Simon's LNER Blog - ECML/West Riding 1946-49

[2002EarlMarischal]

Very interested. Will you do us step by step photos please Simon?

[S.A.C. Martin]

I can do no better than link to my blog post with the details:

The Morpeth - Click here

Getting there, bit by bit!

[S.A.C. Martin]

Well, the Hornby Railroad D49 model I had ordered arrived last Friday, but today was the first day I had to get a look at it. The model was taken out of its box, and promptly taken apart for the first stage of its transformation into a Thompson D Class 4-4-0, The Morpeth.

The driving wheels were removed by carefully taking off the chassis plate, and uncoupling the tender from the chassis by removing a screw. The front driving wheels had their crank pins removed in favour of a different set, allowing an inside cylindered 4-4-0 as opposed an outside cylindered one. The driving wheels were then replaced, and the keeper plate screwed back on.

The result: as below, a working inside cylindered 4-4-0 chassis!



You will recall I had started modifying a spare D49 bodyshell before getting the Railroad model, in a previous blog post. I had though it would be a simple enough switch between the two, however the one and only modification you need to make to the original style bodyshell is to widen the cab in the boiler to match the Railroad one above (although mine has not actually been filed out to the full depth, instead a bit of trial and error has allowed comfortable placement on the chassis).



The cab glazing, safety valves, whistle, dome and smokebox door have all been removed from the Railroad D49 to donate to the D Class bodyshell I had been working on. I hope you'll agree, the model is looking much closer to being a Thompson D49 now!



I'm really pleased with it at present. Still a long way to go, but it's a lot closer than it was, and it does prove the theory somewhat that you could "do a Thompson" and rebuild a D49 in this vein.

The only thing I'm not happy with are the traction tyres, but they are surprisingly discreet and haven't shown the problems with traction my 4VEP had shown previously.

Until next time, when I hope to have fully finished this model (adding regulator, rivets, piping, buffer details, sprung buffers, handrail, etc etc). In what livery it will appear, I haven't yet decided...!

[2002EarlMarischal]

Really interesting Simon - a unique loco shaping up very nicely!

Looking forward to more progress (and I'm watching some D49 bodies on eBay myself now!).

Had ought to finish off some of my own projects before starting another though!

[S.A.C. Martin]

I vowed I would finish at least four other projects prior to this one - and got a whole load of them out of the way over a single week in November!

Hopefully I can finish this one off in good time prior to ripping up the layout for its replacement to be built.

[2002EarlMarischal]

Hopefully I can finish this one off in good time prior to ripping up the layout for its replacement to be built.

Ouch! - sounds drastic

Are you starting completely from scratch?

I would merely like to start!!

[S.A.C. Martin]

The current small baseboard is going to become my modelling desk, with a few alterations. The new layout will be 12x6 foot and be a roundy round, with scenic sections surrounding a central control desk.

It's being planned to within an inch of its life so I can just get on with it come the summer!

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Good on yer, Simon. It looks rather good.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

A very interesting loco conversion, unfortunately, we down 'sarf' only ever go one D49, and then only for a few weeks, I suppose the old GN had enough old Atlantic's to cover the work, although they might have looked good on the Cambridge trains.

Good luck on the new layout, will it be 'Copley Hill' with a 'Third Rail'

manna

[S.A.C. Martin]

No third rails sadly. I've put all of my research and notes for "Sidcup" into a binder and filed it away, along with the 4VEP for the moment. One day I'll return to it, but I'm afraid my appetite for the third rail I've grown up with was somewhat sullied by my trials and tribulations with that model.

No, it'll be Copley Hill MK3 and a much better representation overall.

I'm just currently running the D Class in, it's as sweet as anything. Tempted to say the traction tyres aren't affecting the performance, but I noticed a little slow down in the corners just now.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Sorry to double post chaps.

The chassis can actually be changed from one wheelbase to another - it currently has the D49 setting, but if you move it down one notch, you get the shorter County wheelbase instead. This could in effect give you a loco drive chassis which is more or less suitable for a D16/3, albeit I think, with smaller drivers (7ft compared to 6ft 8in?)

If you replaced the drivers and added new coupling rods, you'd get a smooth running mechanism.

There must be other engines the two different wheelbases this one chassis can do which would suit something in the D category for ex-LNER, surely...?

[S.A.C. Martin]

Getting there I think. By no means perfect, but we're getting there.

I began adding details to the Thompson D Class today, as well as preparing the tender for repainting, and modifying the smokebox door, so it is ready for some plasticard bashing into its required form later in the week. The chassis was due to go into the paintshop today but I ran out of time. C'est la vie!

[Coboman]

Pipework looks nice, but the reverser rod (if thats what it is!) looks like it could do with some filing down as it looks a bit on the thick side. Is it made from plasticard?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Looking good, your last post has me intrigued, you can fit the wheels and axles into different positions, wouldn't take much to chop up a old B12 to fit, and seeing as D16's used to visit KX.................

manna

[S.A.C. Martin]

Pipework looks nice, but the reverser rod (if thats what it is!) looks like it could do with some filing down as it looks a bit on the thick side. Is it made from plasticard?

It is made from plasticard - I've studied the reverser on 62768 in the few photographs of it, and getting the shape has been quite tricky! Not stuck down so will file away a bit more, however that said when painted and weathered it won't show up straight away.

There's compromises all over the shop where the drawings I had bought, and the photographs, don't match up at all, so when in doubt I went with the photographic evidence.