W1 as rebuilt

Jim,
yes and no. Geomagic suffers from being unable to lay out the major centres, axes and constraints of an assembly. You can build all that into Rhino but that loses the parametric approach. I bit the bullet on the D15 valve gear and chose to do it in Rhino. I haven't use Geomagic in a year.
Simon

SimonT said:

Jim,
yes and no. Geomagic suffers from being unable to lay out the major centres, axes and constraints of an assembly. You can build all that into Rhino but that loses the parametric approach. I bit the bullet on the D15 valve gear and chose to do it in Rhino. I haven't use Geomagic in a year.

Click to expand...

Simon,

So you haven't been tempted by less expensive options like Fusion 360, Onshape or Designspark Mechanical or would you have to pay serious money for them if you are now considered a commercial enterprise?

Jim

No, I don't have time to mess with learning new applications. I seem to remember the first two had the problem that your data stayed on their cloud and was limited in capacity.
Simon

Moving onward.

Test fit of 27" Vacuum brake cylinder in support bracket.
Works for me and rotates enough to follow brake shaft yoke and clear mounting beam.

Alignment check with brake shaft yoke in engine.
Alignment checked and passed.

Clearance check around middle cylinder and general fit.

Clearance all fine, must get around to adding the middle cylinder drain cocks and pull rods soon.

The only view that matters, does it light block the big gap between frames and rear bogie wheel.

Gap blocked Ignore loose slide bar assembly it's been out for a little running clearance fettling.

Overall a bit of a chore and quite fiddly but it got easier toward the end and it does look rather good when you turn the engine upside down, more importantly at low viewing angles it is clearly visible, can't say the same for the rear one which is buried deep up inside the frames, but it'll be added as well and connected to the upper layer of brake linkage in due course.

Onto the engine springs.

LNER E63 spring against the standard 'gosh look how small that is' unit of measure

The E63 spring fits the W1 on all axles, the Gresley A1/A3 on all axles and the D49 on all axles, it may fit other engines but I've not researched that aspect yet, either way, some mileage in getting these cast.

Undecided yet on how best to add the lugs on top that physically attach to the base of the axle box; so will let that puzzle float around the back of the head whilst I focus on the spring hangers.

Enjoy.

MD

All that new cast under gear will be excellent additions to the A4 when its time comes around for upgrading and release

Regards
Bob

Silverystreaks said:

All that new cast under gear will be excellent additions to the A4 when its time comes around for upgrading and release

Regards
Bob

Click to expand...

Bob, not these springs I'm afraid, the A4 is fitted with E69 springs, as is the V2, A2/1, A2/3 and Peppercorn A1, A2.

The brake cylinders on the W1 are unique I think, certainly not compatible with the A1-A3, A4 or V2, I haven't checked all other LNER engines to see if the 27" brake cylinder is used elsewhere yet.

The brake beams are the same as the A1-A3 and A4, it's a standard Gresley set up; the kit includes a full individual part brake system which you can build and pin yourself, or you can use the cast beams under development with rods cut and fitted by the builder; both brake shafts with yokes will be cast for ease as well.

The only downside to cast brake planks is the lack of daylight through the clevis and yokes, something myself and the original sponsors wanted to have as well as a few others who have PM'd.

MD

In all honesty Mick it was the cross beams and pull rods that I was referring to. They look wonderful detailed castings

My build Finney A4 now looks somewhat underdressed in comparison

Bob

Silverystreaks said:

In all honesty Mick it was the cross beams and pull rods that I was referring to. They look wonderful detailed castings

My build Finney A4 now looks somewhat underdressed in comparison

Bob

Click to expand...

Bob,

No castings in the brake gear, all hand built from etches in the kit. The plan is to offer the brake planks as castings but they won't be (by virtue of the casting process) so see through in certain areas.

There may be some mileage in carving out the full monty etched brake gear onto it's own etch, as a stand alone item for those that may wish to dress up older models. It looks difficult, but anyone who can build working valve gear with tight tolerances can easily build up a fixed brake system.

The same thought process is already applied to the valve gear which is already a discreet etch; I have to test build one to see if it'll fit the Hachette partworks A4 chassis at some point.

The only castings fitted so far are the cylinder stuffing glands, pressure relief valves, cross head, valve guides and Cartazzi springs - axle boxes.

MD

Very nice mate...

JB.

Your absolutely correct Mick I've just had a look at my Finney A4 and the under gear is the same. Mind you its been a while since it was completed (2009) and I had forgotten how good the brake detail was.

I should have known better as I've got through Martins A3 and V2 since then

Bob

Mick,

as your going to use the made up etches as masters for your castings have you spoken to your caster to find how much bigger you need to make your patterns? IIRC it's about 2% bigger for brass, 2.5% for N/S and 1% for W/M. It's all down to the shrinkage of the castings. But you will know that already.

Some very nice work going on.

OzzyO.

Ok moving on, the revised etches came back for the bogie, Cartazzi and trailing truck and I've been test building them and working up the instruction photos, so nice new cutting mat and lots of light for better photography.

There wasn't much changed on the bogie, a relaxing of the side control pressure by moving the webs internally and the addition of the BR angle across the front instead of the LNER tie rod.

The W1 was not fitted with AWS as far as I can ascertain, so no need for further appendages in this area. I did also add the weather shield (optional) over the real side control springs, I've no proof this was ever fitted.
It was fitted to A3's and A4's during their life time, so logic dictates it 'may' have been fitted to the W1, so best to add it to the etches in case new info ever surfaces.

Moving rearward the Cartazzi has had a full make over and is now a sprung radial truck.

The two springs provided suspension whilst allowing the assembly to slide within the inner horn guides. The washers are not fixed, but slide up and down the pegs under the spring pressure and are there to aid the spring sliding left and right.

An extra plate was dropped into the bottom of the inner horn guides with two angled slots for the pegs and the slots limit side play (more on side play later).


Radial Cartazzi assembly installed.



From the low angle rear view you can see the two small washers to assist the sliding of the springs and the pegs going through the slots which follow the same arc as the curved front and rear faces.

Side play, currently the wheels are not fully pressed home so there is an excessive gap between them and the assembly. When fully pressed home there will still be a small gap and this could form part of the side play, the axle being free to slide without the Cartazzi assembly moving. That alone should give about 2.0 mm of play, on top of that the slots give 3.0mm play. You can limit the free side play by adding washers so that the slots give the maximum allowable side play, either way, without washers the axle end should still clear the inside face of the outer frames easily.

One other option is to develop some sort of side control springing as well, but I'm in two minds if it would add any benefit to an engine that primarily goes forward. With side control springs then removing the washers allows some free movement for small track irregularities or shallow curves, but then as it tightens the assembly starts to move which having the side control springs on generates some extra force.

It'd be a lot of work and probably not worth it, but for say an N2 or N7 then yes it'd certainly benefit from some side control pressure.

Onward with the trailing truck, which again has had a make over and taken on board several suggestions and comments from earlier and elsewhere

MD

Grinding along, nearly there

Trailing truck fabricated and test fitted, no issues getting the fixing screw in, plenty of play....but not touching the frames...and flexibility.







MD

Superb stuff.

Just a little more progress, time being spent elsewhere on instruction writing and casting masters.

Valve gear, more correctly, Radius Rod and Expansion Link.

The radius rod does slide up and down and it wasn't until it was all finished that I realised the pin for the radius rod was brass instead of nickel silver, but it's staying as I'm not taking it all apart, it'll do as a test build of parts though.

Does it all fit in the reversing bracket.

Certainly does .

Nick has been on since day one of the project to make sure the expansion link was a triple plate affair with the radius rod bisecting correctly, so Nick, this one is for you, hope it meets your expectations


Y'all have to excuse the dodgy craftsmanship on the slot ends, it's me, not the metal, honest

More fiddly detail work, the front conjugated levers.

View of the parts so far outside the engine, still to do is the RH valve stem, link and slide block. The standard unit of 'gosh that's small' has added to scale that insanely little pin, and yes for a brief moment I did contemplate drilling and adding a 0.3 mm split pin but decided to leave that sort of asylum detail to the likes of Nick and Richard, Mwuuhahahar


Designed to go in earlier I've had to opt to split bits down and apply a slightly different build approach, one that works equally as well; so if you like mental gymnastics and open engine surgery then this is the method for you.

Simply put, the two outside valve stems are left off and a small pin with flange made, insert the levers and then the outside valve stems, drop in the pin and secure with a small drop of loctite in the lower bearing housing.

View from above rear with everything installed, well two of the three legs.


From the front.

The RH castings need fitting and then the valve stem fitted and pinned.

The only view that really matters.

Seems to all line up and vaguely replicate the real deal.

Shamefully early cleaning attempts and agents are taking their toll on some of the early bits built nearly two years ago; it could really do with a coat of paint, but not yet, still a couple of bits to develop and stick on before that day arrives.

Onward.

MD

Any movement in the body?

The best kit ever?

mickoo said:

Just a little more progress, time being spent elsewhere on instruction writing and casting masters.

Valve gear, more correctly, Radius Rod and Expansion Link.
View attachment 65002
The radius rod does slide up and down and it wasn't until it was all finished that I realised the pin for the radius rod was brass instead of nickel silver, but it's staying as I'm not taking it all apart, it'll do as a test build of parts though.

Does it all fit in the reversing bracket.
View attachment 65003
Certainly does .

Nick has been on since day one of the project to make sure the expansion link was a triple plate affair with the radius rod bisecting correctly, so Nick, this one is for you, hope it meets your expectations
View attachment 65004

Y'all have to excuse the dodgy craftsmanship on the slot ends, it's me, not the metal, honest

Click to expand...

It might be incidental to some but one of the best features of Finney Kits that involve valve gear is the ability to replicate a correct expansion link allowing to manually set forward and reverse gear. Bit of a faff but very worthwhile

Regards
Bob

Nick Dunhill said:

Any movement in the body?

Click to expand...

It'll be ready for release date

Nick Dunhill said:

The best kit ever?

Click to expand...

You'd best reserve accolades like that after you've opened the box

MD