Richard's Workbench - T3

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

I've got the basic chassis together. It all fitted very well, the biggest part of the time spent was in carefully decusping the components.

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It's set up so that the drivers are beam compensated either side with the bogie pivot being the 3rd part. Again, that took some time to set up just so, filing the arms back on the beams where they rest on the hornblocks.

I've also done the basic work on the cylinders.

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and I am making the leading springs screw in so that I can drop the front axle with the inside valve gear.

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The supports will take a tap for 12BA.

Richard
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
I'm back on the T3 workbench, but this time on the tender.

The basic tender top is made as a box, to which the flares are added. I was not really looking forward to this as a) the flares are not very deep and need to be curved, and b) they need to be parallel to the footplate. The flares are separate as they were on the prototype with a distinct dividing line between the flare and body.

Fortunately, the curving is relatively easy because the flare is half etched, and the location is dead easy because the kit includes 2 jigs. These are tack soldered to each of the sides and end in turn and the flare fitted.

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Phew! While it did take some time, it was a lot easier than I feared.

Richard
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

Continuing with my journey through the LSWR locos, I'm back on the T3 for a while.

The body is built on a fold-up cradle which includes the valances. Care in folding gives a square frame on which to attach the footplate and build the body.

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The boiler and firebox unit and smokebox are built separately and screwed together, only being soldered when totally satisfied (after trial fit to the footplate) that they are located correctly.

Before the smokebox and boiler can be soldered to the footplate, there are a few details that need to be added first - boiler band cleats on the underside of the boiler

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and the sand operating mechanism on the footplate.

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Cleats are provided in the kit, but I prefer to use Peter Roles castings.

Some time was expended in making sure the firebox and boiler were a perfect fit to the cab and splashers. Time spent here is well-rewarded as the resulting join is much easier to solder and less stressed and prone to open with subsequent operations. The accuracy of the etchings is first class.

Here the smokebox and boiler unit is just placed on the footplate - no solder at the moment; that is the next operation. There is a hole on the rear firebox former that engages with a pin in the spectacle plate, and a 6BA bolt through the bottom of the smokebox.

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Richard
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

Boiler unit now soldered on, and it's started to sprout some castings and details.

A general view - it is so much easier to keep it on the cradle, pretty much until the body is finished.

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Front end detail. The Drummond lamp irons are from Laurie Griffin.

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Rear end detail. I have removed the large whistle.

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The front 2 handrail knobs will be attached with the handrail wire. Once this is done, I can move on to some of the larger white metal castings which will dress the engine quickly.

Richard
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

It's starting to look a bit more like a loco now.:)

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One of the trickiest bits is forming the handrail at the front. I find it easier (and less wasteful!) to do just the front and as far as the first knob on the side - half-way through it in fact. There's still a lot of on/off checking, but once it's done, it should be pretty much plain sailing from there on the body.

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Richard
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Beautiful bit of work Richard. A very elegant locomotive, still prefer the superheated T9 though (I am biased towards the locos used on the BR period NCR).
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Chris,

Thank you. I can quite understand your bias - I share it. A T9 and L11 in BR lined black would look brilliant. It's more by accident than design that I find myself doing a series of LSWR era locos, though I do have a BR T9 to build next year.

Yours,

Richard
 

Peter Cross

Western Thunderer
The T9 and L11 are lovely locos, but the T3 and sister T6, X2 and X6 are the elegant ones. Unfortunately being early not many got to BR
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Body.....

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The tool box top is detachable so I can fit the R/C recharge plug and on/off switch in it.

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The axleboxes and springs are a push fit for the photo. They can be removed for painting. Again, I have used Laurie Griffin cast Drummond lamp brackets.

Richard
 

Peter Cross

Western Thunderer
Looks great have a couple of this type to build. I must of miss read the drawing for the one on my scratch 0395. I read it that the front tool boxes were on shelves above the coal space.
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
There's not actually alot of space for coal above the water tank is there? I assume the poor old firemen of these and the watercart tenders spent a fair while pulling coal forward off the flat areas.
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

I've now finished the T3 which is to go to Paul Moore for painting at Guildex this weekend. I haven't kept you updated, principally because PAD did a super job of his build, but here are a few pics to mark the end of the build.

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There's a few minor differences in our approach - I attached the rear steps and injectors to the chassis; all the inside valve gear comes out in one unit, together with the eccentrics and axle; the rear part of the frames visible in the cab were cut off and soldered to the cab (enabling me to have a conventional chassis and body interface) and I cranked the drawbar to make it easier to separate loco and tender. All in all, a very enjoyable build of a very elegant engine.

Richard
 

P A D

Western Thunderer
Hi Richard,
Thanks for the kind words. I'm going to have to stop writing up my F7 builds, it's making you lazy on the posting. ;)

A super build as always. I like your modification to the rear frames in the cab and the cranked drawbar. I considered doing that but thought it would be difficult to have it removable and that it would be impossible to mate body and chassis. Of course, slitting the lower edge of the drag beam solves it.

Have you increased the gap between loco and tender? Using the short F7 draw bar which I assume is prototypical, there is no clearance for pivoting on curves with the dummy buffers in place. When I'm back at the bench next week I'll try the longer draw bar, but if that fails the buffers will have to come off. Personally I never fit them to my own models.

I look forward to seeing you and the rest of the team on Sunday at Telford.

Cheers,
Peter
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
It's very kind of you to say so, Chris, but you were looking at the L12. The T3 was dismantled and boxed to pass to Paul Moore.

To answer PAD's question, by kinking the drawbar, you are changing the length of the pin holes. I made a new drawbar by trial and error such that when reversing over the tightest curve (5 ft), the engine and tender footplates did not touch (just). I file down the intermediate buffers if necessary if they interfere.

Cheers,

Richard
 

Brian McKenzie

Western Thunderer
by kinking the drawbar, you are changing the length of the pin holes. I made a new drawbar by trial and error. . . .

If I have the mechanics right, the drawbar kink as arranged, will also cause more weight to be applied to the rear of the loco, when pulling a heavy load.
What would Mr Adams say if he could see this super piece of work?
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
It's very kind of you to say so, Chris, but you were looking at the L12. The T3 was dismantled and boxed to pass to Paul Moore.

That will teach me to look more carefully and not assume. Now you've mentioned it it's obviously a different loco. Oooops. Back of the class and detention for me. :bowdown:
 
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