Thanks Brian.
Here's an almost complete set with varying amounts of flash still attached to the minor parts. The big bits of course have been cleared of flash and of many attached "rods" of resin formed in the breather holes of the moulds, so that they will fit together. The full sheet of flash that covered the space between the splashers obviously had to be removed with care, to avoid damaging the splashers themselves, and so as to leave nice neat edges. the same goes for the smaller sheet covering the cut-out in the underside of the boiler barrel and the skirt of thin flash that was present around the lower edges of the firebox.
Should anybody wish me to add closer views of the castings, I have the necessary images ready.
I do still need to cast some inside-bearing sub frames for the tenders, for those who might want such things. Fortunately, the same one that suited the GNR tenders I used with K2 and J6 models will suffice so I don't need to make a mould for that part. I also need to consider whether to produce some resin side frames to suit the four-coupled part of the chassis, with suitably shaped edges and reasonable surface details, for those who are not averse to use of resin for frames. That would leave builders needing to add only suitable frame spacers, brass bearings (set in place accurately using a suitable choice of coupling rods and jig axles), wheels, axles, motor, gearbox, stubs of stiff wire on which to mount the resin brake shoes, a representation of the yokes and pull rods, plus a means of attaching that part of the chassis to the body. ALTERNATIVELY, I could just supply a paper template for the necessary frame shapes...
For those interested in copying my arrangements so that the front of the loco actually rides on the bogie (with pin in slot to allow lateral movement too) and so that the four coupled unit is free to tilt slightly to follow undulations in the track without un-necessary losses of electrical pick-up, the images below show how I arranged for that freedom to tilt.
Seen from the side (my choice of well-forward motor position, but it would fit within the firebox if mounted more typically to the rear of the leading wheelset):
A view revealing the strong brass strip fixed across the top of the chassis. This protrudes laterally not quite as far as the inside faces of the coupling rods. A hole is drilled in each projecting end,
just large enough to
clear a slim screw.
The slim screw passes up through the hole in the brass into a hole that is drilled in the appropriate position in each side of the running plate, between front and rear splashers. If possible the hole in the resin should be tapped, although screws will bite in an un-tapped hole of just sufficient size in the resin. The correct positions for the holes in the resin are ringed in red in the image below. the casting is thick and strong in these areas, and holes in these EXACT positions ensure that the screw tips emerge above the running plate
inside the edges of the firebox, while their heads remain accessible from below even when the brake shoes are fitted. The trick when mounting the body onto the four-coupled unit is NOT to tighten these screws quite fully. This keeps the components in close alignment but allows the necessary tilting / rocking to take place.
