Well I ve made a start on the18 inch goods the running boards were fiddly eing made up of several pieces, the cab is put together.
Your box is in good Nick how old is it, may I ask. Interestingly the frames are almost right for S7 on mine. Also there is a thread on Rm web by Jim Snowdon on building a coal engine , which is similar. He does have one of these to do at some point. John
John, How exciting to build a Cauliflower. One of my favorite locomotives. I have one from Mercian, which is the same kit. How do you find the cast sweeps for the footplate? I have my doubts, at least the ones that I have have no overhang of the footplate over the valance. Is that the same for you? How easy do you think it will be to blend the cast parts to the etched?
Hi Kevin I havent got that far yet, im Just Looking at it to see I mové forward with it. Have you got any photos of yours Regards John
Mine is still unstarted. If the sweeps don't satisfy, and they look like they might not, I could start the kit by scratchbuilding valances and a foot plate.
I have made a start on some of the pieces Ive made the beading for the cab for one side, luckily I have the SDX as a reference John
You had to make your own cab beading? Pretty weak stuff, I say. It should have been in the kit. I am on the verge of testing a Coal Tank on a friend's layout (Thursday) then I have only detailing, painting, and more detailing to do on it. It is a Gladiator kit, and I am liking it. The Coal Tank is available from three manufacturers, Gladiator, Mercian, and Laurie Griffen. If I had known that Griffen produced one when I was buying, I might have preferred his. Lord knows there would be a mess of brass castings in the kit! I have on order from Griffen several of those detailing parts to finish out my loco. But the Gladiator kit comes in proper thickness brass, not the flimsy stuff that Mercian uses. I know I'll be needing to go very gently with that stuff. I think if I succeed in building the Cauliflower, I'll be ready to scratch build a Problem class.
To be fair, that Caulifower kit must surely be over 30 or eve 40 years old, so one might expect it to benefit from some improvements. Mike
Hi Mike Absolutely, etched kits had to start somewhere, and it was probably handrawn. To be honest loco's aren't my strong point......... So......... I will enjoy the challenge John
Yes, I should not grump too much, it is available and I should be glad of that. I'm spoiled by the Gladiator Coal Tank, which is going together like a treat, even if I did have to drill my handrail holes without any marking on the metal. I fear the thin metal used by Acme (I think they originated the kit) and Mercian. I'm convinced I going to crush the model once it is built. Kevin
Hi John ,yes , I've asked a few times when he is going to build it as Jim has a knack of A , finding issues with kits that i would probably never have found until it was too late , and B , usually simple solutions to fix the problems . The kit was one i picked up from the GOG executor site and i have had it for too many years and like everyone i had too many unmade kits so i thinned out those that weren't essential . I will not buy a kit now unless i sell one as i will never get them finished otherwise . My other promise to myself was if i buy something already made then i will sell two unmade kits . I haven't bought any locos for a while in kit or made form so i seemed to have stopped the hoarding . Cheers Paul
Hi The 18 inch goods is moving forward. I change the way that the beading was done on the cab Just using corner pieces of etch es which seem to be perfectly sized. Im not using the boiler etch as it has the boiler bands as part of it which I dont like. It is quite nice Just to see this assembly as it feels as though it is at least moving forward John
There are few things more satisfactory than getting a kit that you are building running. Better yet is finishing the blasted thing and painting it. I have much more experience of the first than the second! But my Coal Tank is racing along, I don't know that I have ever built a loco as quickly. Maybe I will live long enough to build my Cauliflower!
