The Kernow Kontinuum

I've also now done the brake gear. This isn't designed to be removable on the NuCast Partners kit, as far as I can make out, but it's relatively straightforward to make it thus:

 

Thanks for the tips, especially about glueing.
Cheers Tony

 

Following a bit of a hiatus with the 16XX, during which I found it necessary to construct an entirely new, replacement chassis, work has progressed, so here is a bit of test running undertaken yesterday:


The reason for the problem was found to be a set of Markits driving wheels that didn't quarter correctly, when assembled. More details here - Romford or Markits wheels not quartering correctly?

 

In olden days I used to machine the tread of middle wheels down slightly to prevent rocking on the centre axle. "Machine" is a posh name for a household drill held upright in a vice!

I found quite by accident that the stress of machining pulled the square axle end out of true, so thereafter I kept an axle just for machining. The axles that went on locos were always brand new.

 

Nice one!

As it turned out, there was no rocking on any axles on this chassis, which I put down largely to the brilliant Avonside chassis jig and the way it's designed, a real classy piece of kit.

 

I've now installed a flywheel:



Now that the chassis is running satisfactorily, I hope that I am now on the 'home straight'. Here's the almost completed loco:


Lamp irons, fire irons and buffer beam pipework, plus screw couplings have still to be added. I'll probably not add the safety valve and whistle assembly until I have restored a line of lost rivets from the cab front, just below the roof line. I may also leave them off until after painting, when I plan to install the glazing.

 

Ready for the paintshop:

 

Ready for weathering (loco body, chassis is already weathered):








Axle nut covers are also being fitted to the wheels.

 

Lovely stuff, Tim! A handsome addition to the fleet.

Adam

 

Tim. Shame to weather such a nice loco. Can't you make an excuse it was washed down and polished on Exeter shed for a forthcoming royal visit to your branch line....

 

A couple of Ben Ashworth's photo in the Forest show them quite clean.

 

The last photograph make a nice change of view for the loco and overbridge, haven't seen it from that position before.

 

Three panniers:


Three 16XX panniers.

This is a deceptive photo, however, because only the middle one is in OO gauge, the other two are P4 and are precariously balanced!

All three were built from the Cotswold (Sutherland) whitemetal kit.

On the left is 1608, which is owned by Re6/6 but was with me for work on the chassis until recently. The body was picked up by John secondhand and was built by Malcolm Mitchell, with a chassis commissioned by John, using modified Alan Gibson 64XX milled sideframes (same wheelbase).

In the middle is my 1628, which I built this year and is shown on my workbench thread. It's still waiting to be weathered.

On the right is my 1650, which was a commission for me a few years ago, also featuring the same Alan Gibson side frames etc. This latter loco is the one that was running-in on my circuit of P4 'set track' on my dining room floor. It will also need a little weathering in due course.

1608 (and 1650) will run on John's Parkend Marsh Sidings layout in due course. 1650 will also run on 'Callow Lane' and (eventually) on my yet-to-be-built Forest of Dean cameo layout.

 

Pesky Panniers...

 

Very nice Tim, I see you have taken the late Cyril Freezer's advice, 'when in doubt add a Pannier'

Geoff

 

Will this shut you up?!

 

Thought sausage's was your thing not Spam!

Geoff

 

Will it have brought in those Italian ferry vans?

 

I'll try anything to shut the bug*er up!

If not, he might wake up one morning and find a dozen panniers waiting outside his front door for him.

 

When the closure of the line was announced, the Reverend Cornelius Tooth of Titley Priory wrote to British Railways, suggesting the introduction of Bulleid ‘air smoothed’ pacifics, which he felt would ease the passage of trains through Ffronddyrys Tunnel and thus save on coal consumption.

Perhaps BR relented and decided to give one a trial. So it could have brought the odd Italian van through.