Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[Atlantic 3279]

I've now modified another P2 by fitting a return spring on the standard pony truck, but somewhat different to the example illustrated above by Woodcock. Both modified versions run through my "almost official OO finescale" hand built, copperclad based, code 75 bullhead points at any speed without trouble, but then so does the original Hornby truck! A more severe test will be provided when the get a chance to run on sloppy code 100 commercial points.

The return spring in this case is nothing more than one of the softer coil springs from a three link coupling, slightly under tension between two pins, on in the bottom of main keeper plate and one in the bottom-centre of the pony truck. This seems to nicely pull the pony truck back towards the centre line between its two possible pivot points and will I hope be less susceptible to any handling damage than a single springy wire

[Atlantic 3279]

That pony truck:

Other recent work has included attention to a D & S 6 wheeled GN passenger brake van. I bought this, a little reluctantly, some years ago, already lumpily built by somebody who hadn't fitted all of the details and, who I now also realize, hadn't bothered to solder to reinforce various folds and corners, wasn't terribly good at straight lines, didn't follow instructions but had LOTS of glue and ill-founded confidence available!
Despite the roughness of the vehicle I'd made the underframe workable a while ago and improved the finish on the teak panelling temporarily with a coat of tinted varnish. As such, with dissimilar auto-couplings either end it has been a very handy vehicle on Grantham. While it is still destined in the longer term for a full rebuild, its roof started to be a nuisance in recent months, large flakes of paint tending to fall off at the ends. My interim "Plan A" had been to use plastic-safe paint stripper on the roof and simply repaint it. Unfortunately, it was when I looked closely at the roof that I realized how useless the builder was at straight lines, the sky-lights meandering all over the place rather than being on the centre line, some of the raised roof ribs being as straight as a dog's hind leg, and the lamps/vents only conforming vaguely to the positions indicated on the only drawing I had, in Campling's LNER coaching stock book. I've finished up building a whole new roof, which required two attempts, and in the picture you can see how much more paint fell off the original roof as I tried to extract the white metal fittings...

In an effort to clear the workbench for proper attention to P2 bodywork after Christmas I've also been attending to other items sidelined in the last year or so to allow more urgent work to proceed. A GN goods brake which has stood mainly assembled but without handrails or paint for many months, and a replacement tender for one of the J6 models that gave up its original (but not very typical) later class B tender to the Ivatt neverwazzer 2-6-2.

[Atlantic 3279]

Although most of the expanse of my modelling mess has had to be cleared up for Christmas, I've managed to tinker around with one or two further jobs. A few months ago, Roger Ellis, owner of loco shed layout Waterloo Road, had spoken to me about a side window GC cab for a planned conversion of a Bachmann O4 to O4/6 specification. A GC side window cab, and a D10 type cab as spin-off from the project would be useful to me at some stage too, so although I had no time to act at that stage and drawings suggested that there might be complications, I agreed to have a go at the cab when I could. Last weekend I started to turn a suitable "donor" cab into a master for an adaptable/universal resin casting. The result had to be an approximation in certain ways as the C. Reddy drawings I consulted confirmed that the lengths of the side sheets, and the lengths of the roofs varied between the different classes of locos built with the side window cabs, and cab heights add a further variable as some were cut down in later years to meet LNER GS loading gauge. The cab casting I've produced therefore has:
1. Tall side sheets (easy to trim the lower edges to reduce the height)
2. Long roof (and that can't be altered without tricky cutting and shutting, or loss of roof ribs followed by restoration of ribs and rivets)
3. Long sides (but simply trimming the rear edge with a file without interfering with the windows gives almost the right appearance for a cab that is not so long)
4. Plain front (the amount to be cut out to accommodate a firebox depends on the class of loco and how the model is constructed)
5. Shaped spectacles like a Director (they can be filled in and reshaped as you'll see...)
6. Separate pieces to represent the "turn-ins" attached to the lower sides behind the crew positions.
7. Moulded handrails (unfortunately the donor cab had these and needs to be re-useable, but they can be trimmed off the resin casting)
Also, the lower front corner of each side sheet needs filing to a smooth flush surface if a tall cab with flat lower edges is being modelled, otherwise a prominent "ghost" outline shows where a cut-out in my donor cab had to be filled in.

Here's the so far one and only casting from the new mould, with bottom and rear edges filed back, moulded handrails removed and lower side sheets smoothed, spectacles plugged then re-drilled and filed to a simpler shape, front cut away to give a sliding fit on a Bachmann O4 boiler, hole cut to take the reversing rod, and (eventually) rear turn-ins glued on.

Roger has the problem of the battle-axe balance weights on O4/6 wheels to address, although that is in hand. I'm interested see what he does about running plate width aft of the cylinders. New sandboxes below the cab will not be a problem....

[Nova]

That looks fantastic so far, I'll have to give that sort of conversion a go at some point after the process has been finalised.


speaking of conversions, one thing I'm curious of, and feel free to disregard this question if this has already been done, but have you or anyone else ever attempted an A2/1 using your improved V2 bodyshell and A2/3 conversion parts (I can't recall if you do parts for the A2/1 OR A2/2)?

I may be tempted to carry out just such a conversion...once I actually have a layout...and money

[mick b]

A built A2/1 is on my thread using the excellent Graeme's resin V2 parts and including etched A2/1 specific Smoke deflectors and Valve gear .

[James Harrison]

That's a very nice casting indeed. If I read your post right you might also cast the cut-away type at a later date? If that were to come off I'd certainly be in thr market for a few.

[Atlantic 3279]

Correctly read James, but I'm not sure when. Stay tuned, and Merry Christmas!

[James Harrison]

Shall do! Merry Christmas!

[Atlantic 3279]

Views of that cab straight out of the mould, including the separate pieces for the rear turn-ins and an irritating number of air bubble defects in this case on the front, which lies uppermost in the mould. Fine filler deals easily with those not cut away for fitting purposes:

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

The O4/6 is an interesting conversion.
I have a conversion from a Kays O4 in progress. It is not as easy as I first thought, as the footplate doesn't narrow to the rear of the cylinders and remains wider than a standard O4.
This results in a wider cab.
I think the battle-axe balance weights were only fitted to those with side window cabs.

May I wish all readers a Happy new year.

Earlswood nob

[Atlantic 3279]

Another twist on the same basic item:

[IAK]

As ever, fascinating stuff...
Seeing D10 cab certainly got my attention.

[Atlantic 3279]

Ta. Well at present it is merely a second-generation "potential master", but resin copies are obviously a technical possibility involving minimal further fuss, if required.
Depending on applications, both styles of cab might require the user to add a curved extension to each of the lower front corners, but that shouldn't be difficult. I ruled out the idea of complicating the mould to include such extensions. Had they been right for one class of loco, modelled in one particular way, there's little chance they would have been correct for others....

[Atlantic 3279]

It isn't on the workbench yet, but it isn't far off and I have spent some time "looking and thinking" so I think I can now envisage how to prepare the front half of the body of my Earl Marischal to permit the production of an RTV that will in turn produce castings for the whole front half of the body, minus chimney, smokebox door and buffers. This will allow for a far simpler conversion than I originally imagined of further body shells. Only one cut and shut will be required in a position where colour change and physical "step" due to the boiler band will help to hide the alteration. This will be far easier than making good joints low down on the plain flat sheeting forming the sides of the smokebox shrouds and then having to deal separately with the elimination of the dust for the water heater and the bolted cover panels for the same in the top of the boiler cladding.

The chimney and smokebox door will be transferable from and original CotN body. Replacement metal buffer heads or complete metal buffers will be a better idea than Hornby's original and vulnerable plastic buffer heads anyway.

Once I've succeeded with the Earl Marischal work, I'll move on to the Bugatti version which will similarly feature a full new front half for the bodyshell, but it will also require some form of adaptation for the rear edges of the cab sides and the area behind the central roof vents, plus of course a different type of tender top.....

[mick b]

Put me down for a Bugatti one please (if not done already).

I am probably wrong !!, in photos it looks like C of the N retained its lower height tender ? As for the others could a GBL Mallard Tender as base model be a easy way forward ?