70036 Boadicea

[Andrew C]

It's getting really close!!

And just in time for the Summer

I like the idea of the idea of the transfers by the water valves.

Good luck with the steam tests

Andrew

[Jim]

Thanks Andrew, the big day is certainly getting closer and I just hope it goes better than my last 'big day' when I opened the regulator on the Burrell for the first time, gave the flywheel a helping turn and was horrified to see a great bubbling fountain of brown foam erupt from the chimney and to descend over my lined and polished pride and joy. It was something to do with the salts and muck left in the steel boiler from welding etc that hadn't been flushed out.
How's your Britannia coming along these days?

Jim

[Jim]

Having said I'd reached the end of this build I suddenly remembered the removable cover plate to give access to the water scoop's lifting mechanism. It sits on the top of the tender just behind the tender's window on the driver's side.

The reason for not making it earlier was that I couldn't find suitably sized hex head studs that were used to bolt the plate down and using plain rivets wouldn't have looked right. Then it dawned I me that a little drill chuck I'd bought on the off chance it would come in handy one day might just be the tool for making the scale studs. It also had a hexagonal rod spigot for mounting in a larger chuck which very handily would act as an index for filing the hex heads on the bolts.

1/16" brass rivets were used as the basis for the studs and held in the mini chuck mounted in the lathe chuck a small pimple was turned on each rivet head to represent the top of the stud.



Once all 20 rivets were done the next job was to file in the hex heads which was actually quite easy if not tedious.

The stud was held in the mini chuck which in turn was held on the flats in the vice and the head of the rivet given about 5 strokes with a Swiss file then rotated to the next set of flats, clamped and so on until all the studs had their hex heads filed in.



This is one of the completed studs,



Next the location of the studs was marked out on a suitable brass strip and the holes drilled along with the 4 holes for the two lifting 'U's.



The studs were then placed in their holes along with the two lifting 'U's and soldered in place.



Primed and painted the plate in position.



Finally this is Paul Orrell's photo of the access panel on 70000 Britannia.



and on 70036  Boadicea.



Thanks for looking.

Jim

[steamer5]

Hi Jim,
Nice detail!
Bet you are getting excited to get her fired up!

Cheers Kerrin

[Jim]

Thanks Kerrin,
Once I've lined the tender etc I'll seal it up then take a deep breath and start a series of warm up firings before a trial on the test track. Hopefully all will work as planned.

Jim

[don9f]

Hi Jim, great attention to detail. For interest, the studs & nuts on the real tender are 3/8“ Whitworth. With the cover plate removed, access is gained to the water level indicator mechanism / float linkage....which you probably knew!
Cheers Don

[Jim]

Thanks Don for the comment and information which sadly was cut off my GA works drawings due to the largest sheets of paper the printer had not being quite big enough.

Now you have set the cat among the pigeons because you just know I want to go out and check if my studs are 3/8" BSWs.

One thing I am doubtful about is the two lifting eyes on the plate. In the few photos I've found they appear to be inverted 'U' s including the photo from the Paul Orrell collection. However if the photo is enlarged the lifting eyes turn out to be made from flat plate and what appears as a shadow where the U connects to the plate is in fact the base of the eye. It will have to be my dark secret but I'm going to have to stick with the inverted 'U' s

Thanks again for that information, it all adds to the information bank for future builders.

Jim.

[92220]

Hi Jim.

I've just enlarged the Paul Orrell photo that you posted. The photo shows the lifting eyes are made from 1/4" thick, flat plate, as the BR drawing. The photo is not very clear at all, until you enlarge it. Like you, I thought the lifting eyes were made from round bar, until your post pushed me to look for the drawing and compare it with the Orrell photo, but they are just holes in a piece of flat plate, with the top edge radiused to match the hole.

Bob.

[Cro]

Also, the nuts should all have washers under them...according to the photo

Just messing!
Adam

[Jim]

Nov 20, 2017 9:29:08 GMT Cro said:

Also, the nuts should all have washers under them...according to the photo

Just messing!
Adam

That's those damn workshop gnomes again!!!! I gave them strict instructions to put washers under the their nuts before adjusting them
You just can't get good help these days Adam.

[Tony K]

Nov 20, 2017 6:15:02 GMT Jim said:

..... However if the photo is enlarged the lifting eyes turn out to be made from flat plate and what appears as a shadow where the U connects to the plate is in fact the base of the eye. It will have to be my dark secret but I'm going to have to stick with the inverted 'U' s
Thanks again for that information, it all adds to the information bank for future builders. Jim.

Don't beat yourself up too much Jim - many, including myself, do not have the plate on the tender at all. As you say, more info into the bank.
We all, I am sure, wish you well with your first run and thank you for exposing yourself on here during the build - very brave.

[Tony K]

Jim, I have uploaded some video, regrettably only 45 seconds, of "Boadicea" leaving Grimsby in 1962. I saw "Boadicea" many times, along with its classmates, "Hereward the Wake," "Robin Hood," "Sir Christopher Wren", "Clive of India" and "Sir John Moore" on this service to King's Cross at Spalding - that well-known cultural centre. The 6 were transferred to 40B for this service. Regret the brevity and the video quality but hope you enjoy nevertheless. Enjoy

EDIT - see below, "Hereward the Wake" was also one of the locos on this service.

[Jim]

Thank you Tony for posting that video clip, it is 45 seconds of pure gold and I've already re played it twice and will do so again...love it!
Interestingly on the same YouTube page the next up video is of a green streamlined NSW C38 Pacific beltching smoke on a run over the Blue Mountains and  through Katoomba which was my home town and train watching spot.

Many thanks again Tony,

Jim.

[stan]

Hi Tony K
Don't forget 70035 Rudyard Kipling was also a 40B Immingham loco as we had 7 Brits
Stan

[Tony K]

Nov 20, 2017 22:01:08 GMT stan said:

Hi Tony K
Don't forget 70035 Rudyard Kipling was also a 40B Immingham loco as we had 7 Brits Stan

Yes Stan, for some reason I often forget him. Perhaps I didn't see him so often. Put it down to my age

[Jim]

Since the last post I've decided to get on with the driving trolley. I had intended to line out the tender but I wasn't happy with the way the work was going due to the rivets making life more difficult than it need be so I've moved to plan B..more on that later.

I've already completed the chassis and tested it at the club track where it took off like a rocket down the track from the steaming bays which resulted in me doing a complete base over apex as I ran forward and forgot the elevated ramp! A very big, "Oh Bother I've barked my shins!" was heard half a block away.

The first stage has been to bend and weld up the 5mm plate to form the supports for the foot rests.

The first photo shows the flat bar being partially cut through to form a point where it can be bent.





The right angle bends were made in the press using a vee block and once checked that it was a 90 degree bend the joint was brazed.





There are 3 brackets aside to support the foot boards and the next job will be to add the bracing straps to the 4 end brackets.

At this stage I'm thinking of giving the driving truck the outward appearance of a CCT.





This is still a work in progress.

Jim

[92220]

Nov 29, 2017 23:37:01 GMT Jim said:

Since the last post I've decided to get on with the driving trolley. I had intended to line out the tender but I wasn't happy with the way the work was going due to the rivets making life more difficult than it need be so I've moved to plan B..more on that later.

I've already completed the chassis and tested it at the club track where it took off like a rocket down the track from the steaming bays which resulted in me doing a complete base over apex as I ran forward and forgot the elevated ramp! A very big, "Oh Bother I've barked my shins!" was heard half a block away.






This is still a work in progress.

Jim

Hi Jim

Are you sure that's what you said. Maybe my hearing is failing me with age, but it sounded as if you uttered some very different words, from up here in UK!!!!!

Bob

[Jim]

Bob, I didn't think you would have heard what I actually said though you may have spotted the dark blue tinge to the air. Clearly i was wrong.
 
My dear wife who was there at the time asked in a concerned way 'Did you hurt yourself dear?' followed by.. 'There's no need to be vulgar dear.'
Steel rail hitting shins with force followed by a rolling dive head first into the ballast is not the happiest way to witness your driving trolley vanish into the sunset, especially as your mate shouts, "Gee she runs freely look at her go"

Jim

[steamer5]

Hi Jim,
Thought there was a blue tinge to the clouds the other day!

Still if you had just stayed were you were & turned 180, it would have arrived back...........after all we build our tracks in a big odd shaped circle!

Still feel your pain!

Cheers Kerrin

[Jim]

You just wanted to see me get clobbered a second time Kerrin, as the chassis hurtled round the corner on its return.

Jim