The Brassgoggles Model Making Club (the second non-SP model making thread).

[The Bullet]

Hi James,

as I have no Fratzenbuch I cannot comment.
It seems they are going for the original LION without the modification to cylinders, boiler,...
Interesting to watch.
I just ordered another batch of BA screws.
Hope to get the nuts this week so I can pu the cylinder block in and finish the axle boxes to get (back) to rolling chassis stage.

[James Harrison]

Further to the discussion about Brunswick Green, about 10 minutes ago somebody on a model railway forum I frequent put this comparison swatch up. 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_2019_06/63842317_GWRgreens.png.284a4e6978b7d497baca37485c7c7560.png

The comment was also made that RAL6005 looks a bit too blue for Brunswick Green but interestingly is similar to the green used at the GWR's Wolverhampton works until the late 19th Century. 


 

[The Bullet]

Problem solved:

Part of the answer from the museum:

...colour you are looking for is called Titfield Flyer Mid Brunswick Green, the only paint company to manufacture this colour is HMG paints in Collyhurst Manchester https://www.hmgpaint.com/. The code for the paint colour is 26936 and the type of paint is HMG coach enamel.

so I will order that.

Yesterday the BA nuts arrived. I sorted and tried them.
Mostly 4BA on the cylinders.
Still waiting for the BA screws.
This set should get me a bit further. I can now install the pistons and seal the cylinders.

In order to install the cylinders the axle boxes need to be finished.
Get me the magic file....

[James Harrison]

We got a definitive answer- that's a very helpful museum I must say.  (Assuming it was either the National Railway Museum in York or Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester?- I forget who has custodianship of Lion). 

Plans for the week for my modelling seem determined to be put on hold, I managed an hour or so on Temeraire yesterday fitting lots of little gribbly bits and some paintwork.  Not entirely 100% sure what I've added is correct but- it looks right and logic dictates that if the Bellerophons were basically repeats of Dreadnought with an extra tripod mast then a lot of fittings and material must have been common to both ships.  The alternative was a model that has kit accuracy and detail over 85 - 90% of it with the last 10 or 15% looking very blocky and basic and quite obviously scratchbuilt. 

Photos when it's finished of course but so far I'm very happy with it. 

[The Bullet]

GAH!

Filed the axleboxes today.
Al slide nice and easy.
Put the last axle in, perfect.
second axle
perfect
first axle
wait.....the boxes do not fit the hornblocks.
WTF?
Checked, measured and found out that the axle is bent in several places.
Time for a new axle.
So I will have to get to work on the tender now to avoid any delay while waiting for the axle.

Emailed the supplier of the plans two days ago as I had ordered and paid quite some time ago. Received an answer today that it had ALREADY been shipped.....yesterday. Should have emailed them earlier.

[The Bullet]

New axle should be ready today.

Yesterday I sealed the cylinder covers.
Broke one stud in the process.
It took a big pipe wrench to get the remaining bit out.
Fortunately the box-o-bits had a replacement.
All four cylinder covers are in place now. (Still have Hylomar on my fingers)

Then I installed the rockers:




The piston rods needed brass blocks to go into the forked end of the rockers.
Took a lot of filing to make them fit:




After fitting the front axle I can install the cylinder block between the frames.

Need to order more 4BA and 5BA nuts.

Decision has been taken not to use the LION nameplates but got for its sister loco TIGER.
So I will need new nameplates.
Does anyone know a manufacturer?

[James Harrison]

They'll have to be custom made.  A few links to some manufacturers, all the usual caveats (you know, not connected to them, etc).

https://nameplates.wixsite.com/name-plates

http://www.steamplates.co.uk/index.html

https://www.maidstone-engineering.com/other/self-build-90/nameplates/nameplate-small-railway-5-or-3-5-gauge

[James Harrison]

Temeraire's finished...













Next up, some coal wagons. 

[Madasasteamfish]

Update on the ballast train:

The Shark is 80% of the way there, just some finishing touches and then it's ready for the paint shop and transfers (when I've been able to obtain them)

I've also been able to acquire kits for a Dogfish and a Catfish wagon. I started the Dogfish earlier on this week and the Catfish is due to be started later this evening.

So, hopefully by the end of the weekend I should have a small ballast train together.

[chironex]

A 28mm gun store...


Because you don't go to this store for the bosses' handyman skills!




Gamecraft building kits on a Bunnings or Spotlight placemat. Decorated with everything from Genet and Worldworks papercraft to Hasslefree weapons.

[The Bullet]

Cool.

Spoiler: Stale joke alert.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Only needs the obvious poster on the door.

Due to recent price increase on ammo, don´t expect a warning shot.
Sorry, but ties are hard.

As I did not want to pay 77GBP for shipping a 1l can of paint from UK to germany I had the paint mixed according to the colour code available.
a bit more than 10 Euros.
Did final touches to the axle boxes, mounted new front axle.
Today the wheels will get their coat of green.
Still waiting for the plans and set of BA screws to arrive.
 I guess i will have to start work on the tender as other jobs are stalled due to missing parts.

[James Harrison]

Coal wagons!  (At last, everybody sighs)....

I've got seven to build and I'll be building all seven in pretty much one go, albeit split into two batches for the first part. 

First batch is four wagons, currently built to the point of lacking couplings, buffers and brake gear.  Once these have been fitted (when the paintwork has dried out) I'll bring the other three wagons up to the same stage and then complete all seven in one go with transfers, weathering and coal loads. 

A 28mm gun store...


Because you don't go to this store for the bosses' handyman skills!




Gamecraft building kits on a Bunnings or Spotlight placemat. Decorated with everything from Genet and Worldworks papercraft to Hasslefree weapons.

Very neat work.  I like the interior detailing!

Cool.

Spoiler: Stale joke alert.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Only needs the obvious poster on the door.

Due to recent price increase on ammo, don´t expect a warning shot.
Sorry, but ties are hard.

As I did not want to pay 77GBP for shipping a 1l can of paint from UK to germany I had the paint mixed according to the colour code available.
a bit more than 10 Euros.
Did final touches to the axle boxes, mounted new front axle.
Today the wheels will get their coat of green.
Still waiting for the plans and set of BA screws to arrive.
 I guess i will have to start work on the tender as other jobs are stalled due to missing parts.

Good to see you got the paint issues sorted out.  Looks like it should be a nice weekend for outside work and running. 

[The Bullet]

Finally the plans have arrived.
I guess the Royal Mail snail broke down several times on the journey....

Browsing through the plans I identified several more parts that I had put aside before as I did not know where they go or if they belong to this loco.
There are huge dome covers, slide valves and other stuff that does not belong to it but came with it.
Superheater wet and dry header are present, including the snifting valve.
Some mysteries like the tender brake gear are solved.
I need to make 4 adapters, mostly a bit of round bar stock with a disc at the bottom to go between leaf spring clip and axle bearing.
Then I can mount the axles.
The plans give two ways. Either a cast leaf spring with a coil spring inside or (like mine) a working leaf spring version.
Won´t be long to get to rolling chassis stage.
Then the cylinder block can go in.
Might need some coal wagons as LION and TIGER were goods locos.....

[James Harrison]

They were technically described as 'luggage engines', or mixed traffic. You could run her either with goods stock or carriages.

[James Harrison]

There was a bit of a mishap this morning, two tins full of completed wagons fell over, damaging several of them.  Mostly not huge issues but there will be a few ticklish repairs to effect. 

[The Bullet]

Ouch!. That´s bad news.

TIGER is back on its own wheels:



The original builder had opted for the working leaf springs.
They put up quite a fight.
Almost in....just a tiny...BING!.....*expletive*....picking up leaves from the floor and starting again.
Tomorrow I will put the tender frame back on its wheels and install the cylinder block.

[James Harrison]

I remember reading in Tom Rolt's "Narrow Gauge Adventure" about replacing leaf springs on Dolgoch.  They had to take a gas axe to the frames to get them in... so you've done well to avoid that!  Very, very nice. 

I was at the first WMSA picnic of the season yesterday, the Great British Summer being what it is, it became a notnic... when I got home last night I started repairs of the damaged rolling stock, which didn't take as long as I thought it would.  I just hope the more serious damage isn't now a natural weakspot for breaking again. 

My plans for today then are to continue with the last rake of coal wagons, of which now 4 are completed and 3 are about three-quarters built and need painting before they can be finished off.  If I reach a point where I'm waiting on paint to dry, I'll pick up the locomotive again- the red lining on the tender is wrong, so that will be painted out, there are boiler bands that need adding and I might try to line in the white edging to the cab.  Having four of this class I'm also debating whether to fit one of them with kadee couplers for use on passenger and parcels trains.  The real things, although largely employed on freight, where officially designated mixed traffic engines and used as a go anywhere, do anything class. 

[James Harrison]

All coal wagons finished.  In total now then;

- Rake of 8 GCR coal wagons (empty)
- Rake of 7 GCR coal wagons (loaded)
- Enough private owner coal wagons for 2, possibly 3, 6 or 7-wagon rakes (varying loaded, empty and somewhere in between).  

No more coal wagons for the foreseeable future!

[James Harrison]

On another note; I found a way to olde-time my photographs.

[The Bullet]

If "gentle persuasion(TM)" doesn´t work, use a bigger hammer.
today, even my hammer broke......


Cylinder block installed.
Big ends joined:


Detail of big end. Crosshead pump in the background.


No tight spots but a bit stiff to turn. So I thought about giving it a few laps on the track to break in.
Pushing it along? No way.
Little blue shunter? Maybe not enough traction.
Class 216? Too big.
Taigatrommel? No way.
Fire up a steamer? Too late now.

So the solution was this:
https://youtu.be/QhopSpS5Ow8

With my toolbox as additional ballast the wheels turned fine and after 10 laps the motion was a lot easier to turn.

[James Harrison]

 

It looks like Tiger has been taken as a war prize.  Excellent progress.

[The Bullet]

As promised:
A video of P3.1 running.

https://youtu.be/Otm_cEDl8DA

[Banfili]

You are all being so industrious!

[The Bullet]

Tried to airbrush the tender body today.

Small airbrush did half a side, then died because pressure can was empty.

Took the big one.

Tender body is green now.
...so are my hands. (Little mishap with the nozzle and the compressor being set to 8 bars instead of three)

Tomorrow I can spray the remaining bits of the tender body black and put it back on the frames.

[The Bullet]

Major problem.

Sprayed another layer of green onto the tender body.
Same airbrush.
Same settings.
Same paint (same can).
On one side the old paint started blistering, on the other side it started runnigndown.
The whole paint needs to come off again.

James, I could use a skilled painter here.......