Woodcock's Workbench

[Woodcock29]

Well I've finally decided to start my own work bench.

I've commenced to build a B8 for which I had a few parts etched about 10 years ago by a local South Australian BRMA Member. I started constructing the chassis a couple of months ago but then got distracted with finishing a D3 I started about 18 months ago!

However, over the last week I've been back on the B8.
I'll post some photos in the next 24 hours.

Andrew

[markeg]

Hi Andrew,
Look forward to seeing what comes on the workbench.

Mark

[Woodcock29]

Firstly the D3.
This is built from a Premier Kit for the D2/D3. The unbuilt kit was acquired at a second-hand model railway shop in Perth, WA about 5 years ago. The tender in the kit is too short so I've used a GN A type tender I built recently from a Nucast GN B type tender from the J3 kit. All that has been used from the Nucast kit is the sides of the tender. the rear and the flat top. The frames and axle boxes plus buffer beam and drag beam are castings from Graeme King. The Nucast sides include the frames and sole plate as one casting so I carved away all but the sides which included removing the cast coal and backing plate, but retaining the flared top to the sides - likewise the back had the coal rails removed. I built a new front to the tender from plastic sheet - using an Isinglass drawing as well as a range of photos. The tool boxes and water filler are Graeme King castings.

[Woodcock29]

The wheels are fitted into a Mainly Trains 6'6"+ 6'6" chassis from Wizard Models.

The loco has a superheated extended smokebox made by using a suitable diameter section of smokebox from the spares drawer. The chimney is from LRM and a Graeme King J6 smokebox door has been fitted as that in the kit was well under size in diameter.

I had a major issue with the footplate - whether to make a new one from brass or carve up the whitemetal version. In the end I carved the w/m footplate supplied in the kit. The valences were very close to the edge of the footplate and angled in towards the bottom and I needed to be able to add a vacuum pipe on the RHS and a steam heating pipe on the left. So I had to carve substantial rebates but I think they've come out ok in the end. I also made up new buffer and drag beams from spare brass etch.

[Woodcock29]

The almost finished D3 - just needs boiler bands added during the painting process.

[nzpaul]

The D3 is lovely, sounds like quite a lot of effort but we'll worth it.

Paul

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Excellent result, do like those GN 4-4-0's. I'd like to build a D1.

manna

[Woodcock29]

Now to the B8.
Probably 14-15 years ago I acquired a poorly built non motorised Ks B2 for $20 (aussie dollars ~ 10GBP). I had already built one of these (5424 City of Lincoln back in 1987) and also converted one to a model of B3 Valour in 1992 (both of these were written up in the GCRS Journal Forward). Both of which have covered many miles on layouts I've had since then. This gave me the idea of building the mixed traffic version - the B8 as I could use the boiler. I needed a chassis and although the GWR Hall was close it wasn't quite right. So about 10 years ago I made some drawings for a chassis and a range of parts that would be useful if I could get them etched - footplate, valences, splashers front frame extensions and cab front and side sheets.

I got a local South Australian member of the British Railway Modellers of Australia who ran a custom etching business at the time, to etch these for me. It cost me a lot as he had to digitise my drawings, but as this was to be a one off project I wasn't phased by the cost.

The result was a pair of frames for a chassis in nickel silver and the other parts in brass.

I found I had a set of 22mm Romfords with the correct number of spokes, although the crankpins weren't in the right place but never mind.

I had acquired 4 Mike Edge GC bogie etches when I bought a set of etches for a B9 loco, so I had a nice front bogie in stock.

Fitting the bogie with a 10BA screw as a central pivot worked quite well but I had found that the clearance required for the 14mm Gibson bogie wheels meant I would need to remove a lot more from the chassis so in the end I cut the front section off and ended up with both a central frame piece over the bogie and also the guard irons as separate fittings

Although I had planned on using the Ks B2 boiler I have over the last couple of years purchased G-Train kits for both a B3 and B7 from Graham Nicholas which included nice cast resin boilers by Graeme King. As I've known Graeme K for a long time I decide to purchase a resin boiler instead.

Chimney and dome are PDK brass fittings from its D11/1 kit. I plan on using spare Bachman tender parts that I have - an LNER Jll tender body and chassis from an O4/1 tender.

So this is how far I've got:

Andrew

[Atlantic 3279]

Nice to see the work in progress, as well as the finished items.

[Woodcock29]

Thanks Graeme
Andrew

[kimballthurlow]

Hello Andrew,

You are very skilled.
The D3 is a beautiful piece of work.

Kimball

[Woodcock29]

Thanks Kimball
I recall you asking Graeme K the other week about the safety valve on the GN 0-6-0 he is building.
If you require one I have a spare that is the same I reckon.
Andrew

[kimballthurlow]

Hello Andrew,
Thanks. PM sent.

Kimball

[Woodcock29]

Just a quick update on the B8 with a photo taken on my phone. I haven't done much more on it until the last few days as I've been engaged on other projects. I've built it so that the boiler can be removed to assist painting. It slides forward and can then be lifted out. Its held in place on the front of the cab with two pieces of brass rod that the top corners of the firebox slide onto and a screw above the bogie into the base of the smokebox. The valve cover is part of the base of the smokebox so also slides out. None of the boiler mountings are fixed in place yet, nor the ejector pipe, boiler/smokebox handrail or the reverser box in front of the cab. Next jobs are to build the inside of the cab and finish off the chassis with brakes and balance weights on the driving wheels.

The tender is a spare Bachmann O4 tender. I've realised now that I'll need to extend the side coping plates further forward - I'm intending to lengthen those on the tender with off cuts from a previous project when I converted two Bachmann O4 tender bodies to become 3250 gallon tenders for Bachmann J11s. Good thing I didn't throw those bits out.

Andrew

[earlswood nob]

G'day all

A lovely bit of work. I have a spare Kays B2, that I've kept for a B8 conversion, but it's still in my roundtuit box.

I bought a job lot at auction some time ago, three loco kits for £100. I bought the lot for the McGowan C4 (still unmade and will take a lot of effort), a B2, and a GWR 4-6-0 which I sold.

I also have an unbuilt D3, which didn't seem so good when I measured it against an Isinglass drawing. Thanks for the tips on improving it.

Earlswood nob