Mitchell/MM1 6814 Enborne Grange

dibateg

Western Thunderer
I've come here as its a good place for this one to sit...


I'm on with a new project, a JLTRT Grange, originally a Mitchell kit and now sold by Laurie Lynch of MM1 models. For various reasons I've started with the tender. It's pretty well the original Mitchell instructions, so you need to know your way around a GW tender..

I've not cleaned up yet, but this time I didn't bother with the vac cylinder. The main point to take note is that the brake cross shaft is not the full width of the steps - there seems to be a minor error with the design. That is easily rectified, by re-mounting the 'outriggers' at the outside frame width. Anyway it is reasonably close to how it should be.
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The outer frames - I drill dimples out and replace them with 0.8mm wire to represent the axlebox keeper bolts. A cut out is required at the rear of the frames to allow space for the buffer head bolts.
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With the inner and outer frames together the correct width of the cross shaft can be seen. I'll need to make some support webs to go behind the steps.
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This is what it should look like
Collet 4000g front.jpg
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Plenty of interesting detail on this GWR Tender. Look forward to seeing more, although I would have said a Workbench is a more appropriate place for construction work then here.
 

adrian

Flying Squad
a Workbench is a more appropriate place for construction work then here.
It’s fine by me, we don’t tend to worry too much about pigeonholing stuff, sometimes spreading it around helps to get visibility. Some of our “boxes” are rather nebulous anyway.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
That's fine. I've strayed a bit while trying to decide whether building something for the layout should be in the layout thread or a Workbench. "Visibility" is a good point.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
Hmmm, the lower works look very similar to the Hawksworth tender I'm building at present. Still once the body is built I'm sure it will all become apparent.

A bit like Rolf Harris, " can you guess what it is yet!". Gosh perhaps I shouldn't of quoted from him.....

Martyn.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
Cheers for the photo Tony,
that photo has been more helpful than the entire instructions that came with the kit.

Martyn.
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
I was away from home a lot in June, so not much got done, now in July there are a myriad of outside jobs to do. But the rain is back and so it's on with the Grange. I always seem to have a fight on my hands with flared tenders, but it has come right in the end. I use plumbers solder to fill in the fingers on the rounded corners. Used 145 solder to put on the axleboxes and springs, with the iron set to 200 degrees is works and it seems if the castings are of sufficient quality, they won't melt... Only two wheelsets fitted at the moment.
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I'm on to the loco frames - it's just an extended Manor really, so there are many similarities. I still have a large stock of Fourtrack hornblocks. Cast springs come from the SDK, so the etched ones on the frames were cut off.
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mickoo

Western Thunderer
Who are SDK, I've not heard of them. I've a Hall to do with laminated springs sometime soon and those cast springs look just the ticket.
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
Ah yes - Super Detail Kit ! Sorry folks as created by JLTRT. It might be worth contacting Laurie at MM1 as he now managed to sort some of the castings obtained from JLTRT....

Regards
Tony
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
A days ( or some of it anyway! ) work sees the basic chassis work done. There are some hefty castings in the SDK and some of them need modifying to fit around the chassis stretchers. It just takes a bit of planning and work. The castings are pretty tidy in any case. That was one thing that drew me to 7mm scale, the chunky parts for the running gear instead of flimsy etched little pieces in 4mm!
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The only modification I had to do was drill out and extend the spigots on the brake crank with 1.5mm rod. I wondered what the other socket on the spring casting was for - it seems to be a strengthening rod between the frames. I'm sure a GW expert will know!
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Paul Hannah did an excellent thread, which has been really useful, but it doesn't go to completion unfortunately:-
JLTRT new build.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
The only modification I had to do was drill out and extend the spigots on the brake crank with 1.5mm rod. I wondered what the other socket on the spring casting was for - it seems to be a strengthening rod between the frames. I'm sure a GW expert will know!

Hi Tony,

I'm fairly certain that is exactly what you called it a " strengthening rod " as to why it is sited at the bottom of the spring hangers I'm not sure, unless it gives some torsional strength and helps keeps the flexing of the frames to a minimum but without being rigid. I remember reading somewhere that some classes were prone to cracks in the mainframes but I think that was mainly Castles and Kings.

Martyn.
 

dibateg

Western Thunderer
The good weather is keeping me away from the workbench, but I'm finding the odd hour to progress the running plate. I'm always suspicious of one piece developments, but this one folds out nicely. Then its a process of adding overlays. That's where the resistance soldering tool comes in to it's own.
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dibateg

Western Thunderer
Moving on slowly, the cab is made up. The roof had to be cut back a little, it was looking a bit like a Swiss chalet! The boiler is plonked on. Basic cylinder assembly is in place. Some cleaning up to do... Is it a big Manor or a small Hall..?
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The cast equalising beams in the bogie kit didn't seem quite right, so I used the original etches from the kit, using a bearing to align them for drilling the bolts. Some square section brass was used for the spacer. I also scratched up the ATC pick up. Again - it needs cleaning up...
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dibateg

Western Thunderer
So it's on it's wheels at last. I had trouble with the saddle, it was too low by a millimetre or so, so I had to fabricate it up. So it looks like a loco now - on with all that detailing... There was some fettling to get the boiler to fit nicely.

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I modified the slide bar brackets, by cutting off the flanges and mounting them on the frames. That allows the distance of the slidebars from the frames is not dictated by the casting.. The drain cocks were all on brackets, so four of them had to be modified by filing all that off and butt soldering them to the wrapper. Experts will notice the relief valves are off centre, this is because the model has to negotiate four foot radius curves. The castings for the relief valve comes with a base flange, but that has to be taken off as on the real thing the valve is mounted directly on the cylinder casting and the flange is hidden by the cover. So a 2.3mm hole has to be drilled through the cover before soldering it to the cylinder assembly.
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