A Hornby standard 4mt in em.

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
As a side from posting everything in my Little Milton Colliery thread. I thought I would start a post documenting my industrial builds. I've named it coals & metallurgy as it's just that. Industrials from both the coal & steel industry. Most of the kits are from Judith edge which I must confess I really enjoy building. They are cheap, well designed & cover so many prototypes that suit my tastes perfectly.

I started building the frames for this massive Ebbw Vale 80t hunslet about 12 months ago. It's been one of those models that's sat waiting for a long time & I decided this was next up.

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This evening I've progressed the build to get the platform built up & as with all Mike's designs they just build as intended. I've got a high level box to fit & all the wheels are on order with gibson.

My intention is to do a steelworking loco & then switch to a collier loco but I suppose it'll depend on my mood. Once Little Milton is completed I intend to make a steelworks along the lines of Templeborough, Aldwarke, Stockbridge or Forgemasters. I've got a friend doing me some etches for the panzer wagons from Stockbridge which I hope to show in due course.

Si

I
 
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34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
I've had another short session this evening & done a few bits to the model.
My first job was to blacken the platform base. Mike suggests to grease this area but if I am honest I don't like grease. It gets everywhere & nothing solders so I blacken whatever is needed so it keeps solder away without the mess.
That's the platform & casing ready for the next part of construction.

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Whilst it doesn't seem much, making up 4 sets of steps does take some time. They are a fold up unit which takes a bit of time to get straight. Once they were folded they slid in with a friction fit which made soldering a simple task. The next job was adding the tread plates to the footsteps & the base of the platform.

Currently stopped for a brew & listening to this...

 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
Whilst I took delivery today of all the wheels etc to continue the build of the hunslet I've had something niggling me. Its actually been niggling me for about 8 years & I recently decided to finally address it.

Years ago when I first started to make kits I built a judith edge Yorkshire DE2. It was the 5th loco I attempted & it never got finished. The chassis is running & it needs the brakes fitting. The body however I missed a few things & then attempted to paint it in a kind of Stocksbridge black & wasp stripe livery. Let's just say things didn't go to plan & it turned out awful. The poor thing has moved from pillar to post, box to cupboard & a house move. Some bits have got lost over time but I did find recently the etch leftovers. Add to this a new milky bar top casing casting off Mike & it was time to finish her off a little.

This evening she's been for a swim, no she's not doing a cross of the leeds & Liverpool but a dunk in some cellulose thinner. The milky bar casting I purchased was simply because I thought the celly would melt it away rapidly. It turns out she's a tough old cookie & the resin casting has refused to melt or distort.

After a good clean up she's ready for the next stage.

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Firstly I'm going to add all the bits she's missing from first attempt. I think the portescap has got to go in favour of a high level transmission.

Whilst googling today between loading of lorries I came across a photo of the scrap line at Aldwarke. It shows both de2s & some brush outside swinger 0-4-0s which I never knew Aldwarke had. The photo was great for 2 reasons, firstly it has the de2s in plain yellow with black wasp stripe ends which is easy enough with transfers. The other being I can now properly warrant the purchase of a brush bagnall off Mike.

The next session I have I want to get the hunslet chassis finished, painted, running. This will give me the push to get the big hunslet finished alongside the de2. The next new build I think is going to be the sole NCB 50550 from Ackton Hall colliery.

I really must do a bit more on the scenic aspect of Little Milton too.

Workshop music this evening is...


Si
 
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34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
Usually Thursday is clubnight but i've felt a bit off today so I gave it a miss. I have just spent the past hour putting together a high level roadrunner plus which is a perfect fit in the Ebbw hunslet. Should anyone build one of these excellent kits I highly recommend this gearbox along with one of the small high level none coreless motors. It'll fit perfectly in the bonnet without filing away any material to fit one of the bigger coreless motors.

My usual gearbox of choice is a high level with a coreless motor. They are silent, powerful & reliable at slow speeds which is perfect for shunters.

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The bluetack is only holding the gearshafts temporarily until I'm happy everything works. I'll fix it with a tiny drop of superglue to hold them in place.

I have another of these gearboxes in stock with a coreless motor which is going to be fitted into the DE2 when that enters the works for a heavy overhaul.

With the gearbox now ready & all the bits here from gibson to get the chassis complete this will be the weekend task. I'm going to fit the brake hanger wires & pcb pads tomorrow evening & get the chassis cleaned & dried ready for a coat of primer. If I can get the chassis painted black Saturday then Sunday I can assemble the chassis & give it a run on the layout. Once I know all is well I'll finish it off with all the brakes & pull rods then I can plod on with the bodywork.

This evenings workshop noise is .....

 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
Spotify is a belting app for music, we pay for a add free version & it had every song you can imagine on it. You can download them too. Worth a look.
 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
I've had a very good session today in the workshop on the Ebbw beast. I got the frames finished, primer & sprayed black. Whilst I waited for that to harden off I built the other high level gearbox for the DE2. That's gone together well & ready for fitting at some point.
I then turned to getting the hunslet chassis running. I had trouble fitting the wheels true on the axles, this is becoming a real thing with gibson wheels I don't know why neither. I use a gw models press & they still refuse to sit straight. I've got them straightish on the axles & after fitting some basic pick ups its running.

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The chassis is running slowly now & after a bit of tweaking it should be fine. I'm going for a paintjob based on the Ebbw Vale livery. I got some red wasp stripes from railtec which should make the livery prototypical.

Hoping to finish off the frames tomorrow with brakes, balance weights & some final pick ups.

Workshop sounds tonight come from the master.


Si
 
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Daddyman

Western Thunderer
I had trouble fitting the wheels true on the axles, this is becoming a real thing with gibson wheels I don't know why neither. I use a gw models press & they still refuse to sit straight.
Have you done this "hack" to the GW press? The plasticard stops the wheel tilting when pressure is applied. Alter the position of the plasticard to suit wheel size, and the thickness to suit boss depth. You could also countersink the rear of the wheel to help the axle in.

Also, it looks from the first picture that there's a quartering problem on the left-hand wheel, as the rod looks to be slanted.

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34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
Have you done this "hack" to the GW press? The plasticard stops the wheel tilting when pressure is applied. Alter the position of the plasticard to suit wheel size, and the thickness to suit boss depth. You could also countersink the rear of the wheel to help the axle in.

Also, it looks from the first picture that there's a quartering problem on the left-hand wheel, as the rod looks to be slanted.

View attachment 172186

Hey up Daddyman,

Yes I've tried alsorts from countersinking the wheelbosses to tapering the axles & using plasticard to help. It seems hit & miss with gibson wheels these days I never used to have this issue. I've done the same way of doing things for years.

I've got the wheels as true as possible & I've just stripped the first set of pick ups off & put it back on test. It's running sweet as a nut I think it's going to need a new set of pick ups with very little resistance which should sort out the issues.

Si
 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
Well after spending hours trying my best to sort the Ebbw hunslet out & getting more & more frustrated I gave up. Me & gibson wheels are parting company. I blew 50 quid on the wheels for that model & it runs like a sack of that brown stuff.

Tonight I've actually just spent most of the evening playing trains on the layout. After running Primrose & the austerity I got out Brookes no1 which I built some years ago now. It's never been a truly smooth running model so I had a fiddle with it a little. After trying various things I wondered if it might be a transmission issue. I knocked up a high level gearbox last week for the de2 & wondered if it might fit in this tiny little critter. This is a very small 0-6-0 & so space is tight to say the least especially for a big coreless motor. After a bit of adjustment to sort the angle of the box out I got it to sit under the boiler & all fit with the body fitted to the chassis. I build most of my chassis these days half live with a wire soldered to the gearbox etch. Usually it works out well however this time its paid off 10 fold.


Of course I've always some sounds playing in the workshop & tonight this belter has been playing.

 
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34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
After the disappointment of the big hunslets wheels not working it was a nice lift of spirits to get Brookes no1 running nice & slowly.
The big hunslet has been shelved now until the new year when I can pick it back up with some markits.

This evening I got the call no one was going to the railway club so I decided to have a club night at home & spend the evening doing a model of some sort.
Earlier this week I ordered some markits wheels for a gwr loco I want to make & a 50550 class hunslet for the colliery. Until the wheels arrive I don't want to start a build so I've picked up another partially baked loco.

This is a judith edge Kitson A class built for the Consett iron works. My incarnation will be of the loco in later years when it was based up at Derwenthaugh coke plant on the banks of the river Tyne.
I got this as a Christmas gift from family if I remember correctly & it's sat for at least 2 years in a box. I partially built the frames & the basic parts of most of the body. The tanks are interesting to form to say the least & whilst they've come out correctly on the first one it was interesting to say the least.

The motor from the big hunslet should fit straight into this one as its the same reccomended gearbox set up. This evening I've finished off the frames & added everything that was missing. The goal is to have it painted over the weekend & to a running chassis.
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Once the chassis is up & running I can progress the body on further & get the thing completed. I hadn't planned on doing this so soon as it wasn't really a local engine but I do have a austerity which is based on one from the North eastern area & I've done some nice wagons based on the Bowes railway to match.
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The photos above kind of give an impression of how she will look. Looking at the etches I've not much to do to finish it off really. The only hard part left is the other tank. Apart from that the rest is just detailing. As I'm using markits wheels though before I solder everything up I want to test the model firstly before I make the boiler & panniers final. The splashers are very close to the thicker wheel you get with markits & so may need removing & moving outwards 0.5mm.

Music tonight comes courtesy of one of manchesters finest.


Si
 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
The Kitson has progressed a long way in a few days. I've finished the frames, painted them & this morning I assembled everything & gave it a test. It doesn't need any tweaking at all it runs beautifully from the off. I've yet to paint the wheels & solder the crankpins up but I wanted to make sure it ran well first.

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Once I had the model running I turned to the bodywork. The tanks needed finishing including the second one forming & both of them weighting with lead. This was done this afternoon with some choice combo swears trying to form the pannier tank. I know why I put it off now. Now the boiler has all been soldered up & it's now after years of neglect finally coming together.

Here's a video of it running.


Sounds today come from another Manchester favorite ....

 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
I sneaked a little session in after work this evening & got the model out of the vinager it had been sat in for 18 hours.

Once I had given it a second good scrub & wash, I dried it off & stuck on the majority of the castings. I've a set of sanding gear wires to bend up & some sanding pipes to add before I get some primer sprayed on. I'm thinking of having a look at what halfords has to offer before I dig out the airbrush & start applying enamels. If I can find a suitable green it should be a simple enough job to spray everything up & give a good glossy surface to add transfers. Its also the added bonus of being able to weather it in the workshop with acrylics from the airbrush.

I've got a load of wheels coming from markits too so I can upgrade the de2 & build a few more locos.

Here she is running with a rake of North eastern area ncb wagons.

Music tonight comes from the Wombats.


Si
 

Pete McFarlane

New Member
I built one of these a few years back in P4. A bit late for you now, but the advice I was given at the time was to make a former for the tanks, and bend them round it.


It ended up being one of those jobs where you spend a hour building the jig, and 2 minutes doing the actual task. The biggest challenge with this loco (beyond the usual wafer thin P4 clearances) was working out where all the pipes on the tank tops go.
 

34091 Weymouth

Western Thunderer
I built one of these a few years back in P4. A bit late for you now, but the advice I was given at the time was to make a former for the tanks, and bend them round it.


It ended up being one of those jobs where you spend a hour building the jig, and 2 minutes doing the actual task. The biggest challenge with this loco (beyond the usual wafer thin P4 clearances) was working out where all the pipes on the tank tops go.

Hi Pete,

Those tanks would have been easier in brass however I got them pretty much spot on. I guess its one of those things that comes with experience. A p4 version was on the cards, I did dabble but I cannot get on with gibson wheels & I've modelled in em for years so I stuck to what I know.
I found a piece of brass rod cut to size worked well in the end.
 
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