7mm The Derby Line - Rolling Stock

[dibateg]

OzzyO - that's a big gap left after 16 years, thanks for posting the pic of Misty.

I am humbled by the kindness of friends and acquaintances. Creativity always helps me with the bad times. So with Nutmeg in attendance I spent the day on the WD's fitting the brakes and making up the cylinders. The cylinder wrappers in the kit are in 20thou brass and need to be annealed. I had to ditch my modelling blowtorch a few weeks ago as it developed an unnerving habit of emitting puffs of gas - which then would ignite! So I made my own wrappers from 12 thou scrap etch, which could be done cold - I've been reading Geoff Holts book!

 

[James]

Over the last few years we've lost two cats, one was eighteen and the other was twelve - it's an awful time, it really is. So we know just how you feel

One good thing to come out of it is that we've been able to give two rescue cats a good home

 

[alcazar]

Rescue Cats? From Tracey island?

 

[Rob Pulham]

After several sessions I've at last completed most of the water pick up gear. The MOK tender chassis is pretty comprehensive. One of the problems is that the cross members have to come out with the inner chassis, so they are held in place with 14BA screws. It's not the neatest job I've done, my my reasoning is that it will all be covered in crud anyway. So its just been washed after 2 sessions, there is still some cleaning up and trimming to do...

Hi Tony,

I hope you don't mind - I have printed this out to assist with getting the bit's in the right places on mine.

 

[dibateg]

No problem at all Rob - if you need to know anything else about the 8F build, just pm me.

Best regards

And thanks again to all that have posted with your thoughts, I really appreciate it, I know we are not alone with this type of tragedy.

 

[7mmMick]

Hi Tony,

I'm so very sorry to hear about Poppy, like many others here I know pets are part of the family and it must be awful
to loose her in this way. To keep busy will probably help things, she will never be forgotten,

Best regards Mick

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Mick - I have been busy - so here is progress to date.

To make the cylinders demountable, I removed the top flange of the backing plate so that the 'hooks' can still be used and soldered a 10 BA nut to the topside of the cylinder mounting tab. This allows the securing screws to be fitted to underneath. I'm trying to get the chassis as complete as possible, so that it can be sprayed before fitting the wheels.

 

[dibateg]

Saturday evening, not out on the town ( yet ) so onwards.. I wasn't happy with the positioning of the motion bracket, with the outer plate being outside the running plate, once added, it should look like it's top is behind the running plate flange. I should have checked the positioning before I added the running plate. So I cut the brackets out with the disk cutter and repositioned them further inboard. Also the top fold of the bracket was visible just below the running plate edge. I didn't like that, so added a strip of 5 thou brass that gives the flat appearance of the prototype. The outer bracket plate was then soldered over the top.

 

[7mmMick]

All looking very nice Tony. I'm glad you've opted for this approach and I'm not suprised you're making it look right as per your usual high standards. I do like the quality castings on this kit and I also like the builders plate, just visible at the edge of the photo

ATB Mick

 

[warren haywood]

Hi Tony,
Had this through this week for a bit of muck chucking on and thought of you
Hope alls well
Warren

 

[dibateg]

The WD's are chuntering along in the background - I have rolling chassis' now and must take some pictures. In the meantime I have been on weathering jobs and here are a couple of grab shots of two in progress.

 

[Steph Dale]

Both Southern region locos I note. Jolly good!
Is the 700 the Meteor (ex Sanspareil, ex DJB) kit? Looks good to me...

Steph

 

[dibateg]

Hi Steph - it's Roger Scanlon's - I shall have to ask him!

 

[Scanlon]

Hi Steph and Tony,

The 700 is the old Sanspareil/Meteor kit. Went together like a dream just like an old Airfix kit. The 75XXX is ex DJB/Sanspareil but least said soonest mended. Hopefully MOK can be persuaded to bring out this class once they have got the 15XX out of their system.

Great work Tony, can't wait to see them.

Roger

 

[Compton castle]

75XXX from MOK yes please, il have one of them, before or after the 15xx I don't mind

 

[alcazar]

75xxx as well?

The rate we are going on, kit designers and model designers will be working until they are 90.......

 

[dibateg]

Yes - there is a gap for a decent 75xxx, even I'd be tempted...

 

[dibateg]

The chassis are both rolling with valve gear and with a few hours to spare I decided to roll the boilers etc. All these units are etches in 22 thou brass and I was a little daunted that I would be able to form them. Geoff Holts advice is good, I rolled the components cold initially - and the boiler and smokebox was no problem using the GW 10" rollers. The firebox was tricky, once the initial shape was formed , the reverse curve to the waist would be like trying to form a spring. So as my exploding gas torch has not been replaced, I resorted to my plumbing blowlamp outside on a brick, just heating the lower sides and letting them cool. I don't like annealing sheet really, 'cos it can distort the sheet if you don't get the heat evenly spread. However all was well and I was able to form the reverse curve using 15mm steel rod and the curvy bit of some ogee skirting board. I'll add a pic to illustrate.

 

[dibateg]

Heather's got it easy with her resin boiler on her JLTRT WD ( It's glass re-enforced so it will quickly wear out normal drills mind ) . I'm having to make mine! Here I've used copper wire to pull the wrappers tight to the formers whilst the joints are being soldered.

 

[Steph Dale]

Mick,
The rolled brass boiler and/or hollow tender also give somewhere convenient to put a sound chamber - assuming you're into that sort of thing of course...!
Steph