James' workbench- ex-GC locos and stock in OO

[James Harrison]

The roof is wrong, I think. Not by much but certainly by enough that if left as-is it will, eventually, drive me mad. So I'm going to remove it and replace it with something with a better curve.

I've also ordered a set of 14mm bogie wheels from Scale Link, which have narrower treads.

Finally I've managed to actually do something on the body.... firstly I had another bout of 'fill, sand and file' on the boiler barrel which has all but removed the angled cross-section to the boiler. Then I added a few layers of 0.5mm plastic sheet to the front of the smokebox to build it up to full depth. I had thought it was right when I drew it but when the print arrived it proved to be 1mm too short. I then drilled a couple of holes in the boiler and added the chimney and dome. These last are brass castings from the Gibson range. They're designed for the J11 kit but match up neatly with the boiler fittings for the B5 too.



Next stage is going to be firstly to remove the cab roof, secondly to add the cab front and new cab roof and floor, thirdly to smooth down the print, then to add the smaller details such as safety valve and boiler bands.

[Atlantic 3279]

That's an improved photograph - a mixture of colours and tones on the subject, good light, and a plain background all do wonders to persuade the auto-focus to adjust correctly.

[James Harrison]

I'd finally found the macro setting on my camera- previously I just used natural light and zoom. I try to get as plain a background as I can- usually it's either the dining room table or the top of my toolbox (both plain varnished timber). But I can see the difference and will be using it from now on for my models.

I've altered the cab roof- I'll be taking photos a little later- I cut it off then teased it out straighter in my fingers. Then I rolled it on the back of a scalpel handle to get the straightened curve to smooth out, then glued it back onto the model after fitting the spectacle plate. It looks a lot better.

Now I'm looking at an old Triang L1 tender and thinking how I can alter it to a Robinson design- or alternatively remember how I did the one for my Airfix J11.

[James Harrison]

Photo as promised!



Paired up with a Triang L1/ 2P tender. Now the tender I think will need 1) all the rivets sanding off, 2) the coal load and coal rails removing carefully, 3) a flare adding using plastic strip or parts of an old biro, 4) original coal load replacing back, 5) new coal rails, 6) buffers carefully removed, 7) bufferbeam bulking out using plastic strip, buffers re-instated.

At least, that's how I did the tender for one of my J11s.

The cab roof I think looks vastly improved for being sawn off, flattened out and re-instated. The spectacle plate isn't finished yet but has been built up of small slivers of plastic sheet.

It looks a lot more complete than it actually is, but the plus side to that is that it is starting to resemble a B5 now rather than a generic loco.

[auldreekie]

Why is the visible footplating on one side white and on the other black (or did I miss something)?

I ask, because in my experience cockups happen, and it's helpful to know how, and how they were sorted out....

Not (of course) that I would seek to imply that anyone else's cockup coefficient remotely approached mine!

auldreekie

[James Harrison]

That's because when I was painting the boiler prior to sanding it down I got a bit carried away. I ended up doing the whole boiler, then one entire side of the loco so I could get an idea of what it would look like when finished. Then I made the cardinal sin of getting bored or tired, or both, and packing up for the night leaving the engine in a half-painted state.... needless to say the next modelling session I decided it would be better to actually get on and build the dam' thing rather than carry on painting it

At the moment I think I'm right in saying it's the most multi-coloured engine on my roster... it will all go into black, eventually....

[auldreekie]

A disappointingly mundane answer. But I'm glad for you that it was as simple as that.

Thanks.


auldreekie

[James Harrison]

The engine is now all in black... well when I say 'all' it was all in black until I did some more work on it and now parts are once again in white....

I've throttled back a little with the model because the weather has been nice, which prompted me to turn my attention to one of my fair-weather projects- a model Edwardian steam launch- which has taken up a fair bit of my modelling time.

Nevertheless work has been progressing- I've replaced the bogie wheels with some from Scale Link, and I've begun the cab interior. I've also bulked up the smokebox wrapper and added a smokebox door- a Craftsman Kits whitemetal casting.

Of course, my luck being what it is my camera packed up on me as I was trying to take photos! Next time, next time....

[James Harrison]

Work continues slowly... at the moment a combination of 'one step forward, two steps back', the good (for a given value of 'good') weather and a goodly dose of 'there's so much to do to finish it that it puts me off' is slowing things down.

Regardless I think (hope, pray!) I've sorted out the issues with the leading bogie (it now makes a 2nd radius curve, if driven at dead slow) and made a start on the tender.



The model in its entirety at present. Many, many rough edges to sort out but it does at least look like a B5.



The tender is a lot rougher than the loco itself; beginning with a Triang Fowler tender top I laminated new side sheets onto the body, then worked up a small flare with some plastic section and added plated coal rails. Once all smoothed down and filled it should look the part.



The leading bogie has returned to a swing-link setup which gives just a little more throw to get around my curves. Hopefully on the layout I'm planning to build 'in a few years time' this won't be needed- making all the work and thought and experimenting put into actually getting this to work, pointless!

The work still to do to the model, off the top of my head, runs to:

- Cab interior/ handrails/ backhead detail
- Cab spectacle plate has bits missing
- Cab lining
- Boiler handrails
- Boiler bands & lining
- Beading to wheel splashers
- Reversing lever
- Whistle
- Cab roof beading
- Buffer beam
- Tender body smoothing
- Tender handrails
- Tender bufferbeam vac pipes
- Final painting/ varnishing/ weathering
- Tender lining

[SAD Burdett]

Nice one James,
It's certainly getting the "Gorton Tank" look about it.
The cab looks much improved and a difficult shape to get right.
Can you advise where you got the chimney and dome from??

SAD

[James Harrison]

Thanks! At the moment I'm losing a little momentum and enthusiasm for it, but now I can move on from the 'lets go back and do the bogie AGAIN' saga hopefully I'll pick it back up again...

The dome, chimney and safety valve are brass castings I bought from Alan Gibson. They're intended for a J11, however, they also suit the B5 and, I *think*, the D9. I need to get some more for the last-named as I've got a 2P earmarked for conversion next year...

[James Harrison]

Unexpected purchase this evening....



It's either an F1 or an F2.... found on Ebay as a scratchbuild. Looking at the photos I suspect the driving wheels are too small (I'm sure I can find some 5' 7'' ones somewhere though, if I decide to risk a wheel change....)

Other plans for it are to replace the flowerpot chimney with a Pollitt or Robinson example, give it a clean up and a repaint and eventually put it to work alongside my N2 and N5 on suburban trains. Now all I need is to find a similarly-bargain-priced A5

[James Harrison]

The F1 arrived today

It is absolutely gorgeous. The wheels are about 3mm too small in diameter, but I'm not sure I could replace them without having to do a massive amount of work to the model. It could be an easy operation, on the other it could wreck the model. I've ordered the relevant green bible so we'll see what happens as and when I get around to working on it.

Once my airbrush arrives I can get on with the B5 too...I think tonight's project may very well be to replace the tender tank as it just doesn't look too convincing, in my opinion.

[James Harrison]

Green Bible arrived, was promptly checked and I came up with no fewer than three examples of the F1 class which were sent to Neasden c.1928-30. Ordered a set of M7 wheels from Hornby and will be replacing the wheels. Flowerpot chimneys came in from c.1925 so would suit a model set c.1928-29. Other than that I need to fabricate push-pull fittings and give it a repaint.

[60800]

I'm sure I've seen that F1 / F2 somewhere before....