An American in England

[tedp]

I fitted the connecting rod on the other side and it goes OK. No trouble seen yet. Yippeee!

Here is a short video clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsc9pAxjHWM

[Jeff Schumaker]

Congrats, Ted. It looks to be a perfect fit.

Jeff S.

[tedp]

Thanks, Jeff, only after a lot of measuring and filing! But I'm not displeased.

To be continued.

[B.Meldon]

Putting weight in the tanks will do nothing to balance the loco, only make it heavier overall. The point of balancing this loco is to counteract the weight of the (cast) smokebox and front apron. So weight will have to be fitted BEHIND the rear driving axle.

In theory you are correct Rod, but in practice extra weight between the driving wheels will most defiantly help balance any model loco, or at the least reduce the effects of the overhanging weight at the front or rear.

Brian Meldon

[tedp]

Putting weight in the tanks will do nothing to balance the loco, only make it heavier overall. The point of balancing this loco is to counteract the weight of the (cast) smokebox and front apron. So weight will have to be fitted BEHIND the rear driving axle.

In theory you are correct Rod, but in practice extra weight between the driving wheels will most defiantly help balance any model loco, or at the least reduce the effects of the overhanging weight at the front or rear.

Brian Meldon

I think Rod is right, Brian. What you need is leverage at the rear end, not so much extra weight. I could fit two blocks of lead in the rear end of the tanks, but it would only be about 15mm behind the centre of the wheelbase if I would do so. Putting some lead in the bunker would mean a lever of 45mm measured from the centre of the wheelbase - three times as much - so the amount of weight needed to produce the same leverage would be reduced by two-thirds.

I'm going to see about the way I should extend the frames to to the rear and fit the cab. But I'm probably unavailable for a few days due to other commitments starting from tonight.

[tedp]

Today I built the etched cab of 'Lyn', a fold-up structure that is easy to solder together. Note the cab back sheet and the fold-up tray that will sit inside the bunker.



After I made this photo, I removed the cowcatcher from the fold-up structure, since it would foul the track, probably due to the Farish chassis the model was intended for. This will be cut to size and fitted to the model later, at the correct height.

The flare to the rear of the bunker must be formed using a round object. The etch is made with numerous half-etched lines to weaken it. It needs to be filled with solder later to get rid of the holes.



Spot soldering the cab with a tiny piece of solder cut and laid inside one of the seams, then some flux added before touching with a soldering iron. Here I experienced some trouble with the soldering tip which is weathered - it should be replaced.



The completed cab next to the loco. I first wanted to fit the cab under the cut-down footplate of the Liliput chassis, but then it sat too deep. So I will fit the chassis with support pads on which the floor of the cab will rest.



Here I'm cutting a larger hole in the floor of the cab, to accommodate the chassis. The cab must be soldered solidly together before attempting this - it has to be rigid.



The cab then was epoxied to the rear of the tanks, after some trial and error. In the end I fitted two 1mm styrene pads to the rear of the tanks with superglue, then fitted the cab to them, with some extra epoxy to fill the gaps. The cab is now slightly clear of the tanks, as it should. Note that the model is balanced loosely on the chassis. It looks as if it sits nicely horizontal. No frames yet under the cab, but I noticed the whitemetal roof already helps with the balance.



In the front and rear views, note the over-sized cowcatcher which wouldn't have fitted as intended. By the way, the boiler centreline is about at scale height, compared to the drawing.





Now I must suspend the modelling work for a day or so due to other commitments. More later.

[tedp]

Well... other commitments done, today I continued the work on the Baldwin. The first thing to do was fit support pads to the chassis so the loco body (cab) would be supported. I glued two brass angles to the chassis, initially with superglue, later with some epoxy added in the remaining gap to strengthen the bond. Note the holes drilled for self-tapping screws going into the cab floor.





The next challenge was to secure the smokebox end. Eventually I superglued a nut in the bottom of the smokebox where the locating lug into the smokebox saddle used to be. A hole was drilled from below, and some judicious filing set the exact distance of the nut to the remains of the smokebox saddle. So the nut doesn't carry the load of the screw thread as it is screwed to the lug on the saddle, but it has enough holding power to carry the body.



Here is the screw head on the underside of the cylinder block, and the fixing screws under the cab.







And here is the loco running trials. I fitted the chimney and the domes, so its outline looks more familiar.





Finally, a video of the loco running trials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q--blJqkbI

We're slowly getting there!

[Jeff Schumaker]

Looks like a smooth runner, Ted.

Jeff S.

[Krizzy]

Ted, an interesting project as usual from you. Are you going to fill in the awful rivet detail on the tanks like I did on my own version which uses the intended Farish chassis with the old Brian Clarke 'Mini-cranks'. I'm sure using Archer rivets would enhance the tank sides.

Looking forward to reading the remainder of this excellent project,
                                                         Roger

[tedp]

Thanks, all!

Roger, I wonder at the use of the Minicranks on the Farish chassis - so it is possible to use them even in a rod-driven chassis. I have a set of them still intended to convert a Minitrix 2-6-2 chassis.

The side detail on the tanks is terrible indeed. I have considered making a printed overlay with all the lettering and lining on it. That would mean a flat tank side and I would need to match the green to the other parts of the loco, which will be painted the normal way. I have been wondering about the correct shade of green for the Southern. How much difference was there between the coach green and the loco green? Any Revell oil paint that matches?

What I failed to write about is that I took considerable care to get the loco body straight on to the chassis. It's a short wheelbase and a long loco, so the tiniest error there shows. In particular, the rear end sits straight above the track. The loco may not look like much at the moment, but now the basic work has been done I can set to work getting the body cleaned up and adding details.

[rod335]

Just a thought Ted, I assume this loco is destined for the C & DR? If so, the thread title should be 'An American in Britain', to save upsetting our Scottish friends? Or am I being too clever?

[tedp]

Yes, you're right, Rod. But the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway was a very English railway, and the loco will be lettered for the Southern Railway. That's why I was thinking of England, even though 'Lyn' will be used over the C&DR.  ;)

[Brian Mosby]

Yes, you're right, Rod. But the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway was a very English railway, and the loco will be lettered for the Southern Railway. That's why I was thinking of England, even though 'Lyn' will be used over the C&DR.  ;)

so instead of going to Brazil  the ship got lost & hit the rocks off the coast of you Island Ted so the ship headed to Port & to cover the cost of ship repairs the master gave to loco to the Island Railway

[tedp]

 :o

Excellent idea. I should keep that in mind, since the C&DR's management has an eye for a bargain, being Scots! A quality they've got in common with the Dutch...    ;D

[Brian Mosby]

:o

Excellent idea. I should keep that in mind, since the C&DR's management has an eye for a bargain, being Scots! A quality they've got in common with the Dutch...    ;D

& Yorkshire Men