Finescale - of a sort?!

Hi Pete, just catching up, what a fabulous job you are doing with this loco! I am in lots of admiration for your solutions to some tricky problems of fabrication, especially with the substitutions of materials. regarding the dome which is a big element on this loco, I wonder if there might be a salad bowl or some similar item that can be used for the top part that could be attached to some tube.

Michael

Thank you Michael. I was just enjoying your recent post and smiled when you mentioned using a printer drive belt for that superbly rendered, self propelled garden shed / tram loco of yours! It is not only that the prototype is quite charming, but the masterful treatment of rough sawn timber and perfectly scaled down knotty pine effects that you have achieved is a pure delight to the eye!

My Horwich engine's dome is indeed going to be a bit of fun, and yes, we seem to be thinking along similar lines! The intended top part is another domestic item that has already been identified as having the desired dimensions, and awaits appropriation for the purpose !!

On a more serious note, I am sorry to hear of your health problems and the difficulty that causes. I am afraid that I can empathise with you there too.

Pete.

Despite distractions, I have been steadily carrying on with the build, and accumulating yet another backlog of production progress pictures.

Aware that some are just a bit more of the same old brassy stuff, I will still include them anyway !



I had a slightly awkward problem with this clack valve body in that the diameter of the brass rod was just too large for the drill chuck to allow me to spin off the narrowed base section and shape a rebate at the top. After rejecting the idea of spending hours reducing a significant part of the rod to a little pile of brass filings, I elected to drill right through the centre, and then insert a separate narrower section that would fit in the chuck !!

Now perhaps feeling a bit over confident with the annealing and bending trick, I set up some 8mm rod for the curved delivery pipe section.

Ahhhh!

That was when I discovered that my wee torch could just not produce enough calories to get the brass to glow pink - and quite sufficiently malleable. After an awful lot of grunting, used up gas and all the while in constant fear of that dreaded bang of still hard brass failing, I abandoned the attempt at about half way to the required curve. I don't suppose anyone will notice when it's done?!



Shaping the big union nut presented the same fit in the drill problem as the valve body, only this time I could not see any alternative to simply resorting to careful hand filing and polishing.



I hoped the end result justified the means?!



The lack of curve in the valve to boiler section surprisingly did not appear to have any significant effect at the first trial fit...



It did mean that getting the precise geometry of the four hole disc absolutely spot on when having to deliberately solder the thing up at a slightly wonky angle was an absolute nightmare !!

Even when that was finally done - and redone over again - several times...



The silly little M4 studs and nuts refused to align properly.

After a disproportional amount of fiddling and fettling, three would do up sweetly, then at each time of trying, the fourth insisted on pulling the valve body annoyingly out of vertical. Believe me, I don't think any other part of this engine has so far generated quite as many tattered nerves and naughty words.

There is still a bit of cleaning and patching up to do, but at the end of that day I had run out of expletives and collected too many wounds, so was content to leave it be for the time being !!

Pete.

There seem to be umpteen jobs still to get done before this little engine finally moves under full power!

One task left incomplete was so nearly the cause of a minor catastrophe. The long reversing lever was still awaiting the necessary support of a quadrant, or sector plate - whatever the awkward assembly is called. A couple of weeks ago, I caught part of my attire on the vulnerable, free standing lever as I was passing, and feel very lucky that only minor, and easily rectifiable damage was caused. I had delayed finishing the parts, as the exercise of some complicated geometry was required for precise alignment of the plate and it's bracket on the boiler jacket, plus, at the same time worrying about the problem of ensuring that the lever latch engaged the notches in perfect unison with the electrical switch was putting me off! The accident provided some impetus.

I decided to start with some heavy metal:



A flat section cut from a length of 20 x 20mm angle was just the right thickness for purpose.

I could only saw out a shallow vee to remove some material before wading in with the file to form the final curve...



While at least a bit more could be cut off for the upper portion first, but even so, saying that it still took quite a bit of effort would be an understatement.



Next up, some rather gentler wood cutting work:

I had originally thought of carving out the cast iron bracket from the same Oak material that all the other "castings" were made from, but quickly realised that the complex design almost entirely precluded that approach, so fabrication appeared to be the only sensible option.

I needed a reasonable amount of "meat" on the front face and ends in order to firmly fit the two quadrant studs without risk of them splitting the grain...



Then it was built up to size and the detail shapes added using some layers of ply. Those layers should also help to lock the grain in the softwood?



A rebate angle had also to be cut to allow access for inserting and then tightening up two more nuts on studs in the boiler. It was becoming apparent that the fit was going to be rather jolly tight in there, and it subsequently proved to be!



Yes, I forgot which end a notch needed cutting out to allow full travel for the lever latch, and filled it back in with ply at the left (nearest in the above photo) end. Only after doing that, I then remembered that on all the original locomotives, as built, the latch faced forward until the new saddle tanks were fitted - from 1902 onwards. The rear edge of the tanks left insufficient space for the driver to get a grip on the latch when it was locked in forward gear, so the said levers (and quadrant plates were then turned round and refitted in reverse on the existing cast brackets, requiring only slight modification in the process. I could have left the left hand slot just as it flippin' was and got away with it. Oh well, too late now!!

Then the real fun started:



There was absolutely no way that I could trust my measuring abilities sufficiently to drill "blind" holes into the boiler in some sort of hope that they would align properly with the ones in the back of the bracket. Thus, as the real thing is bolted directly on to the barrel itself, with the cladding cut to fit round it, and mimicking that effect providing a slightly more secure fit in what is still a rather "soft" structure, I could first ensure the precise location - albeit with an awful lot of fiddling, trimming and tweaking!

When happy, I then slotted an un-attached and pre drilled rear plate in the cut out section, then drilled right through for the bolts.



Again, when satisfied that it still fitted, I was able to attach the back plate to the bracket...



It really was, as previously mentioned, blinking blue murder trying to get those (sorry, they are out of focus) nuts threaded on in that extremely confined space under there. I do so hope they never, ever have to be undone again !!

The final act was to mark out and file the notches...



It was a huge relief to find that the subtle little clicks of the electric switch occur neatly and perfectly halfway between the slots, indicating that the lever is acting positively, and noting that it is not putting any strain whatsoever on the plastic fittings by travelling too far, nor out of alignment!

Trouble is, it is now at high risk of getting completely worn out - well before the much anticipated inaugural run.....!!

Pete.

It’s absolutely incredible work Peter, and a joy to read your write up on the build.
My very best wishes,
Neil.

Thank you Neil, I'm glad you are enjoying this adventure into uncharted territory!

I do hope we will get a chance to meet and chat again soon?!

Pete.

Peter Insole said:

....
One task left incomplete was so nearly the cause of a minor catastrophe. The long reversing lever was still awaiting the necessary support of a quadrant, or sector plate - whatever the awkward assembly is called. A couple of weeks ago, I caught part of my attire on the vulnerable, free standing lever as I was passing, and feel very lucky that only minor, and easily rectifiable damage was caused.
.......

Click to expand...

I read this twice before working out the rectifiable damage was caused to the lever, not yourself !

Tony, some folks might be fully justified in thinking that I was already damaged goods ?! This next update, describing so much time and energy devoted to something that will hardly ever be seen probably proves it.

Visually moving the project forward by working on more "pretty bits" is by no means time wasted, as the jobs all need doing at some time anyway, and I continue to maintain that apparent progress can be an essential way of maintaining enthusiasm. I have found there is a danger that the mundane stuff gets put back to the point where a backlog can become a rather daunting prospect though.

Getting the chassis sub-frame finally completed - after almost three years of procrastination - was a perfect example of that last scenario!

It was partly regret that I had not persevered when the frames were last out of the engine, the thought of having to go through the whole rigmarole of dismantling and some niggling, unresolved issues with the leading axle suspension had been putting me off!

Time to bite the bullet ?....



After laboriously shortening and shaping the tails of all the fixed bolts in turn, and with the stripped frames in a totally naked state, the opportunity was taken to apply several coats of protective paint over the previously bare steel.

I was particularly concerned that the contact surface areas between the frame angles and the MDF outer frames could be a potential moisture trap, encouraging corrosion to gallop away undetected, so elected to invest in a rattle can of black Hammerite.

It would seem that the manufacturers had assumed that anyone buying their product would somehow, instinctively know that the term "Smooth" also meant "Extremely High Gloss!" I had hoped to make good economic use of it by offering the remnant for Richard's carriage bogies and running gear of his proposed new Ruston loco, but I am afraid that the paint does glare back a bit too much at any beholder!! It is somewhat galling that despite applying several coats on the frames, there is still plenty left in the can!

Having complained about the dazzling proprietary finish, I then splashed a load of lovely bright and almost equally shiny red enamel on top !!



The original springs did not seem to be anywhere near up to the job of supporting the front end of the engine - even before a decently weighted traction battery is installed - but I was worrying myself silly about acquiring more appropriate ones. Simple, and equation are two sequential words that can never possibly occupy my peculiar brain at the same time, so I wondered, with an element of desperation, whether just tightening them hard down and significantly reducing their travel might suffice ?

It did - as it happens to jammy so-and-so's !!



After a lot of pinging, pushing, re shimming and hunting around the room for errant nuts, washers and helical things doing fabulous Zebedee impressions, the assemblies ended up working fine - albeit with a somewhat Emett inspired appearance.

The arrangement is surprisingly robust, though I doubt those horrid "Wheelie bin" bearings will last terribly long in service. Until I eventually get round to seeking out some nice little plumber blocks, I shall be quite content to leave the springs as they are - firmly constrained !!

Pete.

It's nice to see what I caught you red handed doing when I called the other day. I am rather looking forward to seeing it in the flesh in a couple of hours from now.

This also could be used as an advanced warning that I really would love to try the reverser lever if it's at all near being in one piece for that satisfying clunk into its position you explained

See you soon x

Continuing with the chassis sub-frame shenanigans, there were still a couple of unresolved issues with the gearbox to attend to.

While the machinery had turned out to be a remarkably good fit, it was, of course not actually designed for a model locomotive! The size of the installed gear left very little clearance below and between the wheels that was only just about tolerable for working over the plain, "indoor" plastic track, but a potential nightmare was in prospect with the proposed points and crossings, let alone a greater risk of contact with lumps of dislodged ballast, etc., likely to be encountered in the big, wide outside world.

There was one particular point of concern, and here is a pic to demonstrate:



The box is shown upside down on the bench, with the problematic bottom section uppermost! There are three fixing points moulded into the alloy casing, two equally spaced above and below, and a central one at the front, directly beneath the motor mount. On the original wheelchair arrangement, the box was attached to a battery tray framework only by a full length bolt running through that plain hole in the forward position, and the four, hex drive socket cap screws on the cover plate. The two upper and lower holes, that were incidentally M6 threaded, served no obvious purpose! I have found that one of the latter was perfectly placed for my own requirement, and you can see a machine screw fitted therein. It was the presence of the large, wide, unused lug that was causing all the consternation. I just wanted to be able to cut and file the so-and-so orf !!

The great fear was that in doing so, I might end up fatally weakening the casing - and end up ruining an item that might then cost a small fortune to replace ? I was also reticent about investigation by opening up the cover in what is otherwise a securely sealed unit, having visions of accidentally damaging the thin gasket, (not listed as a spare part by the manufacturer) losing some of the unidentifiable lubricant or perhaps even dislodging and dropping some form of spring clip down amongst the workings? After fruitless searches for any diagrams, or anyone with prior knowledge, I finally decided to act, and with some trepidation, gently removed the cover and peered inside.

I needn't have worried ! the casing walls were really nice, thick and perfectly even...

So, whoopee!



Still low I know, but that will do now!

The last issue that needed sorting was working out the best method of locking the driving wheel bosses to the axles. The bodged, plumbing fittings provided a nice, snug, push fit - but have to remain readily removable in order to gain access to the chassis fitting screws. Clearances are awfully tight between the back of the wheels and the frames, so working out whether to tap for a pair of fiddly little grub screws, or just go for simple split pins? Whichever decided upon, the hub bosses would have to be dismantled and taken out again in order to get any size of drill bit down so close to the wheel backs.

Once again, regretting the utter foolishness, and now paying the price of earlier haste ?!



I decided that stout split pins were indeed the preferred option, allowing for less meat removal and the smaller holes required. Another perceived benefit with the pins is that they would be unlikely to shake loose and drop out unseen during service, as grub screws can occasionally do.

By the way, now that the bosses are complete and have been reinstalled in the wheels for the final time, they, and the unsupported ends of the spokes can be fully sealed and set solid with resin - at leisure now, or as and when the opportunity arises.



Slipping in and bending back the pins is still a bit of an awkward exercise, but a pair of long nosed pliers, plus a carefully planned system, does the trick well enough!

Knowing that all the lovely looking, shiny stuff was about to be buried away, almost invisibly deep within the machine for, hopefully, many moons to come prompted me to take a few snaps, just for the record...



I had originally thought that an attempt to disguise the motor and gears with paint was entirely appropriate, but strangely, I now find myself respecting it's honesty - after all, it is what it is, and I've grown to rather like it like that!

And so, at long last...



Somewhat overdue, but now all belted, bolted and braced in place !!

Now for a sturdy battery tray to get the power to this lot...

Pete.

Oh yes Tom, Sorry, I forgot the feed line with the open question:

Why does it always seem to be bright red paint that gets spilled... or ends up all over your fingers...?

Pete.

Pete, it is wonderful to come back to "Western Thunder" and find that you are still beavering away on this inspiring project, which also seems to be acquiring a very nice looking track to run on.

Hopefully the driver hasn't grown too much in the meantime and will still fit on the footplate when the loco breaks through the bubbly!!

Simon

Morning Peter,

‘I do hope we will get a chance to meet and chat again soon?!
Pete.’

I very much hope so! A Love Lane day?
Best wishes,
Neil.

Thank you Simon and Neil for your replies.

The original, mild mannered and slightly timid driver still fits perfectly, but he has now been joined by a small, very beguiling but somewhat bossy sister, who tends to elbow her way onto the footplate, shows great interest and cheerfully tells him - and everyone else what to do!

There are also three more delightful cousins that have joined the flock too, all of whom will doubtless enjoy involvement - hence a degree of urgency in getting some track laid, building a bogie carriage, and yet another loco!!

Even with two willing apprentices, one in the workshops and the other in the civil engineering department, I still think I'm going to need some elfin assistance ?!!

Pete.

This weekend is almost over, and it feels as if something remotely productive had only just started happening when it was time to stop!

It all started well enough when the first battery compartment problem was solved...



In a fashion.

As I had mentioned previously; the silly error of failing to take into account the thickness of the bulkhead, making it necessary to remove a battery width section, had been bothering me for a while. Despite the softness of the MDF, the lack of space within the assembled boiler precluded the use of any tools currently held in stock. In the end, I had to resort to very slowly drawing a bare hacksaw blade, held at each end only by the fingertips!



Not the tidiest of jobs, but it will have to do!

After this very minor success came something of a hiatus while I pondered the next move. Each new idea, perhaps overly cogitated, measured and sketched out seemed to present more problems than solutions. This state of affairs carried on until eventually an "oh sod it" moment occurred, and...



I actually started cutting metal !!

Two brackets for starters - to be fitted at the smokebox tubeplate end.

That confined space thing came back to haunt me again. Hand drilling the outermost pilot holes in the tubeplate was difficult enough, but trying to blindly drive the short, countersunk screws into tight corners under the brackets proved practically impossible, until...



Thank goodness for a wifey's weird, wonky, personal and secret screwdriver set! Didn't know she had that handy bit of kit stashed away somewhere!

It will certainly continue to make short work of this task - and even save some knuckle skins into the bargain.



The plan - finally decided upon - is to bolt these two angles to the bulkheads, and via a plate on top of the motor, increase rigidity of the boiler and hopefully distribute some of the battery weight more directly to the rear, traction tyred driving axle.



The four holes drilled through the uprights of the angles are for bolting a pair of sturdy metal straps that will cradle the battery.

Wish I had thought of the simplest solution in the first place ?!

Pete.

"Cor, what a palaver" is probably not quite an appropriate description, as the last few days worth have not so much been a lot of empty words, but rather an awful lot fumbling and faffing to finish what appeared to be a relatively simple task !!



Another pair of angle brackets were even more taxing than the first, as this time their alignment on the middle bulkhead was critical to ensure that the motor would not be subjected to any unequal stresses when the beams were tightly bolted up.

I had hoped to fit a second bar, utilising all four of the screw holes in the motor cap, but the only convenient section of steel available was a few millimetres short. Typically, a trip out to our local store was unfortunately time and effort wasted, as that particular item (among many others) was out of stock. I might hopefully get the opportunity to retro-fit it at a later date?



It is getting quite busy in there when the firebox barrel is reinstated !!

The various bits, bobs and odds of metal are generally diminishing, despite some sections being replenished. I know I said that the intention was for something sturdy for the battery cradle straps, but an awful lot of wellie was noisily and wastefully expended on a hefty piece that at the end of the day proved utterly impractical.

There was now no alternative to grabbing the hacksaw, and laboriously cutting out two long strips from some steel plate...



The cut was dreadfully wobbly, and the humps took considerably more effort to file down this time around.

I do get cross with myself when tiring so much quicker these days.



After all the physical effort of making them, I am relieved to say that the bending was a breeze by comparison.

Here is the first of the pair:



The fun and games started when it came to getting the second one to perfectly match - and then both hung squarely under the beams so that the battery wouldn't wobble and rock about in the cradle !!

So at last, here it is:

Something of a milestone moment..!...



Utterly exhausted, and now slumped in my chair, I'm feeling triumphant - well sort of !!

Pete.

Wahey...

You did it! Now just to get it all wired up, hey?

Well done. A victory indeed.

Rich

I see Joe Lucas the Prince of Darkness has had an input Pete, better than Varta the Masked Invader !

Great work Pete, as always .

Col.

I have been wrestling with a load of brightly coloured spaghetti today !!

Not only desperately tying to remember what bit plugs in where, the task was compounded by not being able to find the necessary plugs in the first place !



The speed controller board only just fits on the bulkhead in its current position. I would like to build a little platform that will allow it to be tucked back into the space over the firebox, but I'm quite happy to leave it where it is for the time being.



The gap between the resistances and the battery looks a bit tight in the last two views, but the battery cannot move any further aft, and there is still plenty of room to allow any excess heat from the fins to be dispersed.

Anyway, if I have managed to get it all set up right, even with temporary leads on the battery terminals - the proper stuff has been ordered - it should actually go now ?!!

Pete.