (Class 27). Rather than let it sit in a box unmade for years to come, I thought I would actually make a start and here is where I am up to.

 

Rigid chassis (not designed to be sprung and cutting away at the frames to make it so is beyond be) built as intended but I am now looking at driving off the centre axle so will need to chop a section out. No point putting the brakes, etc., on until this is done.

Loco body is getting there, reversing rod and the white metal bits to add (although the chimney is awful so may try and source a brass one instead).

 

[coachmann]

An envious person lives this side of the Pennines, and Welsh mountains....

[Mythocentric]

And now for something completely different (and a bit scruffy, but getting there). You may recall that last week I made an impulse buy and bought an L&Y 'A' Class (Class 27). Rather than let it sit in a box unmade for years to come, I thought I would actually make a start and here is where I am up to.

 

Rigid chassis (not designed to be sprung and cutting away at the frames to make it so is beyond be) built as intended but I am now looking at driving off the centre axle so will need to chop a section out. No point putting the brakes, etc., on until this is done.

Loco body is getting there, reversing rod and the white metal bits to add (although the chimney is awful so may try and source a brass one instead).

 

 

Rigid chassis is no problem! Mines built the same way and it runs like a dream! In fact I'm giving serious thought to adding a second one to the fleet to represent Rose Grove's allocation. One thought however Jason! You do realise that now that you've got it underway, Bachmann are almost guaranteed to announce one next!

 

Regards

 

Bill

[Jason T]

I woke up really early this morning so made some progress with the 27; I'd probably have got further but I need a few things (motor, gearbox, solder, nuts & bolts, etc).

 

Anyway, I've sort of been borrowing parts from my unmade L&Y Class 5 (2-4-2), namely the sprung L&Y buffers. The Craftsman kit comes with moulded white metal ones that aren't the neatest and as I am making the move to 3 links, I have used the ones from the 5 and ordered some replacements. In order to use them and have them function (especially on the tender, which hasn't got them fitted yet but is prepared), I've had to enlargen the holes in the buffer beam slightly so that the bush sits in them snugly, allowing the buffer body to sit up against the beam. This took a fair bit of faffing on the tender as the frames align half way across the buffer holes.

 

I did look at borrowing the turned chimney from the 5 but in the end, had a go at neatening up the whitemetal parts and although I might need to be a dab hand with the filler before painting, they've sort of cleaned up ok and sit on the boiler relatively well.

 

The kit comes with split pins for handrail knobs, the idea being that you wrap the split pin round the handrail, push them through the holes, open them up on the inside (somehow) and solder in place. Thing is, it would always look like split pins (or am I being fussy?). I had some Alan Gibson medium and short handrail knobs left over (from when I clumsily knacked the ones on my Ivatt 2MT) so used these instead. I added the smokebox handrail going off the scale drawing that came with the kit but having looked again at photos of the prototype, I notice that some had a straight handrail on the smokebox door and others had a continuous rail that looped up over the door - guess I will have to be careful when picking which one it will be

 

The wheels are Alan Gibson again on both loco and tender; I am dreading trying to quarter them, let me tell you  

The loco wheels have just been popped in for the photo, as I need to sort out the motor and gearbox first (needs a hole cutting in the chassis for starters) and I can't add the brake shoes and rigging until that's done, which will most likely follow sorting out pickups.

 

The tender is awaiting the nuts and bolts so that the frames can be affixed to the chassis. The instructions say to use a washer and then tap it out but that sounds like a load of hassle to me; I'd rather solder a nut in. Until I get the nuts and bolts, I can't go any further but as you can see, I did add the brake rigging.

 

Before looking at the photos, please remember that I am a relative newcomer to etched brass kits, having only previously built a Judith Edge one that was simplicity itself. Anyway, even if it does end up a bit tatty and dog-eared, I'm still chuffed with it.

 

 

 

 

p.s. I need to tidy up my scruffy soldering a bit

[Indomitable026]

I woke up really early this morning so made some progress with the 27; I'd probably have got further but I need a few things (motor, gearbox, solder, nuts & bolts, etc).

 

Anyway, I've sort of been borrowing parts from my unmade L&Y Class 5 (2-4-2), namely the sprung L&Y buffers. The Craftsman kit comes with moulded white metal ones that aren't the neatest and as I am making the move to 3 links, I have used the ones from the 5 and ordered some replacements. In order to use them and have them function (especially on the tender, which hasn't got them fitted yet but is prepared), I've had to enlargen the holes in the buffer beam slightly so that the bush sits in them snugly, allowing the buffer body to sit up against the beam. This took a fair bit of faffing on the tender as the frames align half way across the buffer holes.

 

I did look at borrowing the turned chimney from the 5 but in the end, had a go at neatening up the whitemetal parts and although I might need to be a dab hand with the filler before painting, they've sort of cleaned up ok and sit on the boiler relatively well.

 

The kit comes with split pins for handrail knobs, the idea being that you wrap the split pin round the handrail, push them through the holes, open them up on the inside (somehow) and solder in place. Thing is, it would always look like split pins (or am I being fussy?). I had some Alan Gibson medium and short handrail knobs left over (from when I clumsily knacked the ones on my Ivatt 2MT) so used these instead. I added the smokebox handrail going off the scale drawing that came with the kit but having looked again at photos of the prototype, I notice that some had a straight handrail on the smokebox door and others had a continuous rail that looped up over the door - guess I will have to be careful when picking which one it will be

 

The wheels are Alan Gibson again on both loco and tender; I am dreading trying to quarter them, let me tell you

The loco wheels have just been popped in for the photo, as I need to sort out the motor and gearbox first (needs a hole cutting in the chassis for starters) and I can't add the brake shoes and rigging until that's done, which will most likely follow sorting out pickups.

 

The tender is awaiting the nuts and bolts so that the frames can be affixed to the chassis. The instructions say to use a washer and then tap it out but that sounds like a load of hassle to me; I'd rather solder a nut in. Until I get the nuts and bolts, I can't go any further but as you can see, I did add the brake rigging.

 

Before looking at the photos, please remember that I am a relative newcomer to etched brass kits, having only previously built a Judith Edge one that was simplicity itself. Anyway, even if it does end up a bit tatty and dog-eared, I'm still chuffed with it.

 

 

 

 

p.s. I need to tidy up my scruffy soldering a bit

 

Looks nothing like a 'class 27' as I know them.....

 

Seriously, nice work mate !

[92220]

Enjoying watching this take shape Jason. I've got a GW wheel press and quartering jig - I'll pop it in the post an you can post it back if you like? It would certainly help you I think....

 

Iain

[LNER4479]

Loco certainly looks like what it sez on the tin to me, Jason.

 

Smart move with the handrail knobs - split pins definitely a 'blast from the past'!

[ChrisN]

Jason,

I would not appologise about working with etched brass and produing that.  It looks excellent.  Brass is still a material I am coming to terms with and then only glueing coach sides.  Soldering will come much later.

 

Keep going, the rest cannot be that hard, and a lovely loco for the layout.

[Jason T]

Whilst looking in the box for the 27 this morning, I found a length of brass strip and wondered what it was for. I then realised......

 

Boiler bands!

 

Now fitted, after a lot of sweating and swearing. Are they perfectly straight? No. Are they close enough for me? Yep.

 

Photos when I do something more interesting.

 

Edit:

Last night, as I had all the tools out, I thought I would crack on with the Comet tender chassis for the ancient Airfix 4F that I have. All went really well, up to the point where I discovered that I had been sent 3'3" wheels rather than 4'3. Never mind, easy enough to replace.

 

However, I was curious as to how to affix the old tender body & frame to the new chassis so took it apart and worked out that I'd need to make a Plastikard shelf in the old tender body. Easy enough, 10 minute job. But this morning, looking at it again, and the tender is just crap and not worth bothering with (many would say the same about the engine ) so I'm now contemplating buying the Comet Fowler tender kit instead of trying to make a silk purse from a pig's browneye

 

Anyone know if the Comet kit comes with wheels?

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Jason, this is looking a very promising start. At least you have gone for an inside valve gear loco. Regarding quartering, get it running as an 0-4-0 first,when this runs as sweet as a nut, do the third axle, don't touch the other two axles as you know these are ok, so any binding will be to do with the third axle. Opening out the crankpin holes in the con rods may be needed too , but don't over do it. If all fails get some Markits (Romfords) wheels, they are self-quartering!

Motor and gearbox - do you need to chop out the chassis? High Level Models produce all sorts of gearbox/motor combinations so you may be able to get the motor in the boiler and drive off either middle or rear wheels. They have a downloadable gear box diagram sheet so you can make sure the drive mechanism will go in your model.

 

"Anyone know if the Comet kit comes with wheels?"

 

No they don't, but they sell Market ones if they have any stock.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Rowsley17D

[Arthur]

Brass strip boiler bands?' You migh be better using tape Jason as brass strip bands are often over scale.

 

I built the old MPD kit for the class 27 years ago. An excellent kit, it had quite a bizarre method for adding boiler bands. The nicely turned brass boiler had grooves turned into it and the boiler bands were lengths of plastic microstrip which were glued in. It was an attempt to improve on soldered on bands. Didn't really work, though it resulted in a shallow band, it was still too wide and didn't 'sit down' evenly.

 

I filled the grooves with milliput and just prior to priming it used narrow strips of tape to represent the bands. Smooth, even and thin. I can post a photo of it's of interest, it shows the finished effect of the bands.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Arthur

[Jason T]

Hi Jonathan,

 

the kit is designed to be driven off the rear axle, with the drive gear (and to some extent the worm) projecting into the cab space, which has a really high false floor to hide it (and looks worse for it) and as it is such an open cab design, it would be hugely noticeable. I did download the High Level sheet but even with the smallest and most slimline, there would always be the protrusion into the cab space so altering the chassis it is. As it happens, the chassis is made up of an almost continuous spacer so removing a section of it shouldn't really compromise the rigidity, although I'll be checking and then checking again many times with my chassis jig as I perform the surgery.

 

As for the Comet kit, I'll buy it from Mainly Trains and get some Gibson wheels. I need to order some wheels for the L&Y Class 30 kit I have on the sidelines anyway (they'd all gone well before the period I am modelling but I couldn't resist).

 

 

Hi Arthur,

 

they're on now and don't look too bad but thanks for the tip which I'll note down for next time (this kit building malarkey is quite addictive).

 

Cheers,

 

Jason.

[coachmann]

I used to prefer split pins for handrails as they are rather neat once they have been squashed with pliers around the handrail wire. But brass knobs have come a long way since then.  I go along with tape........ Scotch tape is far better than brass boiler bands. Back in the 70's I suggested my customers leave boiler bands off as I would be lining them on tape and would fit any unlined ones on fireboxes myself prior to painting. It all made for a neater job. That 'A' Class is looking great.

Edited August 29, 2013 by coachmann

[Worsdell forever]

Soldering looks quite neat Jason. Quartering the wheels shouldn't be too much of a problem for you, the first (driven) pair will be fixed, then only two wheels need to be adjusted, as Jonathan said build an 0-4-0 then add to it.

 

Looking forward to seeing it simmering away in the yard 

[Jason T]

I may just bring it along to Peterborough Paul; that way you can give me a hand getting the quartering right

 

Anyway, whilst I await the delivery of various odds and sods needed to move forward, I have been tinkering away with the goods yard surface although once again, I have run out of the materials I need to finish off (basically, I need to paint up more of the Redutex sheets and get hold of more sleepers).

 

As I know that you have all being paying attention ( ) ), you will remember that I had already painted up and glued down Freestone's cobbles but wasn't 100% happy with them. Also, about 1,000 pages back, I mentioned that I planned to inset the rails in sleepers at the edge of the sets, with a photo of Whitworth Goods Yard uploaded as inspiration. So, with a large area now covered with Redutex textured sheet (very nice to work with, by the way), I thought I would have a go at the inset section around the rails.

Of course, with chairs on the siding's sleepers, it wasn't just a case of glueing sleepers down on top of sleepers (if you see what I mean) as they would be at a wonky angle so instead, I worked out the thicknesses required,cut out strips of Plastikard and glued these lengthways. On top of this, I could then attach the sleepers - C&L ones from a turnout kit I bought and never used.

 

Things are never that easy though. Firstly, as the sleepers were from a turnout kit, they were all different lengths so I cut them all to the same length. Secondly, I trimmed the width slightly. And thirdly, and the most time consuming, was the thickness. The Retutex sheets are not very thick and as such, the sleepers that I had would stand proud of the setts by a noticeable amount, especially on the inset section between the rails. So, with nothing else for it, I thinned all of them down considerably by dragging a scalpel blade across the back of them.

 

That done, I glued them all down, checking clearances along the way (all seems fine but old wagons with thick wheel flanges aren't happy - not a problem as they'll eventually be re-wheeled anyway) and then added the setts between the sleepers. At the moment, the sleepers are just painted with Railmatch Sleeper Grime which looks wrong but I will wait until I've got the rest done before trying to get a better colour on them.

 

Here, you can see the method of constructing the inset section.

 

With the setts glued in.

 

With some wagons in place. The other side of the tracks is noticeably different and unfinished

 

Another cruel close up.

[lmsforever]

Like the way you have done this where did you get the Redutex from as it looks a good material ?

[Jason T]

It's a lovely material although I thought it needed a bit more painting and weathering (but I did want it to look a certain way). The website is: http://modeltextures.co.uk/about-us

 

 

Cheers,

 

Jason.

[Indomitable026]

It's a lovely material although I thought it needed a bit more painting and weathering (but I did want it to look a certain way). The website is: http://modeltextures.co.uk/about-us

 

 

Cheers,

 

Jason.

 

I'm well impressed with that. I wonder if they do one - offs, I've got the sandstone finish of Lochgorm works to think about...

[Jason T]

The 7mm range seems to be quite limited Damian, it may be worth asking though? Nothing ventured, nothing gained

[coachmann]

Those cobbles nearest the camera look the bees knees. Concerning the track, I wondered why you needed sleeper when they don't show. You may as well have spiked two rails down to the baseboard...?

[Oldddudders]

I'm well impressed with that. I wonder if they do one - offs, I've got the sandstone finish of Lochgorm works to think about...

This is a Spanish product, and it doesn't look like the British importer has signed up for the full O gauge range yet.

 

This is the French importer, LR Presse, publisher of Loco Revue magazine. The page shows some of their O gauge range. Their site is dog-slow.

 

http://www.lrmodelisme.com/produits-de-modelisme/textures-redutex/echelle-o/page-2.html#menu_centre

[Jason T]

My Class 27 ('A' Class for Damian, who still thinks of a 27 as a smelly tin box that was relegated to Scotland) build draws ever closer to completion. Left to do (and in this order, due to the impending painting) is to:

- add the loco brakes and rigging

- re-attach the tender buffer beam (I put it on upside down, only noticed when I put it on the layout and rolled a wagon up to it)

- attach the lamp brackets to the tender

- attach a number plate and lamp bracket to the smokebox door

- decide whether to bite the bullet and struggle with attaching the coal rails to the tender (fiddly isn't a strong enough word!!)

- spray it up

- add the buffer heads

- sort out pickups

- get it running

 

It looks pretty much done though, even with the above list of To-Do's

 

 

 

Pre-grouping locos are really growing on me; they have a look of elegance about them that was seemingly lost in later years. I've seen a few L&Y period layouts at exhibitions over the past year or so and their charm and appeal is huge. If only I had the time and patience to back-date the layout 50 odd years..........

[clecklewyke]

 

It looks pretty much done though, even with the above list of To-Do's

Balance weights?

 

My bete-noir; I often forget them.

 

I have several locos without them, only one of which is correct - the LNER J72 did not have them. Maybe the class 27 did not either, being a slow.goods loco?

 

Ian

[46444]

My Class 27 ('A' Class for Damian, who still thinks of a 27 as a smelly tin box that was relegated to Scotland) build draws ever closer to completion. Left to do (and in this order, due to the impending painting) is to:

- add the loco brakes and rigging

- re-attach the tender buffer beam (I put it on upside down, only noticed when I put it on the layout and rolled a wagon up to it)

- attach the lamp brackets to the tender

- attach a number plate and lamp bracket to the smokebox door

- decide whether to bite the bullet and struggle with attaching the coal rails to the tender (fiddly isn't a strong enough word!!)

- spray it up

- add the buffer heads

- sort out pickups

- get it running

 

It looks pretty much done though, even with the above list of To-Do's

 

 

 

Pre-grouping locos are really growing on me; they have a look of elegance about them that was seemingly lost in later years. I've seen a few L&Y period layouts at exhibitions over the past year or so and their charm and appeal is huge. If only I had the time and patience to back-date the layout 50 odd years..........

 

Great work Jason.

 

Another one of those pre-grouping locos with loads of character. Almost as good as a J15!

 

Nice clean build and I'm looking forwards to the finished article.

 

Layout is progressing nicely too and can only agree with what fellow posters have said.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark