70036 Boadicea

[flyingfox]

Well done Jim, best of luck with the steaming.
regards
Brian

[GWR 101]

Yes Jim that's exemplary work and the driving truck looks magnificent as one would expect to follow Boadicea. Hope the steaming goes well, then comes the problem of what to do next but I am sure you already have a project(s) in mind. Still freezing here and totally unsuitable in my workshop for painting, they say its officially the first day of Spring !. Regards Paul.

[Jim]

Thanks all, I'm certainly looking forward to lighting that first fire though I must admit to having the jitters as I imagine all the things that could go wrong. I still shudder at the thought of the steaming mess of foaming brown water that erupted from the Burrell's chimney the first time I opened the regulator.

Jim

[jools]

Mar 1, 2018 12:28:30 GMT Jim said:

At last the final little jobs have been completed and now all that remains is to complete the mini blower, the components are already roughed out, then start the warming up process before moving to raising steam for a steam test.  I also need to design a suitable module for transporting the loco, tender and driving trolley in the back of the station wagon for the 300km trip to the club for the boiler inspector's final check and approval.






Tomorrow we're off to club for the 'All Comers Invitation Run'.  It will be great to catch up with friends and to check out the unloading facilities and methods for taking locomotives down the incline to the marshaling yards. Given it's a round trip of a bit over 600kms we've decided to stay a couple of nights before making the run back.

Jim

Stunning job Jim,
which club are you referring to ? 300km would put you pretty close to this area.......

[joanlluch]

Hi Jim, the loco looks gorgeous. Although I haven’t posted much in the forums for some time, I’ve followed your thread with much intetest since very long ago and not only you’ve done a fantastic job, but I’ve learned a lot from your work and methods. It’s a pity that the new photobucket policies have ruined part of it, this makes me feel angry. I have always regarded your thread as an important one for me for reference. Your simplicity and modesty at explaining things is most enjoyable too.

Joan.

[steamer5]

Hi Jim,
She looks stunning! You should be very proud of her,
Looking forward to seeing the first steam video, it’ll be interesting to hear your verdict on the double entry pedicott!
600 k round trip is dedication! Heading off tomorrow with Dad on a 350 round trip to play trains at another club open weekend, always fun!

Cheers Kerrin

[cadser]

That's looking very nice. Nice paint job. The lining looks well too.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up.

B

[Jim]

Mar 1, 2018 22:41:15 GMT joanlluch said:

Hi Jim, the loco looks gorgeous. Although I haven’t posted much in the forums for some time, I’ve followed your thread with much intetest since very long ago and not only you’ve done a fantastic job, but I’ve learned a lot from your work and methods. It’s a pity that the new photobucket policies have ruined part of it, this makes me feel angry. I have always regarded your thread as an important one for me for reference. Your simplicity and modesty at explaining things is most enjoyable too.

Joan.

Thank you Joan for the kind comments and I must say I'm delighted you found my ramblings of some help. For me building a model is all about enjoyment and satisfaction even if at times you wander off the beaten track into unknown territory at least you can 'I've been there and done that and ummm, it didn't work. '

Cheers mate,

Jim

[Jim]

Mar 1, 2018 20:44:33 GMT jools said:

Mar 1, 2018 12:28:30 GMT Jim said:

Stunning job Jim,
which club are you referring to ? 300km would put you pretty close to this area.......

I was referring to Orange Model Engineers Dasha, which is in mid western NSW. Orange is quite a big town and and the club consist of about 40 members who are all dedicated modellers mainly of NSWGRly steam and rolling stock and a very friendly mob they are too.

Jim

[Jim]

Well we're back home following a great 2 days in Orange, New South Wales to attend the Orange Model Engineer's 'All comers Invitation Run'
While the numbers were down on previous years we all had a great time swapping information, gleaning ideas, driving round the club's track and for me the chance to at last meet up with Shawki Shlemon who most of you know of on this site.

The whole meet up was a bit of a hoot really as there were about 50 participants so you couldn't really get lost in the crowd yet it was mid afternoon when a friend turned to me and said "I wonder where Shawki is heading?" pointing at the back of a chap walking about 50 metres away.
My reaction was one of open mouthed shock how could you miss him?

Anyway I caught up with Shawki and we had a great chat and then Margaret arrived. I was about to introduce him to her when I was totally flattened by Margaret saying  'Hi Shawki'... Yes, she'd only been talking to him for most of the afternoon!

Any way here's the photo to prove I've met the man who has contributed such a lot to the hobby.



The drive to the club in Orange does involve a round trip of 600kms but it's through the beautiful farming country of the mid west and western slopes. It's a peaceful drive too with not too many cars and only 7 towns along the route.




Some of the visiting locos included this Victorian Rlys J class waiting for its tender to be coupled up



and this Commonwealth Railways GM diesel set with a lifelike sound system rumbling passing the signal box hauling two part built coaches.



As always, a great time was had by all and with the added pleasure of meeting Shawki whose builds I've enjoyed following along with his gentle philosophy to wards modelling and life.

Great to meet you at long last Shawki.

Jim.

[joanlluch]

Hi Jim, I wonder which one of the two on that photo is you. Sorry if that was obvious for others.

[Cro]

Mar 4, 2018 12:41:05 GMT joanlluch said:

Hi Jim, I wonder which one of the two on that photo is you. Sorry if that was obvious for others.

Possibly the one with the name badge that looks like "Jim Mitchell" Just a guess.....  

Adam 

[Jim]

Mar 4, 2018 12:41:05 GMT joanlluch said:

Hi Jim, I wonder which one of the two on that photo is you. Sorry if that was obvious for others.

Hi Joan, I'm the one in the hat. Shawki had forgotten his trademark hat too which made spotting him a bit harder. In stark contrast to the weather you're enduring in Europe at the moment the long cloudless sunny days here make hats essential to avoid sunburn and skin cancer, most of our schools have a 'No hat no play' policy to reinforce the message.

Jim

[steamcoal]

Jim.

Will it make it to the convention in Bunbury? Hope so.

May have been mentioned but page 95 is well through this volume. Photos of her look magnificent.

Hayden

[Jim]

Thanks Hayden,

Sadly Bunbury is a bit far for me, at least a 5 day drive and at least 4000kms there then do it all again to come back.   I believe they do a great show there in the west.

I still haven't lit a fire yet though the mini blower should be completed tomorrow then there will be no excuse for not starting to warm up 70036. I also have to make up a transporting module to go in the back of the X-Trail so I can get it over to Barry Potter, the club boiler inspector, for a proper steam test.

I've been to the local metal shop to inquire about getting a transfer ramp folded up and it will also double as the lid of the compartment in which 70036 will travel.
It's quite surprising the ancillary things needed for getting models from the workshop to the club and onto the tracks. I'm not surprised though having been through a similar process when the Burrell was completed and I headed off to the first rally.

Jim.

[Jim]

Well it didn't quite happen as described in the last post but the blower is just about complete now and only needing the motor securing strap to hold the motor firmly in place on the top plate.

The first photo shows the aluminium locating collar in place in the chimney. I opted for this solution rather than the three 'O' rings suggested in the plans which among other things would make removing the blower difficult as the rings were eased over the lip of the chimney while everything was hot.



I glued the aluminium ring in place on the lower blower plate to hold it in place while drilling the three 12 BA securing screws. I used glue as it let me tweek the collar so the it was in exactly the right spot and wouldn't move while being set up for drilling and tapping.

The blower in place and sitting nicely on the chimney.



These are the basic components for the blower which is to a design by Alan Wallace and appeared in Australian Model Engineering issue 186. The long 3/16" screws are yet to be trimmed.



So how did the test go? Well I mounted the blower on the chimney, connected the leads to a 6volt power supply, right way round this time, switched it on and I must say the whole thing sucks.   Groan... another dad joke.

Don't light the match yet Adam, still a couple of little jobs to do to finish the blower.

Jim

[steamer5]

Hi Jim,
Looks like you are going to be "that guy" on the steaming bay that smokes out the guys next door! cough cough splutter!!

Glad it sucked!

Cheers Kerrin

[Jim]

Nah not me Kerrin, I'll be using that smokeless coal that comes from Wales via NZ.

Jim.

[Jim]

This morning I completed the final component for the blower which was the bar to hold the motor in place. Of course a test run was required to see how effective it was.

The blower was placed on the chimney and connected to the 6 volt power supply and it ran nicely and relatively quietly too.



Right on cue a lighted match arrived from Adam so I was able to open the firebox door to test the draught.



and close up



Despite Geoff's indifference as he sat there reading the paper, he's been on the same page for months now, I am quite happy with the result.

Jim

[runner42]

Hi Jim,

I am pleased that you have reached the ultimate stage and Boadicea is ready for the steam test, but I know that you are more pleased as it has been a longish journey. You started impressing us in 2011 with your narratives and pictures but beforehand you had incurred some time in reaching the stage where you decided to share with us your model engineering experiences. It must have been that holiday in Yorkshire that inspired you to let us know your capabilities in machining and boiler making. 

I hope that this is not nearing the end of this post as you move from building to operation. If you haven't done so already I recommend that you conduct an initial steam test before you undertake the 300 Kms trip to your club because it is possible that some leaks that are not apparent running on air appear under steam.

The electric blower is a great little device, but the motor operates under hot conditions, the time dependent on how quickly it reaches the point where the electric blower can be substituted for the steam blower. I have had one failure of the motor which is relatively cheap to buy, so I recommend that you have spares available.

Looking forward to the operation phase of Boadicea.

Brian