Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm very grateful for the offer of use of the kit as a possible source of master parts. It wouldn't be the best plan to send it to me just yet, as there are a good number of other tasks I have to deal with before I can fully address the question of what to do about resin parts to allow others to produce a V2. I posted the multi-origin V2 image at this stage only to illustrate a future possibility. I have firstly to deal with the "new" W1 plan, another A1/1, and some basic prototypes to test A2/1 and A2/2 ideas. I think I may need to consider making masters for, and casting, some unusual garden walls too.


"Plan A" for the V2 body was actually to completely dodge the need to try to cast a boiler (which could be awkward) by using a cut-down, cheap, readily available spare Margate pacific body onto which a new cab and front end could be grafted.

With much to do, I'd better get on with the W1 cab next. I'm sure that the joint in the extended firebox must be rock-hard by now!

[Horsetan]

I'm very grateful for the offer of use of the kit as a possible source of master parts. It wouldn't be the best plan to send it to me just yet, as there are a good number of other tasks I have to deal with before I can fully address the question of what to do about resin parts to allow others to produce a V2. I posted the multi-origin V2 image at this stage only to illustrate a future possibility. ......

I'm sure I can wait

[Atlantic 3279]

Some interesting locos have just joined the queue on my workbench, for service and "sensitive" repair/restoration where required. They'll only get attention as and when I can afford to take breaks from jobs already in hand, and if necessary they have to wait until those more imprtant jobs are completely out of the way, but these locos were evidently so "lovely" when new that I just had to take some pictures, even if they've now suffered a little from disuse and "heavy" handling since the original owner's time ran out.

These are said to be the handiwork of Steve Barnfield, some up to 30 years ago, and are all EM, with compensation, Portescaps and load-bearing drawbars transferring tender weight to the loco. I shall of course be trying to do the absolute minimum to them, and ensure that any necessary paint repairs are to original standards if I can, in order to try to preserve the original master's work.

I suspect the over-enthusiastically applied "mountain of coal with overhanging cliffs" is an addition to Mr Barnfield's original work on that one!

I suspect the shade of green may be the old Cherry Paints version.

Definitely a Craftsman body on that one, but possibly with new frames by the look of it as there's no cut-out for the rear carrying wheels. When I looked at the top of the loco, I was reminded of building my own Craftsman C12 and finding that the two tank tops were rather annoyingly etched to different widths. I added a strip to the narrow on one on my loco to make them both fit, but here's the top of the EM gauge version:

There's an outsider in the pack as well....

....plus another twenty or so to check, service and repair, as and when I can find time! As they come my way, I'll post more pictures.

[Atso]

Those are lovely and a real tribute to the original builder. I'm sure you will do an excellent job working your magic and bringing them back to their full glory.

Once you've finished with those you'll only need to re-gauge your layout...

I'll get my coat!

[2002EarlMarischal]

The pump clip design rather took my eye last night by the way.........

Wow, I thought for a minute that you had yet another special skill Graeme!

[Horsetan]

.........

Just to confirm that this etch is a beautiful piece of work. Just what a Crownline Peppercorn A2 needs......

[Atlantic 3279]

Although I really ought to be back to that W1 by now, and MUST turn my attention that way very soon, I've spent the last couple of evenings putting together some rough (and I do mean rough) "proving" assemblies to demonstrate the possibility of using the Margate A1 body (tender drive Scotsman / Royal Lancer type) plus that V-fronted cab I've prepared and various funny bits at the front end to create A2/2, A2/1 and V2 locos. I felt this was necessary to show that Morgan's hard work creating the etch designs for the different A2 valve gear options and various smoke deflectors had been well justified. I'll try to put some pictures up tomorrow as the "lie of the land" seems quite favourable. The A2 variations, as intended, go over the A2/3 chassis that I'd already created from the Bachmann A2, without any unexpected major snags. The V2 body can even be persuaded, with a little easing, to go over the "old" Bachmann V2 chassis with its long, tall, ballast block.
Bear in mind that each of these projects will involve a bit of ingenuity and scratch-building to fill in certain missing features (unless and until I get around to developing some extra resin parts tio help out). The boilers require new bands, domes, new firebox plugs and hence a complete repaint is involved. But if you want models of these locos with correctly shaped boilers, on RTR chassis, and you'd rather assemble a cheap-ish plastic / resin body than tackle something dearer in metal from PDK or DJH, then it CAN be done!

[2002EarlMarischal]

Very much looking forward to this and being able to fill the gaps in the RTR large loco range.

[Atlantic 3279]

Here's the preliminary attack on the donor Margate A1 body:

Before I began cutting away the original round dome I had thoroughly roughened its insides and filled it with casting resin, as well as adding some thick pieces of plastic to the inner faces of the lower front corners of the cabsides where the moulding was relatively thin - although in hindsight there's really no need to add them. I was planning ahead for the long-firebox required in the A2/2, but rather than create it out of the existing plastic as I did , which is fairly tough to file to shape, I now think that it would be easier to cut off the cab entirely for all three loco options, then for the A2 extend the sides of the firebox back with layers of plastikard. Filing that to shape is easier. Anyway, going back to the main plot in proper sequence, I then cut the V in the back of the firebox, its top peak 14mm forward of its lower ends. The splashers were razor-sawn away flush with the top face of the running plate, along with the intermediate pieces of inboard running plate, leaving a straight inner edge. The slice sawn out of the boiler just behind the smokebox was along lines marked no more than 7mm apart, as I wanted to lose 8mm at most once the cuts were cleaned-up. The running plate was shortened almost directly below the boiler cut, neatly eliminating the notched edges that were providing for the original grossly overscale valve gear. A certain amount of filing off of unwanted details and rough edges then followed........

Because the one piece Margate A1 body moulding is slab-sided internally, unlike the tubular boiler of the multi-piece later models, I also had to do a bit of adaptation of my previously prepared long resin smokebox with wind-vane deflectors, so that it would plug-in to the modified body.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Same!

I can't see the need for the DJH or PDK kits now. Your selection of components allows for a better model of each of the A2 variants, no ifs, ands or buts about it.

EDIT: Ah! New post by Graeme. Will read now.

[Atlantic 3279]

I'm sure there's still plenty of scope for metal kits, and that nothing less than all metal construction will do for some modellers.

But....

V2:
The surviving front S-curves don't fall in quite the right places, but before I cut them off I took this picture to capture the general look with nothing more than the A3 front shuffled back 7-8mm. The tall steam pipes and lack of low sloping steam ducts either side of the saddle are wrong of course, as are the elevated box covers for the valve gear, the shapes of the front frame tops and the length of the dropped front curve of the running plate.

Along with correction of those details, a bit more trimming than I've done is required to get the front piece of the body and the very rear end of the surviving outline of running plate to sit down on my old Bachmann V2 chassis, but the motor and the block go in completely. Just like the A2s, a certain amount of boiler bottom and inner running plate still has to be added, with great care in this case to avoid fouling the fit on the chassis.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Hi Graeme,

All looking good, but isn't the A3 dome on the A2/2 and vice versa?

Certainly food for thought throughout. The A2/1 mockup looks very promising as does the V2.

[Atlantic 3279]

I couldn't decide which domes were correct as I hurriedly played around, shuffling parts and taking pictures without consulting prototype photos. In truth there's only one hacked A1 body at this stage, domes and other parts having been loosely attached as required, and photographic cheating used to produce the two different cab positions.

[S.A.C. Martin]

I couldn't decide which domes were correct as I hurriedly played around, shuffling parts and taking pictures without consulting prototype photos. In truth there's only one hacked A1 body at this stage, domes and other parts having been loosely attached as required, a photographic cheating used to produce the two different cab positions.

That's fair enough Graeme. The components are looking rather superb in any event.

[mick b]

Graeme
Are you using the new Bachmann V2 chassis in one of the shots ? A A2/1 sounds good to me , it will go well with my old Nucast version

May I suggest a resin A1/A3 Dome as I am unble to find anyone who sells one??