CONSTRUCTION NOTES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Etched frets for LB&SCR Craven locos designed by Ian White, March 2010

 

Documents for downloading

 

Documents provided to those who purchased the etched parts:

 

  1. Brass fret layout
  2. NS fret layout
  3. Notes on what the parts were intended for
  4. Drawing (Burtt) of 176, modified to show fittings of 175 (but not showing extended footplate)
  5. Drawing (Burtt) of 166. modified to show fittings of 167
  6. Chimney – 167
  7. Dome – 167
  8. Valve case – 167
  9. Chimney – 175
  10. Dome – 175
  11. Valve case – 175 (as shown in side-on photo)
  12. Valve case – As shown in East Grinstead photo – now believed to be of 152
  13. Parts – diagrams of the use of various parts and front elevation of 167

 

PDF files, if printed with no scaling, will print at 4mm scale, except chimneys, domes, and valve casings which are at 40mm scale.

 

An additional document (footplate lengths) MUST be downloaded if producing No. 175 correctly. This show how the footplate length on 175 (and some other 2-4-0 locos) were extended by Stroudley. The footplate and outside frames supplied are correct for 176, which according to a photo that is clearly post-Stroudley were not extended (they may have been subsequent to the photo being taken). The footplate of 175 was extended by 6 inches (confirmed from photo) and so the etched parts should be modified accordingly, and a 2mm longer cab side-sheet made-up.

 

Construction photos – 167

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Photo – NS parts 5 have been scribed with a heavy duty knife to assist in breaking off the lower “jig” portion below the footplate valance; numerous holes have also been drilled. When this area is finally removed it will probably be necessary to break it into short sections using a slitting disc.
  2. Photo – The footplate has been braced within a plastic structure to hold the flat parts straight while a curve is pushed into the areas adjacent the driving wheels.
  3. Photo – Brass parts 2 have been overlaid onto parts 1 to form the splashers. In retrospect, parts 1 or 2 is all that is really required (the additional thickness might help with 00 as it reduces the distance between the splasher opening and the wheels but for P4 it may be a nuisance); fit part 3 after painting (see “completion” notes below). The splashers are fitted to the footplate via small “shelves” of scrap to support them.
  4. Photo – Brass parts 4 have been inserted into slots in the boiler tube and had rods soldered through them.
  5. Photo – 5 thou brass has been wrapped around the tank support structure and the overlays applied. I can confirm that 42mm is the correct wrapper width. I made the initial layer more and found that being such thin material it can’t be filed back to accept the boiler; I ended up bending it back and will have to use some filler to tidy the under side of the tank. I also found it essential to pre-shape the 5 thou brass; if you try to form it around the frame it will be badly dented in places. 10 thou brass might make a better wrapper but be far more difficult to fit to this awkward shape. To avoid damage to 5 thou brass I also found it important to use a clean surface with a bit of give in it to work against; I used corrugated plastic packing material.
  6. [Noted added later: another model maker found 42mm insufficient; make a paper template and check before doing anything!]
  7. Photo – NS parts 1 (rocking beams) have been fitted with top-hat bearings, taking care to fit each beam from opposite sides of the fret to compensate for the asymmetry caused by the brake hanger pivot being closer to the central wheel, than to the front wheel. The fit of the bearings is here being tested against the coupling rods and a rod is placed in the bearing hole to check it is level. That bearing axis coincides with the central brake hanger position and that must be correctly lined-up when the frames are fitted to spacers. In the photo I have the flush surface inwards; (a thin washer will be inserted between each beam and frame on the bearing wire so that it moves freely). The slots in the frames for the coupled axles need to be widened slightly to ensure that each axle can move freely in the slot.
  8. Photo and photo – The E.B. Models chassis jig was then used to assist in the assembly of the frames, paying particular attention to ensure the wire where the rocking beams will pivot was at right-angles to the frames. Contra to instructions, the jig was of use for setting the distance between a fixed axle and the trailing axle because I had supplied a jig (parts 2) to fix that trailing axle position.
  9. Photo – The basic parts, including boiler turnings (yet to be shaped at the base).
  10. Photo – The splashers were completed; electrics fitted to the chassis; the boiler/tank assembly rested in place while a short-circuit test was carried out. The rear rivet strip has been added to the tank assembly; in retrospect the tank sheet should have been left an extra 1mm proud of the rearmost former; I had to add in an extra layer of brass to provide a surface proud of the spectacle plate before I could fit the rivet strip.
  11. Photo – The major parts now fitted. The first job was to fit the rear wheel spring units. The outside frames were then assembled and fitted immediately inboard of the push rods below the springs (some may prefer to make these a part of the chassis rather than the body). The “cab” walls were then formed, assembled into a unit, and fixed in place; a coal bunker front was added just behind where the drawing shows the brake standard. Sheet brass was cut and fitted to form the sides of the smoke-box and firebox. A weighted running test was then carried out and it was found necessary to add lead to both the smoke-box and bunker areas. The boiler/tank assembly was then fitted, and filler used to complete shaping. Note that the spectacle plate apertures have ended up rather close to the tank; that does not look right so I will try to file them up a little and use the spectacle rims provided on the etch to revise the hole positions.

 

Motor: Mashima 1015; gearbox with 8.5mm; details not noted but believed to be a motor fixing bracket from Mainly Trains (MT161) plus a 50:1 gearset .

 

Completed bar a final clean up of excess solder then off to the paint-shop. It’s amazing how unforgiving a close-up photograph is!

 

Side view – The boiler fittings are here posed for the photograph as they will be set aside and fitted properly after painting. The tank filler was modelled on that of 2-4-0ST No. 4 (Burtt fig.51; see also Bradley figs 42-43) having decided to make it different to that of my 1855 0-4-2ST (drawing based on Burtt fig.29 – Bradley fig.44); another possibility would have been the type fitted to 4-4-0St No. 136 (Burtt fig.39). The handrail required both short and medium handrail knobs; note that the wire is temporary and will be replaced after painting. I also think I will probably want to fit a splasher beading (brass fret part 3) overlay after painting (so in retrospect perhaps part 1 was all that was required to be fitted initially, and part 2 discarded). Clacks have yet to be sourced, and can be fitted after painting.

Front oblique – Note the need to score a curve on the smoke-box front plate to represent the division between the tank and the smoke-box. This was carried out using a compass cutter before the smoke-box door was fitted. Sandpipes are well hidden behind the front brakes and I initial forgot them, so glued them in place to the rear of the brake blocks; on the non-earth (left) side I inserted plasticard between the brake and sandpipe so that the sandpipe could be placed close to wheel and track without sparking. The brake blocks needed some filling back on the non-earth side to avoid sparking, and the front brake on the earth side needed filling back to stop it acting as a brake! Only one lamp bracket has been fitted as that is all that is shown in the GA; the published drawings show more so anyone modelling the loco for a later date would need those too.

Rear oblique – Again note the single lamp bracket. The valve casing suffered a bit of damage to its base when it was being shaped to fit the tank top, and this has resulted in its taking on an oval shape when viewed from above; is obvious when fitted onto dark green paint I may have to re-turn it.

Top rear oblique – The backhead was from 5 and 9 Models; the length of wire will take the regulator. The tank-filler was given some top detail by trepanning it with a 4mm milling cutter.

Underside – Wiper pickups were fitted to both driven wheels on the non-earth (left) side; having had problems with the plastic centres of the W&T wheels distorting when Brassmasters earthing straps were fitted, I used a length of florist’s wire to earth out one driver on the earth (right) side and fitted a wiper pickup to the other. The earth-side trailing wheel was of a type that included a built-in earth.

 

 

Construction photos – 175

 

 

  1. Photo – Footplate with boiler tube rested in approximate position; the footplate and outside frames, plus side-sheets (cut from 10 thou brass), have each had the 2mm extension required for No.175.
  2. Photo – Chassis; I went contra to the instructions for the E.B. Models chassis jig by fitting the hornblocks to the frames before erecting the frames on the spacers (as per instructions for more expensive chassis jig); I used Brassmasters sliding blocks for the trailing axle, although some fettling of the chassis slot was required; chassis slots for hornblocks also needed to be made deeper.
  3. Photo – Motor and wheels now fitted. The compensation beam needed about 1mm removed from where it rubs the front (trailing) axle, so as to get the top of the frames level. The Mashima 1020 motor drives through a London Road single stage 50:1 box.
  4. Photo – Body fit check; it was found that the cab floor area needed to be either cut or bent clear of the drive cog.
  5. Photo – I chose to bend it as a slight incline in the cab floor is easily hidden on the finished model.
  6. Photo – Having fitted the Gibson cranks etc, I then turned attention to the boiler tube assembly. Before fitting the smokebox wrapper I filed a notch into it at each end, so it fitted better against the smokebox wing plate. Note the infill piece to complete the bottom section of the firebox. I used 5 thou brass and a little solder to fill the crease against the round section. There were alternatives; I could have used a wrapper (no –thanks; had enough problems with the smokebox); I could have used a rolled boiler assembly, although without castings to represent the various steps that would have created considerable problems. Note too the choice of tender. I had originally planned to use a tender I had started to scratch build with the aid of spare parts from an EBM Belgravia kit. However, that was too long a tender so instead I decided to use the 5and9 Models tender which I originally built to use with Abergavenny.
  7. Note that in the above photo I have fitted of part 1 (brass fret), having been confused by the photo of No. 152 at East Grinstead, which I originally thought to be No. 175. It would be needed pre-Stroudley (see early photo of 174) but the Stroudley-era photos all show an apparently larger sandbox in the position of the support plate. In the case of No. 151 (see photos 74 and 75 in Bradley) the plate was left in place after Stroudley had fitted the sandbox across (or even around) it and at least parts of the plate may have remained on No. 175, but I decided that it would not be visible so removed it.
  8. Photo – Details starting to be added,; chimney, dome and valve case loose fitted only.
  9. Photo – Note the slope to the rear of the cab splashers, and the curved top to the left splasher, conforming to the arc of the reversing lever.

 

Completed!

 

Photo – Small fitting, handrails etc all temporarily fitted prior to painting. Note that the style of the Salter valves is not clear. Following the boiler explosion of No. 174 two Salter valves were put back on the dome of No. 175. At some stage (later ?) brakes were added but these have not been included on the model.

Photo – Testing on East Grinstead Town