Atlantic's works: Portable layout update

[Atlantic 3279]

It seems to have taken forever to get this far, but the K2s are almost in the bag now, fully dressed with handrails, guard irons, cab interiors, converted outside motion, whistles (such as I have), couplings and nice new brass cylinder wrappers with fine bolt heads. Rear coal plates and a coal load in the tenders, a cab fall plate each and finally the vulnerable front vacuum pipes will complete the exteriors ready for a final visit to the paintshop. I may get around to adding weight in the sides of the boilers and a bit in each tender, bearing down in part on the rear of the loco. In one case I've modified the pony truck beyond a simple increase in length to bring the wheels forward, substituting probably better looking Gibson wheels for which I've had to introduce a new brass bearing tube for the axle and create some pick-up wipers to maintain smooth electrical contact over uneven track. I'll see how the one loco thus modified performs before thinking about altering any others.

In case anybody wants to know, even though I definitely wouldn't use a Bachmann K3 chassis under one of thse K2 bodies myself on account of the undersize wheels and no advantage over the V3 unit in respect of slidebars/crossheads/motion brackets, I did out of curiosity offer up a K3 chassis under one of the bodies a few days ago. There's no problem with getting the motor to go up into the boiler, but parts of the front and rear projections of the chassis block would have to be sawn off in order to get the body to sit down in the right place.

[Atso]

A glorious trio there Graeme!

I think that the Gibson pony wheel is a big improvement on the Bachmann 'fat rim' version - but that might just be because the Gibson rim isn't painted...

[Atlantic 3279]

It's a great relief to now be able to state that my little family of Moguls is at last finished off, bar a sealing coat of varnish, weathering and probably a crew per K2 in view of the very open nature of their cabs.

Firstly, here's K3/2 No 39, a York engine in 1938 still at that stage with original Darlington cab but converted to left hand drive. the position of the leading sandbox tops is debatable as they weren't like that on this batch of K3s when built, but they may have been altered later to match the final group-standard style. I'm not totally happy with the lining round the cab windows. I put it where it should be, just outside the beading, but this makes the windows look too large (or the spaces alongside them too narrow) so I may have another go, putting the lining on the outside edge of the beading itself - if I can! A representation of the sliding window frames would also help the appearance.

Next a K2 from the inside steam pipe series, 4642, allocated to Doncaster in 1938. I'm keeping this one.

Also for my own stock, 4660, the first to be built new with outside steam pipes, a Colwick loco in 1938. Depending on future needs it might get a one-digit number change to become New England's 4665....

This one's for Grantham's owner. Doncaster's 4673. I have since remembered to add the lining to the frame tops at the front of this one.

A GN cab wouldn't be complete without the Stirling/Ivatt pull out regulator handle and a lever reverse almost impossible to operate once the loco is on the move:

A different view.

[manna]

G'day Gents

Beautiful, 10/10.

manna

[Atso]

Stunning Graeme! I'm assuming that 4642 has the Gibson pony wheel, it looks different from the other K2s. The other thing that shows up (and nothing to do with your modelling!) is the undersize nature of the K3 driving wheels.

For some reason I thought Grantham was going to be at the Great Central event this weekend. I can't see it listed so I'll have to wait to see these beauties in the flesh. I saw the prototype at Nottingham and that looks exceptional but it doesn't count as it wasn't finished at the time!

[Atlantic 3279]

4642 does indeed have the Gibson pony wheels.

I don't think I'd have taken on the task of building the K2s at this stage had the deadline been the GC model event. No shreds of sanity would have remained by now had I been trying to finish these and other projects in such a short time.

[Hatfield Shed]

Maximum mogul eh? The K2 looks so different to what came next thanks to the Doncaster 'bent tin' cab. And what a big engine the H3/K2 was at introduction.

Now here's a question that often drifts into my mind. Why did Gresley persist with the unnecessarily long coupled wheelbase of his 2-8-0s when an eight coupled variant of either of the moguls would work?

[Atlantic 3279]

Could that be influenced by the need to have 6' 6" minimum between the first two coupled axles to accommodate the three cylinder drive with conjugated valve gear, and for the mode of use of the 2-8-0s with many periods spent in sidings and loops rather than running continuously was there any need for a shorter barrelled boiler with more rapid steam raising ability? The argument regarding the boiler may be akin to that of the boilers for the big GC 4-6-0s, lots of tube length and steam space but relatively little grate area.

[Dave]

Great models Mr King, well done.

[JASd17]

HS the first ten K3s all had the GN style cab, LNER nos. 4000-9. See earlier in Graeme's thread for 4005.
These cabs were replaced in 1939-40 with the side window variety.

Graeme, looking forward to seeing 'Mogul mania' on Grantham.

John

[Flying Fox 34F]

Graeme,
The Mogul's look a treat. I hope to see them soon
Paul 4475

[AdamOrmorod4468]

Just seen your post over on rmweb on the Bachmann C1 thread, but I thought it was a bit off topic to ask over there, would you mind sharing how you painted the cab interior? I'm repainting a BR Green A4 into garter blue and I've no idea how to paint the inside of the cab walls without a good chance of mucking it up.

[Atlantic 3279]

Mercifully, when I was brave enough to try I found that the NRM C1 cab just unclips from its groove in the boiler if you ease the sides far enough apart and then slides off, upwards. It isn't glued. this leaves the backhead on the boiler so the cab interior is plain bar the front glazing which fairly painless pops out of the spectacle apertures then can be "persuaded" to un-glue from the top-centre of the cab front. It seems to be stuck with something akin to Evostick. Careful brush painting was then quite easy.

The Hornby A4 cab won't come off. The glazing will usually pop out but it is more firmly glued. The backhead will come away from the firebox but it's a bit of a faff. On the super-detail models you have to take the cab floor unit out first. There are then two lugs at the base of the backhead holding it in slots and an upper central peg of backhead plastic melted over in a hole in the back of the boiler moulding itself. You have to drill, otherwise "chew" and eventually prod that out from within the moulding in order to remove the backhead. If you can't or daren't dislodge the cab internals then you'll have to be extraordinarily careful and patient with a small paintbrush, multi-jointed wrists/fingers and very good lighting in order to paint the cab interior......

[Atso]

Any change of some pics of the improved C1?

[Atlantic 3279]

Later today I hope...