Building the JLTRT Rebuilt Royal Scot

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Actually the drawings of the casting parts look pretty good, as does the guidance on where they go. I reckon I'll get in to it as I start to use the castings anyway and it may be a quite effective set of instructions. Until then I'll reserve judgement.

B
 

warren haywood

Western Thunderer
One I built and painted a couple of years ago.
It’s a fantastic model and goes together nicely.
The hardest part if I remember was the motion bracket, there aren’t any witness marks so it’s essential to build the cast parts strongly and squarely. A blow torch and 188 solder is advisable for these bits.

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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thanks Chris.

I knew Birmingham and particularly Snow Hill quite well up to the 1980s but wasn't aware of this pub. I like the pub sign very much!

Brian
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Thanks Chris.

I knew Birmingham and particularly Snow Hill quite well up to the 1980s but wasn't aware of this pub. I like the pub sign very much!

Brian

It was the large regimental badge that caught my eye first. I had a Mainline Scott in 4mm years ago and recognised it immediately.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Things are moving on - if not "apace" they are at least moving on.....

Underframe is substantially complete. Footsteps to fit and they are in preparation right now. According to instructions the footplate mounted fire irons should also be fitted now but I'll decide whether now is the best time when I have the thing a bit further on. There's also the rivetted angle pieces to fit on the back but they will go on when the rear cladding is in place.

So far everything is very accurate for fit. The long rivetted angle where the side frames meet the top is in one piece which has to be bent to a right angle. That is far from easy even after creating a bending line with a skrawker and triangular file tip. In retrospect it would have been better to split this in to two pieces and attached each separately.

Buffer beam and drawbar beam are both completed and ready to fit.

The rivets on the side frames are using a 7mm punch but those on the buffer beams and steps are using the 4mm punch. There is also some rivetting on the footplate, not seen in these shots, and because these are tiny I've used the 2mm punch. I believe it's a case of "less is more".

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Dry run. Tank framework/footplate mounted on the underframe and all looks good.

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Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Just to give a quick update, with not too much apparently to report but a bit more behind the scenes.

Footsteps and lamp irons added.

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But there has been a deal of other stuff. The overlays and tender internals have been cleaned up, rivets formed, cusps and etch tabs removed. The tender side overlays have had the flares created. I'm now pondering the order in which to assemble all this cladding and detail stuff. I hope that I may be able to start attaching stuff to the armature tomorrow.

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
I thought it worth a quick photo of the tender overlays as mostly readied for fitting.

Firstly, creating the flare for the tender sides. This was probably the easiest I've ever done - a suitably sized rod in the vice and gentle finger pressure was all that was needed. It would be helpful to have a pattern of the curve one is trying to match but all in all this will, I reckon, work well. Any final adjustment should be doable with finger pressure. One thing I particularly like about this is the presence of "darts" at both ends of the overlay which show where the tightest part of the bend should be. These are filed off afterwards. In every case (so far) where bending is required these darts are etched in and give a really precise location for bending or rolling.

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These are the overlays, mostly all ready with rivets and bends done (but not the second tender side - yet). As mentioned previously, the instructions are exploded diagrams but with no suggestions about the order of assembly. I'm of the "cat sat on the mat" school of instructions so this will be a challenge - for example if I fit the sides first I won't be able to fit the front and back of the coal space, and the front spacer comprises two parts sweated together - one of these parts isn't on the diagram for this stage of the build, but appears on the next page.

This may be a minor issue for most builders and is quite obvious for these parts so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to work my way through a proper construction sequence as I go. I have built a few 7mm models previously so the construction sequences of those should be good background.

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Brian
 

Dave Holt

Western Thunderer
Brian.
I haven't built a JLTRT tender, but the approach looks rather similar to the Brassmasters 4 mm one I've just done. From that, I would suggest the sides go on last so they overlap the edge of the rear overlay, with the front and rear bulkheads and coal space chute already in place.
Dave.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thank you Dave. I'm very grateful for your comments - you'll see why as you go through this thread.:)

But firstly I have to say how impressed I am by the fit of the parts. Here's the coal chute dry fitted. The fit without any filing or modification is absolutely wonderful.

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I then soldered the interior sides, coal chute and the front and rear tender spacers in place. Glad I got that right, Dave. This photo is before washing and cleaning up any extraneous solder. With my new found confidence I'll be attempting sides, rear and top tomorrow.

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Brian
 

David Boorman

Active Member
Brian,

Don't be surprised by the quality of the design of the etches for the Scot. They were all designed by a person who has concentrated on 2mm finescale. His 'piece de resistance' in my opinion was a 2mm finescale kit for a 9F. Nearly all of the patterns for the Scot were created by a very experienced and skilled pattern maker who also produced complete kits in O. The Scot boiler was also produced by highly skilled person/s. I'm saying this because each specialist 'did their own thing' hundreds of miles from each other. The areas where you may encounter difficulties are the interfaces between etches and castings and 'boiler'. This was slightly more complicated by the use of some castings that were originally designed for other applications. If you think about what I've just said you'll realise that this was a recipe that risked and resulted in some incompatibilities at the interfaces.

When I am building kits and I find things that don't appear to fit, my first assumption is that the problem is one that I have created. I frequently eventually find that 'my' problem is actually a problem with the design or manufacture of the kit. I'm suggesting that if you encounter a problem it may well be inherent in the 'kit' - yes, you will still have to deal with the problem, but don't doubt your own building ability!

Continue to have fun!

David
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thank you David.

I'm well aware and grateful for your earlier kind offer of assistance and if I reach an impasse I'll be in touch.

It's a coincidence that I've just run in to my first problem. Definitely of my making! The tender side overlays now have a quite reasonable curve to the top, as designed but created by me.:) Viewing the drawings it looks as though that's all that is required as the sides appear flat but I now find that there is a sharp curve - more a "return" - at the very front, cab end of the prototype. I've spent most of this afternoon considering ways of creating this. I suspect that it was not a consideration during the design although the footplate seems to have a "channel" marked out for the tender front to follow.

So far, employing the brain cell, the only answer I've come up with is to clamp a piece of small diameter - probably not more than 3/16" - ground mild steel in the vice, lay the tender front against it and beat the hell out of it until it bends to my command. This return is only over the final 3 or 4 mm so there's not a lot of metal to be playing with. I strongly suspect that the BMS will bend as well though, as the section is so small.

In the opinion of the audience is the gentle ministrations of the universal tool the best answer or are there other suggestions? (The universal tool has a rubber or softish plastic business end, or there's always the big bertha but that's probably far too aggressive).

Brian

PS. I note that Warren's tender has the return, so he dun it!
 

Ian@StEnochs

Western Thunderer
Brian,

I used a piece of 5mm thick steel flat with the edge filed round to a wee bit less than the required radius as a former. I clamped the side onto the former with a couple of toolmakers clamps and a bit of packing to protect the surface and formed the curve by stroking it with a piece of wood. It curved quite easily just with hand pressure.

Ian.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Thank you Ian. That is actually so bl$$dy obvious - once it's pointed out! I'll check the thickness of metal I'll need. If necessary I'll make up a plate of reasonable thickness from various bits of scrap sweated together.

I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Just as a side comment - lumps of wood are very useful for smoothing out "irregularities".:) Stroking is absolutely the right word for it!

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Might try that, Simon...... It may be easier for me to locate than a lump of metal of sufficient thickness. Thanks for the thought.

In fact this is the procedure in the Martin Finney/Finney 7 instructions is it not? And who does the proof reading of the instructions??????

Brian

Edit: Have used a lump of oak. Results below.
 
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