A West Midlands Works
- Thread starter Scanlon
- Start date
warren haywood
Western Thunderer
Yes, he did it for me. I’ve got it here but it’s Gladiator/Fourtrack Models
I will post some pictures tomorrow if that helps.
I must get it painted
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Hello Roger,
My build of the Gladiator B16/1 is on here 7mm - Gladiator NER/LNER/BR B16/1 - Another North Eastern Workhorse I probably still have the instructions (I definitely have because I have a new unstarted kit to do for myself) but sadly they like most of our stuff is in a container awaiting the workshop and other rooms to be finished before we can arrange delivery. This is taking much longer than originally anticipated and to be honest it's now looking like the back end of February at the earliest before we get them so sadly other than my build thread I can't be much help with the instructions.
My build of the Gladiator B16/1 is on here 7mm - Gladiator NER/LNER/BR B16/1 - Another North Eastern Workhorse I probably still have the instructions (I definitely have because I have a new unstarted kit to do for myself) but sadly they like most of our stuff is in a container awaiting the workshop and other rooms to be finished before we can arrange delivery. This is taking much longer than originally anticipated and to be honest it's now looking like the back end of February at the earliest before we get them so sadly other than my build thread I can't be much help with the instructions.
warren haywood
Western Thunderer
7mmMick
Western Thunderer
STOP!
Roger has thrown a real curved ball here.
He actually needs the instructions for a Blacksmith Models D16 Claud Hamilton.....NOT a B16
Richard
That make's sense, I didn't think anyone did a kit for a B16/2 or 3. Now not as excited 
Mick
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Hi Mick,
Mick
Signature Models do a kit for one of them I am almost sure it's a B16/2 but not in a position to check for sure.
Iain Gould
Member
Hi Rodger it was very nice to meet you to meet you at Kettering yesterday your Merchant Navy was a pleasure to be hold I am chatting to David B around the lamp brackets on the Standard 4 Tender and he
If your looking for a B162/3 kit there is one we could supply its from Signature Kits and does either a B16/2/3 if your interested?
Mick
Scanlon
Western Thunderer
Gosh it has been some time since I last posted on Western Thunder. A house move is mainly to blame, I simply did not expect it would take so long to get up and running once again. During the "sabbatical" I had thought to stop writing about my builds but a number of fellow builders said this would be a mistake, so let's tell you about developments.
Firstly a hearty thanks to all who noticed my deliberate mistake regarding whether I would be building an ex LNER 4-4-0 or 4-6-0. I'm definitely building the 4-4-0 and thanks go to two people who have sent copies of the build instructions. These have enabled me to identify all the etches etc. I have found the two leading splasher etches are missing and a friend has offered to produce a pair for me. Also given the fittings are getting on for 30+ years old I plan to replace them with more up to date ones.
Both the builds of the 8F and the Merchant Navy are finished and were sent away for painting before Christmas. The Merchant Navy has been returned from Paul Moore and looks superb.
Photo courtesy of Paul Moore. I am now fitting the boiler backhead and then it is off to a very happy owner.
The workbench got a shock last week when building recommenced and my current project is a former Meteor Models ex LBSCR C2X 0-6-0. The loco will be 32441, the real machine giving about 64 years service and will be built with a single dome. The kit is now part of the Ace Products Special range and having built one of these locos about 10 years ago I was looking forward to building a second.
As usual the tender was started and it quickly became clear construction was not going to be as straightforward as I hoped. The instructions are brief and the drawings showing what goes where are basic. That said there is an excellent scale drawing of the engine and tender which is a great help. The inner frames were a simple construction and as usual I used the chassis jig to ensure they were square and level.
A start was then made on the tender body. Construction is straightforward for the basic parts but there are no slots or tabs to ensure everything is exactly where it should be. Strangely on the floor of the tender tank there are half etched slots but nothing on the actual etch of the tank body! The outside frames had to be lined up with holes for the wheels in the underside of the tank. Not difficult but I used set squares to ensure everything was correctly lined up. A very fine etch of rivets then had to be added to the outside. Building the tank required precision, not one of my strong points! The tank is formed from two etches which are soldered together at the rear and this will have to be filled to give a smooth finish. The rear corners were formed around 6mm bar while the front ones required a 10mm bar.
The half etched slots mentioned earlier were used to position one of the tank sides and a few pips of solder on the outside secured one side temporarily in position. Using the coal space etch ensured the side was straight and the rear of the tank was in its correct position and that the corners were correctly formed, the other side of the tank was then tacked in place. Prior to finally soldering up the tank I put the coal space etch in place, fortunately there is an etched fold line for forming the raves which made this easy.
The front of the tender coal space with the shovelling plate was too wide and had to be cut down by 3mm. To ensure it was flush with the curves at the front of the tank I soldered pieces of scrap etch on the inside of the main etch first. Fortunately the etch for the coal rails dictates the angle of the raves so this was quite a simple job.
The tender has now reached this stage.
I will now turn my attention to the loco and complete the tender later. Unfortunately most of the castings for the axleboxes were either broken or not cast properly, replacements have been arranged.
Couplings rods have been built up preparatory to setting up the chassis jig.
I assure you both are the same length!!!!!
Cheers
Roger
Firstly a hearty thanks to all who noticed my deliberate mistake regarding whether I would be building an ex LNER 4-4-0 or 4-6-0. I'm definitely building the 4-4-0 and thanks go to two people who have sent copies of the build instructions. These have enabled me to identify all the etches etc. I have found the two leading splasher etches are missing and a friend has offered to produce a pair for me. Also given the fittings are getting on for 30+ years old I plan to replace them with more up to date ones.
Both the builds of the 8F and the Merchant Navy are finished and were sent away for painting before Christmas. The Merchant Navy has been returned from Paul Moore and looks superb.
Photo courtesy of Paul Moore. I am now fitting the boiler backhead and then it is off to a very happy owner.
The workbench got a shock last week when building recommenced and my current project is a former Meteor Models ex LBSCR C2X 0-6-0. The loco will be 32441, the real machine giving about 64 years service and will be built with a single dome. The kit is now part of the Ace Products Special range and having built one of these locos about 10 years ago I was looking forward to building a second.
As usual the tender was started and it quickly became clear construction was not going to be as straightforward as I hoped. The instructions are brief and the drawings showing what goes where are basic. That said there is an excellent scale drawing of the engine and tender which is a great help. The inner frames were a simple construction and as usual I used the chassis jig to ensure they were square and level.
A start was then made on the tender body. Construction is straightforward for the basic parts but there are no slots or tabs to ensure everything is exactly where it should be. Strangely on the floor of the tender tank there are half etched slots but nothing on the actual etch of the tank body! The outside frames had to be lined up with holes for the wheels in the underside of the tank. Not difficult but I used set squares to ensure everything was correctly lined up. A very fine etch of rivets then had to be added to the outside. Building the tank required precision, not one of my strong points! The tank is formed from two etches which are soldered together at the rear and this will have to be filled to give a smooth finish. The rear corners were formed around 6mm bar while the front ones required a 10mm bar.
The half etched slots mentioned earlier were used to position one of the tank sides and a few pips of solder on the outside secured one side temporarily in position. Using the coal space etch ensured the side was straight and the rear of the tank was in its correct position and that the corners were correctly formed, the other side of the tank was then tacked in place. Prior to finally soldering up the tank I put the coal space etch in place, fortunately there is an etched fold line for forming the raves which made this easy.
The front of the tender coal space with the shovelling plate was too wide and had to be cut down by 3mm. To ensure it was flush with the curves at the front of the tank I soldered pieces of scrap etch on the inside of the main etch first. Fortunately the etch for the coal rails dictates the angle of the raves so this was quite a simple job.
The tender has now reached this stage.
I will now turn my attention to the loco and complete the tender later. Unfortunately most of the castings for the axleboxes were either broken or not cast properly, replacements have been arranged.
Couplings rods have been built up preparatory to setting up the chassis jig.
I assure you both are the same length!!!!!
Cheers
Roger
Richard Spoors
Western Thunderer
Rob, you're right, they do a kit which makes both rebuilds, B16/2 and /3, however, it's only produced in small numbers and on request. I picked this info up on a Facebook page a few weeks ago.
Cheers
Richard
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Scanlon
Western Thunderer
More progress to report on 32441, the loco frames have been built in the normal way, firstly the coupling rods were fitted to set up the chassis jig. The holes in the side frames required very slight opening up to accommodate the bearings before everything was soldered up. With the wheels in place the rods were tried in place and after very minor adjustment a free running frame was achieved. 32441 retained LBSCR brake gear and the appropriate etches were selected and fitted.
The kit includes a fairly good representation of the inside valve gear and this has been assembled. The eccentric straps are two etches sweated together but the connecting rods are rather weeds affairs.
This photo shows the valve gear placed in position, there is more to do not least crossheads and piston rods to make up and then attached to the connecting rods. All in all the valve gear looks quite convincing under the high pitched boiler.
A start has been made on the running plate with the valances and splashers built up. I marked up the underside of the running plate to ensure the valances and front bufferbeam were 1mm inside the plate. With the bufferbeam soldered up the valances were added using a steel ruler to ensure they were straight, finally the rear drag beam was attached. A very robust construction has resulted. The splasher tops are over length but made fitting them very simple. A start was then made on building up the smokebox saddle from ten very fiddly parts. A first the task appeared difficult but with the first of the frame extensions correctly in place and upright all the remaining parts fitted perfectly. A casting is provided for the cover to the steam chests which proved to be 4mm short. A good hour was spent extending it and filing back to achieve the delicate form required.
The boiler as supplied had already been rolled so it had to be opened out to allow access for the riveting tool. In Southern and BR days the rivets on the join between smokebox and boiler were visible but unfortunately the line of half etched dots were all over the place. With half of them pressed out they looked like the proverbial dogs hind leg. Following a conversation with my customer I pushed the rivets back and then rubbed down the area with 300 grade wet and dry followed by 1000 and then 2000 grade. The finish is now excellent. I plan to replicate the rivets using Micro-Mark rivet detail.
If the instructions are to be believed it is as this stage the boiler should be put on the saddle. In my opinion this was not going to be a good move, instead the basic cab has been built up and soldered to the running plate. At least now when the boiler is bolted to the front of the cab the smokebox will be in its correct position.
This photo shows the basic body set up. Allowing for this kit being over 30 years old this is proving to be a very enjoyable build.
The kit includes a fairly good representation of the inside valve gear and this has been assembled. The eccentric straps are two etches sweated together but the connecting rods are rather weeds affairs.
This photo shows the valve gear placed in position, there is more to do not least crossheads and piston rods to make up and then attached to the connecting rods. All in all the valve gear looks quite convincing under the high pitched boiler.
A start has been made on the running plate with the valances and splashers built up. I marked up the underside of the running plate to ensure the valances and front bufferbeam were 1mm inside the plate. With the bufferbeam soldered up the valances were added using a steel ruler to ensure they were straight, finally the rear drag beam was attached. A very robust construction has resulted. The splasher tops are over length but made fitting them very simple. A start was then made on building up the smokebox saddle from ten very fiddly parts. A first the task appeared difficult but with the first of the frame extensions correctly in place and upright all the remaining parts fitted perfectly. A casting is provided for the cover to the steam chests which proved to be 4mm short. A good hour was spent extending it and filing back to achieve the delicate form required.
The boiler as supplied had already been rolled so it had to be opened out to allow access for the riveting tool. In Southern and BR days the rivets on the join between smokebox and boiler were visible but unfortunately the line of half etched dots were all over the place. With half of them pressed out they looked like the proverbial dogs hind leg. Following a conversation with my customer I pushed the rivets back and then rubbed down the area with 300 grade wet and dry followed by 1000 and then 2000 grade. The finish is now excellent. I plan to replicate the rivets using Micro-Mark rivet detail.
If the instructions are to be believed it is as this stage the boiler should be put on the saddle. In my opinion this was not going to be a good move, instead the basic cab has been built up and soldered to the running plate. At least now when the boiler is bolted to the front of the cab the smokebox will be in its correct position.
This photo shows the basic body set up. Allowing for this kit being over 30 years old this is proving to be a very enjoyable build.
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Scanlon
Western Thunderer
Since my last posting almost all my time has been spent on the boiler. The lower firebox sides are two full thickness etches but the rounded ends towards the chimney were made of a half etch and yes you've guessed it, a full thickness etch. Getting the various parts to match up was a challenge but generally the end result is quite fair. A little car filler will be used to smooth the joins on the firebox sides.
Checking photos and drawings of the boiler the washout plugs on the drivers side were incorrect. There are only two instead of the three in the etch. After checking drawings and photographs once again the correct position for the two washout plugs were prepared and drilled out. The original holes were filled with 1.2mm bar, ground back and finished with wet and dry to remove all high spots. A phone call to Ace Products revealed there are no cast washout plugs in the kit and rivets have been used to represent them. Not exactly what I wanted but no one does LBSCR washout plugs of the type fitted to these locos.
Prior to soldering the boiler in place the tops of the half splashers were fitted followed by the cab floor and its supports. The boiler was then bolted in place and the final parts of the smokebox saddle tested prior to everything being soldered up.
Handrails and the ejector pipe have since been added and a start made on detailing. A rummage through my spares box produced better quality clack valves, Westinghouse pump, cab details and sandbox covers all of which will be used to improve the model. This morning an envelope arrived with new castings for the tender axleboxes plus nicely turned buffers so hopefully good progress can be made over the weekend.
Checking photos and drawings of the boiler the washout plugs on the drivers side were incorrect. There are only two instead of the three in the etch. After checking drawings and photographs once again the correct position for the two washout plugs were prepared and drilled out. The original holes were filled with 1.2mm bar, ground back and finished with wet and dry to remove all high spots. A phone call to Ace Products revealed there are no cast washout plugs in the kit and rivets have been used to represent them. Not exactly what I wanted but no one does LBSCR washout plugs of the type fitted to these locos.
Prior to soldering the boiler in place the tops of the half splashers were fitted followed by the cab floor and its supports. The boiler was then bolted in place and the final parts of the smokebox saddle tested prior to everything being soldered up.
Handrails and the ejector pipe have since been added and a start made on detailing. A rummage through my spares box produced better quality clack valves, Westinghouse pump, cab details and sandbox covers all of which will be used to improve the model. This morning an envelope arrived with new castings for the tender axleboxes plus nicely turned buffers so hopefully good progress can be made over the weekend.
Scanlon
Western Thunderer
Now that the tender axleboxes etc. have arrived today was the day to complete the tender. The whitemetal axlebox castings were generally quite crisp and required only the minimum of cleaning up. They are cast with the springs and hangers already in place and the hangers were slightly too short to cover the various locating points on the frames. The original Meteor castings for the hanger bolts which are no longer available were lost wax and fitted snugly into their locating holes only requiring the length of the bolt to be adjusted to fit.
I decided to very slightly splay out the hangers to cover about 90% of each locating point. The castings were then soldered to the frames from the inside, there being two locations behind each box for this. A little additional solder was added behind each hanger to fill the remaining 10% of the hole. Not ideal but the appearance is fine although some springs need final adjustment! The camera can be so cruel!!!!
The remaining tender furniture has been added, some etches, others whitemetal. These photos show the completed tender although quite some cleaning up is still necessary but I tend to do this in fits and starts.
Now I have no excuse for ignoring the engine body. As for those washout plugs.................
Keep safe and well.
I decided to very slightly splay out the hangers to cover about 90% of each locating point. The castings were then soldered to the frames from the inside, there being two locations behind each box for this. A little additional solder was added behind each hanger to fill the remaining 10% of the hole. Not ideal but the appearance is fine although some springs need final adjustment! The camera can be so cruel!!!!
The remaining tender furniture has been added, some etches, others whitemetal. These photos show the completed tender although quite some cleaning up is still necessary but I tend to do this in fits and starts.
Now I have no excuse for ignoring the engine body. As for those washout plugs.................
Keep safe and well.