Post by 4303 on Dec 17, 2016 11:13:30 GMT
Best wishes to everyone for the festive season and a safe new year. My frames are now complete and stayed. The 'rear' section is massive/massively braced but the front extension frames look puny by comparison - it's no wonder they got bent from heavy shunting and I can't imagine that the two struts between the smokebox and the buffer beam added a great deal strengthwise. I've read about Churchward's fascination with American locomotive split saddle/smokebox design but can't understand why his following CMEs persisted with the practice and it wasn't until 1944 that Hawkesworth made the change to plate-framed Halls. The four cylinder engines and inside cylinder were plate frame 'from the word go' so it wasn't as if the GWR had no experience with that method of construction. My extension frames would flex (slightly) from side to side when the buffer beam drag box was bolted to them but yesterday I made and fitted the stay for the front pony guide block and the flexing stopped. I think that our little L-Ps are stiffer than the full-size and we won't have to worry about damage in operation. Just my own thoughts and questions; has anyone else thought the same? Apologies if the preceding paragraph is 'off-piste' but having the thing together on the bench made me think.
I'm sure your front end will be fine. Any pictures?
