30368

A few more, and perhaps better, pictures. Kind regards, Richard B

Happy New Year to all. S15 30507 is almoust complete. I have modelled it in the early 1950's when it had a Drummond tender and the cabside displayed both 6F and power category "A". The tender has the remains of the MT livery transfer still attached! Weathering applied. Given the weathring is powder, it can be gently polished out and I may do that at a later date. Kind regards, Richard B

Me too Tim, as you know. Keep your chin up and please send my regards to LInda. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Phil, Many thanks for your thoughts, much appreciated. Two of my daughters have had it too but they expected it being clinicians in the NHS. Mrs B is doing very well thanks. Hope to report back on progress with the S15 in the next few days. Pleased that you are thus far clear, try to avoid! Its nasty even with the milder Omicron version. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks so much for your good will, it really is appreciated. The symptoms were relatively mild so I am advised by the clinicians in the family that it is probably Omicron. I am feeling a lot better which is just as well as Mrs B starts to go down with it... My job to care for her now. Kind regards, Richard B

A bit of a delay to progress on the S15... I contracted Covid around Boxing Day! Feel a bit rubbish but I am a fit old git who has had 3 jabs so not too serious so far...... Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks so much Phil, I hope you and yours have a great day today and a healthy 2022. Looking forward to seeing your Urios S15 completed in 2022, please post a picture or two. Kind regards, Richard B

The weather at the wharf looks rather like Buxton is at the moment. Lovely evocative picture. Kind regards, Richard B

Truly the last update before Yule Tide. Body not screwed down. The front of Urie's various 4-6-0s always remind me of a WW1 tank or the superstructure of a battlecruiser of the same period. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Mick et al, I agree that some DJH kits can be difficult and to make them "presentable" a fair amount of fettling and brass additions need to be added to the build. I have been very happy with my A2/3 kit result, however like my Proscale V2 build, these kits were designed a long time ago and have been surpassed by later kit standards. I have also built a London Road Models K2/2 in Scottish Region cab version. This is a superb kit of great quality but needs a lot of work to complete. Meanwhile, my DJH Urie S15 needs completion with lots of additions I admit. Brake gear needs some adjustment! Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Mick, I have a B16/1 DJH kit that I bought at the Darlington Model Railway Club Exhibition earlier this year. I plan to build it next year. Looks to be a sound kit. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Phil, The S15 injectors have been adapted from GWR/BR Live steam Injector Part No 4M810 - orientation change. The vacuum side ejector is BR Vacuum Ejector Part No 4M799, this item needs to be turned around 180 degrees and the extended ejector body shortened by about 1.5mm and then the end bent around 90 degrees. I must order some more! I have an N15 to build next. Some images: All the pipework in place on the injector and the running plate support bracket added. The latter is attached to the frames, the rest to the body. I really like the way that the scale oil has attached itself to the frames - looks really good. Incidently, the auto drain valve soldered to one of the pipes is made from a modified Markits crankpin nut. Closer. I drill blind holes in the running plate to locate the pipework. The Vacuum ejector side, pipework still to add. Sorry a bit out of focus! The oil effect even better this side. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Tim, I have unwittingly mislead you - the Drivers Brake valve is a Branchlines production so a call to Brian is required! Kind regards, Richard

Looking good Michael and some useful tips in your comments but then thats what the test build is for I guess. As you know, one for me please, I have to build 15201 before its too late!!. Have a great Christmas and a healthy 2022 to you and yours. Kind regards, Richard B

And lovely work Mike, I am an SR modeller but a great fan of the NER and LNER as well. J21 is a well proportioned loco. Kind regards, Richard B

Lovely work Mick. High Level motors are really good, have you tried the coreless motors? Bit more expensive but bags of torque. Kind regards, Richard B

One last post (probably) before Christmas. I have been working on the firebox back plate casting and other cab parts and then made a start on the injectors. In addition I have been giving some thought to the location of the chassis in the body (or vice - versa if you prefer). The location of the fixed nuts in the body mean that the chassis is too far back, i.e. too close to the cab. The front of the cylinders needs to be fairly close to the downturn in the running plate. So I have solved this problem by increasing the slot in frame for the set screw that secures the body to the smokebox captive nut. This results in the rear of the chassis being too far forward of the rear captive nut in the body. I solved this by soldering a short extention to the rear of the chasssis with a slot cut in it so that the rear set screw can reach the rear captive nut. Sorry I'll take a picture to illustrate!! The firebox back plate with fittings and painted. Also shows the excellent Markits SR screw reverser and equally excellent Alan Gibson drivers brake valve. The copper wire parts are some of the pipes for the injectors. I ahve been a bit lazy, I found this Hornby N15 boging in my scrap box so I have adapted this to fit the S15. Ah! the brass disc on the running plate is not, as I stated earlier, the sandbox lid but a cover to give access to the top of the union link and is in the wrong position. I found a better picture of the prototype. Now remedied! The two injector castings (Alan Gibson) are in position and just need the copper spaghetti to be added! Easier said than done. I hope that you can see the new, and correct locations of the inspection cover and sandbox lid. Kind regards, Richard B

I have not been slacking in the last seven days but Christmas does come with responsibilities if you have a fairly large family as we do. Four very busy daughters and their offspring (love them all) keeps one busy even when remote. I have now assembled the valve gear and after a bit of adjustment to piston valve rod (they are usually modelled with DJH kits unlike many others) lengths the set-up runs freely. Chassis undergoing running in period now. AS mentioned earlier, valvegear mostly assembled with 14 and 16BA screws/nuts. It can all be dismantled for servicing. Hopefully it won't do that whilst pulling a train! One point to mention, the top of the combination lever (the lever with two dimples on the top) extends beyond the top of the motion plate and so it fouls the underside of the running plate. This needs clearance to be created by drilling a 1mm hole and then opening this up to create a counter sunk (I used 5mm drill) area to provide clearance for the lever top movement. The chassis being run in - I just use a bottle of flux and a roll of resin cored solder to act as a buffer. I fitted the body just to make sure that there was no fouling between chassis and body. Applying power resulted in bottle and solder being shunted to the end of the road! Should be able to pull a bit then. I wish everyone involved in our hobby a very Merry Christmas and a very healthy 2022. Special thanks to all those that have helped me by providing advice and guidance this year. Please take care. Kind regards, Richard B

As I have commented before David, it is not just the great modelling of the shed structures and the really first class weathering of your locomotives that is so good but look at the track in the foreground, it looks so very realistic. Wonderful! Kind reagards, Richard B PS A very Merry Christmas and healthy New Year to you and yours and keep those fab pictures coming!

Hi again Ian, Yes I agree with the sentiments you express, I have hinted at the suspect direction the sport is taking in previous posts. If the FIA regulations increasingly move towards a "standard" F1 car which manufacturers can then bolt their engine onto then its all over for F1 as far as I am concerned. For me F1 was not just about great drivers it was also about great competative engineering to "improve the breed". Liberty will require the sport to become an entertainment with goodies and badies and a close finish and in that respect I think that a number of decisions this year have been designed to ensure this outcome, i.e. the one we got. This approach has both favoured/dissapointed both camps as the season has progressed. As I may have mentioned before, roll on Le Mans 2023 and sports car racing! Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Ian, I have nothing to add to this debate which will run and run. I would however agree that Lewis has had far fewer incidents in recent seasons (although Silverstone was tricky). That though is far less true when Lewis was in his twenties and still learning his trade as is Max. I can recall a few "interesting" nerfs happening at the first chicane at Monza which, at the time, was not far from me so I got a good look. Lets hope all the somewhat sad legal actions now taking place is quickly resolved. Kind regards, Richard

I'm sorry guys but I can't take F1 seriously anymore. The application of the rules are so inconsistant, what is applied one week in one way is played out in the opposite way the next. What bo....ks I am washed up with it after watching it for 53 years. Kind regards, Richard B

I have just watched my recording of the Saudi GP. All very tense. It seemed that assuming both protagonist's were in contention for the win, which they were, the script said that the drivers championship had to go down to the last race. The lack of consistancy in interpreting the rules and applying punishment sank to new depths. Indeed, Verstappen seemed to get punished twice when the first punishment, handing the lead back to Lewis, didn't meet the script thus the 5 second penalty. It really was a poor showing for F1. Lets hope we just have a race tomorrow without the legal wrangling, somehow I doubt that. Kind regards, Richard B

Jon, Part number is, I think, 4M 826. I must order some more too. Kind regards, Richard B

I have spent a lot of time filing the frames to lower the motion plate in the frames so that the cylinders have the correct relationship to the running plate - the DJH S15 kit is good but the running plate is just too high resulting in a buffer beam that is too high and a large gap between the top of the cylinders and the running plate valance. I have now filled in the large gap in the frames to allow for a motor mounting arrangement that is not used. The frames have now been painted. More copper pipework added to the boiler. The frame stretcher added at the front of the frames raises the cylinder casting to bring it closer to the running plate. There is a running plate support bracket to be fitted to the frame "patch" but I will do this after I have made it (!) and when the body is fitted to the frames. My goodness, this closeup shows that I have been using too coarse a file to clean off the casting flash around the washout plugs some of which still needs removal, will use a sharp modelling knife. Kind regards, Richard B