Britannia 70047 "Derek Stokes"

[JonL]

I just don't know how people are able to get into a smokebox this size without making it a split one. I'm going to make some special box/crowsfoot spanners to help me out or I don't think I'll ever be able to do everything up once assembled. I may make the smokebox door ring easily removed.

[simplyloco]

Aug 9, 2022 9:51:21 GMT JonL said:

I just don't know how people are able to get into a smokebox this size without making it a split one. I'm going to make some special box/crowsfoot spanners to help me out or I don't think I'll ever be able to do everything up once assembled. I may make the smokebox door ring easily removed.

Hi Jon
I made the whole smokebox front a push fit. No probs doing the pipework.
John

[Cro]

Aug 9, 2022 9:51:21 GMT JonL said:

I just don't know how people are able to get into a smokebox this size without making it a split one. I'm going to make some special box/crowsfoot spanners to help me out or I don't think I'll ever be able to do everything up once assembled. I may make the smokebox door ring easily removed.

Grandads has the whole front removable, I have large hands and can work in there just about. I've done the 9f the same and will do on all my locos no. 

Adam 

[stevep]

Aug 9, 2022 9:51:21 GMT JonL said:

I just don't know how people are able to get into a smokebox this size without making it a split one. I'm going to make some special box/crowsfoot spanners to help me out or I don't think I'll ever be able to do everything up once assembled. I may make the smokebox door ring easily removed.

When I built my Stanier, I turned the whole ring and door from a solid piece of steel, and made it a close push fit into the smokebox. That made things much easier.



The front row of rivets are dummies, hammered into countersinks on the inside of the smokebox.

[nonort]

I don't know if this will make any sense? but if you turn a shoulder on the smoke box ring you can disguise the thickness of the smoke box. The drawing shows it to be a push fit I think it is also mentioned in the ME write up. As another small change springs to mind if you chamfer the hole that the smoke box door sits on and do the same to the door its self it instantly makes the front assembly look a whole lot more scale. The ring of dummy rivets can be put in one size smaller to help with the scale effect, also the regulator cover is way to tall on the drawing and needs thinning out. I made mine from a solid piece of brass and cut a rebate around the outside. Just remembered that I fitted a small peg in the bottom of the smoke box to align with a slot in the ring to ensure that the ring is always put back straight and not cocked at a funny angle.
Hope this is constructive for you and not drivel

[stevep]

The smokebox on my Stanier was 1/4" wall thickness. The front was bored slightly to ensure it was round, and the dummy ring/door assembly was turned as you say, so it just shows a thin edge, while it is actually much thicker.

[JonL]

Ok that makes sense. I may include some small locators to ensure it stays on the level. Thanks for all the tips

[steamer5]

Hi Jon,
Another option I’ve seen is cut the smoke box horizontally, an internal flange on either top or bottom edge to align & bolted thru, allow the top to be removed with relative ease. Of course it depends how close you want to be to the original .
Keep up the progress

Cheers Kerrin

[JonL]

Aug 11, 2022 8:21:24 GMT steamer5 said:

Hi Jon,
Another option I’ve seen is cut the smoke box horizontally, an internal flange on either top or bottom edge to align & bolted thru, allow the top to be removed with relative ease. Of course it depends how close you want to be to the original .
Keep up the progress

Cheers Kerrin

Thanks Kerrin, I did consider this a few posts back but I don't think I can pull it off. It works very well on my William. My idea was to use hinges with removable pins to make everything as airtight as possible, but I couldn't make it work nicely on paper.

[GWR 101]

As you can see on my thread "Jubilee" I have gone for a split smoke box, this is following my experience on a 3 1/2 "Juliet I made. Which incidentally has a removable front ring held in place by some small dome headed screws to imitate rivets.
I am not sure how the split smoke box will perform, I have incorporated a tongue and groove approach (the grooves being in the top half). Hopefully this will alleviate any build up of soot, I have adjusted the handrail position to use the stations as a fixing method. Regards Paul

[JonL]

I find with the William the seam soon gets covered in ash and soot anyway, so not only does that suggest air isn't coming in that way it also self seals

[dscott]

Several hours to make but worth the effort.
Big bag of swarf, the possibility of making something from the cut out center, and not much left of the lump you started with.
This one started as a plate with the corners cut off and milled. Just about fitted on the Myford.

David and Lily

Yes the rotary table needs some work!

[JonL]

I'm just sorting the hinges on the smokebox to make it all a bit more Britannia; some of the engineering is a bit agricultural. Once I've done that I'm putting in some screws from the side to hold it in place. This should be hidden by the smoke deflectors.

[dhamblin]

While you're sorting out the door don't forget to make provision for attaching your smokebox numberplate

Regards,

Dan

[JonL]

Excellent point!

[JonL]

Aug 15, 2022 18:06:09 GMT dhamblin said:

While you're sorting out the door don't forget to make provision for attaching your smokebox numberplate

Regards,

Dan

I've now done exactly that. Profiled a piece of brass to the curve of the smokebox, silver soldered it on, then milled it flat to take the number plate. I'll drill the holes for the rivets before I install it, but obviously can't fit them until the paint is on

[dhamblin]

Excellent. Sprayed my smokebox in primer last night - numberplate will have to wait as I can't get the door hinge pin out to sort out the mounting points!

Going to follow Coniston's approach and etch my own.

Regards,

Dan

[JonL]

I've done quite a lot even if I haven't documented it here:

Almost finished the platework on the tender. It now holds water. I've got three water inlets, each with an paint sprayer filter to filter the water going in to the boiler. I've decided not to put an injector in straight away; I've got enough complication to deal with. The return from the axle pump bypass is setup in such a way that I can see it from the flap for the hand pump.

Handpump is installed in the tender. Extended handle made (while looking for a suitable piece of stainless I chanced upon the plunger for an old cafitiere which is ideal, lovely bright stainless with a ball on the end). Most of the plumbing in place; tonight I made a bulkhead plate to go on the underside of the tender which has three 1/4 x 40 fittings for the water feeds and one push fitting for the axle pump return. All turned up from naval brass and soldered onto the plate.

Cab is largely complete, a little filling and profiling required to get it perfect but it works a treat. Drawbar pin goes through the cab floor; drawbar is made.

Smoke deflectors have had their beading soft soldered in place. I haven't yet put the gentle radius into the top edges; I keep chickening out.

All smokebox plumbing now complete.

Regulator handle made and complete linkage running down the side of the boiler to the regulator ball valve. Works far better than I could have dreamed.

Started the steam turret plumbing. It's all a bit of a tetris arrangement; got to move one pipe to access another etc. I've made the cab easy to remove for trackside maintenance to get to it all.

Blowdown valves made. I made a poppet style arrangement, like a reverse safety valve. Press to release water. I seldom blow down fully, usually just enough to get rid of mud-ring grot.

Grate mechanism now finishes, slightly different to as drawn. Pulling the rear grate pin also releases access to a lever. Pulling that lever pushes the grate down, pivoting from the front pin.

Steam dome complete.

Blower valve complete, I actually decided to be a big grown boy and design and make my own from scratch. To my amazement it works a treat.

I need to make the bypass valve next. I'll probably just emulate the design I used for the blower.

I'm sure there is more I have missed out. Sorry I haven't been documenting it on here very visually, I still feel my work is quite agricultural compared to what I see here and am reluctant to show it. It's all safe and such, it just lacks the finesse of the work shown on this forum despite my best efforts. Maybe my third locomotive will be exhibition worthy, but this one isn't it.

[dhamblin]

Great progress Jon, please do post the photos as I, for one, want to see how it is coming together

Regards,

Dan

[timb]

Jan 18, 2023 21:20:43 GMT JonL said:

 Sorry I haven't been documenting it on here very visually, I still feel my work is quite agricultural compared to what I see here and am reluctant to show it. It's all safe and such, it just lacks the finesse of the work shown on this forum despite my best efforts. Maybe my third locomotive will be exhibition worthy, but this one isn't it.

Regardless of what you think of your efforts, (and I am sure they are way better than you state) you are creating a small scale working locomotive - no small task regardless of ability.  Please post pictures so those of us becoming dispondant with this forum have something intersting to read and look at, you may even inspire more readers into action.

atb Tim