Atlantic's works: Portable layout update

[Atlantic 3279]

After cross-referencing "new NE area super-Tatlow" and my "old general Tatlow" I now see the origin of the strangely raised louvre panels and funny running No/capacity on the Hornby pre-group NE F10 vent-fridge van. For some reason, Hornby "grafted on" these features from a group-standard LNER vent-fridge van. But why mix the two entities?

Anyway, here, to illustrate my earlier ramblings about dismantling the van, we have a picture showing the inner underframe detached from one end, revealing the convenient plain plates into which new bearing holes could be drilled - and there's even the pip on the outside face of the plate showing the original bearing pocket position to guide you in setting out a new drilling position to give a lower ride height:

And here are the funny raised louvres:

[Atlantic 3279]

Here's a quick image catch-up regarding the Jidenco 6 wheeled GC brake.

Firstly the parts. Apparently crisp etchings, albeit with some crusted crud from ancient sellotape to be scrubbed off before use, also 6 reasonable looking cast spring/axlebox units, a cast chimney, turned brass buffers (crisp and robust but sadly not the right pattern, the bases for instance should be rectangular with four small webs), some nickel-silver wire for handrails, and missing from this picture a rectangle of flat plastikard for the roof. The instructions suggest merely holding the flat plastic in the necessary curvature on the roof by means of rubber bands until the glue sets.....with thin and easily deformed top edges to the van sides and therefore little area for glue contact, I don't think so!
Also, as Rob pointed out, the scant instructions which fail to name and specify uses for several of the etched parts, are further clouded by virtue of being dual-purpose instructions also referring (in places) to items and jobs that only feature in the consttruction of the Midland 6 wheeled brake. Bizarre and rather confusing extreme cost-cutting and/or paper saving at time of manufacture?

Sorry, dreadful picture. Can't take it again as the subject is no longer quite like that.

[Atlantic 3279]

Various parts folded up:

Solebars and stepboards seen more closely. By far the most awkward pieces to fold neatly and correctly:

Body folded up, with strips of "stock" fret waste soldered inside one end of the van to make the narrow inner end a tight fit, and to add visible thickness to the lower edge of the verandah opening. One inner end tacked in at flooor level. Given the uneven fit of the outer corners of the folded van, it seemed to me to be best to get the inner ends in first in order to set the van sides upright, and then mess about aligning the outer joints.

Tight corner joint one side, mitred to allow the sides and end to fold up to 90 degrees, and a gasp on the other side! I may yet change my mind about the solution to this problem. Whilst it seemed convenient to leave the end attached by the bottom fold to the floor of the van, it may be better to follow the Steve Banks method of breaking off the outer ends and then soldering them into the gap between the sides. That would centralise them, so long as it doesn't mess up the match between body and chassis lengths. Mr Banks didn't really say exactly WHY he had broken off the ends and re-fitted them in his RM article. Maybe I know now?

[Atlantic 3279]

Tonight's progress on the GC brake van hasn't exactly been startling, as in the absence of any locating guides or even a good fit of parts, and with all body joints being plain butt-joints with no folding tabs to create lap joints and stiffened edges, I've had to go very cautiously. But after working out ways to hold things in neat alignment and properly square in all planes, then tacking, checking again, adjusting as necessary and so on, the body is finally seamed up at all outer corners and the inner ends are in. Persuading 145 degree solder to bridge joints that don't quite meet, and making sure that nothing moves while this trick is achieved, isn't always easy. I have added lengths of 1mm square brass bar around the inside of all of the top edges of the bodywork to stiffen these (especially the flimsy rails above the verandah openings) and to provide a bit more surface area to which I can eventually stick a roof. I have also added the solebars and headstocks, after firstly checking that if I spaced the solebars "slightly inboard" of the van sides, as per photographs, rather than level with these as per Jidenco instructions, then I would still have space to fit the W-iron units plus wheelsets and bearings. Old toothbrush and Ajax have now given the part finished body a scrub back to bright metal, followed by a thorough rinse and dry, ready for more work on another occasion.

[Atlantic 3279]

Another problem . The obvious next step with this kit is the installation of the W-iron units, bearings, wheels and then axleboxes. I've just measured up the W-iron units, and the pilot holes for the axle bearings are almost 11mm below the top surface that fits up against the van floor. If I use standard 12mm wheels the underside of the floor will thus be 17mm above rail level, and the buffer pilot holes are no more than 2mm below that floor level, so the buffer height would come out at around 15mm which is clearly too much. I'll have to see what I can alter without spoiling appearance or fit.

[Atlantic 3279]

Having now temporarily taped the top ledges of the W-iron units to the van floor and popped a couple of wheelsets into the bearing pilot holes, the excessive buffer height is confirmed and the cause is apparent too. The half-etched fold line in the W-iron units that governs the formation of the ledge that fits up against the floor is too high up. The folded W-iron units are thus too tall. At least a 1mm strip of the lower edge of their plain "backbone" that should be completely hidden behind the solebars shows below the solebars, and on positioning one of the cast axleguard units over an axle end, the spring is still a good 1mm below the bottom of the solebar. Comparison with Mr Campling's drawing in old Tatlow confirms the height error too. It is also now noticeable that the shape/angle of the W in the cast fitting does not agree with the W in the etched backing, no matter how the two are positioned relative to one another. . What a kit . I'm glad it was a cheap second-hand buy from a fellow enthusiast. I wonder if the current Falcon version is free of the various problems, as it is not by my reckoning a cheap deal?
So at least I now know what I ought to alter. "All" I have to decide is how to alter it most painlessly......

[mick b]

I have read Falcon has closed down?

[Atlantic 3279]

Really? Then maybe this listing, which I consulted yesterday for other reasons, is not to be relied upon:
http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/catalogue/falcon

[mick b]

Graeme

This is a copy from RM Web it relates to a thread "Manafacturers closing down" :-

"Isn't it always the case, you set your plans (and finances) to buy certain models and just as you contact the manufacturer to place an order, they stop trading/retire/ or delete models (always the ones you want) from their range. I have come to the conclusion that I must have 'The kiss of death' as this has happened to me on quite a few occasions now in recent years. I am almost getting to the point now where I am afraid to place orders on manufacturers as this might be the death knell for them and we lose another valued cottage industry model manufacturer. Least of all the fact that I might have the rest of the model making community baying at my door for blood, as I have in trying to place an order lost us another valued supplier.
Classic examples - I have a few Connoisseur models in 4mm and wanted a couple of the loco's from the range, I turn up at the stand a couple of years back only to find the 4mm range deleted. I am still lobbying to get some of these reintroduced on a pre commited batch run basis, especially when you see the prices they are fetching on ebay. Again in the last few years I have bought a few kits from Falcon Brass, only last week I rang them to confirm a few things in anticipation of placing quite a large order with them. Guess what, the owners retired (ceased trading) at Christmas, although they are hoping to sell the business as a going concern, I live in hope. I could go on with many more examples."



No idea if the info is correct

Mick

[jwealleans]

Seems it is - their catalogue has gone from the hosted list on ukmodelshops and a search brings up the following:

Falcon Brass is currently not trading owing to the ill health of the proprietor. No orders are currently being accepted. However, outstanding orders are being processed.
A rescue package is being put together to ensure that the business continues. It will be rationalised and hopefully the range will be refined and enhanced. A new and younger owner needs to be found as this is such a vast range of kits that "Old boys" Like myself cannot do it justice in the future. A truly respected and reliable company will, we hope, take over the range in the early part of 2011.
Until this announcement and the transfer of the business, customers will have to be understanding and patient.
Any enquiries can still be made to CSP Model marketing on 01305 751544 or by e/mail.

[Atlantic 3279]

I wonder if this might be another range that disappears into the London Road Models "waiting to be produced" queue?

[Atlantic 3279]

By the way Mick, I seem in the past to have shared your "kiss of death" reputation - but in my case I seemed to be killing off some of the nicest pubs in this part of the country . More recently however, the curse seems to have been lifted and I have been able to rely on my latest "local" for over three years so far!

[mick b]

"Kiss of Death" news to me !!! The post was a quote !!! dont think ive killed anyone yet !!

[Atlantic 3279]

I did by the way, after much frustration, manage last night to adjust the fitted height of the W-iron units for the Jidenco GC brake van. I tried at first, without much expectation of success, to flatten out the original fold in one unit and then create another one close to it. This was hopeless, as even with a well scribed new fold line the brass was doggedly intent upon folding again along the original line. I have managed to move folds only a short distance in small parts in the past, but the length of fold in this case and my inability to clamp up the old fold line solidly enough to prevent its movement defeated me this time. I next considered the possibilty of breaking off the original folded top ledges entirely, cutting back the remaining upright top portion of the W-iron units, and then using some separate strips of brass angle to create the joint between the W-irons and the van floor. I was slightly concerned that this would involve the use of multiple soldered joints in close proximity, making it tricky to solder one without disturbing others, and I was feeling too lazy to trim down the W-iron units to the right height. So in the end, I think I went for the simplest solution. I opened up the original 90degree folds that had formed the top ledges to something more like 120deg, so that the solid (and too tall) upper section of the units would lie about 30deg from the vertical, now completely hidden behind the solebars rather than showing below them, and then merely bent the lower visible portions of the W-irons back to the true vertical. As the units are not yet fixed to the floor, I can adjust their spacing so that the W-irons still sit at the correct width to carry the bearings and axle ends. Having flexed and weakened the original fold lines more than usual, I have run a heavy bead of solder along the inside of the folds to lock the geometry and reinforce the structure.

[Atlantic 3279]

Images showing progress so far, and what I've been wittering on about regarding ride-height:

Firstly the basic body, all seamed up with side thickness increased around the verandah openings, reinforcing bar added behind all top edges, and flux residues scrubbed/rinsed off:

Now with W-iron units taped to floor, the original ride height problem. Buffers of adjoining vehicle almost in line with bottom edge of headstock, and backbone of W-iron unit showing below solebar:

A solution to the problem. W-iron units now tacked in place with minimal spots of solder, but showing how I have splayed the previously vertical parts of the spines of these units, reducing the effective height, with the "W-irons proper" bent back to the necessary vertical position - these bends being easy to form just at the tops of the actual W's. The heavy solder fillet reinfocing the revised angle of bend is plainly visible.