Finney7 Hall Class Build

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I am starting this thread only because I am traveling and I have the tender kit with me and my riveting tool. I really shouldn't be doing this but the thought of carrying a large and therefore non-portable tool kit/bench with me is, well, quite absurd. Just think how many parts I could lose along the way! As it is, riveting is a useful exercise in keeping me busy while waiting for deliveries of supplies, etc. I'll show some progress in the days ahead.

The tender is a standard Collett 4,000 gallon one which is similar to the David Andrews one I just painted in primer for 5014 Goodrich Castle. It will be interesting to compare the two kits once I really get started on assembling the kit.

Finney7 instructions are not exactly the same as David Andrews' are but both get the job done, F7 using photos, DA using isometric drawings.

Note that the Hall is 4965 Rood Ashton Hall, now a preserved Tyseley loco. It currently runs with a 3,500 gallon tender but in my world it was based in 84E in 1957 with the larger tender.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I paid the extra for all nickel silver etches. The tender requires three etches as shown below.

CB12965E-C8A8-49C1-B94A-8F17ABD75A59.jpeg

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A1A48752-CF35-47C8-A9B0-5F1C14043906.jpeg


I am riveting in the recommended order of construction which helps me to understand how I will proceed once the etches are pulled apart and construction begins. I am not removing any etch pieces yet.

The guides for the rivets are very small and positioning the riveting die in the etched guides needs more care than on other kits. It may be that my riveting die has become a little blunt over the years but this is not a problem yet. The end result, though, is that the pressed out rivets are finer than with other kits. Or is it the nickel silver? I am not sure which.

The etches do not have the part numbers etched on them but the instructions do have labels. The instructions also list which parts are on each etch which is useful, making them quicker to locate. A small but useful thought by the kit and instruction designers.
 

Genghis

Western Thunderer
I strongly suspect that the finer rivets are down to both the material and the smaller half-etched detail. If I have an order for a nickel silver kit where I need to do some rivet pressing before boiler rolling I usually find that the nisil rivets are finer than those on the same thickness brass sheets embossed at the same time. Some designers incorporated smaller diameter half-etched holes than others and these tend to result in finer rivets. Understandable when you think of the volume of material to be moved (and the higher stiffness of nisil).
You'll enjoy this build.
David

Edit for clarity.
 
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Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Paul,

One great advantage of the smaller half-etched rivet guides is that the rows of rivets are much more likely to be straight, even without a fence of some description.

I cut my teeth on the Jim Harris half-etched 'saucers' rivets and it was a real challenge to keep the rows looking (reasonably) straight!

Richard
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thanks, David and Richard, for your input. My "rivet-er" is MetalSmiths tool with a replaceable die so I could either replace it (before Dave Sharp retires) or simply sharpen it. But it really isn't a problem just yet and as Richard says, the rivets do line up nicely, much better than my efforts of the Moor Street traverser plates though I have ideas about improving that on the second traverser.

I also have a mammoth task ahead on Warren Shephard's 3500 gallon tender - no half etched rivet guides! Warren does suggest the alternative of an early Churchward flush riveted tender but my planned loco (5399) had a later riveted one so that is going to be interesting!

EDIT: See below, It should indeed be Dave Smith, I have got the two mixed up several times, last time at Telford!
 
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Focalplane

Western Thunderer
All the tender's rivets have been formed so here are two photos. The first is of punched rivets on the coal hopper:

IMG_1090.JPG

The second is of etched rivets on the tender sides:

IMG_1091.JPG

Also evidence of a few finger prints!

The coal hopper rivets were the most difficult to form and it looks like I may have missed one. Which is a lot better than punching one where it should not be! They also appear to be slightly smaller than the etched rivets.

Now the rivets are punched there is not much I can do for a fortnight. But you never know.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Silence is over. The tender has been worked on some more but the big news is the loco chassis:

0718D9F5-E231-4763-AE95-38661ED231A6.jpeg

I have decided not to compensate the chassis but rely on my superb track laying skills! We’ll see.

A couple of issues with the instructions page on the cylinders but as a Finney7 fan I overcame a mismatch between text, pictures and the etches. Working on the 47xx kit during the first lockdown was a good guide for the Hall.

Anyway, here we are with the chassis and cylinders with wheels on temporarily. The cylinders actually went together well despite some confusion and the design is superior to other kits I have built or are building.

Next will be the brakes and other chassis details and on we go to the frame and boiler.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
A bit more progress over the weekend as the weather changed to rain. Unlike the media I liked the cold weather!

the chassis isn’t finished but a lot of preparation means that it won’t be too long until the brakes are fitted. I did complete the connecting rods:

84DA64EC-6222-415D-A74B-BC847A752D18.jpeg

I tested the fit of the wheels and coupling rods and they look and feel good, just a few tight spots that can be eased. The crank pins need to be trimmed as well. I dropped one crank pin nut but fortunately have a few essential spares.

I had a scare with my ERSA soldering station. Errors suggested the heating element had failed but in fact the plug from the soldering iron had come loose.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
One comment I should add at this stage. I am using the intermediate frame spacers which should be fine for my 1.8 m curves on Moor Street. But there is very little lateral play on the Slaters axles. This seems to be due to the thickness of the brass bearings which take up the space of several washers. I may, therefore, have to shave off some of the centre axle bushes. I am in no hurry to do this as it can be done at any time prior to painting. It would been been better to do this before fitting the bushes had I thought about it.
 
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