Great Central 9K (BR C13) Tank engines (4mm NU Cast kit.)

[thehorologist]

i New member with an enquiry about the Great Central 9K (BR C13) 4-4-2 tank engines. I am building a 4mm Nu Cast kit kit to represent the final BR survivors. Photographic evidence shows a feature not shown on my model. The main side tanks seem to have a horizontal seam or join running midway thorough the center of the tank. Can any member explain what it is and how best to show it in model form.
regards Chris

[45609]

The line you can see will be the top edge of a repair plate where it has been lap jointed with the original tank side plate work. It was a common feature on lots of elderly tank engines nearing the end of their useful life. By this time the bottom of the tanks would be thinning and perforating with corrosion but rather than make a whole new side a patch was welded over instead.

In model form a thin overlay of 0.005 inch plasticard would probably do the trick.

Cheers....Morgan

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

It may be seam between plates. Many locos had side tanks clad with plate in 2 sections. In the Holmes J88, the plates are simply overlapped and snap head rivetted. Later on, the seam areas "sunk" for some reason. The J83s and Beardmore built LMS Jinties were the same but with flush rivets and a joddled seam to give a flush appearance. That is, until the joint sunk.

To represent the sunken joint, a centre punch moved against a ruler should work.