Dave
Western Thunderer
This is only my second scratchbuilt loco but the first was so long ago and so far removed in subject and materials ( a 7mm Ruston 44/48HP diesel made from plastikard) that it may as well be my first.
It's all but finished now, so this is more a "how I did it" than a thread to follow as I do it. Besides, I made it all up as I went and I doubt that there's much to learn from me anyway...
The prototype is a Manning Wardle class H, as done by Ixion in 7mm but I did mine in 4mm. The class H was numerically Manning's most popular 0-4-0 type and they varied so much over the years in frame design, cab (or no) design, saddletank pattern, smokebox, brake gear - just about everything! I chose to build the very late type, as modelled by Ixion, because of the slab-sided frames that have no holes in. Apart from this late design being visually appealing to me I thought that the slab sides of the frames would allow extra weight to be hidden but, as we will see, this turned out not to be neccesary.
The first thing was to plan the "kit" out and make the plasticard patterns to six times the size of the finished article. The fit of parts and the thickness of smokebox wrappers etc. had to be taken into account when making the patterns.
These were then taken to my friend John Taylor for the parts to be profile milled in varying thicknesses of brass.
The arrangement was made up to final size in Photoshop to be compared with motor and gearbox combinations in order to determine what could be made to fit.
Gibson wheels, RT models castings, a Mashima motor, High Level gearbox, and some brass tube were purchased.
Parts off the miller, the burrs knocked off on an oilstone, ready for the axle holes and holes in the rods to be opened out.
In order to ensure that everything went together square I made up a device to hold the frame plates and spacers together whilst everything was soldered together using a blowtorch. The frame plates being 1mm thick were too much for my little iron.
And the assembled frame...
And with the running plate, smokebox base and cab floor being trial-fitted. The smokebox base and cab floor base were drilled and tapped 12BA to hold them to the running plate and 10BA for screws that pass through the running plate and screw into the smokebox and cab to hold the finished bodywork to the frames.
First tethered run. Boiler lower half fashioned from brass tube and the cylinders being built up.
Building the cab.
The cylinders now built up, with the casting ribs made from 5 Thou. brass and inserted into slots made by piercing saw. Motion bracket fitted and a tiny flywheel made and fitted, for what good it will do, being so small...
Building up the skeleton of the tank and trial-fitting it with the smokebox and cab.
Detailing the cab. Coal bunkers made from 5 Thou, brass sheet and steam valves to the injectors made from hexagonal brass with copper wire and tiny etched brass valve wheels. The brake column is brass tube, turned to a slight taper with a 7mm scale handrail knob in the top.
Further detail in the cab - dome and safety valves. When building kits I never appreciate how much work goes into something like this as it is usually a single casting that is soldered or glued on in a minute but it took me hours to make this and consists of ten seperate parts.
And now just about finished with whitemetal castings, from RT Models, for the smokebox door, chimney, tank filler, springs and buffers.
Water valves for the injectors were made from a 14BA screw that was filed to a flange and a 12BA screw and by God was it fiddly!
I can't upload any more at the moment, the forum won't let me, so I'm off to watch Red Dwarf and will post the final photos later.
It's all but finished now, so this is more a "how I did it" than a thread to follow as I do it. Besides, I made it all up as I went and I doubt that there's much to learn from me anyway...
The prototype is a Manning Wardle class H, as done by Ixion in 7mm but I did mine in 4mm. The class H was numerically Manning's most popular 0-4-0 type and they varied so much over the years in frame design, cab (or no) design, saddletank pattern, smokebox, brake gear - just about everything! I chose to build the very late type, as modelled by Ixion, because of the slab-sided frames that have no holes in. Apart from this late design being visually appealing to me I thought that the slab sides of the frames would allow extra weight to be hidden but, as we will see, this turned out not to be neccesary.
The first thing was to plan the "kit" out and make the plasticard patterns to six times the size of the finished article. The fit of parts and the thickness of smokebox wrappers etc. had to be taken into account when making the patterns.
These were then taken to my friend John Taylor for the parts to be profile milled in varying thicknesses of brass.
The arrangement was made up to final size in Photoshop to be compared with motor and gearbox combinations in order to determine what could be made to fit.
Gibson wheels, RT models castings, a Mashima motor, High Level gearbox, and some brass tube were purchased.
Parts off the miller, the burrs knocked off on an oilstone, ready for the axle holes and holes in the rods to be opened out.
In order to ensure that everything went together square I made up a device to hold the frame plates and spacers together whilst everything was soldered together using a blowtorch. The frame plates being 1mm thick were too much for my little iron.
And the assembled frame...
And with the running plate, smokebox base and cab floor being trial-fitted. The smokebox base and cab floor base were drilled and tapped 12BA to hold them to the running plate and 10BA for screws that pass through the running plate and screw into the smokebox and cab to hold the finished bodywork to the frames.
First tethered run. Boiler lower half fashioned from brass tube and the cylinders being built up.
Building the cab.
The cylinders now built up, with the casting ribs made from 5 Thou. brass and inserted into slots made by piercing saw. Motion bracket fitted and a tiny flywheel made and fitted, for what good it will do, being so small...
Building up the skeleton of the tank and trial-fitting it with the smokebox and cab.
Detailing the cab. Coal bunkers made from 5 Thou, brass sheet and steam valves to the injectors made from hexagonal brass with copper wire and tiny etched brass valve wheels. The brake column is brass tube, turned to a slight taper with a 7mm scale handrail knob in the top.
Further detail in the cab - dome and safety valves. When building kits I never appreciate how much work goes into something like this as it is usually a single casting that is soldered or glued on in a minute but it took me hours to make this and consists of ten seperate parts.
And now just about finished with whitemetal castings, from RT Models, for the smokebox door, chimney, tank filler, springs and buffers.
Water valves for the injectors were made from a 14BA screw that was filed to a flange and a 12BA screw and by God was it fiddly!
I can't upload any more at the moment, the forum won't let me, so I'm off to watch Red Dwarf and will post the final photos later.
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