7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

[mickoo]

Thank you Mick.

I didn't know Ragstone did a kit of this particular locomotive. I'll check it out.

Your point about the additional parts and associated costs is noted.

Cheers
Mike

They may well do a GER version, I say that as the instructions show mostly a GER model being built and there appears to be (some) castings for said version. This kit (LK18) will build the industrial version and GER versions 209 - 210 which I suspect are the very early Neilson open cab versions that the GER bought. I've not had chance yet to see if there's another kit for the other GER engines; I'm really tight on time to get it away by this evening.

The one I'm doing is one of the four Stratford builds that came later. As far as I can tell there were four Neilson builds and four Stratford builds, the Neilson ones were modified later to the Stratford design, but almost certainly not identical; pictorial information is scarce so it's logical to impart a bit of common sense engineering of the day to get what you want.

 

[mickoo]

It doesn't look a lot different from yesterday but all the little final details take an age so it'll have to do, Warren will be here shortly before he heads off home so I'm out of time.

Anything missing can be added after paint, specifically the smoke box door handles (3 off) that need scratch building and hand brake stand handle (white metal one already broken in box). Connecting rods are a one shot fixing in the captive cross head so will go on after paint right at the end.

There's also some sort of fitting on the front ends of the tanks that are not in the kit box, so I'll have to try and rustle something up. Like above, they can be fitted into drilled holes after paint as they need to be bare brass and not engine colour; the safety valve arm will also pop on after paint.

I've split the cab off so folks can see how it all fits into place and aids access for paint, it's a bit convoluted and being as my crayons are a bit blunt there's a large margin of error marking out so it's made of of several sections and all joined together.

There's a small pull rod from the hand brake crank to go in up to the cab floor but being as the chassis stays here for paint I can pick that off later, the priority was the body for Warren to save a us both making a trip later and meeting half way to exchange models.

 

[Dog Star]

A very handsome model, I appreciate the way in which you make access to the cab interior.

 

[Brian McKenzie]

Connecting rods are a one shot fixing in the captive cross head so will go on after paint right at the end.

Tricky stuff and brave work - with that pattern of slidebar bracket severely impacting both side and con. rod clearances .

Will the con. rod connection to crosshead become permanent - or 'disconnectable'?

-Brian McK.

 

[mickoo]

Tricky stuff and brave work - with that pattern of slidebar bracket severely impacting both side and con. rod clearances .

Will the con. rod connection to crosshead become permanent - or 'disconnectable'?

-Brian McK.

Clearances I have, like the real engines I've reduced the leading axle boss so that the outer face is flush, I've also (like the real engines) reduced the wheel boss so the rods can get closer.

The con rod small end fixing will be a small steel rivet fitted from the inside, I'll probably have to enlarge/recess the hole slightly on the inside to accept the pin flange or just run with a very thin flange on the outside. The shaft will then have a dab of solder on the outside where it passes through the crosshead.

So yes, effectively it will be come (semi) permanent, but you'd only need heat the pin crosshead at the pin and poke it back through if you needed to get it out.

The only drawback is this all has to be done on a fully assembled and painted chassis and with the wheels in, once the con rod goes in you can't access the axle screw to get the wheels off or draw the axle out afterward. All a bit of a ship in a bottle type affair really.

The other option, thinking about it as i write this, is to thread the little end 14 or 16BA, pass the screw through from the outside with a little thread lock on and tighten as required, then file the head down so the slot is no longer present, or even use a tinned down hex head.

Less prototypical but more practical, given the less than protoypical aspects on other parts of the kit....it won't won't look too amiss.

 

[simond]

Granny & eggs alert.

when I did Chris Tooth’s pannier, I threaded the little end of the con rod, and screwed the pin into that from the inside.
Thin fat head on the inside same thickness as the inner web of the crosshead, core diameter pin on the outside, so bearings in the cross head rather than the rod.

Might be useful?
S

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

I have used 14BA screws for crossheads/connecting rod pins for years. Thread through crossheads and little end of the connecting rod and screw in from front. Head ether turned or nut, sometimes made to look castellated, soldered on. The connecting rod has very little angular movement but if it is tight a stroke with a file leaves enough clearance.

 

[mickoo]

Granny & eggs alert.

when I did Chris Tooth’s pannier, I threaded the little end of the con rod, and screwed the pin into that from the inside.
Thin fat head on the inside same thickness as the inner web of the crosshead, core diameter pin on the outside, so bearings in the cross head rather than the rod.

Might be useful?
S

That's the best way but not practical in this context, if you do that then the cross head and con rod are permanently fixed to the chassis for the rest of the build and paint and you'll never get the front wheel off or out.

The motion bracket is part of the frame structure and a good % of it's structural strength so really has to be soldered in, the cylinders have no provision for being made demount-able, not easily or with further workload.

Once built you can't easily get a screw in from the inside as the wheel gets in the way and you can't leave it off as once the con rod goes on you can't fit the wheel.

 

[mickoo]

I have used 14BA screws for crossheads/connecting rod pins for years. Thread through crossheads and little end of the connecting rod and screw in from front. Head ether turned or nut, sometimes made to look castellated, soldered on. The connecting rod has very little angular movement but if it is tight a stroke with a file leaves enough clearance.

My thoughts exactly, except I was going to thread lock on the con rod but after a good nights sleep realize that won't work as the thread lock will probably seep into the crosshead and lock both solid, you're method is much better and it shall be so

 

[simond]

That's the best way but not practical in this context, if you do that then the cross head and con rod are permanently fixed to the chassis for the rest of the build and paint and you'll never get the front wheel off or out.

The motion bracket is part of the frame structure and a good % of it's structural strength so really has to be soldered in, the cylinders have no provision for being made demount-able, not easily or with further workload.

Once built you can't easily get a screw in from the inside as the wheel gets in the way and you can't leave it off as once the con rod goes on you can't fit the wheel.

Ah, yes, that is a constraint that I didn’t have to deal with. The cylinders are on threaded studs on the pannier.

 

[mickoo]

The motion bracket is part of the main frame stay across the frames, you do really have to fix it in place for strength, same for the cylinder block; there's ample clearance for rods and cross head etc.



The captive cross head all the way forward just allows the axle screw access and removal and then you can just wriggle the axle out afterward.