The engine brake gear on Valour is now complete. The etches in the kit for the hangers were a bit fragile and weren’t quite the correct shape to have the shoes sit close to the wheels. They were therefore used as a pattern by sweating them onto a double layer of 20 thou nickel silver.
The lump was filed broadly to shape, having first drilled holes as required.
Once separated, the rear hanger had the shoe etch attached with a pin.
The middle brake has less detail and the front is only schematic - reflecting the visibility of these items behind the valve gear and motion support bracket. They are supported by pins either attached to the chassis or the hangers themselves, ‘clipping into place’ through holes in the chassis or the hanger.
The stretchers are made from thin PCB, gapped for insulation, whilst the longitudinal pull rod helps to locate the brakes in the correct fore and aft position.
These brakes are semi-permanently fixed, as if they needed removal then more major work would also be indicated for the chassis.
Tim