Bill Bedford's New O4/5 Conversion Arrives

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Much better. Graeme, you're a wizard. No other explanation!

[Atlantic 3279]

Not sure about that.........

Whilst the finish on this loco would still benefit from some extra work, such as painting of detail in the cab, addition of the running number, and maybe a little local "titivation" of these first coats of black (to remove the particles of dust that miraculaously and infuriatingly appeared in the paint despite thorough dust removal before spraying) prior to a final coat, the job is now largely done. A reversing rod, of the right length (unlike Bachmann's original) is of course also required but I can add that later - in fact I may as well make two and then I can fit one to the original and still interchangeable cab and boiler.
Owing to diminished daylight just when I wanted to take some shots quickly, these pictures have appallingly little depth of field, but they give the general idea.

Above two images deleted 8/3/12 & better ones added - see later.

By the way, I looked in more detail at that Peter Post Tools website in connection with the boxes of 100 tiny screws. The standard postage charge on a package to the UK more than triples the already fairly high cost of the screws if that is really what they'd charge to send just one little box! I wonder if they might be open to a little persuasion, or whether enough of us might want boxes of these handy screws to make a joint purchase viable?

[davidwest]

Stunning bit of work Graeme. Like I said in my previous post I'm looking forward to tha 04/8 though the 04/5 just scrapes into my period. Cheers

David

[2002EarlMarischal]

That does look good Graeme! I must get back to mine, but I'm trying to actually finish off some of the older projects at the moment!

Bill: I wonder whether an "easier" shape of locomotive body might lend itself to 3-D printing? A rebuilt W1 body for example........ Not many fine breakable features?

[60800]

Wow, that's brilliant

[S.A.C. Martin]

Beautiful bit of work and just convinces me further I need the pay cheque to hurry up and clear!

That round topped boiler really is quite elegant. Bill's kit with your finish has produced a very handsome machine.

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm glad people like it .

Bill: I wonder whether an "easier" shape of locomotive body might lend itself to 3-D printing? A rebuilt W1 body for example........ Not many fine breakable features?

Whatever the prototype I think experience so far suggests that rather than being fully fitted out with handrails, impressive as the ability of this technology to make those might be, simple dimples, or better still fully pierced holes for the fitting of brass pillars would be preferable.

If really considering the rebuilt W1 option, having been there, done it, worn the T-shirt so to speak, then I'd suggest that in order to minimise both the size-based manufacturing costs (if that is the whole idea is actually possibly within acceptable cost limits), and the tedious job of de-ridging / de-texturing a whole body, the ideal option might be two cosmetic printed pieces to fit a cut-down Hornby A4, and a couple of functional etchings. One plug-in body piece would replace both the cab and the firebox as a whole above aerofoil level, the other should represent the correct dog-legged progile of the long rear outside fames "fully dressed and detailed" and their rear stretcher. Etchings to create the necessary internal truck(s) to carry the trailing wheelsets, the means of suspending the truck(s) from the chassis, and the means of re-attaching the Hornby drawbar so as to provide the builder's choice of gap betwen loco and tender. Some thought in the design of the truck(s) might also have to be given to keeping open the possibility of having the rearmost trailing wheelset flangeless. Etched add-on plugs for the firebox sides would make sense too, allowing the clean-up of the printed contours of the firebox to be as rapid and straighforward as possible.

[2002EarlMarischal]

As always, a most practical compromise Graeme.

I see from the Mousa web-site that there is already quite a long wish-list for future models, but I suspect that a W1 kit as you have described, could be a useful early addition to the range and commercially viable.

Is there an A4 owner who wouldn't like a W1 in their collection too?

[Atlantic 3279]

Still not great daylight at the height of the day today, and can't be bothered to set up artificial light which is a swine to do for shiny black locos. As it turns out I don't thick O.5mm plus paint looks too thin for the handrails, but I leave it to others to judge according to personal tastes. See later images below.

[mick b]

Looks excellent

[Atso]

Stunning work as always. You're a natural with cleaning 3D prints!

[Atlantic 3279]

Although I haven't yet painted the cab interior, I have given the O4/5 superstructure an identity now, the only one correct for Bill's selected washout plug arrangement: 5008.

Some anomalies remain to be considered. My picture of 5008, presumably freshly rebuilt as it is said to show the loco (looking very clean) at Doncaster shed in 1932, reveals snap-head rivets around the smokebox, although I can see how such a feature in the acrylic print would greatly hinder surface preparartion. My model still has the wrong number on the buffer beam as I'm planning to share the running gear, platform and tender for this loco with the original Bachmann O4 superstructure for a while. Now although 5008 was a rebuild of an ROD, my 1932 picture does show a vacuum brake, so that standard Bachmann detail is okay, but in order to make the tender correct for Bachmann's 6190, which had both the brake hose and ejector pipe (enmeshed with the boiler handrails so somewhat awkward to remove) I previously applied my water-scoop fittings. Perhaps conveniently however, 5008 was one of the very few Gorton-built ROD contract locos, and never went into ROD stock being bought new by the GCR. I'm probably wrong, but I'd like to imagine that there is at least some remote possibility that the GC knew it was going to purchase the loco and built a standard GC scoop-equipped tender in lieu of the ROD type. That's the best attempt I can make at creating a "get out of jail free card" in this case..........

[Atlantic 3279]

I've also remembered this evening to make the longer reverse rods to suit the two alternative superstructures for this "convertible" 2-8-0. One of these days the daylight may be good enough for some better photos

[2002EarlMarischal]

Simply immaculate job as always Graeme, and you've even saved the rest of us having to research which loco number is appropriate!

Please forgive me if I've missed it, but what black paint did you use please? - it appears to be a great match with the Bachmann running plate and tender etc.

[Atlantic 3279]

Halfords Satin Black. Mine has actually come out a fraction shinier than the Bachmann paint, but the finish is influenced of course by the degree of "wetness" that you generate in each coat as you spray the paint. Lighter, drier coats, created by fewer passes with the aerosol and / or a greater working distance dry with a duller finish - but it may not be possible to put on all of the coats that way as the fine dry mist doesn't always penetrate into recess areas of the model, and too dry a top coat may leave too much texture.

At least the "shade of black" looks right (sounds daft, but black does vary), and a unifying coat of satin varnish and / or weathering will do the rest. Experience proves that Humbrol or Railmatch enamels will go onj over this black without trouble.

A further thought on those paint-pickling problems you've had Jim - I have heard it said that with some solvent-rich paints a good long hardening time MUST be allowed before any other "sealing" paint is applied over the top, otherwise, even though the paints may be chemically compatible, solvent trapped in the under-coat will have nowhere to go as it tries to complete its process of evaporation, and will soften / expand / attack one or maybe both layers of paint. I seem to remember being given dire warnings of this possibility in connection with Precision etch-primer, but it may well apply in other cases too.

Good light this morning so I grabbed some pictures - will try to post later.