Scalefour Forum

Julian, thanks for the kind comments. As you say, the instructions in most kits are very basic and sparse when it comes to pipework, sadly including the Brassmasters ones - an exception being Dave Bradwell's 9F instructions. I rely heavily on the Pipe & Rod and GA drawings in the Wild Swan profi...

The cab doors, fall plates, handrails and intermediate buffing block have now been fitted, so the cab end of the footplate unit is complete, except for glazing and the roof. These latter will be fitted after painting. BM_Blk5_45284_069.JPG BM_Blk5_45284_070.JPG BM_Blk5_45284_071.JPG Oil pots along e...

Robin,
I could bring it to show work in progress, but it's not currently operable.
Dave.

Well, the breaking out of the slot for the gearbox went to plan, I'm glad to say. Quite a bit of very messy sawing to get to this stage.

Boiler unit just loosely placed at present. A bit more work required on the sand pipe plates to let it fully seat on the running plate.
Dave.

Thanks, Dave. As you say, not fully visible but it gives an impression of the backhead when glimpsed through the windows and cab/tender opening. Although I haven't finished the cab/footplate unit, I've been drawn to doing some preliminary work on the boiler assembly. In the Brassmaster kits, the boi...

I had some custom etches done by Rumney for the tank straps on my BR STd and Ivatt class 2 tanks, which made up quite nicely See attached cruel enlargement). Std_2_042.JPG Although this type of arrangement was common to many LMS and BR Standard tank locos, the lengths of the restraining link varies ...

Boiler back head and some cab details fitted.


Dave.

David,
Yes, I did move the steps out on the Jubilee, based on the experience with the previous Black 5.
Dave.

The bit of train heating pipe mentioned previously has been made and fitted to the chassis, as have the front steps. As etched, the steps are a continuous, single piece going right across the chassis. However, experience with my previous Brassmasters Black 5 shows that the steps need moving outwards...

So much for my resolve not to add any more under-cab piping! It didn't take long to realize I couldn't leave off the steam brake supply for the tender. It's fairly small bore stuff (0.4 mm on the model) but exits the back of the loco at a much lower level than all the other pipes/hoses, so has a som...

Well, I've now completed as much of the under cab pipework as I intend to do. There are a couple of small bore pipes I haven't done - steam brake supply to the tender and, possibly, the tender coal spray, but there's enough to create the impression of several hose connections to fill the gap between...

Good point. The lubricator pipes along the boiler on some WD 2-8-0's is a classic example.
Dave.

I don't anneal the brass wire so it is quite hard to bend, either to small radii or very near to the end. I've stuck with brass because it is available in a wide range of suitable diameters and I try to replicate the different pipe diameters used on the prototype. Although copper, or perhaps anneale...

Vacuum pipe now completed. Another squiggly bit of 0.8 mm brass wire, plus a few other bits and bobs.


Dave.

The remaining pipework has been added to the live steam injector and a start made on the vacuum train pipe under the driver's side running plate and cab. Although guided by the pipe and rod diagram for the full size loco, I find that bending brass wire in three planes is a process of trial and error...

Thanks Robin. It does seem rather a lot of effort when the whole thing is almost hidden from view behind the footstep. The most visible bit is the overflow pipe, so it's ironic that that's one of the aspects that the Brassmasters casting has the other way round - exiting at the back instead of the f...

The live steam injector has been created from various diameters of brass tube and wire and some 16 BA washers. Amazingly, I managed to assemble the whole thing with high melt flux cored solder without any bits moving or falling off. The injector was than mounted on the back of the etched footstep as...

Robin,
That looks absolutely fine. Have you managed to sort out the other side?
Dave.

Very nice, Robin. As with the Jubilee, the running is excellent.To me, it looks like the eccentric rod travel is a bit too much. Can you reduce the throw of the return crank or is it fixed now? Must say, I my opinion, original Patriots were ugly looking locos. Are you planning to fit a large taper b...

The past few days have seen progress with fitting the external sand boxes and sand pipes to the rear of the centre driving wheels, including support brackets for the sand pipes. The piping under the cab and running plate on the fireman's side and the damper operating gear have also been completed. T...

Hurrah! The valve gear is complete and fitted on both sides. Not that it didn't put up a bit of a fight but I've beaten it into submission (for now). Despite the usual precautions of cigarette paper washers, dabs of oil, etc., I still managed to solder on of the expansion links solid in it's frame a...

Hi Julian. No mods to the combination levers. This loco had the fluted straight(ish) type. The main mods are the valve spindle cross heads, which I found on some spare cast brass sprues and the expansion links to which I've attached the spacing washers intended for the support frame. This is because...

Hi Dave.
Thanks. Yes, I've seen your trials and tribulations with the 4F. As I also have one of these to do, I'll keep a close eye on the issues you raise.
Dave.

It's been quite a while since I posted anything about this loco. That's because there has been virtually no progress, what with the Festive period and a complete loss of motivation and enthusiasm. Anyway, I've started to get back into it now, so things are moving again. Both sets of valve gear have ...

Only travelled down it once, and never up, in all the times we used the train from Oldham (Central) to Manchester. It would have been 1957 or 8 and my mother and I were on an epic train journey to Thurso, in the winter. It was already pitch black when, after leaving Werneth, we didn't arrive at Holl...