Bradwell Q6

[grovenor-2685]

Once every thing is UP I guess I will spend a nice hour or 2 over at David Clifts running the loco along his layout which has a nice run of about 15meters before having to reverse!

Nice to hear that David is making progress on a layout, he must have got the bulk of the house fixing done. Must give him a call.
Regarrds
Keith

[DougN]

Yes the bulk of the house is done..Last seen reworking the hallway at the last Finescale meeting. The layout is up and there is a serious long run with curves at the end so I will be needing those to run the loco in... We have to start convincing him to get along with the point construction so he can get further along

[DougN]

Well what has happened in the last 5 days.... not much. Though last night I sat down to try out the pick ups and see if I can get it moving under its own power... the answer was yes......badly. the mech seemed so tight that it would only run on full power out of the Duette Twin I use to test things with. Pick ups worked well, so Thanks to Morgan it is the first loco that I have work stright off with out mashing the pickups! It was running and shorting every so offten I started to strip down the various parts to see if I could get it to run nicely... Off came the brake blocks. Umm short has sort of disappeared Still running tight.... ummm off came the slide bars .. still tight.... then came the down fall. All the problems seem to be in the quartering of the wheels though they did revolve and work OK under finger pressure. The springing allows more play so it is harder to feel the tight spots.... 2 hours later I have striped it all down and checked the quartering again... umm and kept fiddling... UNTIL one of the crank pins sheared ARGGGGGG. So I have put it down and walked away. The bigger job tonight is to replace the crank pin

Things I did prove though. The motor and gear box work nicely but have a low top speed.
The pick ups a 'la Morgans system seem to work for me.
Put the loco down after 1 and a half hours and think about some thing else!

[Will L]

Doug

Clearly is tight, particularly if it managed to shear a crank pin. Is this all the time tight or only once a revolution tight?

IMHO they are only really free enough when they will roll away under there own weight!

Will

[DougN]

Will that was the problem I was mucking around with the quarting when I sheared the pin off. In between tonight I have tried to get the pin out by unscrewing it BUT I have filed half of the head away at the back. So I have to cut a new groove to get the screw driver in.

All very frustrating.

Any way below is a photo of the pick ups. They tuck in nicely under and around the brake gear.

DSC_0295.JPG

I hope that helps if people wanted to know what I had done.

Doug
(Oh no more modelling tonight as I have had my head in a building tender all day and the concertration has gone....or may be that was the 2 glasses of red wine)

[DougN]

Report from the following morning (6.44AM).... While collecting the apple for lunch today from the side board. I had to pass the modelling area! So the pin was taunting me "you can't get me". Gently I grabed the offending item in the pointy nose pliers from the wrong end and gently twisted....the pin unscrewed far enough to allow the pliers to grab around the head and out she screwed . I was a bit concerned due to my usual method of super glueing the pins in from the back would destroy the nylon around the hole for the crank pin. So tonight I can put the axle back together and re quarter all the axles to see if that resolves the issue!

[Paul Willis]

Report from the following morning (6.44AM).... While collecting the apple for lunch today from the side board. I had to pass the modelling area! So the pin was taunting me "you can't get me". Gently I grabed the offending item in the pointy nose pliers from the wrong end and gently twisted....the pin unscrewed far enough to allow the pliers to grab around the head and out she screwed

Hoorah! Good to hear that you solved the problem!

Quite often, I find that just sleeping on something that seems impossible to solve makes it better - and the early morning light is perfect for modelling. That's why I've just started laying parts out on the workbench myself

Flymo

[DougN]

Flymo, I would be in serious trouble of not going to work if I did that, though I do enjoy building buildings and the process and management there of.

The kit is lovely and I know that I will enjoy this weekend which is the Queen's Birthday here in Victoria, Australia. I intend to sit down and get some serious modelling done. If I can I would like to get the chassis running smoothly.

I was thinking last night infront of the fire, (in the arm chair, Hornby Magazine under one hand){oh come on it is winter here it was only 4degrees overnight} The loco could be suffering from the problem of driving the rear axle rather than one of the centre axles. I really can't fix that problem due to the design as it is to be driven ont eh rear axle to hide the drive and motor. Ummm will have to spend more time in the arm chair in front of the fire thinking.

[DougN]

Well after shearing another crank pin (the last spare that I had) I realised this morning (cold and foggy... but now sunny) That the problem is always the same crank pin. So more investigation was required.... The crank pin in question is on the second axle with a semi recessed pin. Ahh I have thought to just try backing the nut off and putting a larger "bearing" in therefor pushing the nut out further..... Problem solved. i thin what is happening is the hole in the outer rod is now clean enough to allow the nut clearance to rotate.... so previously it would get to a point and then shear. So the solution is to put a longer bearing in and push the nut out further as well as clean out the recess a bit. thereby moving the nut further from the recess and hence clearance. The other problem that was solved last night was to open all the axle bearings out further to allow better clearance. They were a sliding fit but not a loose sliding fit. The total change was about 6mm further along a parallel reamer.

Forgot how much running clearance is required on loco's. So I am a happy chappie today as things are moving forward again .... But I will have to place another order with Mr Seymour for more crankpins ( I tend to buy in bulk to cover the breakages above)

[Horsetan]

12BA crankpins, Doug? (Instead of 14BA/M1)

[DougN]

No need Mr Tan. The M1 14BA's work OK for me when I have the clearances sorted. It was nice to have the chassis run back and forwards on the 1m of track with no binding or problems. I know that the chassis really needs a good hour or 2 to run in the mech. But I now need to start puting the things that will stop it again back on such as the cylinders and the brake gear. Not so concerned by the Brake gear as that I know has decent clearance but the cylinders and Con rods are tight.

In the mean time I think I will concerntrate on getting the body finished. I ended last night looking at the boiler install and the boiler saddle area which should be just a solder in position tonight!

[DougN]

Well no photos for a while and no updates! Been a bit busy with other things. Any way progress is slow at the moment. I have soldered on the chimney, dome and the surround to the safety valves. They take a fair bit of heat one way or another to solder on, combined power of a 25W iron and then a thump of heat from a resistance unit... that way the solder flows and then runs and hides under the part! The loco is certainly looking like a Q6. I have also found the loco series with the right details in the RCTS green bible!

I have gone back to reading the instructions to find out what parts I should be fitting at the moment. Then again i did spend half an hour mucking around on a High Level black Hawthorn!I do like the big fabrications!

[Horsetan]

.... the solder flows and then runs and hides under the part! ....

I like that!

[DougN]

Mr Tan I think this is the resistance unit that I think you had a go at using! All I can say is when it gets hot it gets really hot. I am finding that the RS unit is useful but still needs to be backed up by a good iron. I am thinking that I need to buy a temperature controled unit which is more controlable and than the 25W weller that I have been using for years.

The Highlevel kit got the lookin last night. Smoke box, fire box, cab, and water tank all folded and soldered. Interesting that the brass used by Chris is thicker and a little more filing is required than the Dave Bradwell. The 2 locos are sitting on the shelf over the TV at the moment (clear of the kids in full flight!) There is a serious juxposition of the 2. That is the Q6 dwarfs the BH. infact the tender to the Q6 is longer than the BH. It is fun though to have the 2 together and the personal satisfaction of knowing who put them together! Photos I promise over the week end!

[Mike Garwood]

Doug
If it's a temperature controlled job you're after I've been introduced to one of these and I have to say I'm really impressed. Changes different size tips with no problems. The only real problem is the price which is a bit steep. Don't know if this available to you in your part of the world.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/sear ... R=4628674#

Look forward to the photos...

Mike

[DougN]

Thanks Mike. I will have a look when the site is back up and running as it is closed as I write. It is something that I have been thinking about and looking at for years. But as logic has dictated when ever they are on sale I wasn't doing any soldering... now that I have some thing to do.... you bet they are full price!

[Horsetan]

Mr Tan I think this is the resistance unit that I think you had a go at using! ....

I vaguely remember a bang and a flash when the circuit was completed, and managing to melt a hole in some lead. This was during a Victorian summer (i.e. hot)...in December, with "Merry Christmas" signs in the streets! Since then the drawer full of Bradwell frets has increased, as you know, and is about to welcome another B1 chassis etch shortly.

Thought: your Q6 would be an interesting monolith if it were on ballrace suspension; imagine the momentum you could generate with that.

[DougN]

All I know MR Tan is getting the weight into the boiler is going to be fun. I will be cutting lead into strips about 30mm long and feeding them in through the firebox. Momentum it will certainly have, it does have a low top speed though. 1:54 gearbox on the 1624 mashima doesn't really allow high speed running on the small wheels .

[DougN]

Well I have promised photos for a while. I have been distracted by the Black Hawthorn so I thought I would put up a few photos for amusement!

BH 01 020711.jpg

BH 02 020711.jpg

BH 03 020711.jpg

BH 04 020711.jpg

And to change back to the Big'un

Q6 01 020711.jpg

I guess when you look at the Q6 there is a fair bit of work left to do and the BH hasn't got that much in the way of cosmetics to be finished! It is interesting to compare the 2 kits both from designers of excellence. The high level being more of a total package with the bespoke gearbox. I am finding that the accuracy of Dave Bradwells drafting to be much higher than the BH. I found that the BH's bunkers inside the cab sheets to be slightly short, and also the etched slots needing alot of cleaning out to get to work OR just not to bother and file off the tabs. Over all both are great in their own ways. They might cure my appitite for Loco's for a while. I am thinkiing about NER coaches for the passenger services and the idea that I havn't built any coaches out of brass yet!

I also had to go to Brunel Models to purchase some more solder 145degree and 70 degree, type 1 flux which is very similar to red lable and some other sundires. It was nice to catch up with Mary and then John who are both S4 members. I can recommend their 145degree solder it worked beautifully on the springs of the BH, rather than the 70 degree!

Crazy thought has any one heard of what Mr Bradwell is working on at the moment????

[Horsetan]

....Crazy thought has any one heard of what Mr Bradwell is working on at the moment????

No, but he did mention some etches for the BR 9F body some years ago..... Wonder what happened to those?

[DougN]

Well Mr Tan that would keep you out of mischief for a while. The reason for the question was to keep me thinking about what I would like to build after the Q6 and the Black Hawthorn( which seems to be coming together quite nicely but very quickly ( which I am not sure if I should be happy or sad about or does it mean that I am actually doing enough modelling) I know that I would like to do some NER coaches but I have yet to find a supplier or enough knowledge as to what I should buy. (as usual answers on a post card to this topic which may be should be re named!)

[Wizard of the Moor]

I know that I would like to do some NER coaches but I have yet to find a supplier or enough knowledge as to what I should buy.

Can't help with knowledge or what you should buy, but
John Fozard at North Eastern Designs does some nice NER coaches.

Although the website is geared towards RTR, I think that a polite enquiry would get you details of coach kits.

[RedDragon]

As suggested, North Eastern Designs do quite a range of NER coaches. John Fozzard has supplied me with the etches for all of the diagram numbers as well as some of the LNER designs. He now also has a few GNR diagram numbers and states he will be doing some GCR designs later this year, all on the web site.

Dan Pinnock (D&S Models) is also currently taking orders for his 6 styles of NER Clerestory coaches and may well do some more of the NER Elliptical roof stock later this year.

Last but not least, Arthur Kimber has done the designs for a range of NER Bow End gangwayed stock which is currently at the test etch stage. These could be a way off though as he has just released his NER Q5, will shortly have the Q5/2 (H&B boilered version) out and continues to work on the NER B15, Tennant, Q7 and A6 (which will have the option of the Whitby Willy 4.6.0T variant for both short and long smokebox designs).

Happy days for modellers of the NER.

SteveT

[DougN]

Thanks James and SteveT, shows how quickly kit makers I have never heard of can be found using this forum. I may have some difficulty from this side of the earth on ordering BUT I will see what I can do.

[Neil S Wood]

Looking very nice Doug.

I had the pleasure of seeing this first hand the other night and it's coming along nicely.

I'll get back to my rivet tapping now.

See you at the weekend.

Cheers

Neil