7mm Dikitriki's Dark side: A WD 2-8-0

[Dikitriki]

Hi,

I've finally managed to get back to my work bench, so I'm picking up where I left off on the Fowler.

I still had a couple of the sand pipe supports to finish off, and recorded the process. Some locos have the brackets looped round the pipes, a bit like a split pin, but the Fowler's are clipped to straight brackets.

The bracket is attached to the chassis with the sand pipe resting on it.



The clip is formed,



and soldered to the bracket trapping the sand pipe.



The bracket is trimmed to length and everything tidied up.



This does make for a pretty strong support for what are pretty vulnerable components.

That's all 6 done now, so I can get back to the body.

Richard

 

[warren haywood]

Welcome back
Stunning bit of modelling

 

[Len Cattley]

I do like your Workbench Richard

Len

 

[Scale7JB]

Little details make all the difference eh?!

JB.

 

[Dan Randall]

Impressive work and most impressive close-up photography too!


Regards

Dan

 

[Dikitriki]

Thanks Guys, I'm enjoying being back at the bench.

most impressive close-up photography too!

Yeah.....what you don't see is the swearing as the camera refuses to focus where I want it to and the 75% out of focus shots. Good job everything's digital

Richard

 

[Dikitriki]

Hi

Today I started on the cab cut-out....or rather the beading. This is a crucial and horrible task in equal proportions, and had been both put off and planned for a year. Let me explain.

The beading provided in the kit was rubbish, being an etched L shape you are supposed to solder on the outside of the cut-out. You really need etched strips with a groove down the centre one side. Knowing a while ago that JimG was doing some etching, I asked him whether there was a bit of room on the etch for some strips. He duly obliged, and I received some nice nickel-silver strips in the post. These have the advantage that they could be polished if necessary.



The problem with the Fowler 2-6-2, is that there is an abrupt, rounded change in the cab roof at eaves level, and this goes through the cab cut-out, making forming the beading very difficult. I realised early on that I would be better off doing it in two halves; with 4 bends and 2 rounded angles, the chances of getting it right in one piece approached nil.

The sharp bend at eaves level is against the shape of the etch, so I annealed the strip locally - something I rarely resort too, and after much manipulation, I arrived at the following shape.





It is crucial with the cut-outs that the verticals are absolutely so, and the cab side etches were out in this respect, so out with the square and files until they were. The beading should spring nicely in, so you are not relying on solder as a filler, and this is where I am up to now.



I know I have a reputation for invisible solder, but this is just sprung in place to check the verticals and parallels. I shall solder it in place later, then onto the other half. Time-consuming (isn't everything?), but it finishes it off nicely.

Richard

 

[john lewsey]

That really is very nice

 

[JimG]

Knowing a while ago that JimG was doing some etching, I asked him whether there was a bit of room on the etch for some strips. He duly obliged, and I received some nice nickel-silver strips in the post. These have the advantage that they could be polished if necessary.

[SNIP]

I know I have a reputation for invisible solder, but this is just sprung in place to check the verticals and parallels. I shall solder it in place later, then onto the other half. Time-consuming (isn't everything?), but it finishes it off nicely.

Richard,

Good to see that idea has worked out very well.

Jim.

 

[Locomodels]

First class work Richard and an elegant solution to the problem.

 

[3 LINK]

A very precise and tidy piece of modelling there Richard .

Martyn.

 

[dibateg]

Nice - I'll stick to side window cabs I think!

 

[Heather Kay]

As ever, some lovely work. Something to aspire to.

 

[mickoo]

Very nice that was one area that I knew would be an issue whilst doing my scratch build, you can't leave it off as it's so obvious, but adding that strip is just plain akward.

 

[Dikitriki]

Hi,

Last night saw the other half fabricated, and both parts soldered on and cleaned up. I then just dressed back all round to make sure the lip was even throughout. It worked well and looks good, but it was one of the more difficult tasks I have faced. I have just a smidgin of filling to do to disguise the join.

Nice - I'll stick to side window cabs I think!

Sound thinking. Unfortunately (well, not really) I still have the Fowler 2-6-4 to do. Ho hum.

Richard

 

[Simon]

That looks exceptionally fine Richard, a lovely job and a key part of what makes any model steam engine look really credible, superb work by anyone standards

Simon

 

[SimonT]

Very tasty

 

[Dikitriki]

Hi,

May I ask for your help please?

I have to consider the question of injectors on the Fowler 2-6-2.

Having scoured my records, I have come to the following conclusions:

* Initially, the locos were fitted with a live steam injector on the driver's side and an exhaust steam injector on the fireman's side.
* By the late 50s, the exhaust steam injectors had been replaced with live steam injectors.
* With a few possible exceptions, the live steam injectors (both sides) appear to be bolted to the frames, rather than behind the steps.

Question, does anyone have any decent pictures of the injectors, or even a pipe and rod diagram that would assist me in knowing where things go?

Not asking much....a sparklingly clear low down well lit rear 3/4 view

Thank you for any help.

Richard

 

[mickoo]

Quick check and only thing I can find is this, not very clear but the clearest I can find for the drivers side.

http://railphotoprints.zenfolio.com/p559135178/h37fb027b#h37fb027b

To be fair it doesn't look like there's anything much behind the steps on either side of the loco
Railways - 40010 on Nuneaton Shed by Biffo1944, on Flickr

40010 by Gricerman, on Flickr

Then again I wouldn't recognise one injector from another if I tripped over one.

How ever this is about the best I can find so far.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64518788@N05/9333573502

I'll have a meander through BRILL over the next few days as the 2-6-2t do appear in a few articles that I know of.

 

[Dikitriki]

Hi Mick,

Thank you very much for your efforts. The last pic of 40049 is the best I've seen of this area. It also shows - given the pipes weaving in and out of the step/balancing pipe - that I shall have to attach the injectors to the body by the pipework which is going to make things a little more tricky.

Regards,

Richard