Building an Ace Kits "K"

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
That's a good thought, Simon, and one I've yet to check. Potentially more holes to drill and others to fill.

BTW, and not surprisingly, there are no washout plugs in the kit. Not that I thought there would be. I'll be making my own, then.....

B
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Richard - the first one is a bit early, but shows the side of the loco of which I have no photos so I'll likely use some of it.....

As for the Railway Roundabout shots, they are very useful. I had a minor palpiation when I read about the difference in the slide bars, but mine are correct for 32337. The date is about right and shows that the bottom washout plugs on the RHS as a sort of "nipple" arrangement. (I'll wash my mouth out with soap and water later, it being Sunday and all.) I wonder what those on the LHS were like - in my photo they are pretty well hidden by the reversing rod and anyway the photo is less than entirely sharp! I think I'll use the "nipple" arrangement for the bottom row on the LHS as well, with the others as the (relatively) flush fitting. Now just to make them - but I have a cunning plan.

Otherwise that's a really lovely site. I'm now going to get lost down it.

B
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Hi Brian

I've sent a load of photographs via pm which I trust may be useful.

The top row of four washout plugs are indeed offset from each other on either side. It's harder to discern whether the bottom row (three I think) are offset from each other on each side. Then of course there are the pair on either side on the top corners of the firebox.

When detailing don't forget the vacuum pipe run down the running plate and the prominent moisture traps.....
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I don’t think there’s any great need for the lower row of washout plugs to be assymetric, as they are below the firebox crown, and therefore in the narrow water space. Those above the crown are usually offset to enable the whole crown to be accessed and cleaned.

Best
Simon
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thanks indeed, Dave. Those photos are helpful in that they don't confirm which plugs are appropriate to which loco! I'll be doing what I think is right based on all the evidence. I've been thinking about the vac pipe too. In fact I think I bought a couple of moisture traps from LG - there is one on the tender - but it was so long ago I can't remember......

The top and middle holes in the kit on the firebox for the washout plugs are, indeed, asymetric. As you surmise, Simon, those at the bottom are not. Although, whether this is, in fact correct, is open to some conjecture.:)

The help and advice has been superb. I'll post some pics of where I'm up to next week.

BTW, I started this in August 2014. I may get it finished by August this year! Even allowing for a house move and new build workshop that's a stupid amount of time tp spend on one loco. Fortunately my affection for the Ks has not declined in any way.

B
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
.....so I checked, Dave, and I lied. The tender doesn't have a moisture trap on it. I can't find it in photos, and neither is it on the drawings.

No problem for the loco, though, as it's eay to see the pipework and the trap. I think I'll have to build that, though......

B
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
One suspects that the drawings show the tender as built (feed water heating is a good check - it was removed...), in which case the moisture traps won't be on there as they were fitted on the vac brake lines, not the original air-brake system.

It's just possible that the trap is on the loco, not the tender, as the tender retained its air brake even after vacuum train braking was fitted.

Steph
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
I'm sure you are correct, Steph. That's part of the problem with using the original drawings. There were lots of changes over 50 years! And as far as photos of the tender are concerned, if a moisture trap is present it's well hidden so I'll probably not concern myself with it.

As for the locos, they all seem to show air, vac and steam heat hoses on the front.

B
 

Martin Shaw

Western Thunderer
Brian
If you can beg borrow or otherwise obtain a book called Lawson Billinton A Career Cut Short by K.Marx (I kid you not), Oakwood Press OL142, it has some quite good photos of K classes though mostly before your time period. I wouldn't purchase it although it's a good read. I only realised this yesterday as I embarked on the mammoth task of cataloguing the library.

Regards
Martin
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Hi Martin.

Gottit! It's actually a great read, and Mr Billinton was quite an engineer.

As you say, the problem for me is that the photos of the K are somewhat previous to my period of interest.

It's reminded me, though, to go back through my books of biographies. The Bulleid one is good. The John Aspinall (L & YR) one is better.

Thanks for reminding me.

Brian
 

2-Bil

Western Thunderer
Brian ------You might already know of Ian D Nolans Flickr albums but if not theres some good"K" images in the 1961&1962 BR (SR) albums which are spot on for your time period.Hope they'll be of use------- and even if they're not all his albums are well worth the time spent browsing them-------------Respects etc BW
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Well, I've scanned through 1 year and started another. These are just stunning images and so helpful for any SR steam age model maker. Thank you with knobs on for putting me on to it.

Brian
 

2-Bil

Western Thunderer
Glad you're enjoying the"pull of the past"I don't think theres a dud shot in the collection.Some of the station photos Bramber,Plumpton ect-------really took me back to early 60s summers------------Respects etc----------(any chance of a Finney 7 E4? one day maybe???)
 

2-Bil

Western Thunderer
Brian --------Five Ks in colour large sharp images too and all early 60s------Gerald T Robinson flickr BR_SR album ...........regards BW
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Put your hand up if you thought I'd ever get this far.:)

IMG_20180320_172120989.jpg

Reversing rod (very flimsy etch, so backed with a piece of nickel silver which allowed me to fork the end) and a clip to side of the firebox made from scrap, hand rails on cab and above centre footsteps, all footsteps and wash out plugs.

IMG_20180320_163424744 - Copy.jpg

The wash out plugs were made using the Dikitriki method. Those at the top of the firebox are 0.8mm square rod and the bezels are 12BA washers curved to shape. The bezels of those on the side are copper soldered on and filed back to shim thickness. The lower ones are deliberately a different pattern again made from copper but not filed back to give more depth - see the prototype photo below. Those scratches from cleaning up the solder look horrendous, but it's a trick of the light.

IMG_20180320_140850387.jpg

Here's the copper being made in to the bezels, and the brass scrap of various thicknesses for filing the rod and bezels back to the required thickness. The initial bezels I fitted were from 0.5mm wire and were too big. I eventually settled on 0.3mm which looked about right. The chunky plugs are from 0.8mm copper and not filed back to give a profile a bit similar to those in the photo below.

img077a.jpg img078 - Copy.jpg

This photo is copyright Transport Treasury and included to demonstrate the two types of plugs - in this case two different types in the same row. My photos of 32337 indicate that the plugs at the bottom of the firebox are of the chunkier type.

At this point I couldn't resist placing a chimney, dome and smokebox door.:) There are still a lot of fittings to make up and apply, but it actually is starting to look like a "K". That dome is a bit high but I can file that back. The profile isn't bad, though. As for the chimney, that's where I may need some guidance (Dave and Steph?)

IMG_20180320_172441023_HDR.jpg

Here are some photos of the body with each of the chimneys I have for this model. With reference to the prototype photo, which is the nearest?

Firstly the chimney which is the original one for the K, but which looks closest to the prototype photo to my eye.
IMG_20180320_172456645.jpg IMG_20180320_172954284.jpg
Then the one which is supposed to be for the cut down version, but it looks too squat to me.

IMG_20180320_172513422.jpg IMG_20180320_172849939.jpg
Lastly is a version which was suggested as the most appropriate, but this one looks too fat and squat. That capuchon is wrong too, but that can easily be filed back if we agree it's the best one.

IMG_20180320_172601294.jpg IMG_20180320_172812640.jpg

Any thoughts about the best match will be gratefully received.

Brian
 

Martin Shaw

Western Thunderer
Brian
Something you may not be aware of, washout plugs have a taper thread and a brand new plug won't go so far into the hole compared to one that has the thread recut, so whilst the four in a row look different, they are probably the same. I think by BR days the whole of the SRegion was using a standardised plug which from memory had YM3 embossed on the front, 11TPI possibly. I think this may have originated from the design of the Std classes.
Regards
Martin
 
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