New project - ex-LNER C13, 67421

[davebradwell]

...and there I was celebrating an apparent victory at long last in my 'death of the fixed axle' campaign!

DaveB

[Dave Holt]

Dave, don't despair. Fixed axle locos lurch over track bumps and I never use them now and would not recommend anyone to build a new loco with a fixed axle. However, the problem raised with an existing model might warrant a pragmatic solution. In the case of my earlier efforts, I completely stripped the suspension components out of the frames and started again from scratch - quite a lot of work, but well worth the results.
Anyway, back to progress on the C13.
I have continued to work on the dummy inside valve gear, blending a mix of parts from Dave B's J39 etch and new parts produced for me by Rumney Models. The latest additions are the suspension links and reversing gear. Here they are seen temporarily fitted into position so that the bottom ends could be soldered to the eccentric rod assembly. The latter is located using a 0.8 mm drill bit which will be superseded by brass/N/S wire for final fitment. I have tried the con rods in place, but these had been removed again prior to the photos.

C13_031.JPG

C13_032.JPG

C13_033.JPG

Valve rockers and drive to the valves next. Then i suppose I'd better knuckle down and sort out the compensating beam issue and do the bogie and rear truck.
Dave.

[Dave Holt]

Well, I've finally bitten the bullet and filed the tops of the axleboxes to correct the ride height. I came to the conclusion that this was far easier and less likely to cause further damage than trying to alter the compensating beams.
Once that was done, I fitted the valve rockers to the motion plate and fixed the latter into the frames, then finished off and fixed the dummy inside valve gear (except the reverser shaft, which is still loose) and con rods. I also reinforced the front axle keeps with small N/S strip fillets and solder as the coil springs kept getting bent inwards during handling and I feared the keeps suffering a fatigue failure with repeated straightening.

C13_034.JPG

Dave.

[Dave Holt]

The loco has now progressed to be a 0-0-2 tank! The rear pony truck has been finished and tested in place with the wheel set. Looks encouraging with a reasonable amount of side swing to the joggled in rear frames. The truck bears against the underside of the rear frame stretcher and has a 0.31 mm brass wire centralising wire, The axle is sprung in the truck using my design of hair-pin wire springs, now obscured from view by the axle. The pivot uses a cut down 2 mm pinpoint bearing with a 14BA countersunk screw, which needs trimming, as seen below.

C13_035.JPG

C13_036.JPG

Dave.