Scalefour Forum

The first component for the inside valve gear has been produced. But what is it? Scot_003.JPG Well, it's the support bracket which carries the inside gear reverser wey-shaft and the lifting arms. Here it is roughly (very) placed against the main frames. It will be attached to a narrow frame space wh...

DaveB, you're absolutely right. On Stanier and BR Std bogies, the inverted leaf spring buckle bears on the underside of the bogie top stretcher casting. This, in turn, bears against the underside of the loco main frames, via a pair of cup and hemispherical bearing pads. As you say, the springs hold ...

The compensated bogies under my Stanier and BR Standards, transmit the load direct from the external equalising beams to the loco compensation system. As with the real thing, the bogie frames carry no weight and simply keep the axles in the right place and allow pivoting and side movement. Very ligh...

Still at the plotting and scheming stage. As part of this process, I've marked out some key reference points for the inside valve gear on the main frames. A friend turned some centre locating buttons, which a a good push fit into the etched axle bush holes in the frames, to enable the axle centres t...

Well, not much done since the last posting. However, the loco now has its identity and has now been dismantled to component parts prior to painting. I've been putting this off as I hate to take the models apart having completed the construction - it seems like such a backward step. Still there's no ...

Morgan, The webs were made by a colleague from the P&O group who has some small machine tools. The material is 1/16" thick ground mild steel. The axle and pin holes were drilled and reamed in a vertical mill, which he had intended to mill the web profile. However, it turned out his machine ...

All good suggestions, but actually it's for a Brassmasters Rebuilt Royal Scot. Still at the early planning stages, but it's already apparent I'm going to have to make some significant modifications to the kit to accommodate inside valve gear. A major issue is that the kit design for the outside valv...

Mmmm. Wonder what this might be in aid of?

Just loosely assembled at the moment.
Dave.

Mark is probably right about the coal, but I have seen photos of locos prepared for holiday excursions to Skegness or Scarborough piled high at the start of their turn, so that was the basis. Might have overdone it a bit but it's been like that for about 20 years, so I'm not inclined to change it no...

Thanks for the kind comments, gents.
David, I'll be in touch shortly.
Dave.

An executive decision was made - fixed W/M buffers! BM_Blk5_45284_161.JPG BM_Blk5_45284_162.JPG The tender is now complete and has temporarily been connected to the loco. The latter has had some fine strips added to the rear edge of the fall plates, to bridge the gap to the tender. BM_Blk5_45284_163...

Steve, Thanks for your thoughts and offer of lathe work. Having looked again, I now find that not only are the buffer housings in line with the inner frames but the frame locating tabs protrude into the drag beam box by a millimetre or so, significantly reducing the space available for the buffers. ...

Thanks, Howard. Not having a lathe, I'd be relying on various diameters of brass tube. A further complication, with this tender, is that the drag beam is a closed box with a depth of about 4 mm to contain the buffer mechanism. My first thoughts of drilling through the back to take a tail-rod have be...

Vacuum and steam heat bits have been added to the rear. The kit provides W/M castings which I thought might be rather vulnerable, especially the vacuum stand pipe, seeing as it stands up above the top of the chassis. Home made versions have been made from brass wire and various other bits of brass a...

Four small steps for a man, a giant leap forward for Holtkind. The tender has now acquired four sets of steps and all the springs and axleboxes and is beginning to look the part. Intermediate buffers and hoses still to do. Buffer heads will be fitted after painting. BM_Blk5_45284_156.JPG BM_Blk5_452...

Not much progress, but the loco and tender are now connected. The loco and tender kits are from different periods of design and manufacture and the adjustable draw bar supplied with the loco is far too long for the later tender. The fault really lies with the tender because the draw bar pivot is far...

Thanks, Robin. Very modest progress since the last entry. The front and rear buffer beam overlays have been fitted, along with the front rubbing block and buffer housings (w/m buffers still to do), rear buffer housings and coupling hook. There will be no shackle as I use Alex Jackson couplings. Buff...

Thanks, John, I certainly hope so.
Just looking at the rather larger than life photos, I've just spotted blobs of excess solder on top of the two lower LH steps which I hadn't seen on the model. Now suitably dealt with.
Dave.

The tender body is now finished except, perhaps, for filling in the half etched bend lines at the turn-ins inside the upper sides. I'll use filler if that happens. Finishing touches include brake and scoop handles, bulkhead coping strips, vents, scoop dome, filler and lifting lugs on the rear tank t...

David. A fine looking model you have created. However, I would reinforce Dave B's comments about the valve gear cut off and eccentric throw. I'm not sure of the precise figure for a B1, but typically an offset of about 2 mm ahead of the axle centre would be in order. Thanks for posting Dave's pipe &...

This is a Brassmasters kit and it, together with a fully rivetted version I have yet to build, are both entirely etched in nickel silver. I think my previous Black 5 came with an earlier, brass version. Not sure about current production, but an LMS 4F inside valvegear etch, shown as N/S on the web s...

Some further progress, mainly on the front bulkhead. Fire iron tunnel, coal space tank vents and front hand rails also attached.
Just the hand brake and scoop handles to do at the front end.



Dave.

Thanks for the kind comment and soldering info, Ralph.
I had my iron set to about 270, so it probably just wasn't hot enough to make the solder flow properly.
Dave.

Right. Just used the 179 degree solder to attach the coal space doors and their locking bars. I found it OK, but not as wonderful as Howard has suggested.
Obviously, I must be doing something wrong. What temperature setting should one use for this solder? Is my Phosflux 12 a suitable flux?
Dave.

Philip. I'm not privy to the Brassmasters design concepts, but the tender kit can make up the fully rivetted, all welded (as mine) or the later part rivetted types. Only the overlays (plus a few other bits and bobs) vary, with the basic carcass remaining common to all. So I suppose the relatively pl...