Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[Atlantic 3279]

Good morning all

I think that 2002 before the additional smoke deflectors were added was one of the best looking locos ever.

I was intending to travel to the distant north (for me) to see Grantham and 2002, but a friend has come up with a Twickenham ticket for saturday and my local main line station is closed on sunday for engineering work.

Earlswood nob

My wife won't want to hear that you've got a Twickenham ticket. She's a big fan of international rugby but has to settle for seeing it on the telly.....

[Atlantic 3279]

With priority career / business matters still commanding my attention at present it has been grindingly slow progress with Earl Marischal, but at last I have something fairly complete to show. I’m yet to tackle the job of cutting back the unrealistic frontal parts of the pony truck to allow dust shields and main-frame guard irons to be fitted. In any case I shall firstly have to establish whether the loco with steps and supplied cylinder drains fitted will actually go round practical curves.

As you’ll see the firebox mudholes are now lined out, as is the rear of the tender which sports new real handrails. While I was doing those I thought I’d better keep the man in the Antipodes happy by doing the handrails around the cab too. The inside of the cab has had a birthday as well, with backhead features painted and the cam valve-gear reversing wheel replaced by a normal Pacific-style column, which I assume would have featured in the locos with conventional valve gear. The varied metals of the valve gear parts have been toned-in, brass coloured paint applied to oilboxes and spectacle surrounds, “wooden” frames painted in on the cab side windows too (I forgot to fit the glazing for all but the last couple of pictures!) . A replacement set of lined green wheels was dropped in to save me the chore of trying to line out a plain set. I would never have got such a neat result anyway. I’ve moved the added centring spring for the pony truck further back to conceal it more fully between the coupled wheels. After some head scratching I found and fitted a set of 247 Developments Doncaster works plates that I put somewhere safe a long time ago.

[Mercator II]

Looks the mutts nuts Graeme, you can give yourself a pat on the back, we now await a Bugatti frontend variant!!

[IAK]

Stunning, as ever

[manna]

G'day Gents


Shakes head in disbelief............

manna

[Woodcock29]

Hi Graeme
This is bizarre - I posted a response straight after your update with the photos and its gone missing?

Anyway - 2002 looks great and the man in the Antipodes is happy to see proper handrails on cab and tender.

I also noted that from photos I have seen that 2002, like 2001, had a vertical handrail inside the righthand front sheeting. I put one on my 2001 by replacing the outside two handrail knobs each with two Gibson shoulderless knobs, suitably shortened and soldered together end to end and inserted through slightly enlarged holes, then set in place with superglue followed by a small amount of araldite.

I also replaced the smokebox door handles, handrail and lamp iron.

Heading to the UK in just over two weeks now - can't wait.

Andrew

[Atlantic 3279]

Hi Andrew,

I thought somebody would eventually mention that inside handrail. I considered going to the trouble of fitting one, but feeling the pressure of time at that particular stage I turned a blind eye. It isn't impossible to return to that at some stage however, without jeopardy to the paint finish, and the smokebox door is only a tight push-fit too....

[S.A.C. Martin]

Beautiful bit of work. One of your best Graeme, by far.

[nzpaul]

Hi Graeme
That leaves me feeling very inadequate, it's superb( plus a bit).
Anyway, I hope I'm not being a pest by dragging the subject up again but, you mentioned quite a while ago that an explanation/tutorial on wheel lining might be on offer.....any chance you'd have a moment spare to write up few comments on your technique?

Cheers
Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

During the weekend, JASd17 of this parish was kind enough to use his skills and a quality camera in the vicinity of Earl Marischal:

I must apologize, since I have to confess that I had totally forgotten about the description of my lining methods and time won't allow me to do anything about it at the moment, but I will endeavour to remember to do something at a later date.

Thanks again to all who have shown interest.

[Dave]

Graeme.

Good to see you on Sunday and your excellent model, JASd17 has done a very good job with the photo, considering it's in the back of his car boot and the sun was bright, as always in Wakey.
It was a good show.

[Mersey508138]

Can I ask if the valve gear is a standard hornby valve gear or did you make the parts you needed for the walschaerts gear.

I have just bought a P2 chassis and wish to do the same modifications to it. I also want to fit flanged wheels under the cab that will guide the loco when running backwards but the potential wheels I could use similar to the A3/4 tender wheels cause a short on the section under the cab where the tv interference capacitor sits.

Any help and advice very welcome.

[Atlantic 3279]

The cylinders have been replaced by some considerably modified Bachmann new-pattern V2 cylinders. Most of the Walschaerts valve gear is made up from parts for Thompson Pacific valve gear that Morgan Gilbert was kind enough to help me to get etched up about four years ago. One or two remnants from a Comet V2 valve gear etch were also required, while the visible parts of the slidebars, the crossheads (modified) and the return cranks are re-used Hornby items from the original model.

The general pattern of the latest generation Bachmann V2 valve gear is correct, but the killer problem in trying to use that is the overall length of the V2 valve gear, around 3mm longer than the P2 version to suit the 7' 3" (V2) rather than 6' 6" (P2) leading portion of the coupled wheelbase. You can apparently "cram in" the V2 valve gear and fiddle enough clearance to get it to work if you're lucky, but it won't look right because those links and levers that should stand almost vertically will be pushed over at highly oblique angles, various parts of the gear having to assume a sort of Z shape in order to fit in.

I am not aware of any RTR Walschaerts valve gear of both the right pattern and the necessary short length. If such a thing existed, you can safely bet that I would have used it.

[Mersey508138]

Sounds like a plea to hornby for the walschaerts gear to be produced is needed.

It could be done as part of a chassis or available as spares.

[mick b]

Sounds like a plea to hornby for the walschaerts gear to be produced is needed.

It could be done as part of a chassis or available as spares.

You will be lucky, they dont even produce all the parts for what they already make as spares .

Hornby have zero incentive to produce any the parts for a version they do not make (so far).