Martin Shaw
Western Thunderer
Whilst the A5 is awaiting materials I decided to pick up a project I had started looking at about a year ago.
This came to me some years ago, again sadly on the death of a friend, and was coarse scale 3 rail. I always remember it running on a van train with a T9 double headed. Anyway I was pleased to get it, a nice model although not super detailed, it captures the purposefulness of Maunsell's rebuilds of Drummond locos. The extended smokebox could look ungainly I suppose, but I like them, T9s and 700s as well. 463 was a Nine Elms engine for most of its life. It was converted to oil firing in 1947, and did no work after 1948 until withdrawal in 1951, the first of the class. It was also never renumbered into the BR series.
An initial inspection required removal of the tender pickup arrangement and revealed inner frames of shim material, three spacers at the top but the strength came from the perspex block at the bottom and now redundant. Not only that but the frame spacing was such that there was really excessive play already. Finescale wheels were going to need more than washers. I decided new frames was a start so I drew them up in CAD.
and then put it all back in the box until today. I found some 1/16" by 1" NS strip, ideal for frames if a tad thick, so two bits were soldered together.
and the subsequent sandwich milled to overall size and drilled per the diagram. I would be even more pleased if I hadn't by mistake drilled one of the brake hanger mountings oversize. An easy enough fix in due course, and then the final milling to size. Some progress this afternoon, the boss insists I accompany her on a weekend away, so more next week.
Regards
Martin
This came to me some years ago, again sadly on the death of a friend, and was coarse scale 3 rail. I always remember it running on a van train with a T9 double headed. Anyway I was pleased to get it, a nice model although not super detailed, it captures the purposefulness of Maunsell's rebuilds of Drummond locos. The extended smokebox could look ungainly I suppose, but I like them, T9s and 700s as well. 463 was a Nine Elms engine for most of its life. It was converted to oil firing in 1947, and did no work after 1948 until withdrawal in 1951, the first of the class. It was also never renumbered into the BR series.
An initial inspection required removal of the tender pickup arrangement and revealed inner frames of shim material, three spacers at the top but the strength came from the perspex block at the bottom and now redundant. Not only that but the frame spacing was such that there was really excessive play already. Finescale wheels were going to need more than washers. I decided new frames was a start so I drew them up in CAD.
and then put it all back in the box until today. I found some 1/16" by 1" NS strip, ideal for frames if a tad thick, so two bits were soldered together.
and the subsequent sandwich milled to overall size and drilled per the diagram. I would be even more pleased if I hadn't by mistake drilled one of the brake hanger mountings oversize. An easy enough fix in due course, and then the final milling to size. Some progress this afternoon, the boss insists I accompany her on a weekend away, so more next week.
Regards
Martin
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