Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[davidwest]

Looking forward to an update Graeme! Lacking the daily LNER forum fix

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I'm checking out a few dimensions, to see if a Trix/Hornby A2/3 is possible, first is the length of the piston rod and the overall length of the loco, buffer beam to drag box Thank you Graeme.

manna (this way I might get 'Watling Street'

[Atlantic 3279]

An update on the Bachmann A2/3 will not be overlooked. I'm tidying up details at the moment before I manage to forget any of them (I hope), then I can try the next "big step" (drum roll required here to emphasize the air of suspense.......)

Re the Trix body idea Manna: Working just from memory and imagination, it occurred to me that as the Trix loco "in my mind's eye" has unrealistic skirting closing off the space under the leading end of the boiler barrel and smokebox, but that is the area in which you need to cut away the running and replace in a different style, then you could kill two birds with one stone.
Regarding the concern over the overall length of the Trix moulding, surely that is a red herring as you'll have to extend it to accommodate the extra length taken up by the revised positions of bogie and cylinders? I guess the cab and backhead are all part of the one body moulding on the Trix item too. That might allow you to saw right down through the cab behind the bevel-edged cab front, trim and file what remains of the cab on the firebox down to the desired line of the firebox, and then simply stick a flat fronted A3 cab on the rear. The Hornby D49 valve gear and motion bracket won't look quite like A2/3 style will it? But then it never looked a lot like D49 gear anyway, and plenty of us still bought the model.......

Watch out for that Banjo dome (correct for only a few A3s) and the kind of tender.

[S.A.C. Martin]

An update on the Bachmann A2/3 will not be overlooked. I'm tidying up details at the moment before I manage to forget any of them (I hope), then I can try the next "big step" (drum roll required here to emphasize the air of suspense.......)

Looking forward to it Dome and chimney I guess!

I guess the cab and backhead are all part of the one body moulding on the Trix item too.

Nope, there's no backhead moulded into the Trix A2 bodyshell. When I was making my A2, I had to create a whole new cab. The old Trix motor assembly used to fit into the cab.

[Atlantic 3279]

No Trix backhead eh? Well never mind, it could still be possible to cut along the line of the front edge of the cab sidesheets (and across the roof on that same line), smooth down what's left of the cab on the rear end of the firebox, make good any gaps, and stick on an A3 cab salvaged from a cheap spare (Triang)-Hornby body, as that will have the backhead.

I haven't forgotten about the chimney and dome change

[manna]

G'day Gents

I know, if I have a go at this conversion that it will be out! scale wise, but then again so will most of my other locos, I just like to see what can be made out of RTR locos, my A2 at the moment has a Trix A2 body and tender top, Brit chassis, turned back to front and A3 valve gear and Tri-Ang tender chassis, with I might add a 'Mallard' backhead, so it's a right mixture, but it 'looks' like a A2, so if I lengthen the body, change the valve gear and cylinder position, oh and change the cab it'll look as close to an A2/3 as a Peppercorn A2. Got to be worth a try

manna

[Atlantic 3279]

The result of a fair old amount of time spent fiddling around with details on the Bachmann A2/3 conversion is summarised in the following pictures.

Firstly, in order to get the front running plate extension to go up fully level with the original main running plate I had to broaden the flat that I'd filed on the base of the smokebox to 11mm width, and extend it forward to within about 1mm of the rear edge of the moulded top of the saddle. I also had to file about 0.5mm off the curved bottom face of the saddle moulding. Once I'd done that it also accurred to me that I might as well shorten the saddle moulding at the rear, as I could then likewise shorten the lower part of the saddle that I had added to my new piece of running plate. I'd originally made that latter piece of saddle too long in order to match what was already on the boiler moulding (being lazy and hoping for a first time drop-on fit, but as that was not to be it seemed that I might as well do it properly....)

Here is that shortened saddle on the running plate, with extra layers added at the front to make up for the part of the saddle top that isn't portrayed on my extended smokebox. You can also see the access door between the frame fronts that I mentioned way back.

[Atlantic 3279]

Thanks to pictures via my friend in Portugal, and a loan of the appropriate Yeadon, I've also been able to set out the pattern of boltheads/rivets on the smoke deflectors, initially just lightly pop-marking the positions and then adding my favoured dots of PVA. The cruel magnification of photography reveals that I still have a dot to add to one of my marks
I haven't added the circular access plate for the steam pipe connection to the other deflector yet. That will be easy enough to add later according to chosen loco and period.
The front frame extensions have also now received the bogie wheel splashers, and basic representations of the bogie bearing pads. Some small pieces of plastikard and a bead of filler have been used to create the shapes of the tops of the cylinder casings.

At the rear of the loco I have also smoothed the surface of the firebox extension piece and done a bit more with thin strip to refine the appearance of the cab roof ventilator. As the next image also shows I have raised the vacuum ejector steam pipe by 2mm to its correct height. This was quite a slow and tedious job as I was trying to preserve parts from damage and the pipe had been well glued-in at the factory! Doing my very best I could not avoid leaving slight marks to the paintwork on the boiler where the pipe had originally been stuck. This won't matter on this loco which is due for a full repaint, but if I were using a dark green loco, not changing the dome, and aiming only to repaint the cab and firebox, I would hesitate to disturb the ejector pipe, even if the factory fitted A2 position is 2mm too low for the A2/3 version.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Looks terrific Graeme - I am enjoying watching this one develop immensely.

[davidwest]

Very much looks the part. But a lot of fiddly little bits left

[Blink Bonny]

It certainly looks the part - I take my hat off to you!

[Atlantic 3279]

More achieved over the last couple of evenings but nothing to warrant a new picture, although it will all help with the final result. I have worked out how to firmly bolt the running plate extension to the base of the smokebox, aiding the production of a straight and level rigid joint between the old and new sections of running plate. I have also made provison for screwing the front end of the chassis back up to the extended front of the body. With the ability to thus firmly locate parts in position I've been able to make final fine adjustments to the joint in the running plate, the saddle height, and hence the front buffer beam height too, ensuring at the same time that the sides of the new piece of running plate look truly horizontal and "in agreement" with the version of "horizontal" as portrayed by the old section of running plate. Additional cosmetic tweaks include (reversible) removal of the front coupling pocket, more building-up of the shape of the tops of the cylinders, and some more material scraped out from the inside lower edge of the backhead to allow the cab to nip up more tightly against the rear of the firebox extension piece.

[Atlantic 3279]

Finally got some rivets applied to the top edges of the running plate extension piece tonight, using PVA dots. Slightly tedious but actually went better than I'd expected once I'd carefully marked the line and spacings for the rivets. Certainly cheaper than £14+ (if I've got that price right) for a sheet of Archer rivet transfers - although I acknowledge that you get lots of rivets for that money.

So progress is still occurring, albeit slowly, partly on account of receipt of a bit of a family bombshell last Thursday.

Life

[mick b]

Havent checked the price but when i bought mine they were cheaper direct from Archer and they arrived in a few days too

[Atlantic 3279]

For those who may have been following this A2/3 conversion project but who are not yet "in the loop" and who have not seen through my subterfuge for themselves, then as used to be said in WW2 censored news bulletins "it can now be revealed that....." er, well, this is what it has really all been about from the very start:

Firstly a look at a bizarre apendage on the cab,

which I thought might be worthwhile way to help to create a "flap" that would ease the removal of resin copies from a silicone rubber mould (flap eased out in this image to demonstrate the idea - it may in fact be superfluous but I had to give it a try)

Here's a first, appalingly blurred picture of the topside of a resin copy of the running plate extension piece:

Slightly clearer here, though not showing the rivets on the edges as I had hoped, but they ARE there

Equally blurred underside shot (again the problem of an auto focus camera when there is little subject contrast)

The bath-tub two piece mould that produced the running plate, arranged so that all of the joint lines form just under the edges of the running plate/valance. Sitting on the top half of the mould to keep it supported whilst it hardens fully is (once again) a resin casting.

Lego moulding box containing the curing mould for "all the other pieces" and illustrating use of plasticene to fill redundant spaces in the box and thus economise on silicone rubber when I was down to the last dregs.....