This weekend is going to be a bit hectic, so rather than watching paint dry, I thought I'd post now while I'm sitting down with a cuppa!
Another bit of this build that I was not particularly looking forward to was the coupling/buffing plates.
On the original loco's there were large iron, shallow D shaped castings bolted to the fore and aft buffer beams. Early in the history of the Horwich system (when the little tenders were added) the front ones were replaced with a revised pattern that included a hole for their "towbar" type coupling. These castings will serve a dual function on the model, for not only will they fulfil their intended purpose as couplers, but they will add a great deal of strength to the MDF frame structure.
These items will have to take a bit of a bashing in use, so carving them out of a decent hardwood was my only option. To explain the story, here is a little digression:
A few years ago, I decided to have a go at building an old fashioned pond yacht. Strangely perhaps, this all came about as a result of acquiring a beautiful offcut of wood (some kind of Walnut I believe) that had been destined for the burner. The hungry fire's appetite was appeased with a chunk of rotten pine fence post in exchange!
It was not only a gorgeous looking piece of timber with a stunning colour and grain, but despite being a complete novice, thankfully it was an absolute delight to cut, chisel, plane and fettle!
As a postscript, she had her maiden voyage at Crowborough, alongside my niece's "Skipper" yacht. By pure luck, the boat turned out to be so finely balanced that the pair sailed and turned in perfect unison around the lake. A couple had stopped to watch, and after a while the gentleman came over to me and asked;
"OK, where are you hiding the radio control then?"
"They are free-sailing!" I chuckled.
"Nah, come off it mate, you're kidding me.. come on.. WHO IS steering them then?"
I think I was as incredulous as he was really!
Flushed with success, and with a notion of making a couple of little racing dinghies, plus the cheek of the devil, I returned to the joiners with a request for more of the same or similar offcuts. Far from being offended, the chap told me to open the boot of my car, then he disappeared into the sawmill, appearing moments later with arms full of "Oak"!
He told me that "it always seemed such a pity to just burn all this stuff, and that if I could make something nice out of it; I was more than welcome to it!"
He was so generous that I could hardly refuse, or point out that Oak was far too heavy for a pond yacht!
It now turns out that some of it could be very useful for this project.
So what is the problem?:
Well, I only have one rather worn saw, one plane, with a less than keen blade, and lent out too, so not immediately at hand, one rasp (at least that has got a new cutter!) and a blunt chisel!
And boy, oh boy, that Oak is bloomin' HARD!
The weather has been quite chilly lately, but you couldn't tell that down in my dank, dark cellar. I must have been generating enough heat to warm the house above with the language, let alone the sheer effort?
More or less got there in the end though?!
The hole for the coupling bar is somewhat smaller than it should be, but I wanted to keep as much "meat" around it as possible. It should still work fine for us, and besides, I REALLY don't fancy having to cut another one if it gets broken!
Now the pain has at last subsided, I will have to finish filling the rest of the screw heads before I can get some protective coats of paint on!
Pete.
