2mm Let's Build a Midland 0-6-0!

[WM183]

Hi folks.

I have long dabbled in 2mm/foot, largely due to the convenience of the 2mm association as a 1 stop shop for overseas modellers. A while ago - a few years now - I bought a 42xx "kit" from Worsely Works, and a dandy it is! I want to build the chassis now, and get something to run in 2mm to prove I can, and to determine once and for all if it's too small a scale for me. I have built a number of wagons and a bit of track, and now it's time to make this critter crawl.

However... it's an 8 coupled tank engine. Do people really run no compensation in 2mm? There is likely enough room inside the smokebox for a keep alive cap, but I'd rather put lead there and inside the bunker. Will it really just be ok with a rigid chassis?

Very puzzled, but love this teeny thing,

Amanda

 

[John57sharp]

I don‘t have any experience of 8 coupled, and not much of 6 for that matter, but this series of videos is a good place to start for 2mmFS chassis building Nick Mitchell’s Jubilee

looking forward to developments.
John

 

[Tim Watson]

My P2, ‘Mons Meg‘ is solidly eight coupled. You only need compensation for very awkward engines like Stirling Singles.

Tim

 

[WM183]

Hi all. I am hoping a 2mm guru can help me!

I'm putting together a 2mm society order, and I want to order wheels and bits to try to build a Midland 0-6-0, one of the hordes built with 5' 2 1/2" wheels and a "H" boiler. When I convert 62.5 inches to 2mm (62.5 x 25.4)/152 I get 10.44mm. Should I use 10.5mm wheels, or 10mm? The axle spacing on the Midland 0-6-0s were quite famously 8' and 8' 6" so the larger wheels would fit, but would they require overly big splashers?

Also, coupling rods, I have a couple of choices; I can get a set of etchings that has an 8' section, and an 8'6" section, and make a jointed rod. Or I could get a set designed for Farish chassis which has a single piece rod with the correct spacing. Which one would you all recommend?

And lastly, what outside width of frames are the loco frame assembly jigs designed to work with? I will be building the sideframes from .5mm phosphor bronze sheet, so frame thickness is 1mm overall. I have copper clad sheet at home, but if I can order the right width strip that is also easy and quite cheap.

Thanks folks,

Amanda

 

[Ian Smith]

Amanda, I always go for a slightly smaller wheel - the flange depth is overscale at 0.5mm so going with the smaller wheels allows sensible sized splashes.

Hope that helps
Ian

 

[Bob Essex]

If the H boiler/3F is going to be made to 1:152 - I presume it's a scratchbuild - then the Farish rods won't be of the correct size, since of course they are produced to 1:148 to suit the N locos. Tricky with the wheel size. I used 10.5's on my Farish 4F conversion because that's what the originals were but I think 10's might look a bit undersized anyway as 0.5mm makes a fair difference looks wise in 2mm.

Bob

 

[WM183]

OH! Good point about the rods! I will use the 2 piece ones, it'll work out ok. I will use a slightly smaller wheel, and hope that it doesn't look TOO out of place. If I carry on with this 2mm stuff I will build a mess of these Midland 0-6-0s anyways =)

Thanks folks!

 

[Ian Smith]

Amanda,
For the rods you could use S3-171 from the association, this has various coupling rods on including a set of 16x17 mm ones. Personally I wouldn’t bother with separate front / rear rods unless you intend building a compensated chassis (none of my engines are compensated) , although I do allow a small amount of up/down movement on the non-geared axles, with a light spring wire bearing on the top of the stub axles to push them down to keep contact with the rails.

I will have to check my latest loco to verify the width of the pcb I used as frame spacers - most of my locos have solid milled brass chassis for weight, but the 45xx has a more conventional chassis with phosphor bronze frames with pcb spacers.
Ian

 

[Ian Smith]

Amanda,
I forgot to add that my Dean Goods uses 10mm wheels, a description of its build can be found in my Modbury thread or a more focused description on my website (www.modbury2fs.co.uk).
The only photo I have on my phone of said loco was taken a few weeks ago at RailEx:

 

[WM183]

Hi Ian,

I didn't realize there was an etch with 16x17 rods. I thought all there was by 16x18 for some reason. I will use those for sure.

I have read through your thread in its entirety. It's a big part of why I finally decided (after years of being a member of the 2mmSA) to actually TRY to build something! It's a great scale for those of us with limited space, and 1 stop shopping is a godsend for me here in the EU.

if you used 10mm on the Dean Goods, I'll use them on a 2f. The 1/2 inch difference isn't much of a difference!

Thanks so much everyone,

Amanda

 

[WM183]

Hi folks.

Could anyone who owns the "Loco Chassis Frame Assembly Jigs" let me know what width of spacers they're designed to be used with? Also, I presume for a 6 coupled loco you'd use three of these?

Thank you!

Amanda

 

[WM183]

An order has been placed! A set of 6 of the 10mm mk VI wheels and crankpins, two sets of the chassis assembly jigs, rod etches, muffs, and other gubbins have been ordered. I look forward to trying to build a chassis that rolls, as a start. I've also tracked down the last volume of the Essery & Jenkinson treatise on Midland's locomotives, and the 2nd volume in the Lacy and Dow carriage set of books. I think I may be spoiled for research materials!

I look forward to building a "Minories-like" terminus layout on an Ikea shelf, but -let's get something that runs first!

 

[WM183]

The bits have arrived!

Now a question; I wish to use one of the Society's 3-352 brass gear blocks and this has a 30:1 ratio. Is that generally ok for a 2mm engine? This saves me from having to plan for the gearbox as part of the engine's frame. I have an older but wonderful running Tenshodo mk 2 that I plan to mount in the tender?

I will probably use .020 brass or PB for the frames, etc., and .010 mm brass for most of the superstructure and body, and probably turn the boiler from brass stock. Hopefully that'll get enough weight over the drivers!

 

[gingerneer]

Hi Amanda

While I have not used one of the ready made gear boxes yet. The couple of people who have, have had no problem with the slightly higher gear ratio of 1:30 when used with one of the small coreless motors. Jerry Clifford on RM web has spoken of his use when building the O class loco 'Nancy' on his Tuckmill thread.

Will

 

[WM183]

I have made a chassis!
Today I sat down with my books, my calipers, and some tools and assembled my rods from the 2mm association etc, then used them to drill a soldered sandich of .4mm phosphor bronze plates for the axles. I then fretted them out, added some shaping, drilled the holes for the brake hangars, and assembled the frames with etched spacers... and it rolls! I gently eased the fit of a few muffs so I could remove the wheels again just to be sure I was on the right track, and it rolls with no assistance down a length of 2mm track at any incline. EE!!!

I am using the new "Mk VI" wheels that have a shouldered .75mm diameter crankpin that fits into the hole in the wheel. What do folks use to secure the crankpins into the wheels? Would a drip of superglue work, or do people use epoxy, loctite, etc?

An engine in 2mm is so close I can taste it.

 

[WM183]

It rolls with rods in place, wonderfully! I decided to try my quartering jig, so put the wheels in, placed the rods on, and found one journal was tight from solder flowing in when I assembled the rods. A quick lick with a jeweler's broach and it rolls silky smooth! I can do this??

 

[garethashenden]

Isn't it satisfying? Even better when it runs under its own power! You'll get there!

 

[WM183]

Isn't it satisfying? Even better when it runs under its own power! You'll get there!

I cannot wait! Stupid me, I ordered everything I need to build engine and loco, set the quartering, put the motor in the tender, and so on... except for wheels for the tender.

D'oh!

Ah well. Another order incoming to the 2mm shop. I need track anyway!

 

[WM183]

I've made the footplate and the cab, and have drilled all holes for buffers, brake gear, mounting screws, and the like. As I've said earlier, this is to be one of the "B" boiler engines, of type M, of which more than 300 were built. Some of these were reboilered later with H type boilers or varied Belpaire boilers of class G6 or G7, but for our period - pre WWI - those Belpaire rebuilds are in the distant future. The next one may well be a type H boiler, but for now, we're keepin it simple. The next part to be built is the smokebox saddle and the front smokebox plate, but for now... pictures!
I have tried it with wheels and rods in place, and everything clears!

 

[WM183]

I have made the tender shell and underframe, with the exterior frames. The wheels ride in a set of internal frames, which will be made with an Association generic 13' tender etch. The motor will be mounted within the tender, and there's plenty of room for a nice flywheel too. I shall install one, for sure!

I do have a couple little Mashima motors I have hoarded away.... I also have some Chinese coreless 8mm motors. I wonder which to use?