TFW’s workshop

[Yorkshire Dave]

The film crew, made by Richard Wilson, have been re-instated, providing a live video feed to the front of the layout…

Just come across one of my dad's photos taken on 6th October 1951 from the train on the North London line looking north with the end of Frederica Street on the top right. Alas four years before the 1955 film and Mrs Wilberforce's house at the end of the street.

For the record (as written on the reverse of the photo) Steinheil f2.9 1/100 f6.3 weather fair.

 

[Tim Watson]

That Is a fascinating picture, Dave, thank you. The height difference from Frederica St is slightly more than I thought, but we are still too high, because of the shortening of Copenhagen Tunnel on CF. Mrs W’s house was built over the top of the boundary wall, our one might need another couple of butresses…

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The facial surgery on the Raven 4-6-2 class continues with the hinges and door straps. Getting these parallel and in the correct place is challenging, but there are dodges that can make the process simpler.


A piece of steel shim was stuck to paxolin sheet with super glue to make it easier to cut out the door straps with a fine piercing saw.


Having cut out and filed the straps the exposed hinge ends were bent over the hinge pin, a central saw cut represents the top and bottom of each hinge. The hinge pin was then soldered in place with high melting point soft solder.


The steel shim was separated from the paxolin using a scalpel blade and notched on the fit surface at the ends of the straps with a piercing saw. The square steel on the left acts as a handle.


The door and straps were tinned, held in place with a clamp and ceramic tweezers, heated up with a very hot iron and lots of flux to fuse the components together. Using nickel silver for the door made it easier to solder and allows the centre boss to be polished as bright steel.


The sacrificial handle was removed by fatiguing around the saw cut; bending it backwards and forwards until it snapped off.


The little door knob was added by drilling a 0.2mm diameter hole and a short length of nickel silver wire. The next job will be the central handle, lever and lamp iron.


A slight modification to the door sealing ring was, I think, worth it.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The final components for the door were the dart spindle, round tightening handle and positioning handle. The round handle and spindle were turned as one (actually from an old carbon steel dental bur). Forming the handle and Initial reduction of the spindle was by using a graver but finishing to 0.3mm diameter was by careful use of a file.

The handle was made from steel shim and filed to give a tapered round section.

The assembly has been temporarily fixed in place with contact adhesive.

The top lamp iron will be incorporated into the handrail knob as it would be too vulnerable in isolation.

Boiler fittings will probably follow; when these are made the whole lot will be permanently fixed with 24hr epoxy resin.


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

After some pretty intensive metal hacking it is quite therapeutic to turn to something different, with a channeling of the inner ‘Bob Ross’. Especially appropriate as this is the back scene to the MRC’s Putnam HO layout set in up state New York. No real mountains or little cabins though…

The back scene is a fairly small part of this scene, but it let’s the viewer think they are seeing more than they are.


Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

Jim Watt has been very busy with the gate stock. The roof 3DP is a prototype and not yet fitted down correctly.








The control car is currently being made.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

After 50 years of making 2mm scale locos you would think I would now know how to make a chimney…Third time lucky with the Raven 4-6-2 class! Details of turning were covered four years ago when I made the GC 9P.

The chimney was roughed out, the upper shape refined and then parted off leaving a base from which to file the saddle. A tapered plug mandrel (to match the chimney internal taper) was then made to hold the chimney from the top down - secured with a little loctite. In the background are the two chimneys that were not up to scratch.

The underside was filed concave and then the diameter made exactly correct by using a slightly undersized drill shank wrapped in quite coarse carborundum at the smokebox barrel diameter running the saddle along the paper & side to side.

The chimney is actually very small at only 2mm tall.

The dome was easier.



Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

The last boiler fitting for the Raven 4-6-2 class is the safety valve plinth. This is circular in plan view with three in-line valves (these will be turned from non-tarnishing metal on the model). Construction was much as the other fittings except for the SV holes. The plinth is 0.6mm high




Parting off is with a piercing saw. The spindle in the tailstock is to capture the loose component.

The 0.6mm centre hole was drilled on the lathe and the other two on the precision drill press.

The disc is far too small to hold when forming the curved under surface to fit the boiler. It was therefore held in a glued collet with super glue and the concavity filed in.


Two pins were placed in the front and rear hole whilst a slot was cut in the holder to show the orientation for grinding in the saddle.


The shoulders of the SV plinth were filed off and then refined using a fine abrasive disc.

Next job will be to mark up and drill the handrail and other holes in the boiler & smokebox.

Tim

 

[michael mott]

The photographs always lead me to think that this loco is much larger than it is. Still wrapping my head around the .6mm height of the plinth for the safety valves.

Michael

 

[Grahame Hedges]

Peerless micro-engineering.

 

[Tim Watson]

Going back underground again, Jim Watt is making a wonderful job of the Gate Stock.






The motor car easily shifts the other two cars, so that is a relief. The roofs and interiors will be 3DP. The grills on the motor car are 3DP as this was capable of greater resolution than etching.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

Yesterday was spent drilling out over 30 holes from 0.3mm diameter (handrail stanchions) to 1.8mm (chimney, dome & safety valves). The washout covers, studs and nuts then needed to be made before the boiler fittings could be epoxied into place as their placement would involve soft soldering.




The access covers are held down by central studs and nuts which would be represented by some 0.4mm brass wire located in pre drilled holes at the crown of the firebox: three RHS, two LHS. The covers were made from 5thou brass strip tinned with 145 deg solder and folded in a zig zag to make up six layers, sweated together and then a 0.4 mm hole drilled through the lot.

This was then filed down to size around the stud fixing hole.


After separating the covers, some 0.4mm wire was then tinned, and threaded through the cover hole and pushed into the firebox. The area was gently brought up to temperature using a small gas torch with plenty of phosphoric acid flux.

The excess wire was then trimmed off and the area cleaned up. The two holes on the top of the firebox near the cab are for the whistles, which will also be made from non tarnishing metal.


On a slightly different note, I wonder how many people recognise the source of the brass for the dome & safety valve plinth?


After making the safety valves, the next job will be to glue all the fittings in place.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

Turning gold is quite fun. The safety valves have now been made and fitted. Tomorrow will see the boiler fittings glued on; in daylight and with fresh eyes…







It will be nice to get the engine back up on its wheels and take a proper photograph.

Under the sun lamps



Tim

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

Inspirational work Tim.

Your last photo really illustrates how long that boiler barrel is compared to the firebox. One wonders at the length of the tubes!

Ian.

 

[Tim Watson]

Inspirational work Tim.

Your last photo really illustrates how long that boiler barrel is compared to the firebox. One wonders at the length of the tubes!

Ian.

The front tube plate was halfway up the first ring of the boiler cladding, so the tubes weren’t quite as long as appearances suggest. Would have been fun being the fireman with one of these on a hilly route.

Tim

 

[Tim Watson]

As promised.




Tim

 

[michael mott]

A stunning piece of model craftsmanship Tim! "turning gold is quite fun"
So you apparently have now set the bar as high as the gold standard........ inspirational indeed.
Michael

 

[Tim Watson]

All of my 2mm scale locomotives have had gold safety valves, where appropriate, Michael: it could be described as a hall mark.

Tim

 

[simond]

Tim,

I didn’t ask at the 40th do, but how do you couple trains? Seeing the hole for the hook on the buffer plank prompts the question.

cheers
Simon

 

[Tim Watson]

All sorts of hooks and bars for the inside vehicles of permanent rakes, Simon. DG couplings for all freight stock and the ends of fixed rakes. The Raven 4-6-2 class won’t need anything to double-head it…

Tim