7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Another week goes by, not much to show as it's been mostly chassis fitting out, but it's almost all done.

Just need the injectors and steam generator to round out the rear end, there's some oil lines to run and the drain cock pipework will go in at the end.

Of the two types of ash pan, the SR variant is by far and away the easiest of the two to build :cool:

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There is no base/rear to the ash pan between the sides and the frames in the kit; so a couple of pieces of scrap etch were trimmed up and fitted. You can hardly see them once the Delta truck is in place and the casing is on....unless you look from a low level and then they're very obvious.

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It all needs a jolly good scrub right now though it is beginning to tarnish quite badly from all the cleaning. I'm beginning to wonder if the material might not be a factor in this as well, the tender did not suffer any where near as bad as the engine for tarnishing and it's been washed at least twice as much as the engine.

Still, it's smooth and clean for paint so tarnishing won't be a factor in a few weeks.

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Just dropped the shell on for a quick test fit, the front end was a bit of a fiddle in some places if I recall correctly, but I have some ideas on how to get around those when the time comes.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
Mick, excellent work as usual but please tell me, how do you remove the wheels if required when the brake shoes are that close and then you have the added problem of the brake rigging ?

Cheers,

Martyn.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
They're Slaters wheels so just unscrew the axle fixing screw and wriggle the wheel out past the brake shoes, it's a bit of a fiddle but much easier than making all the brake gear removable like I did on the last one.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
Evening Mick, It was the fact that they were Slaters wheels that I was concerned about, because you still have that square end on the axle to prise the wheel hub off and without much end float on the axles it looks very awkward.

Mind you it could be the camera making the image look closer, anyhow keep up the good work I always enjoy a catch up on you build pages.

Cheers,

Martyn.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Martyn, you're welcome and cheers.

Regarding the brakes, they're close ;)

The rigging is opened slightly to give a 1 mm gap either side of the wheel which should stop them shorting with the end float.

Ironically the one with the largest end float (trailing axle) is the hardest to get out, the firebox toe support bracket and pipe run bracket above restrict the wriggle room.

If you're going to Telford then pop by and feel free to have a look.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Another weekly update.

Lot of work, sod all to show for it, I'd like to say it's the last 5% that takes 95% of the time, but I'm no where near the last 5% of the build :eek:

The motor/gearbox went in okay...sort of, out of the box it doesn't fit between the fully sprung axle boxes with out the motor getting wedged on the frame sides. You end up having to rotate the motor 90° so that the flats drop inside the frames, bit of a faff but it does all end up running very nicely.

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The rest of the time was spent on the front end and to date, the casing.

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The supplementary etch sheet for the extended deflectors show just how big they were on Bude.

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More front end photos, one of the mistakes I made on the first engine was to not take enough photos of the pipe runs on the front.

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I always struggle making the copper oil line merge with the plastic moulded ones on the smoke box front, so end up trimming off the plastic ones and replacing through out with copper wire. They do look good but boy do they soak up the man hours.

Bude is also one of the engines where the electric lamp conduit runs were altered, sometime in 63/64 as far as I can date; being as the model is being depicting in 1966 then the revised set up needed replicating.

I'll hopefully complete the remaining casing hatches and deflectors tomorrow, then it'll be on to the cab, injectors and pipe runs. Still too close to call for Telford completion, shame is it'll miss by only a few more days work.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Extended deflectors make a change. Looking superb so I hope it isn't to receive the full grot weathering that is so popular these days. Speaking as an ex cleaner, they must have been easy to keep clean (with the aid of a ladder!). One Ian Allan video tells us Bulleid said they could go through a carriage washing plant, although there was no evidence they ever did....
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Extended deflectors make a change. Looking superb so I hope it isn't to receive the full grot weathering that is so popular these days. Speaking as an ex cleaner, they must have been easy to keep clean (with the aid of a ladder!). One Ian Allan video tells us Bulleid said they could go through a carriage washing plant, although there was no evidence they ever did....
The client specified last days on S&D in 65 so it should be really grubby but I suspect itll be a little cleaner but right now I've no idea.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Picked up the Princess Coronation from Warren at Telford to bring home, re-assemble and add the final details like hooks, glazing, buffers etc.

Then it'll get a good long running in session before shipping back for weathering and DCC fitting and then on to the client.

I'll do some better photos with the full studio set up when it's all complete, this is just a quick rough and ready for giggles shot this evening so the hue and lighting levels are out a little.

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mickoo

Western Thunderer
Nearly there, the coupling hooks in the box, no idea of the source were not up to scratch so new ones from Laurie Griffin have been ordered, as has some more lead flashing; it needs a little more to reduce it's slipperiness.

All the valve gear has gone back on, not with out some woes it has to be said, no idea why and no real reason found, but it had a bit of a bind in a couple of spots, took the best part of the week tweaking here and there to get it going smoothly. Since then it's been running on the rolling road, through a 6' curve and a double set of Peco points, no shorts yet or any derailments.

Once the hooks arrive and have been fitted I'll take some better shots for the record before packing it up and sending for DCC and weathering, until then, a couple of quick workshop photos of the engine.

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The back head need a couple of parts adding (focusing on getting it running smoothly) and then it'll get a waft of black before fitting.
 

Silverystreaks

Western Thunderer
I have always wanted a BR red Duchess but preferred the curved front running plate so in the end there was only one that fitted the bill that of 46251.

After a very protracted build no fault of the kit just me, it has recently returned from the paintshops, reunited with its chassis and running plate bits and bobs added.

I have to own up mine is not a true 4 cylinder loco I bottled out in the end despite having the bits and yes it will need the boiler filling with lead

Cant take the credit for the paintwork courtesy of Paul Moore

Bob46251 WTXX.jpg
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
I have always wanted a BR red Duchess but preferred the curved front running plate so in the end there was only one that fitted the bill that of 46251.

After a very protracted build no fault of the kit just me, it has recently returned from the paintshops, reunited with its chassis and running plate bits and bobs added.

I have to own up mine is not a true 4 cylinder loco I bottled out in the end despite having the bits and yes it will need the boiler filling with lead

Cant take the credit for the paintwork courtesy of Paul Moore

BobView attachment 111083
Very nice :thumbs:
 
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