Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[Atlantic 3279]

Further progress. A rudimentary running plate, 3/64th in square brass bar and 8 thou brass sheet (I'd have used 10 or maybe 12 thou if I had enough but I didn't want the chore of cutting and forming 16 thou sheet). Later additions of 40 thou plastikard for strengthening and thickening to suit future casting. Same method as used for the K2s.

Cab in 40 thou plastikard by Manna's method. As I wanted it at least a mil thick and would have had to thicken a sheet metal cab to suit, plastic construction made sense, as did Manna's simple strategy of building the corners square, with internal fillets, and then filing in the curves. Easier I reckon and probably more stable in the end than heat-forming of the curves. One up for Aussie engineering. Front and rear of smokebox base as well as front of firebox also added in plastikard.

Owing to narrow OO gauge and large flanges the parts of the cab floor that ought to be flat will have to have some significant splashers intruding into it. I don't think many layout viewers will notice.....

Loosely assembled parts with one of those "here's one I did earlier" resin tenders. I don't have time to worry about the distinctions between the various types of GN tender at this stage. It looks like one, so it is one!

[S.A.C. Martin]

Watching with great interest Graeme. Looking very good so far.

[LNER4479]

Most excellent sir!

[manna]

G'day Gents

Glad to have been of service. That loco is looking good

manna

[JCL]

Hi Graeme

I've been lurking hereabouts for a long time. I just want to say I'm enjoying Your build very much.

[Atlantic 3279]

Thank you Gentlemen. I am flattered.

I had an 'orrible moment on Friday when I thought my long suffering (and battery murdering) digital camera might have died. The completely inaccessible centre pin in the socket in the camera that accepts the plug from the near-essential mains power pack broke off. Although I did a little cautious exploration, screw loosening and clip "prying", I couldn't see any method that I dare pursue to take the casing(s) off the camera in order to get at the socket for repair or replacement. Oh bubbles, or something similar, were my thoughts. Initial attempts to re-route the power supply from the power pack, after hacking off its special plug to expose the low voltage leads, re-connecting via the terminals in the camera's battery compartment, gave a frustrating lack of results. I began to wonder whether the camera had been damaged internally by a power flow through the wrong circuits as the pin in the socket broke off, or whether indeed there was some damn-fangled "smart" relationship between the circuits in the camera and the dedicated power pack, only capable of functioning via the broken socket. This was all in my lunch-break and I gave up at that point. Returning to the job in the evening, with time to use my test meter to check polarity, and using soldered connections rather than clipped-on ones, I was relieved and delighted when the camera sprang back into life! Yippee!

Noting that my meter indicated a 3.6 to 3.8 volt output from the power pack, even though the inlet socket of the camera is marked 3.3 volt, and bearing in mind that the camera only takes two AA batteries for "roving" use, I feel there's no wonder it struggles and quickly murders not only the charge in rechargeable batteries, but the ability of those batteries to hold charge too. Three fresh alkaline batteries only give 3 volts I believe, and a pair of NiCads would I gather be about 2.4. This thing is sucking them dry like a sharp lawyer with a gullible client on the hook. On that basis, THREE NiCads in series, preferably some big fat ones, sound like the kind of thing this camera needs for roving use......

ANYWAY.......as I declared lunch today I grabbed some quick pictures of the J6 thus far:

Wheels and rods by the way are Gibson, chimney from London Road Models, Mitsumi motor from Cambridge Custom Transfers (though I'm now onto another source for these), Smokebox door and backhead are both resin copies of altered bits of RTR locos, the backhead being my own work and the necessary sourcing and adaptation of the master smokebox door being by Tim Easter. Abetter picture of the latter will be possible once it has a coat of primer.

[Woodcock29]

Graeme

It looks excellent - I presume this is the master for casting?

Have you thought further about the correct tender? I would be interested in some castings for GN A Class tenders.

Woodcock29

[teaky]

Glad to hear your camera has recovered. Without that we'd lose a key source of entertainment.

The loco is really coming together now. Looking good.

[UpDistant]

Have you thought of casting this in chocolate? That backhead looks quite edible as it is!

[john coffin]

Woodcock.
Whilst at this time LRM do not do a separate set of castings for class A tenders, which of course we do a complete kit for
I am sure if there was a particular demand ie more than one person, John might well be able to create a pack of cast parts for those
who are prepared to pay for them!!!!!!!!!

WIth all that work Graeme, why not try an LRM J6 and see how easily your skills can convert to etched metal

Paul

[Pebbles]

I think that Malcolm Stelfox did early GNR tender axleboxes.

[Atlantic 3279]

It is indeed a "master". I was on the brink of trying the LRM J6 kit, based on praise for its merits from two Tony's I could mention, but.......with resin duplication in mind for speedy build up of the Grantham stud I had resevations. firstly on the question of design "rights" and secondly on the practical issues of wall thicknesses and convenient breakdown into suitable sub-assemblies.

[Atlantic 3279]

At close of play this evening, with a waft of primer, after fitting the following:

1. Rear steps, my resin items, originally produced for the K2s
2. Middle stesps, found in my spares box, evidently sawn off a plastic loco body, sides filed to give the desired curves
3. Dome, out of the spares box - whitemetal, not quite tall enough originally so built up with big blobs of lowmelt and filed to shape
4. Small washout plugs - I suspect they are Dave Alexander - whitemetal anyway - more spares!
5. Oval mudholes - resin, originally done for the pacifics...
6. Boiler bands in aluminium tape
7. Cab beading, 15 amp fuse wire super-glued on. I wouldn't do that for a service model, but this cab only has to survive long enough to make a mould.
I've dimpled the handrail knob positions too.

[DD_Fenrir]

Blimey! Considering it took Hornby 2 years to release 'Book Law' from mouldings they already had, the fact you've created this little gem in the space of a week from scratch is simply breathtaking. Looks a treat Graham and I could well be inspired to order a moulding if available. Great work!

[Flying Fox 34F]

I foresee this locomotive being rather popular.
Graeme, have you used 80thou plasticard for the chassis?

You are giving me cheap ambitions for the unusual!!!!!

Paul 4475

Deep in the Carpathian Mountains (craving steam locomotives)