Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
I have decided to kick this into a new topic, rather than further confuse the Slater's Maunsell coach build thread I have going on. This topic has been prompted by Graham @Dog Star, after I kept missing out the important steps in the other thread!
I am not claiming any new ideas. The bogie kits in question are not difficult to put together for a competent modeller with the right tools. They are fiddly to build, they are time-consuming, can be frustrating at times, and the instructions haven’t been updated to match changes in the parts list.
Before I get into looking at the various components and beginning the construction process, here is the infamous jig…
Actually, that’s one-and-a-bit jigs. The correct one is at the top. The jig is essentially for one purpose only, and that is aiding the construction of the bolster. I’ll look at what they’re made of, besides sheet brass, and how I use it/them in due course.
What does the kit consist of?
Two of these etched frets. These comprise the main bogie framework and brake gear. The circled area highlights four keeper plates that retain the axleboxes and bearings. What appear to be insulators on a telephone pole are actually tags that fold back and help locate the plates in the hornguide. You will note one at the top left has not etched properly. This particular batch of etches seems to suffer from this. The location pips aren’t actually critical, though, since the plates can be positioned and soldered in place without their aid.
The square highlight top left is parts for the original bearing system. These are no longer required, although they are still referred to in the instructions.
I would also like to draw your attention to the thin edges of the scrap material at the top and bottom of the long sides of the sheet. I use these to make the angled safety loops. Such thin scrap material is often useful to keep in stock for other uses, too, such as lamp brackets and similar items.
Castings. If the bogie kit is included in the coach box, these will be packed with all the other castings in the kit. A couple of minor modifications will be made, which I’ll deal with when we get to them.
Injection moulded brake shoes, springs and axlebox covers. I’ve arranged them here so you can see both front and rear of each moulding. You will note the brake shoe runners include extra items which are intended for the plastic bogie kits. These usually find their way into my Bits Box to supplement other coach and wagon builds.
Wheelsets, top hat bearings, and the axlebox bearings and springs. The latter safely stored in a plastic pot with a lid to minimise the risk of feeding the Carpet Monster.
I haven’t shown the injection moulded step boards. They actually come on a runner as part of the main coach kit. I couldn’t find the runner in the box, so I may have to contact the manufacturer for a replacement.
The instructions. By and large, I shall be following these in the order they’re written. The note about drilling the rivet holes to take step board brackets says to use a 0.5mm bit. With the vagaries of brass castings, I find a 0.7mm hole much more reliable. It doesn’t hurt, either, to twirl a taper broach in the various etched holes to clean them out. So, let’s crack on.
Having separated the main frame and bolster parts from the fret, the first tedious job is carefully filing away the etch cusps on everything. Several parts in this build will not appreciate cusps remaining in place, plus I dislike seeing them left in place.
After some time - listen to something relaxing to pass the time, and remember to take a break to stretch the back muscles occasionally - we have this selection of parts.
Pushing out the rivets is fairly straightforward.
This is the next step, which turns the flat frame into a three dimensional object. Tackling this will be the next post.
I am not claiming any new ideas. The bogie kits in question are not difficult to put together for a competent modeller with the right tools. They are fiddly to build, they are time-consuming, can be frustrating at times, and the instructions haven’t been updated to match changes in the parts list.
Before I get into looking at the various components and beginning the construction process, here is the infamous jig…
Actually, that’s one-and-a-bit jigs. The correct one is at the top. The jig is essentially for one purpose only, and that is aiding the construction of the bolster. I’ll look at what they’re made of, besides sheet brass, and how I use it/them in due course.
What does the kit consist of?
Two of these etched frets. These comprise the main bogie framework and brake gear. The circled area highlights four keeper plates that retain the axleboxes and bearings. What appear to be insulators on a telephone pole are actually tags that fold back and help locate the plates in the hornguide. You will note one at the top left has not etched properly. This particular batch of etches seems to suffer from this. The location pips aren’t actually critical, though, since the plates can be positioned and soldered in place without their aid.
The square highlight top left is parts for the original bearing system. These are no longer required, although they are still referred to in the instructions.
I would also like to draw your attention to the thin edges of the scrap material at the top and bottom of the long sides of the sheet. I use these to make the angled safety loops. Such thin scrap material is often useful to keep in stock for other uses, too, such as lamp brackets and similar items.
Castings. If the bogie kit is included in the coach box, these will be packed with all the other castings in the kit. A couple of minor modifications will be made, which I’ll deal with when we get to them.
Injection moulded brake shoes, springs and axlebox covers. I’ve arranged them here so you can see both front and rear of each moulding. You will note the brake shoe runners include extra items which are intended for the plastic bogie kits. These usually find their way into my Bits Box to supplement other coach and wagon builds.
Wheelsets, top hat bearings, and the axlebox bearings and springs. The latter safely stored in a plastic pot with a lid to minimise the risk of feeding the Carpet Monster.
I haven’t shown the injection moulded step boards. They actually come on a runner as part of the main coach kit. I couldn’t find the runner in the box, so I may have to contact the manufacturer for a replacement.
The instructions. By and large, I shall be following these in the order they’re written. The note about drilling the rivet holes to take step board brackets says to use a 0.5mm bit. With the vagaries of brass castings, I find a 0.7mm hole much more reliable. It doesn’t hurt, either, to twirl a taper broach in the various etched holes to clean them out. So, let’s crack on.
Having separated the main frame and bolster parts from the fret, the first tedious job is carefully filing away the etch cusps on everything. Several parts in this build will not appreciate cusps remaining in place, plus I dislike seeing them left in place.
After some time - listen to something relaxing to pass the time, and remember to take a break to stretch the back muscles occasionally - we have this selection of parts.
Pushing out the rivets is fairly straightforward.
This is the next step, which turns the flat frame into a three dimensional object. Tackling this will be the next post.