4mm Jan's 4mm Workbench

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello Dear Reader/Insomniac,

Welcome to my virtual workbench. Please wipe your feet. Would you like a cup of tea?

You are cordially invited to:

1. leave now with your sanity intact
2. stick around and partake in the joyous expose of ignorance, ham-fistedness and crap puns that make up the sanctified remnants of my existence beyond the padded walls of my daily battles with emails, teleconferences and an seemingly increasing number of rubbish drivers I encounter on my commute into Britain's Ocean City (in truth, a dreich, car-swamped collection of villages stiched together by traffic lights and roundabouts).

Within these pixelated perimeters, I hope to provide some bucolic blather (you've had some already; don't say you weren't warned) some of it researched, some of it precariously hanging by its fingernails over the precipice of my all-consuming ignorance - into my dubious decades-long dalliance with a small corner of what-might-have-been late-50's East London waterside, focused roughly on the area around the Limehouse Basin and the northward sluice of Regents Canal, and served by (in brick terms only) the heightened experience of the old London & Blackwall Railway (sing glory to its name).

The centre of this minimum opus (© Iain Rice - all of this is his fault really..) is the alliterative accommodation for weary wagonry that is the Watkins Wharf Wagon Works; a black hole of missing delivery dates, strong language and prize vegetables (some of whom are capable of tending allotments) that serves as hospital-cum-dumping ground, catering to the sick and weary purveyors of all manner of goods transhipped along the strained sinews of this rubble-filled corner of the post-war rail network, and most final of rites upon the sad, neglected remnants of the nationalised stock that had served so well throughout the Second World War.

Most of this waffling will take initially take the form of small pictorial representations of things that the WWWW takes on. In recent times - thanks to their 'go ahead' MD, Ernest Bay, they have been successful in acquiring a number of discarded and unrequired vans and open wagons, and - just recently - have also been selected to manufacture a small run of wagons for BR themselves (although, strangely, the majority of these come in the form of a kit that is delivered from Kircaldy in the far North, and made on site under the manufacturers instruction).

So, as I say, welcome.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Dear All,

It is with grateful thanks that we acknowledge your collective interest in our humble and - if we went on current output levels alone - insignificant enterprise.

When it comes to talk of flange depth and rail gauge, I must say that - and forgive me if here I render only my own viewpoint; I would not seek to act with presumption in assigning these views to the volatile personalities constrained behind the walls of the Watkins Wharf Wagon Works workforce - I have great admiration for all artistry in these matters. I value the contribution and finesse of the construction, whatever the Chief Engineer has set down as correct distance between the railheads. Indeed, in my younger days, I had interests in a 4'6 light railway - The Lyng & Lenwade Light - that was intended to serve the communities of the River Wensum in the north of Norfolk. Sadly, due to the withdrawl of support from one of the significant financiers, who suddenly declared the river banks to be unworthy of protracted maintenance (although there were rumours of personal bankruptcy), the scheme folded before a service had been run. In my excursions away from the Works, I have been lucky enough to glimpse from afar the keenly-observed examples railway artistry such as Canada Street and The Brewery, and am in awe of the skills of their Engineers (or - if I may be so bold - Creators). Here at The Works, we are something of 'Johnny Come Lately' in our support of the railways (our initial incarnation was in the manufacture of canal barges and other waterborne craft), and have therefore aligned ourselves with the gauge in place at the Wharf alongside Limehouse Basin, and the tramway that runs off it - as this is where all our work currently comes from. We have had a fair amount of experience in recent times in spreading the wheelsets of the stock acquired via Ernest Bay to accomodate the the additional 9-1/2 "of our "host gauge".

Incidentally, during the War, and in complete secrecy - I have yet to find any mention of the work carried out on the North Bank of the Thames -the sidings at The Wharf made a small contribution to the War Effort by supporting the Artificial Harbours Sub-Committee in hosting the building of caissons required to support the landings in Northern France. In order to undertake this, and facilitate the movement of large quantities of bulding materiel and associated heavy equipment, all track on the quay was upgraded with bullhead checkrails throughout. We have inherited this Wharf in its entirety - having acknowledged special dispensation for access by British Railway engines to all parts of our system (under the command of our pilotmen) - and our best efforts to undertake maintenance on the formations have so far met with little success: I do not know what they put in that cement, but it refuses to surrender to our tools!

Speaking of track maintenance, I enclose a photograph of the current Departmental support vehicle. This little mobile dumping ground started life as a F269 GWR Shunting Wagon. Born in Poole, she spent the majority of her working life in and around Birkenhead. She is currently the sole member of The Works Permanent Way Dept (Foreman In Charge, Walter Broadacre - by night, Beryl's Other Half (or Other Sixteenth as some wags have it - I'm pretty sure we all know who rules the roost in that hen house)) having been enticed away from the clean coastal air of the North West for the sapping fog of the East End of London. We've reworked her a bit, but she's unmistakably Swindon. In her new life with us, she has become used to being pushed into all corners, and loaded with all sorts. She is currently laid up on our Light Repair road awaiting attention to her binding brakes.



I'll just close by answering to Jordan.
I'm very grateful for your questions, although I do wonder if your pint of refreshment was beer - and not something stronger. I have no idea as to the Sell By Date to which you refer. We've only just come off Rationing, and - as far as I'm aware - our food lasts for as long as its saleable. Perhaps you mean 'Selby date' - which I thought was an evening in the company of a North Yorkshire lass?

Until Next Time

Regards To All from all of us here at The Works

Jan Jackson

 

[Lyndhurstman]

One lump or two? A grey box, a reductionist representation from Metro Camell via Bachmann. Whoever was responsible, her narrow-to-gauge original chassis has had a 'just because' upgrade from Mr Bedford's works - although I'm not convinced that her springs are worth the effort.

B567890 has arrived in The Works for investigation of a warm axle-box, having been stood Out Of Traffic down in the old GN Goods Depot sidings down by East India Dock Wall Road, her paintwork 'benefiting' from the heavy downpours that have plagued us lately. Bert has left her here, brake on, while he goes to knock up a 'Do Not Shunt' board; although that's basically for his own benefit, as he's the only qualified driver at the minute.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Another 1/108 leaves site.
B97762 was born sometime between March and May 1954, from Pressed Steel to Lot 2254. Like others from PS, she has a strengthening rib - running along the majority of her brake lever. We know that some Cambrian-assembled 108's also had this variance, too..

Other than that - and the separation of reporting number from tonnage (a single Modelmaster panel sliced up) that seems to have occurred with other PS 108s - she's a Bog Standard two-shoe Morton.

This one was a Kirkaldy kit of parts, with a few additionals; she's kept from intimacy with her kith and kin by a MJT fixed buffers at each corner, which in turn sit in a pair of 51L white metal headstocks (the Parkside rendition of same was a simplification that was let down by the moulded buffer housings). Like most of our output, she leaves shod new 3-hole discs. We think these might be Kean Maygib as they have shiny axles - unlike our usual Gibsons - but as long as she holds up long enough for the money to be banked, we're not fussy how she skips along.

Just for interest, here's a comment on the build from Eddie Critchlow; one of the stalwarts of our Assembly Shop:

For a simple box, the kit took a fair degree of fettling. Even out here, in the backwater of Limehouse, we'd heard rumour of the early Kircaldy output being flash-heavy, but had been lucky to miss it. Until now. This one was particularly tricky, and not helped by the less-than-sure fit of corners. Having said that, the thickness of the plate did at least permit a rendition of the inner door surfaces - which is more than can be said for the Bachmann take on these functional forms.

And then there were the strengtheners.... an awkward octet of fiddly fun that demanded heavy use of the loupe. All in all, it wasn't as easy as it looked, and I don't want to think about doing the other one just yet: maybe after Christmas, when I've got my strength back.

As Eddie points out, there is another one of these in the Order Book, but I think his comments - backed up by the murmurings of discontent from within The Works - mean we might let it slip down the Job Order List. What next though? There's a question....

Best

Jan

On behalf of all at Watkins Wharf

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello again,

Sad to report, the damp, dreary darkness of the Autumn has given nowt of favour to the workforce at Watkins Wharf. Our time has been spent trying to concentrate - difficult enough with the roar of the rain on the Workshop roof - made even worse as it was pushed up under the tiles by the storm force winds, and wreaked havoc with our cabling for the electric lights in the Stores. We've had to send some of the younger lads up they to put some tarps down in - it's just too wet to get up on the slates at the minute. Although a lot of workers here are no stranger to a night on the tiles... Our stores man now wanders around with his eyes fixed on the ceiling - if I didn't know of the issue hangung over his head, I'd mark him down as devout!

Anyway, now we're back to work after the Christmas shutdown, we've decided to take a crack at the couplings for our stock. I think I've mentioned in some previous missive that we were mulling over Alex Jacksons - as they are discreet, quiet and relatively cheap to produce (the last being something of a definite must with the state of our Order Book, and all the seasonal outgoing we made in the last financial quarter). And AJ's were also a great favourite of the late Graham Turner, a lovely, encouraging chap who I was fortunate enough to know during the years I spent in Gloucester (and who lent his considerable intelligence to the design of some of these jigs, I believe).

It is therefore with some trepidation - and a high degree of weariness - that I place before you the first of our fettlings in this regard.



Suffice to say, they're tricky beasts. Even with the complete gamut of cunningly designed and beautifully realised jigs and gauges designed to ease the generation of these couplings (courtesy of some nifty work by the people at Palatine), it's no easy task. Even for vegetarians, being ham-fisted is still an issue, and these fiddly forms provide a wonderful opportunity for its expression.

The example in the photograph (actually half a one - the other end is still to be done) has taken almost two hours to get this far. That includes folding up the sub-base (needed for stock with thin floors - stuff that has representation of framing and supports doesn't require it), and soldering 10 BA brass nuts for adjustable hinge plate: we used soldered nuts because couldn't find a tap - even with all this water kicking around..). Then there's the application of multiple twists and turns of the 0.011"guitar wire to undertake.. Another jig is in the offing - this one built by us - and will consist of a simple Plasticard U channel that will fit between the axles, and have a rectangular hole in the centre to locate the hinge support box.

We're sincerely hoping that the process can be sped up - the Time & Motion Men think it possible, but there's a number of Assemblers walking around nursing pricked digits, and making talk of sacrificial offerings to Messrs Sprat & Winkle... There's still a counterweight to be fitted (it will lie between the backs of the wheels on the other axle, and parallel to it) and a dropper, too. More jigs, and lots of intense loupe work, yet. And another thirty after this. Maybe we'll talk again this time next year, but I'll just wish you

All the best for this one

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

No worries chum

This is the beast in all doubtfulness. You'll see its marked for checking your hook, as well as having lines for buffer height on the verso.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

One of these things is not like the other.

The Works has been quiet of late, as most of the workforce has been on something of a Wagonman's Holiday to help out the restoration of a Y14 - this might (should it's Burly Chassis ever be in a fit state to consider union with its far-from-super structure) be featured in this decidedly dodgy diatribe.

What has gone on is the too and fro that is featured in the link. This was an Airfix LMS 12T van (there's its unaltered sibling lurking behind it). Despite tripping back and forth through the relevant chapter of Essery & Morgan it's hard to decide what Diagram the Airfix rendering represents - it has the later style of metal wraparound ends, but also the diagonal strapping. Whatever it is, it sits on a downright dodgy underframe, cunningly designed so the brake shoes will never wear, as they live in a different universe to the wheels they're supposed to be intimate with.

The reworked vehicle will be a BR-built Dia. 204. This has meant a new chassis from Parkside (PA16), two new buffer beams (sourced from local stock), correct buffers from LMS (Northern Area), and modification of the corrugated end from 2-panel to 3-panel via Swann Morton's sharpest.

Compared with the reprinting, the structural reconfiguration has been simplicity itself. The reworked vehicle is on its fourth - and final - skin tone (Railmatch 612 LMS Bauxite). It was - briefly - Railmatch 2323 Early Freight Bauxite, but the acrylic was not best pleased to be invested upon such a hybrid, so that came off and a more uniform rendition of Railmatch 235 was shown to it, but the Paint Shop took this down too, as it

Dunt look rite

. I have insisted that - whatever the issue with this now brown box, the artistic temperaments of Our Staff will be subsumed beneath the need to profit from our endeavours.

Anyway, this is just a quick recap of things as they stand at The Works. As I say, not much to show, but a lot of frantic paddling beneath it all.

Our best to you.

Sincerely

Update: We should have surmised that the journey upon which we find ourselves has been undertaken by others. A great deal of detail regarding the 1/204 can be found in this online article from those wonderful citizens of CLAG. It appears that the van is supposed to represent the BR 1/204, and thus it's guise as an LMS vehicle is a fabrication. This means little to The Great And The Good, but a lot to me; in that I can rest easy, knowing that our Works Library (and my interpretation of the information therein) has not led us down a costly cul-de-sac (unlike the cadre of Impressionists in the Paint Shop).

 

[Lyndhurstman]

The End Of Things.
The 1/204 is finished. She took a lot of effort in the end, and had her identity altered at the 11th hour. She was going to be 752189 from Lot 2013, but having applied the six digits (individually... on both sides....) they didn't look right. So she became 752150 - same Lot, and - courtesy of Modelmaster Sheet 4604 - a lot easier than the 'bespoke' identity I had planned for her.

In the end, the only thing left from her original incarnation is the body. She's had new vents - at the proper pitching - and as well as the Kirkcaldy chassis, a fair tranche of additional tartan tinkering, sporting Lanarkshire's finest in her intimate areas.

Before you say anything, I'll note that she's supposed to be LMS Bauxite (Railmatch 612) but seems to have a decidedly more Swindonesque hue about her. It must be all that shuffling around the grim easterly hindquarters of the seething, belching metropolis that's done for her dermal disappointment. Either that or the Paint Shop Boys didn't put enough Elbow in the mixing.

Her Pre-Enlightenment twin accompanies her in the picture, her OTS chassis balanced on the check rail. She'll get her turn. One day.

On behalf of the Watkins Wharf workforce, I wish the compliments of the Season to you all.

Best

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Plywood You?

Greetings from all here. We hope your New Year has started as you would wish.

Something a little - little in scale, and little in information - bit odd, this time. Odd in that she's real enough, but mostly constructed on a slight subframe of conjecture and interpretation.

She's a L&NER Dia. 172 - the Unfitted sibling of the vac version (Dia. 195). Built - according to Tatlow - around the end of the last World War, we have little information about the original size of the planned population of her kith and kin. And her numbering raises an arched eyebrow from the massed ranks of our Works expertise. However, Tatlow has an L&NE example (the only one found so far) as 265436, so our speculative aim - whilst not neccesarily true - is (please, by all that is worthy) hopefully not that wide of the mark. Railtec - lovely, clear Railtec - supplied her index and tare.

Update:
A subsequent appeal to finer minds resulted in jjnewitt supplying clarity to the numeric niceties of our subject and her familials:

The unfitted version of diagram 195 was 172 and they were built 43/44. They were the same except for the brakegear which, as you correctly presume, was 2 shoe Morton when new. Many were later given 4 shoe Morton brakegear by BR when they were vacuum braked. There were 1200 diagram 172 vans built and numbers were 261549-262448 & 265400-265699. All from Tatlow, volume 4a.

She came to us in a joblot, upright, but naked as she was concieved on the east coast of Scotland. But her journey into being apparently coincided with an earthquake - or maybe a large explosion local to her original manufacturer. She was certainly upset by the experience.

Careful (we can be, if it's early enough in the week..) disassembly of one corner managed to true up most of her skewiffedness, but her roof refused to budge. In a generous act, and not to be deflected by her unwillingness to part with her roof, we've added some rainstrips.

Now she sits on a chassis courtesy of the ever-growing Stores (run by Zmy Bhitz - a Czech refugee who joined us early in the War, and a veritable hoarder of all manner of doubtful designery). Her brakes (Morton, 2-shoe) have been given the Rice Extension treatment (page 31 of his Irwell Handbook No. 2) to get them into closer proximity with the wheels. Her hook and buffers are sourced from Lanarkshire, and the 3-link is Kean Maygib. She's outshopped in acrylic (Railmatch Early Freight Grey 2322).

Our Best To You All

 

[Lyndhurstman]

More Plywood peregrinations.
In a bid to establish some kind of momentum in our endeavours, we thought decided to divulge a little of our remedial Work In Progress.

As mentioned previously, the greater part of these projects are recycled, having come to us after a successful bid on a well-known property disposal site (we're under orders from On High to improve our return, but even the more mathematical minds in Accounts have yet to devise a winning formula, and frankly I believe the effort as impossible as the fundamental alchemical transmutation of lead into gold).

That said - and reigning in my diversive prattling - I present herewith an ex-L&NER 12T van (Diagram 172).

We have been focusing a lot on this one, lately. Its six siblings are in a similar state - complete as a basic box, with chassis attached, but without rooves.

The Works Photographer has cunningly crafted a couple of composite views.

In the first brace of pictures, you can see (top) the issue, and in the accompanying lower image, our tried-and-tested methods to enable a clean divorce of the misaligned components:

The separtion of the glued sides takes about 30 minutes, and the sharpest of Swann-Morton's No. 11 in a No. 3 handle. Our experience has taught us to leave the parting of the vertical until the last; leaving it serves to maintain rigidity of the box. We are thankful for the modern developments in adhesive - such as Plastic Weld: the effort involved in breaking a join made with previous adhesive incarnations - such as polystyrene cement - I believe would make this sort of work impossible.

In the second view, you can see the benificial outcome of this judicious jiggling:

What you may not be able to see is the successful closure of the approx. 1 1/2" gap between roof and wagon side.

More on this as we progress. We have an order to place with that nice Mr Franks in Lanarkshire.

Our best to you all.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

A warning upon the perils of overconfidence

Friends,
The delights of reworking previously-built stock are many. However, the pitfalls - and pratfalls - can be equally numerous. Indeed, the road to completion - in our experience - is trod firmly into the teeth of a gale, and with limbs weighted by a sapping mud.

Thus, this 172.
In a typical delivery of bodies and rooves, and unaccompanied by anything in the way of pairing information, a decision has to be made on the ground as to the best fit of one to the other. This done (by unnamed people subsequently struck down with Sloping Shoulder Syndrome), I felt secure in being able to pronounce the successful closure of the offending gap.

Sadly, this confidence was misplaced.

Closer inspection by the Carpenters highlighted that the closure wasn't perfect. Close, but not close enough. From being on top of the world, we realised we've only just begun.

It's good to know that - though the trials and tribulations of our work are many - the weight of experience in these matters is growing. An hour or so's brainstorming in the back room of the Volunteer - suitably smoothed by some (several...) bitters - soon had us back on track. His vigour renewed by hops, Chippy soon found some lengths of 1 1/2 in x 3/4 in strip to act as filler, and had soon placed it along both upper edges.

Having waited tensely for the glue to go off, the roof timbers were been offered up again, and the consensus is that the join twixt the two is considerably improved (although I've a suspicion that one or two were not quite seeing straight after our impromptu Brains Trust outing) . I'm loathe to say fixed..

We will leave the roof of for a while longer - the van needs internal weight and sound insulation fitted internally.

Until next time

Our best to you all

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Approachable and Dependable, but Nothing Out Of The Ordinary

The latest plain grey box creeps slowly towards the paint shop for numbering, standing mute in her RailMatch acrylic wash, applied in thin brushed layers upon the hard dried demob suit she was delivered in.

For some reason best known to her previous owner, her brake V's - an exercise in delicacy we take for granted these days - were removed. We presume this was to refit her with the more robust (but to our eyes less finessed) FourMost whitemetal replacements; this has already been done to another of her lot, so it's a fair bet, we think. We've therefore cobbled some V's up from stock Plastruct section, and the cross-shaft ditto. All mods rendered unto homogeneity and anonymity via RailMatch 412.

As with her sister, her brakes and levers came courtesy of Zmy Bhitz in the Stores here.

Our Best To You All

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Under The Weather


Numbered as E261798, our latest Diagram 172 sits in the early morning light, having survived another night in the open, showing the evidence of the washes of dirt from the grime-laden rain that our locale has been blessed with recently.

She's waiting - Indeed has been waiting - for the nod from Our Esteemed Visitor so she can begin to repay her investors, and trundle to and fro with her belly full of Goods, Various. Maybe, today will be her day.

Here investment of intricacies have been described previously. The only evolutions since our last are her Railtec numerics (Sheet 6313), the usual Lanarkshire loveliness in her hooks, and a light pouffe of rust - courtesy of Carr's - so she'll merge well with her kith & kin out in The Big Wide World.

Our Best To You All

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Out in the Open, Westward Bound.

We're gathering pace, now. It must be the Spring evenings making the blood flow faster.

Hot on the wheels of our last, I bring word that work has begun on our latest resurrection; viz an ex-GWR Diagram 029.

It marks something of a departure for us, ensconced as we are in the blurred, dishevelled greyness of the East End of London, nourishing ourselves upon the small pickings thrown down from the High Tables of Eastern and Midland. We don't see much of countryside, out here.

She arrived semi-evolved (she should feel right at home, here...) We've already removed the large blocks under the bufferbeams that played host to a version of the Rovex coupling, and set her bearings parallel in her boxes, enabling us to fit some of Mr Gibson's 8 spoked wheels to P4 gauge, and relocated her brakes from the previous builders narrow-minded bent, to suit. We've also attempted repair to one of her corners, as the end planks were bowed inwards.

More to follow. In the meantime, I've sent our apprentice off across town with his uncle's Ensign Selflix do some research on these . We hope he can stay focused...

Our Best To You All.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Morton This Than Meets The Eye
A couple of shifts have been spent in addressing the significant missing components of this Open wagon; namely the brake levers, loop, and cross-shaft. The first and third are from Craig Welsh's wonderful nickel silver etches, while the second is a piece of 0.7mm brass.

Holes were drilled out in the brake V's - initially to 0.4mm, and then to 0.7mm, with the brass cross-shaft being held in a pin vice, and rotated as slight pressure was applied. This was done until the cross-shaft was clear of the external face of the second V by couple of inches.

The Elfix impersonator has captured a couple of shots of our fiddly fettling.

We are aware that the plain lever is on the wrong side; we're waiting for the fitters to bring us the correct one. Complete with cam.

Having stared at it for a while now, we are currently suffering cranial confusion, and are wondering whether this wagon should not be a 4-shoe Morton - if being a good 15 years or more after the end of the War - rather than its 'as delivered' state of a simple 2-shoe.

More anon.

Our Best To You All

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello Jan,

I suspect that - were it not one of those modified to a 10' wheelbase and vacuum-fitted - that it would have retained two shoe brakes until withdrawal, which would not have been overlong in coming c.1960 had it remained in that condition.

Might it be worth refining the corner plate joins a little? They seem to be something awkward to get right on this kit as I found from the pair I rebuilt last year.

Adam

Hi Adam,
As ever, I'm very grateful for your reply.
I spent quite a lot of time pouring over Mr Bartlett's site, but I didn't get to those.
The Ratio kit is the 9ft WB, and - I think - only came with locators for brakes on one side, so I'm presuming it was intended as 2 shoe and nowt else. Basically, for those modelling Halcyon Days and not the 'Make Do and Mend' survivalist ethos that forms the bulk of our Working Days.

As to the corner plates - yes. I had a go at them already, as the end was pushed in off the vertical, leaving an overhang on the sides. It's nor perfect, but the best I can make it (the glue used by the previous assembler looks similar to the old Airfix polystyrence cement, and is impossible to lever apart, so I could't do the full Bottom Up rebuild). As the walls of the wagon are so thick, I might sheet it - but that would risk losing the lovely detail - both inside and out.

I still have buffers to source, so this one will go into the queue in the Fitting Shop.

Thanks again.

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Arresting Oragami
We present the (partially-ripened) fruits of our labours to day. Not much in the Grand Scheme Of Things, but we declare our pride in reaching this far without recourse to some of Mr Fullers finest:

One side of the Open gets it's arresting gear. Here, we have to admit that the Morton lever is a fudge; our Planners (a doubtful branding for such a loose grouping of poorly-focused nit-pickers) had completely forgotten that there is no representation of a 9ft Morton clutch in Craig Welsh's range, so we have had to undertake some sleight of (under)hand in order to get it off the books. So...

The levers come in a lovely fret - complete with bending guide:

... along with a second thickness to layer up the boss at the cross-shaft end.

We had the tricksy idea of using the combined assemblage from the fret 'as is' - to represent the stacked figure 8 that is so indicative of the Morton gear. All that was needed was a bit of fret soldered across both, and drilled through for the cross-axle. It passes muster for us, but we're prone to investment in tinted visual aids...

As can be seen, on the same fret is the Delightful Minefield of the lever guard. I will not bore you (presuming of course that you haven't switched off already...) with the work undertaken, as these beautiful sculptures are well described in the instructions:

https://www.scalefour.org/downloads/craig-welsh-levers.pdf

Not for the faint-hearted. Not the time-starved. Oh... an ability to hold your breath for about a quarter of an hour while staring with one eye shut might well pay dividends, too.

Our Best To You All

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Glued To The Box

The additionals are done.
New buffers (LMS B020), hooks (LMS CH04), chain from Stores - it ninth have come from our initial intimacy with the EMGS many moons previous - and door bangers (51L UC054) complete the build.

The door bangers were initially formed from Plasticard, but they looked more like depressed stalagtites than pukka preventative protrusions, so Stores were raided to provide the more pugnacious repost. In order to provide some resistance to the vagaries of life in the area, they have been drilled 0.4mm and pinned through the solebar with brass, and fixed in plaice with a dab of Loctite. They might not look that brill close up, but we've been floundering about with them all week, and we're pollocked if we're going to make bigger sprats of ourselves.

We're still not sure if she'll leave sheeted; those boards are thick enough to be mistaken for our Foundrymen!

It's over to The Paint Shop Boys.

Until next time, our best to you all.

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Unpalletable

While the burbling Ruston shunts the Medfit through to the Paint Shop, we’ve taken a moment to begin the ungluing of an ancient approximation of a Palbrick. We believe that this is the old Keyser incarnation, and as such delivers several kilograms of additional whitemetal that will need excising. Not to mention a similar amount of Evo-Stik...

The resurrection of this leaden lump - and it’s similar sister - will no doubt utilise the lifting link chassis we have in stock. And recourse to Geoff Kent’s build of one in his Wild Swan library of wagons. In addition, Bartlett has a grainy quintet of Palbricks that still have their sides, and a couple are lifting link. We’re therefore hoping that our best foot is not only going forward, but is firmly placed upon the path of right.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Lyndhurstman]

P(r)icking Holes In Things

The restoration of the Palbrick B’s moves forwards slowly. One of the little - but rewarding - jobs is to get rid of the flash around the springs. As well as bringing daylight, it also serves to add a bit more depth to the area. This is done with an old Swann Morton No 11 blade in a No 3 handle. This seems to be a favourite tool, at the minute - useful as a spot clamp, too. Above is the before and after.

Interestingly -or not - and unlike the Medfit (which has 1) the Palbrick B’s have W irons with 2 holes for shunting hooks in them, or so
it seems from our research. There will need to be a tiebar between the W irons (which may stay - but the cast brake gear will probably go).
Also in the scrap pile will be one of the ends; these early Keyser versions of this Diagram were made with both ends plain - presumably for robustness sake. Part 1 of Geoff Kent’s wonderful work has the truth of the channeled adjuster end, and some sheet to fabricate same is on order from Eileen’s.

Cheers

Jan