A loco lifetime

[mugbuilder]

The roof is on. the engine is almost finished.

[mugbuilder]

2420 is finished and only requires painting and final assembly to complete. It will be finished in satin black and have the weather curtains and numbers fitted then. It will be left for about a month after painting for the paint to cure before the first fire is lit. no attempt will be made to run it then but it will be kept hot for a few hours and left to cool down. The first run will be a week or so after that.

[suctionhose]

The lower picture is very flattering angle for the engine. Does look good!

[Jim]

Just perfect in every detail.

Jim

[noggin]

Look's just like a DUBB'S Galloping Gertie, from the MSWJR , Lovely workmanship

[mugbuilder]

Thanks for the kind words fellas.
I am having a couple of weeks away in outback NSW for a break before starting to paint the engine.
Australia is a big country with a small population so we seem to make up for it by building big things.EG, Big banana, Big Pineapple, Big Marino, big prawn, Big potato ETC. These pictures are of 'Stanley' the big Emu in Lightning Ridge NSW. He is 18 meters tall and made of junk. You will note that the body is mainly a VW car body. It might make a weekend project for any of you who have a big scrap box under the bench.

[Jim]

Thanks Barry, I often wondered what happened to my beloved 1963 VW Beetle, now I know.

Enjoy the well earned rest and break.

Jim

[mugbuilder]

The engine has been stripped down for painting. This time I decided to paint a suitable number of parts as they were removed from the assembly. Most of the external fiddly bits were done first. They were hung from bits of wire and hooked over an old ironing board. Held by hand with the wire they were then etch primed and let dry for 15 minutes or so. In turn, 2 coats of black enamel were sprayed on and when touch dry [about 20 minuites] were hung inside. All painting was done outside on a cold but sunny day and a small amount of urethane additive was mixed with the paint to accelerate the drying and make the finished surface more durable. My spray guns were the ones that I used in my former spray painting work and work well for this job. sorry about the mess the big gun is in but it fell off the ironing board and spilt a bit. The small touch up guns are used for the etch primer and some of the smaller bits.

[mugbuilder]

The frame and boiler assembly were then masked where necessary, etch primed and given 2 coats of the same enamel. As you can see they were sat on the old ironing board [ which was covered with many coats of paint from previous jobs ] for spraying and left to dry in the sun. The finish was good with very little contamination.

[Jim]

Superb work as always Barry.

Jim

[mugbuilder]

The boiler assembly with the masking removed and the chassis assembled and test run on air to ensure that all is in order. I spray the screw heads by poking them through a piece of thin cardboard and giving them a squirt with the spray gun. They can get a bit marked on assembly but are much easier to touch up and neater than if done after assembly.

[Jim]

You live and learn.

For ages now we've had an old mesh top ironing board propped up by the side gate waiting to go to the recycle centre when along comes Barry with his simple conversion of a mesh top ironing board into a spray painting table. The ironing board is now in the workshop waiting for the next paint job which will probably be the Railmotor.

Jim

[mugbuilder]

G,Day Jim, These mesh top ironing boards are ideal for sitting things on as when spraying they allow any downward spray to go down and not be deflected back up which can produce a dry looking finish on the underside of the item, and not allow the paint to flow properly. I hope that I have explained it well enough. I always suspend small parts from lengths of wire which can be hung from the outside edges of the board. I have 2 of these old boards and hang as many small pieces as convenient around the edges and etch them in turn. After the etch is dry [about 20 minutes or so] I apply the first coat of finish color to each piece in turn and then as each piece gets its second coat it is hung on the other board well away from the first. This ensures that they don't get any unwanted dry overspray as each piece is painted. Having 2 boards also allows more than one large piece to be sprayed at the same time. I always spray outside on a fairly still fine day that is not too hot. You can see by the amount of built-up paint on the board that they have been used many many times.

[Jim]

Thanks for the explanation Barry. I can't believe that I was within a day or so of getting rid of something that will be so useful for when the Railmotor reaches the painting stage.

Jim

[mugbuilder]

The boiler mounted back on the frame and some of the other parts ready for assembly. The firebox cladding has had some of its detail bits fixed in place prior to placing back on the boiler.

[mugbuilder]

The cab roof has been covered with a suitable cloth to simulate the canvas covering on the full-size engine. the underneath of the roof has scored timber glued to it to simulate the wooden roof that was covered with the canvas.

[David]

Meanwhile, I looked at my dome casting. Didn't do anything to it, just looked.

I tried to bring it around to show you today but missed you.

I had an assessment due on Sunday and am building a new pair of driveway gates, that's my excuse!

[mugbuilder]

i.imgur.com /EVVtQX2.jpg[/img] I painted the tender a few weeks ago and re assembled it before starting on painting the engine. The engine assembly is coming on OK.

[mugbuilder]

[racinjason]

Barry that is a work of art.
Jason.