Dave's 4mm scale Industrial Loco Workshop.

Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
Dave said:
It has advanced a little.

The frames now have 3-point compensation, are painted, motor, wheels and cylinders fitted.
View attachment 218527
I have made the connecting rods and have put power to the motor with them fitted - all good.

Bodywork.
View attachment 218528
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Dave,

Following this one with a lot of interest.

You are making me question why I always use thin gauge material for my scratch build projects. (Maybe I'm just too used to etch kits). Seeing your use of heavy gauge materials in both the chassis and parts of the body makes me think why don't I use these thicknesses myself? Why don't I look at machining things from solid more? All possitve reflections and ones I will have to look at more in my next projects.

I've never heard of N20 gearbox's what are they like and where does one get them from?
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
Herb Garden said:
I've never heard of N20 gearbox's what are they like and where does one get them from?
Click to expand...
Hi George. As far as I know, N20 refers to the motor size but if you search ebay for "N20 gear motor" you will find these motors with gearboxes attached. I think that they are intended for door locks and such like. They are advertised as having various output R.P.M. (at what voltage I cannot say) so avoid the really low figures. I have used 200 or 300 R.P.M.

They may only be small motors but when coupled with the gearboxes they are very powerful. I got the idea of using them from reading an article by Geoff Helliwell in the April 2018 Railway Modeller. He made a motor bogie powered by one and was able to press down on it as hard as he could but was unable to stall it.
 
Herb Garden

Herb Garden

Western Thunderer
Dave said:
Hi George. As far as I know, N20 refers to the motor size but if you search ebay for "N20 gear motor" you will find these motors with gearboxes attached. I think that they are intended for door locks and such like. They are advertised as having various output R.P.M. (at what voltage I cannot say) so avoid the really low figures. I have used 200 or 300 R.P.M.

They may only be small motors but when coupled with the gearboxes they are very powerful. I got the idea of using them from reading an article by Geoff Helliwell in the April 2018 Railway Modeller. He made a motor bogie powered by one and was able to press down on it as hard as he could but was unable to stall it.
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Now you come to mention it I vaguely remember that article.... Should really look it up.

It's interesting to hear your thoughts on the power of these units. I've been using high level units to power my locos recently which are great but they do take up space. The Sharpie single has a big old 12/20 coreless in the tender which packs a punch but by the time you account for the losses through the two gearboxes and layshaft between it might have been better to have a smaller power pack in the loco these might fit the bill....
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
Instead of making the tank with slab sides to fit the space between cab and smokebox, which depends on me accurately measuring and making it to fit, I'm building it using a skeleton. The rods fit into holes in the cab and the leading rib has a hole that fits a rod through the smokebox. With the cab and smokebox ribs butted squarely against those parts I can solder the ribs to the rods. It should all fit precisely. Until I have added the wrapper and then it'll probably all go wrong. :confused:

20240628_164654.jpg
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
It didn't go too badly. I also added the wrapper to the smokebox, made the lower part of the boiler and have cut the disc of brass that will become the smokebox door.
20240702_131536.jpg
The box in front of the cab, under the boiler, isn't part of the firebox as you may think. The firebox on the prototype was entirely in the cab. I made that to hide the gearbox, which would look silly if it was exposed. At least with a box around it I can attempt to disguise it with black paint, weathering and the springs and reach rod that will be on the outside of it to draw the eye away from the box itself.
 
Phil O

Phil O

Western Thunderer
Dave,

Does a kit exist of a prototype that uses similar springs to those that you require? Some kit manufacturers are happy to supply spares from their range.
 
D

Daddyman

Western Thunderer
Dave said:
I'm stuck on how to make the springs. I had thought about making them from individual leaves, but some of them will be miniscule. I'm not sure I can do that and I also think it may drive me mad.
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Drop Justin at Rumney Models an email. He 3D-printed some bits for me for my Manning Wardle, including some lovely springs, and I'm intending to use him for my Y9 springs too.
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
Phil O said:
Dave,

Does a kit exist of a prototype that uses similar springs to those that you require? Some kit manufacturers are happy to supply spares from their range.
Click to expand...
Not that I know of, Phil. If you look back to the works photo that I posted you'll see that they are really chunky things. I suppose they would have to have been to carry 10 tons each. I can't think of any kit that would have springs like them. Springs are the sort of thing that 3D printing would be ideal for, but I have no clue how to drive a computer to design them, never mind own a printer to make them. I will have to bite the bullet and get on with some 10 thou. brass sheet and make lots of tiny spring leaves.

The slide bars are quite chunky and the crosshead very large on the prototype. Not having a drawing makes it difficult to estimate these things, but I'm happy with how they have turned out.
20240718_160948.jpg
The excess slide bar material, aft of the motion bracket, needs to be trimmed. I have put in the piece that joins the slide bars between the crosshead and the cylinder. I presume this was on the prototype because the bars were so long.

I need to make the motion for the other side, make and fit brakes and make and fit pickups to complete the chassis.

On the body side I need to make and fit the cab steps, but this isn't a problem as the same patterns as on 1814 can be used. The chimney will be the last major part. I have a suitable whitemetal casting in stock but closer examination and a trial-fit has shown that it leans like the Tower Of Piza and isn't properly circular when viewed from above. Basically, its NBG.
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
Daddyman said:
Drop Justin at Rumney Models an email. He 3D-printed some bits for me for my Manning Wardle, including some lovely springs, and I'm intending to use him for my Y9 springs too.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll have a go at making my own but if I fail I'll email Justin.
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
I am pleased with the weekend's progress. I made the cab steps and managed to get the brakes made and fitted. A couple of coats of paint were slapped on, too. As far as making parts goes, only the pickup plate and cab roof remain to be manufactured.
20240721_182941.jpg
I discovered that there was some glue on the base of the cast chimney and once that was removed I was able to get it to sit straight. That chimney will be fixed using only PVA glue so that it can be easily removed. I have a friend who is going to make a flycutter and flare jig for me, so once I have these and am proficient in making chimeys, it will be replaced. With a pantograph and a lathe with flycutter and flare jig, the World's your lobster.

This thing already weighs more than two Hattons RTR Andrew Barclays, so it'll be interesting to see how it performs on Blacker Lane. It isn't intended for that layout, however. On the layout that it is to be used on it won't be called upon to pull any more than 4 wagons at a time.
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
It isn't being finished as any of the four actual prototypes. It now has the identity Sevastopol No.2 and will work on a micro layout named Sevastopol Works, which is to be a forge/heavy engineering works.

I'm not going to pretend that I intended for the lining to look so poor, because I didn't, but it's going to mostly disappear under a good coat of weathering, so it doesn't need to be that good. I suppose it is better to start with something good and not hide the bad bits with weathering, but it is what it is. I'm not a skilled painter but neither am I going to pay someone to do a top job on it, for me to then slather it in muck. The main colours are BR coach maroon and LNWR coach plum. I think that the cab needs the top half to be plum. That or put in another lined panel. Hmmm...
20240726_193758.jpg

The cab roof, rear springs, handrails and injectors/pipework are the constructional jobs that remain. On the electrical side is, well, everything. Weathering will bring all of the crappy paintwork together and finish it off.

I really ought to make some brass spectacle rims to go in the cab windows. And a steam brake cylinder. The lining on the cylinders needs to be thinned down, or the cylinders painted plum all over.
 
Dave

Dave

Western Thunderer
It lives!

It has made its first run on rails. I have fitted it with a dumb decoder, a Lais Stay Alive and a speaker. It is all wired to a Next18 socket so that when I do come to fit sound all that's required is to pop the existing decoder out and the sound one in.

Although the crank for the steam brake cylinder has yet to be made and fitted, and the injector for the other side also needs the same, I couldn't resist a phone camera shot. I'll get the proper camera out and take some after the remaining parts are fitted and it has been fully weathered.
20240731_151545.jpg
To say that it was nothing more than a few of sheets or brass and nickel silver six weeks ago I'm pretty chuffed with that.
 
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