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Post by Jim Scott on May 18, 2020 23:04:06 GMT
I now have the task of making a stainless steel strip to go around the window surround...... also I am machining a template to form the strip around and then soldering it to a flange which will attach it to the cab side...... Hi Ed How are you intending to join your stainless strip to the (stainless steel?) flange? Silver soldering would be OK if you can control the distortion. Soft soldering will give you real problems if it isn't done by the book. This means correct surface preparation and very aggressive fluxes. The ARAX 96S solder I previously mentioned is specifically designed to solder stainless steel and contains cores of a very active flux.
If needs be I can provide you with solder but I totally agree with Julian's suggestion about using nickel silver. It is easier to machine and join and has a more natural appearance than stainless. Jim
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Post by Jim Scott on May 18, 2020 22:07:18 GMT
Excellent lunar photo Ed. Is it technically more difficult to get good definition in daylight or is there not much difference? I'm impressed that you can correct the tracking, I remember helping my bro-in-law do this with his very average 6" reflector some 3 decades ago but never getting it dead right. Earlswood's cab and platework is 1/16" brass sheet, mainly because it was donated by my 'sponsor' whilst I was still gainfully employed. It is actually fully riveted as per full size, not soft soldered, as on balance I thought this way I might make a better job of it. More work perhaps but less messy than soldering, which requires use of a small gas torch to provide sufficient heat. All joints are riveted with 3/64" copper rivets through brass angles inside the cab. Nearly all of these rivets are countersunk and finished flush, although Stroudley did allow the use of round head rivets in the bunker area (where they can't be seen...!). Regarding soft soldering, my personal preference is to not to tin joints but carefully clean and flux before assembly. Applied solder will readily flow through even very close fitting joints if heated to the correct temperature.
The cab opening 'beading' is actually nickel silver, an attempt to replicate the often seen 'natural' steel finish ie with the paint rubbed off, without being prone to rusting. Its pretty difficult to make these in one piece so I made one joint positioned so as to be as inconspicuous as possible central in the door opening close to the roof edging. These parts were also soft soldered but using an expensive lead-free solder containing 96% tin and 4% silver (Multicore ARAX 96S) This solder is appreciably stronger than other soft solders but is getting eye-wateringly expensive to buy these days.
Regarding photos, I have almost no details of the crosshead pumps on the A1's - any pics or sketches etc would be greatly appreciated. Although I won't make them operational I would like to fit accurate representations.
One more cab photo, of the LH side during manufacture. (2013). The parts are held in place before riveting by 12BA screws nutted inside. The joint in the cab opening beading can be seen top centre. Jim
Earlswood LH cab side during construction (2013)
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Post by Jim Scott on May 18, 2020 13:04:30 GMT
David
My heart leapt when I saw this thread entitled 'Dear Mr Froude'
"Great!" I thought. "We're going to have a discussion about dynamometers, their history and use." Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on May 15, 2020 11:20:09 GMT
Hi Ed Great to see your progress, wish it were me.... Your control levers look great and something I need still need to do, but in 5" G I won't be fitting working sanders. However, the front end levers etc for the drain cocks are in place and it would be good to get them working from the cab. I made the opposite sanding handle some time ago, also the filler cap, both likely to be decorative only. Thanks for posting the A1 photos from your collection, they are very useful to me as it is many years since 'Boxhill' was accessible from below - in fact not since it was moved from the Main Hall at NRM more than 20 years ago. Interesting to note that the brake operating mechanism is vertical on 'Boxhill' yet the G/A shows it inclined to suit the operating arm on the brake shaft. Cheers Jim
'Earlswood' rear cab boxes
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Post by Jim Scott on May 15, 2020 10:24:56 GMT
Hi Del...
What a lovely bit of kit.... Great for a model steam yacht but I would think a bit lacking in power for a 5" gauge loco...
However, there has been talk of elastic bands etc on another thread so who knows...?
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on May 8, 2020 22:20:20 GMT
What I haven't done today was travel 124 miles to Doncaster Racecourse for the 2020 National Model Engineering Exhibition. Disappointment at missing the annual meet-up over lunch but then its a saving of nearly 5 hours driving. Instead I did a little gardening, then a bit of model engineering, then at 4pm joined almost all of my neighbours in a strictly socially separated street party. Very convivial and eventually mildly alcoholic in the warm sunshine, I doubt if I will ever see the like again. That is unless folk decide it was so good we need to do it again next week.... Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on May 5, 2020 21:32:58 GMT
Hi Dave
You do know that at least four of your club members post on here..?
Jim S
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HS2020
Apr 26, 2020 10:12:08 GMT
Post by Jim Scott on Apr 26, 2020 10:12:08 GMT
Hello David
Although the individual model Engineering Society's will get their copy it would be beneficial to MECH members if you could confirm on here when this takes place.
Regards
Jim
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 26, 2020 10:03:04 GMT
Hi Carl, I've just completed a pair of own design 7 1/4" gauge Jinty tanks. For my next project, I'm considering designing a doubled up version of LBSC's "Grosvenor" for 7 1/4" gauge. Your model is superb and should have won the Curley Bowl this year! I can't locate any supplier of drawings for "Grosvenor" - Can you help? And it would be good to chat generally about this loco, and the mods you made. I'm based near Cambridge. You may have seen my working Gas turbine loco GT3 at various exhibitions. Regards, Tim. Hi Tim and welcome to the MECH forum.
The world is a surreal place just now, but I've just had a very odd daydream... I had a vision of a beautiful Stroudley 'Grosvenor', whistling along powered by a three spool jet engine with afterburner... This thread has been inactive for a while so Carl may not have noticed your post yet but do persevere. It was noted earlier that he may have a lot of the drawings for his superb 5" gauge 'Grosvenor' as CAD files which would be a great start to building in 7 1/4" G. If only I had enough years left I would add it to my list too. Regards
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 16, 2020 21:46:08 GMT
I noticed this announcement by Gerry Clarke, posted on the 7 1/4" Gauge Society website. It deserves the widest audience and I hope Gerry won't mind my publishing it here.
Jim S I have the sad task of announcing that Don Ashton passed away in Salford Royal Hospital on Sunday 12th at 10.15 pm just two days before his 81st birthday. For the last sixty years he has been a really good friend. Don has helped so many model engineers over the years through phone calls and emails mostly relating to valve gear problems. He would selflessly spend many hours in correspondence or just talking to them. After spending a lifetime studying the subject he published the definitive work on both Stephenson’s and Walschaerts valve gear. During the early seventies Don conducted extensive correspondence with (E.S. Cox, H. S. Gowan, Jim Ewins and Prof W. Hall) discussing many technical issues. As many of you will know Don was involved in the 4700 Night Owl project where he will be sadly missed. I have so many happy memories of Don, a great friend, I will miss the fun we had together. Rest in peace Don.
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 14, 2020 22:46:12 GMT
I am very sorry to hear of Don's passing. He had told me of his failing health some time ago since when our email correspondence has of necessity tailed off and my most recent email did not get a response. Don has given me an insight into the workings of locomotive valve gears beyond that I could ever have gained by just reading the model engineering press. Like Roger, I was flattered that he thought I understood everything he was talking about, in fact these conversations resulted in much 'homework' for me and my addled brain cells just to keep up. If I had made any faux pas these were never dwelt upon. I thank him for that and for the pleasant conversations on other subjects of mutual interest. Although I never met Don he did include a photo in one of his emails in early 2016. A short friendship but one to remember. Jim Scott
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 14, 2020 20:55:51 GMT
Hello David
Thanks for posting this, its been a long time in the making. I like the idea of Clubs being issued with a printed copy but do you know if it will be officially issued as a .pdf at he same time? This is likely the only way I'll set eyes on it for the near future.
I would appreciate your posting again when you know the guidance document has been actually issued. Hopefully we will be able to run our ground level railway again in full accordance with HS2020 sometime later this year.
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 11, 2020 16:55:49 GMT
....... One you won't have seen, because you'll have driven over the top of it, is over the route of the branch line to the long gone Derwenthaugh coke works. It had gone by the time we built the bridge, and I tried to get it deleted, but because the route was classified 'disused', not 'abandoned' BR insisted that we built it, just in case they ever wished to reinstate the track (to a coke works that wasn't there) ....... Yes I have driven over it many times but I have also walked under this bridge, which is now a cycle route/footpath. The Garesfield and Chopwell Railway was a mineral line used for transporting coal from Chopwell Colliery to the River Tyne at Garesfield Staith. Its route passed through (and probably served) Derwenthaugh Cokeworks and I well remember this in operation in the '60s and '70s. Huge clouds of steam were visible for many miles around when quenching coke straight out of the retorts. The air was thick with the smell of coal tar and other chemicals. Derwenthaugh was an industrial wilderness when the Coking Plant shut down in the '80s but the area was subsequently reclaimed and is nowadays a very pretty 'Country Park', pleasant to walk in and especially to those interested in industrial archeology. Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Apr 11, 2020 10:41:50 GMT
Hi ettingtonliam
And they're all still standing/working..! I travel this route regularly to avoid central Newcastle when heading westward from the seaside, usually aiming for the Lake District....
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Oct 25, 2019 22:49:53 GMT
Everybody is so clever on this forum...... Hello David This is of course true (!) It could well be that contributors are just naturally skilled engineers, or maybe they have learned from a lifetime of their own (and others) triumphs, mistakes or near misses. I doubt that you will ever again run your lathe in reverse without intending to.. Similarly, everyone switches on the lathe with the chuck key in place-----but only once...!!!
My salutary tale concerns the use of a floor standing bandsaw. As a young toolroom apprentice I had occasion to cut a complex shape inside a large diameter brass blank of 1/4" thickness. Faced with the prospect of laborious chain drilling and filing I thought it would be much easier to drill just one hole and pass a length of new bandsaw blade through. The bandsaw had facilities for blade welding and annealing plus a small grindstone for smoothing the weld, so what could go wrong? In fact all went well, the blade was through the hole and the weld looked good so it was fitted to the machine, tensioned and all the guards replaced. A quick check showed everything appeared in order so I commenced to carefully cut out the required shape. Although this was a brand new blade progress wasn't as sparkling as I expected but I persevered until the job was finished.
It wasn't until I came to cut through the blade in order to remove it from the workpiece that I realised that I had welded it with the teeth facing the wrong way! Of course it is possible to turn the blade 'inside out' which effectively reverses the cutting direction, but in this case it would result in the 'marking off' being hidden on the lower face of the blank. For some years afterwards the apprentices considered it a 'jolly jape' to invert the fitted bandsaw blade, much to the annoyance of those users not 'in the know'.
The fact that I remember all this 50-odd years later shows what an impression it had on me at the time.
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Oct 24, 2019 9:29:42 GMT
Crikey indeed! When I consider the number of opportunities available to cock this up it seems miraculous that it is at this almost finished state. My tired brain would have made an unrecoverable mistake long before this point. Else my trembling fingers would have allowed it to drop onto a hard surface...
Impressive just doesn't cover it...
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Oct 22, 2019 21:27:04 GMT
Hi Wilf
Presumably these are from the Boultbee Fight Academy at Solent. You are lucky indeed to hear that lovely sound on a regular basis. I believe you can get a 'joyride' in a two seater for x-thousand £, but I don't think you get to shoot at anything... On the afternoon of 5th August this year and about 300 miles due north of you I heard that unmistakable engine sound whilst sitting in my garden. Looking up I saw two small aircraft heading inland towards Newcastle airport. The first was shining in the sunshine and as it flew overhead fairly low it was unmistakably a Spitfire, but with a polished aluminium finish. Then I remembered the 'Silver Spitfire' round the world trip... www.silverspitfire.com/about/route-map/ I hadn't checked the route but yes, Newcastle International was the first waypoint on that day. There were a few more Merlins heard at Newcastle airport around this time as the RAF Memorial Flight were based there for the Sunderland Air Show overnight 26/27 July. Always good to see and hear. Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Oct 15, 2019 19:21:48 GMT
My next door neigbour is a very pleasant lady, I would think about half my age, married with two young girls. I think she might be quite well educated, certainly a degree in some physics/chemistry subject was mentioned. Anyway, they've only been with us about three years during which time they seem to have rebuilt and redecorated their home from top to bottom. I was invited in to see her latest acquisition - a work of art - hanging in her 'front room'. I assumed I was going to see a good quality print of something, but when she mentioned an engineering blueprint my ears pricked up... So what was it? Definitely a blueprint, and of a locomotive - in fact Gresley's V2 'Green Arrow'. When I got over the shock of seeing this framed and hanging on the wall I inspected it further. The drawing layout was familiar to most model engineers in that it was a side elevation with the frames drawn out below. All sizes were in fractions of an inch - then I noticed the distance between the frames was 1 15/16"...! So we have the first sheet of LBSC's 2 1/2" 'Green Arrow', from the constructional series printed in English Mechanics between 4th December, 1936 and 20th August, 1937. Now I can imagine John Baguley (Baggo) getting away with hanging this in the parlour but just how many other mere mortals would have the temerity to even hint at hanging this in anywhere other than their workshop? I'll let Baggo add the links to the N25GA website and other relevant info. Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Aug 18, 2019 22:58:13 GMT
My personal view is to use the same material for piston and cylinder block......... There is also no danger of galvanic corrosion, dissimilar metals and a bit of water can be quite destructive........ I always leave a bit of clearance on pistons and valves, about 0.0015/inch of bore, and allow the piston rings to do the sealing.......... Hi Paul
I agree with your comments regarding materials.
Pete (greenglade) mentions the use of bronze pistons, gumnetal cylinders and o-rings. My experience using this arrangement is that the cylinder bores should have the best possible surface finish achievable (ie a polished surface) to maximise o-ring life. It is imperative that the piston doesn't mark the bore therefore it may be advantageous to increase the piston/cylinder clearance substantially. Depending upon the detail design of the o-ring groove a definite clearance might actually be necessary to ensure the ring seals correctly.
Jim S
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Post by Jim Scott on Aug 2, 2019 22:23:13 GMT
Hi George
Thanks for posting the photo of Fenchurch and the tank lettering info. Can you confirm that these are individual water slide(?)transfers that you position as required, ie not one complete transfer or decal? I hadn't considered this method for No 83 so I will look forward to seeing the results of Mike's efforts.
Also, can you confirm that your Fenchurch is painted in IEG as supplied by Phoenix? (or was it Precision Paints?)
Cheers
Jim S
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