Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[45609]

Just had a quick look at my Yeadons and I think that the Bachmann O4 is wrong for all variants. The reach rod is not long enough on the one I have anyway which is of course the model of the preserved example.

Here is a drawing that shows the correct position. 63601's reach rod is in the right place as per this drawing. The Bachmann O4 model is wrong but the GW ROD is OK in this respect. It is one of the easier errors to correct on the O4.

Morgan

[S.A.C. Martin]

Thanks for the info on the buffers Graeme, much appreciated. They certainly look the part. I am thinking of doing myself a little mould to make copies of Hornby's A3 type set, to fit onto future Thompson builds.

I've been looking at your work on page 109 of this thread regarding the front bogie arrangement on 60113. I've had a little play around with my chassis today, and came up with this as I didn't fancy doing the elegant cut and shutting of the connector you did (mainly because I'm not skilled enough to be able to do that!)





I did as you did and drilled a new hole through the squarish section of the connector. I then turned up the sides using pliers. When screwed in, it stays firmly central and gives 360 degree movement for the front bogie, also correct for wheelbase.

I've test fitted the bogie side frames using a bit of double sided tape, and all seems to fit well too. Getting there, though it may take another few months work before I get anywhere near the painting stage!

[auldreekie]

Thanks for feedback on the now-historic O4/8. I might have guessed that the correction was also now-historic!

As you say, not a work of genius to put it right (and I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been lashing-up the revised staying arrangemnents for the O4/8). I'm just surprised that Bachmann both perpetrated (well, none of us is perfect), but have also perpetuated this easy-to-correct piece of minor sloppiness. My cheapo donor model can hardly have been one of the original batch, and correction would involve minimal amendment to existing production facilities....

Incidentally, same point about the Bill Bedford O4/5 print, where it's better not to reuse the Bachmann reach (?) rod. And, on that one, I'd have thought better if the printing process left off the ejector pipe, since not all O4/5s were ejector fitted (see the green bible), and the integration of that pipe into the print can lead to some clean-up problems....

I'm still avidly consuming the correspondence on the big green ones....


auldreekie

[mick b]

Simon
Have you tried this mod on any curves ? as you have modified the bracket, it would appear zero side to side movement, due to bending up the bracket sides.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Simon
Have you tried this mod on any curves ? as you have modified the bracket, it would appear zero side to side movement, due to bending up the bracket sides.

I have, and it does work! It works similarly to the Bachmann A2 bracket when it runs through curves. 3rd radius the absolute minimum though. It will need a little more fettling but in practice, it works.

[Atlantic 3279]

Interesting to hear that it does cope with curves like that. I too had looked and wondered.

Regarding the O4 reverse reach rod, that error is true enough and has been noted by one or two observers previously. As so many aspects of the rod needed to be changed, I just made a complete new one when I tried out Bill's O4/5 printed body.

Having followed Pete Hill's method (from MRJ 169) of drilling out and moving back the pin under the tender to close-couple a Hornby A3 yesterday (well the latest A1/1 conversion anyway) I decided today to try an alternative approach on my own A1/1 which had still not been properly dealt with in that respect. I have no criticism of Pete's method, although it took me a bit longer than I'd imagined when I just read his straightforward description of it. I was then interested to see whether another approach that looked simple enough "in my mind's eye" turned out to be any good in practice. There were a couple of small snags that I didn't anticipate but it DOES appear to work. I'll try to put up some pictures soon to show what I did.

Later. Here we are:

Obviously you can't shorten the drawbar less drastically than I did here otherwise the new pivot hole will break out into the old one. As shortened, mine just suits my loco's needs on 3 foot radius curves. I didn't bargain for the need to file back the edge of the boss on the casting for clearance, but the metal filed easily enough with a coarse flat file and the boss still seems strong enough and supports the drawbar properly. The other snag may be that only the plastic pip and a bit of reinforcing superglu now keep the upper springy contact strip in place on the top of the drawbar, the steadying effect of the piece that was folded up against the plastic upstand having been lost. I'll see how this goes in use.
The loco look definitely more realistically close coupled to the ttender now.

[Atlantic 3279]

Getting there, though it may take another few months work before I get anywhere near the painting stage!

Looking at the extent to which you've already cracked-on with the bodywork, I'm not sure you need several months to finish off.

By the way, proper LNER Gresley-period modellers may wish to note that I can now see an end to my phase of deviant post-1942 modelling. I have firm intentions in respect of some new work that will help us all to follow the "true faith".

[S.A.C. Martin]

Looking at the extent to which you've already cracked-on with the bodywork, I'm not sure you need several months to finish off.

Very kind of you to say Graeme, but February to March is unlikely to leave me with much time to work on it. Saying that, I intend to get the resin frame overlays sorted by the end of my lunch break today, along with refitting other bits to the boiler. There's still the matter of the cab to sort out...!

I'm looking at the W1 tender you sorted for me a few years ago, and am wondering whether a similar level of cutting and shutting on the now surplus LNER liveried corridor tender from my NRM Scotsman could result in a tender suitable for 60113. I say this as I have noted that I wouldn't need to do anything to side sheets, literally cutting the streamlined fairing back, shortening its width, removing the corridor and interior parts, and changing the furniture on the tender front. I already have replacement, red lined frames of the correct type to swap.

Extreme in some respects but I am thinking of this mainly because of the then matching apple green paintwork and lining out to the cab and boiler.

By the way, proper LNER Gresley-period modellers may wish to note that I can now see an end to my phase of deviant post-1942 modelling. I have firm intentions in respect of some new work that will help us all to follow the "true faith".

Excellent, I look forward to seeing what further magic you come up with!

[Atlantic 3279]

Regarding cab and tender sidesheets, you may recall I've had mixed experiences in "straightening" these using heat, a process which even if 100% successful still leaves you with the need to do some cutting back, replacement of beading and touching in of paint. On my latest effort I therefore decided that the alternative suggestion I received, i.e. to cut off the curved bits entirely and then make good / blend in new pieces was worth a try. Minimal scraping, filing and filling has been needed and any joint lines that remain are generally in the shadow of the upright handrails anyway. Patch painting can conveniently stop next to the panel lining, so apparent matching of colur should be no problem. I think this is by far the safer way to do the job. I'll try to add an image or two later. The cab in fact needed NO addition to extend the flat sidesheet following a well placed cut to remove the curve, all I had to do was reinstate the beading by sticking a new strip onto the back edge.

[mick b]

Good info Graeme, as I will be starting one soon, and that was the one part I was not looking forward too.

[S.A.C. Martin]

I agree with Mick, I'll have a go at doing that to my model later next week. I've had a look at the cab side sheets and those are the ones which are worrying me most frankly, particularly on the apple green model.

[earlswood nob]

G’Day all from a snowy Surrey
Whilst I agree with Atlantic’s sentiment, I did not realise that following the works of Gresley was the true faith. If I want to become a member of this faith do I have to wear a hair shirt and trek barefoot to Doncaster?
Earlswood Nob
PS, I must confess to liking/building a few Robinson locos of late.

[auldreekie]

Grateful for the steer on the sorting-out of Gresley cab sidesheets. As I think I said at some previous time, I made the faux pas of filing and sanding the sidesheets of my home-made V2 so that they curved in.... So the rectification is likely to be along the lines of cutting off the "new" incurve, cementing on some new styrene in its place, adding beading, filing, sanding, drilling and masking the remaining evidence of the wound with new vertical grab rails. Sounds familiar, but a self-inflicted task. And probably the single most awkward job to be done in order to make passable a fairly clumsy cut-and-shut perpetrated somwhere about 20 years ago.


auldreekie

[Pebbles]

No beading on the V2 cab.

[Atlantic 3279]

Latest sidesheets cut back, patched (with a bridging layer behind the joint at the front of the tender), blended-in, and new edge beadings added. Fairly discrete anyway, and no paint or handrails at present to hide the cheat.

I was asked about a chimney for an O4/7. I neither had one, nor could I suggest a source. However, I had a look through my kit remnants and found a 7mm tall GC style chimney of forgotten parentage in whitemetal that required a good bit of tidying up and some re-profiling, but the cap was good and I could see potential for cutting down a resin copy to give a further master for the necessary 5mm (1' 3") tall chimney. I now have the second generation master ready for production of a mould. I've deliberately tried to make its curves slightly ambiguous - is it true Robinson or 1930s onwards Gorton reproduction? That's handy as it is thus "near enough" for either interpretation, and can thus do service (in the right circumstances) not only on an O4/7 but probably on any GC or ex GC loco with 5' 6" or 5' 3" diameter boiler. The true copies of the original taller version will also be good for any O4, Atlantic, or earlier Robinson 4-6-0 modelled as per the pre 1925-ish period.