TO BUILD ??

[starspider]

Hi I am thinking of building a prairie to trevors drawings for my next project, wondering about any major problems etc.
so your comments welcome good or bad

[Andy Clark]

There's little in this thread at present as all of us seem incredibly busy on things other than Prairie's at present. What's your level of expertise in ME? The cylinder block looks to be a machining challenge. I bought most of my bits from Reeves, and they were expensive. Are there any other suppliers?

Andy

[dscott]

Dear Starspider,
I have now mansged to do most of sheet 7 with all the frame spacers on. These are best done round formers made from mild steel. I have a full set if you would like to borrow them.
also the tank bracket formers.
On the full size which then makes the model easier to form is a hole just where the rear joggle is, plus do mark out the rear frame once this is done otherwise you end up with a slightly smaller engine!!!
Good luck as they are a wonderfull engine.
David Scott. in a sunny Devon.

[Alan]

It is a truly lovely engine with generous drawings. However these drawings can be a real minefield with important information on 2nd and3rd sheets.

You really need to be honest with yourself about your abilities in the workshop.

Reeves 2000 are the sole supplier for this model. They have served me well in the past. Cylinder block is not made of gold, it just cost the same.

Ask yourself thes questions
Have i got the abilities to build it (ask a friend to be honest)
How much are the castings, and a forcast for the rest of the bits.
How long will it take me to build (this one will take at least twice as long as a normal 5"loco.
Is their a suitable alternative.

Always pleased to help if i can
alan

[dscott]

I passed my shallow drawer last night full of parts and thought about the cost of castings and copper, plus the possibility of fabricating more of the parts, this in some cases is cheaper and saves machining or filing to finish. Horns for a start and the rocker shaft castings, these have been saved up for over and over over the years and like the cylinders always out of reach.
Could fabricate the cylinders from round bar welded and soldered together.
About difficult engines, we could all have a Sweet pea or a Simplex with all the drawing errors.
A complex engine gives us a challenge.
David.

[Shawki Shlemon]

Hi starspider
It is a lovely engine ,however if you have built an engine before I say go ahead if you can afford it . If this is going to be your first, I would think twice , may be do a simple engine first for practice .

[alanetm]

I will soon be starting my build. Invested in all the castings and copper for the boiler as the prices only go one way! I expect the start in ernest will be in two to three months time. My model builds get posted on my web site as progress goes on so keep a look out on http//www.aonx97.pipex com . Must finish my Foden first though.

[dscott]

Dear Alanetm,
I will try again to post some photos of Prairie tank bits, to speed up your start, would you like to borrow a set of formers to bash out most of sheet 7, these are the frame stretchers. They are lovely in their own right and a shame that they get covered over later. I use steel for the angles and B&Q do square section's with very sharp corners which is perfect when cut in 4.
Mill and round off the edges and it looks like the full size one.
Yes a set of Reeves castings is one of the best investments ever. I have 3, don't ask!!!!
David Scott in a rainy Devon.

[alanetm]

Hi david,

I have not yet looked in detail at sheet 7 to decide how to make the stretchers, if formers are the way to go to borrow a set would be a great benifit. I had figured the B&Q box section for the angles and bought a length some while back. I would like to see your photo's as they usually say a thousand words which is why I publish my build photo's on my web page. If you want to e-mail me then you can get my address from my web page.... rather not post it unrefined here.

Pity about your rain .... we have it now you can have it back again!
Alan

[dscott]

Dear Builders,
Almost there with the photos, making the bits was the easy part, getting my head round putting things on file, making sure it was small enough to fit, and remembering which bit of the computer I had stored them on is hard.
My 4 th go tonight with the photo bucket thing.
Has anyone got a former for the rear steps bracket before I set to and make one, please.

David Scott.

Ps we at work have just got a cnc Boxford mill, a bigish one, now thoughts have turned to if someone building could do some drawings in dxf or pdf (pretty damed fast) It could be left with some metal to chew through during lunchtime.

[starspider]

Thanks all for your input. I have decided not to build the 51xx as my next project the final straw was being quoted £770 for the cylinder castings, thats plain daft even if they are lost wax and fully cored with scale passageways. I think I will give the simplex a "light" overhaul and look at the BR class4 tank of Mr Hewson. Thanks again
colin

[ducatibob]

Hi, I am a new boy on the block. I have just finished a Simplex and am thrilled to bits with its running. Now for the real stuff a 51XXX. I have the drawings and am getting materials together to make a start this winter.

[dscott]

Dear ducatibob,

Welcome to the dedicated metalbashing mob, 13 sheets that each unfold to cover the entire space of most workshops.

But saying that the engine is superb and working to them a pleasure, my latest part being a bending former for the main frames. This would be made easier if Trevor had incorporated what they did in the full size engine and did the cut out frame lightening hole which covers the entire s shaped curve and makes this easy.

We need someone to contact Poly Models to see if Pete Thomas could be purswaded to do some of the more difficult bits on their C.N.C equipment, he did the new cylinder pattern for Reeves.

I am looking into the possibility of doing them as a built up set in steel turnings and millings and solder it together.

Above all have fun building one.

David.

[Alan]

I just wonder,Pete thomas , being a clever type of person. if he/polly do a casting suitable for the cylinder block for the prairie. has anybody asked?
I have the gold version from Reeves!

Alan

[ducatibob]

A couple of starting issues. I have a mind to use bright rolled steel for the chassis rails. Will it move when I cut out the horn block slots? or shoud I use black drawn. The best idea I have to put the 7/32" joggle in the rear of the frames is by making a press tool. Is there an eaiser way?

[dscott]

A press tool is the only way as you can do it cold, I have one ready for doing my frames from bright sheet and remember that there is a hole that makes the double bend easier to do.
If you heat it up it will move, this is fine if you then go on to mark out and cut them later, also on the full size, most of the 10 BA bolts are in fact rivets so we can save some pounds.

Here at work we have various presses, one I made for the metalshop from a hydraulic pipe bender when we got a new one. Up to a monster that tests concrete beams to distruction
on the civil Engineering course.

How close are you to Plymouth.

David.

[ducatibob]

Hi David, Thanks for the reply. I have taken advice from others and they say using bright mild steel will definately result in serious distortion. I am now on with a press tool. I live in South Wales so a long way away from Plymouth. I will be doing the joggle in the next week or so and will report on result, good or bad.

[ducatibob]

All,
Regarding the cylinders it would be good if someone could come up with a drawing to fabricate them out of mild steel and use mehanite for cylinder and valve liners. I'm sure it is possible although not easy.

[ducatibob]

Just for the record it has taken me 24hours to clean up and machine the driving wheels not including boring for the crank pins and making and fixing the wheel counter weights.

[dscott]

Now we have the good news that the 30" GWR locos will be covered by Poly Models, we can look forward to some lovely products to help us with this engine.

Do Saint cylinders also fit 51XX's?

David.

I do have a drawing of the mild steel fabrication but would have to build one to see if it would work.