Atlantic's works: Portable layout update

[Woodcock29]

They look absolutely fantastic Graeme. Well done.
The response from Branchlines will be interesting indeed.
Andrew

[nzpaul]

Superb as usual Graeme, it's been rather quiet on the forums of late so a big update from yourself all very exciting. Perhaps the rest of us should pull finger and follow your example.

Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

GOOD NEWS:

Notwithstanding the lack of a slick, up-to-date website, Branchlines appears to be alive, functional, and carrying useful KM buffer stock. A message last night to the e-mail address given in the now rather old "Branchlines Blog" brought forth a reply from Brian this morning, confirming availability and enclosing a pdf listing other loco, coach and general accessories. I've just supplied my address by further e-mail and completed an order for several items by phone, using credit card for payment.
NB They are closed for a break for a minimum of 2 weeks after today.

[Atlantic 3279]

With the luxury of something approximating to decent daylight today, I've taken some better pictures of the black D7 and replaced the poor ones on the previous page.

[Chas Levin]

Looks superb Graeme!

[Atlantic 3279]

Thanks Chas.

Still having concerns about the ability of a thin resin tender weatherboard to survive handling mishaps, I decided last Friday to have a go at making an alternative in metal. I found an offcut of brass sheet about 0.016" thick, bigger than the necessary final size, sandwiched it between two pieces of hardboard in a vice, and plotted the centres of the two spectacles to match the previous master version. I was then able to drill full size spectacle apertures, to just accept some brass tubing I had (1/4"?) without tearing or twisting the thin brass, the excess size of the offcut also preventing the drill from splitting what would eventually be the thin edges around the spectacles.
With that done, I could then release the brass and cut down the edges to get the correct size and shape of weatherboard, with allowance for later addition of beading. Firstly however, I soldered into each aperture a piece of the brass tubing, initially far longer than necessary so that I had a cool "handle" to hold while positioning and soldering. I cut off most of the excess for one spectacle, but temporarily retained the long end for the other one.
After cleaning off excess solder around the spectacle rims, I turned to the question of the edge beading. After offering up wire of various thicknesses, I concluded that I had no hope of holding any of it accurately centred on the edge of the brass sheet and soldering it in place. So I looked for a thin strip of etch waste, still rather wider than the final edge thickness I wanted, but easy to hold roughly centred on the edge, and soldered that in place. I finally cut and filed the remaining projections of the brass tubes and the edge strip until they were reduced to very shallow features. I can add the arc of rivets across the front using PVA dots after the primer.

You can also see that I've added some coal rails (still loose and unpainted) to bridge the gaps between the side coal plates and the weatherboard. I'd forgotten about these previously in my haste to get some paint onto the first resin loco. A bit of renewed study of photographs, plus some careful thought and measurement was needed before I decided how to add the rails. Some of the locos with original D7 tenders, including late survivor 5684, seem to have had the rails as I've modelled them, three round rails, the top one nearly level with the top of the side coal plate, the rails running straight forwards from that plate until making a single right-angle bend to terminate somewhere along the back of the weatherboard. Others had three flat rails, the top one lower down, the rails turning in only just in front of the side coal plate, then making an opposite right angle bend to run forward to meet the back of the weatherboard at 90 degrees. I found two images with weatherboards but no visible coal rails. Just to be different, 5708 acquired a tender from a J10, with shallower curved-end side-coalguards plus the three flat rails with double-bends, the top rail in this case level with the top of the coalguard. In its final years 5704, the very last, had a tender from a J10 with later type axleboxes, no weatherboard and hence no rails.
As the cast resin coalguards are about 1.5 mmm thick in the plain areas (edge beading and internal supports extra) I was concerned that any means of fixing coal rails to their inner faces, even if strong enough, would put the rails too far inboard so that the turn-in just behind the weatherboard would not appear to be in the right place. With great trepidation therefore I drilled as carefully as possible into the leading edge of the coalguard, just below its top corner, with a 0.5mm bit, to create a hole running horizontally back into the coalguard. At the first attempt I was too near to the outer face of the guard, which began to bulge and then split as the drill made its way in, so I had to repair that. Once I had a suitable top hole, I put a stub of 0.5mm nickel silver wire into that, held a spacer 1mm thick against the bottom of the wire, and carefully pricked a drilling mark for the next rail using a sharp pointer. More carefully steered drilling followed, and so on, until I had holes for three rails each side.
Once the rails are primed and painted, I think the thicknesses will look about right.

[Chas Levin]

Very nice job on that spectacle plate Graeme, and definitely more robust in brass.

[drmditch]

Thank you for explaining the brass working technique.

[Richard i]

Looks great, though I think the later additions negatively impacted on their looks. However if an LNER layout is your thing then weatherboards it is then.
Richard

[Atlantic 3279]

Purely a matter of correct portrayal of the features of the 1930s period Richard, but if your goals differ the resin parts are easy to cut with fine saw or file, avoiding dust inhalation of course. That opens up the possibility of backdating the features to any GCR or MS&LR period configuration: The weatherboard is easily omitted, obviously. The rear step supports can be trimmed away from the soleplate casting before assembly, and the side coal guards removed. the cab roof and the cab sides above the cut-outs can be shortened, in line with the first external rib. The smokebox can be left full length and a separately sourced Robinson chimney substituted, or the smokebox front cut back a couple of millimetres and a Parker/Pollitt stovepipe fitted, the latter possibly made by altering the top of the Doncaster style chimney. If you can file accurately enough, and create a smooth finish, you could file off the Belpaire shoulders from the firebox and trim the lower edges of same plus the base of the smokebox to represent the original type of round-top boiler. In that case you'd want round cab spectacles, possibly produced by use of the unwanted weatherboard, trimmed to fit, instead of the normal upper cab front. The Belpaire backhead would have to be altered or replaced of course, but that's all part of model making.

The period of half a dozen years or so before the Great War would appear to be one of great variation in appearance of the different members of the class, with no set sequence for the changes to smokebox, boiler type, cab length and tender coal guards. Careful checking of records for any given loco would be necessary in order to produce a correct model.

[Horsetan]

The front buffers are sprung Kean-Maygib (hen's teeth?)

Range available from Branchlines, I believe.

Probably the only place you can reliably buy them from nowadays

[Richard i]

Much food for thought there on the backdating required.
But the results could look great in full gcr livery.
Richard

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

Brian Osbourne (Branchlines) is usually at the Epsom & Ewell show in May.

He's a very helpful guy.

Earlswood Nob

[Atlantic 3279]

He certainly attended to my requirements very quickly.

My second D7 reached the stage of being fit for a couple of coats of paint over the Easter weekend, which was something of a relief, especially as final pre-paint test running had initially produced extremely disappointing findings. As earlier test running of the basic loco and tender assembly had convinced me that all was well, I was bit perplexed (to say the least) to find that the fully detailed and weighted-up loco was hesitant, sluggish, uneven, noisy, lacking adhesion and gutless. It ultimately came to a stand (stalling rather than slipping) on a barely rising gradient with just three coaches, despite almost full power from the controller! Step by step analysis and tinkering revealed that the sparing initial application of oil to the driven axles had ceased to provide a decent lubricating effect, the first design of tender pick-ups that I had fitted were producing far too much drag (notwithstanding feeling very light when tested with my Mk1 fingers), and that I had allowed an offcut from one of the staples used to make the lamp irons to find its way into the gear train. That final insult probably accounted for much of the extreme stiffness of the driving wheels and the intermediate gear that I found at one stage, the stray piece of metal having apparently pushed the intermediate gear hard against one side of the gear housing. Anyway, stray metal removed, driven axles re-oiled and tender pick-ups re-arranged running is now smooth, even, quiet and with enough of both grip and power for the haulage of at least nine, mainly plastic non-corridor bogie coaches (all with interiors and pin-point axles of course).

The next joy will have to be some red lining for both locos...

[Woodcock29]

Graeme
They look really good but sorry to hear you had those issues with the operation of the second one.

When do you expect the castings to be available?

I got my KM GC buffers yesterday so thanks for confirming they were still available from Branchlines.

Andrew