gowest

Hi Roger you need 2 voltages 8 volts to control the servo unit inside the engine and 15 to 16 volts to heat the water at around 6 amps best of luck

Chrissaf maybe I can do a spot the fault in the film competition? I'm working on my SR 2-6-4 tank engine which is a little longer than the Great Western engine but has been off the road for a few years needing a trip to the repare shop as it has run many miles and in very poor condition. so could run through the job and do a video of it being serviced. That would be something different. ken

Chrissaf i think I have run out of parts now and any further engines are unlikely I did think another inside cylinder engine might be fun like City of Truro and an LMS Black 5 but not likely now still have fun with your railways all the best ken

Rob after compiling the video last night having spent 5 hours filming and putting it all together at just after 1 o'clock in the morning I ran through the film once more and came to the part with the wagons off the road but was cold and tired so left it but I thought to my self I bet someone spots it and makes a comment!!! Cecil B Demilles Im not. ken.

Yes Rob striking colour and very powerful locos have posted a video on you tube of the last part3 of the tank engine that now conculdes the project. Ken

Well all the test runs were carried out and checks on the engines running with the new painted body and it looked ok just a small problem with the front wheels shorting on the front steps which was corrected by bending the steps out a little away from the wheels. /media/tinymce_upload/5c1ef857aed3968bbaa92481510c963f.jpg The driver and fireman all painted up and the engine number 5190 all the brass work and copper toped chimney was polished up and the buffers fitted in place. /media/tinymce_upload/3a24772c833203fb9a722b84c36267e0.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/75ad199beed95e29ce4dccf782c41260.jpg The coal was added by crunching up a lump of coal and pressing the bits into some wet fibre glass this was not going to be removed for filling the tender tank as the filling screw was under the cab roof venerator which you can see in the pictures here. Also in the picture here is the red tail lamp which is an LED made to look like an oil lamp.It was going to be by fibre optic cable but was proving too difficult to install so wires and a surface mount LED construction was opted for. /media/tinymce_upload/7655959ae27f842e788320dfc44b09a3.jpg Well I will carry out some runs and post the finished video here in a day or two. I thought on a couple of times that this engine was not going to be possible but by sticking at it we got there in the end and I now have a nice little tank engine for a change to run goods and branch line services. I hoped you were entertained by the project as we struggled through the different parts of the build.My ability to build further engines is coming to an end as my stock of parts and donor engines is now exhausted but I will keep looking for none runners and one day you might see a build start on another loco to add to my live steam collection till then here are some of the engines I have build over the years. /media/tinymce_upload/e35c6b420545cd756fe106dcb4b119d3.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/4bd483251e31d657f85b45f7668eeeb3.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/06ac71fcc2fad50232e4611c2454e828.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/dec7c8d08b11be28d61d6d91f2e261e6.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/febdd1456b49861724d1c53192728f99.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/d58ffa614e44c5ddc9b85050d0701a2d.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/8ed3006f15a3809288b7424e07449070.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/d96e41982af96679de3d8bf3f7945c73.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/9e872791fcd34b372e02fb5f4030497b.jpg So what ever your railway is based on have fun keep safe and a Merry Christmas Ken

Kenokie IPA can be a skin irritant and affect some people badly Wearing protective gloves is recommended. ken

Very good railway program on ch5 last night if you did catch it not far from me in fact the stone bridge that he walked under on his walk from Ilfracombe is Lee bridge and i made a model of it on my layout and is the one in the video I just posted of the train going under it. all the transfers turned up in the post so this weekend will be spraying the body.

i hope to start painting the engine over the next day or two but will still need to get the red tail light system working which will tell me when the regulator is opening.

New video

Hi Rob yes even I was thinking this is a step too far but after much work and head scratching it might be a runner thanks to you and the list of these engines built and numbered I have gone for 5190 which was at some point at Exeter I have taken some video of the engine and hope to post it here shortly ken

/media/tinymce_upload/f325afd2c1bcd2c1e73cfe01352ee1b5.jpg The detail with this kit is unbelievable I have only used something like 25% of the parts how much more I use I’m not sure from this picture I’ve left off the brakes and the injectors which fit behind the main steps this is because they will hinder the removal of the body from the chassis also the cylinder drain cocks might be a bit low and catch on the permanent way but apart from that most of the body has the detail fitted.The chimney is a copper casting or pressing so the top section can be polished the safety valve bonnet is also a brass casting and can be polished along with the whistles which as many will know is the trade mark of the Great Western Railway its was sad to see in the 1960’s these parts no longer shining brightly.Also in this picture you can see the driver Robert looking out at the countryside rushing past what you are looking at is just the top half of his body as his lower half has been removed in fact he is legless as there is no room for them as the tender tank is tight up against the inside of the cab sides.I was glad to find these as they are a white metal casting and easy to solder into the cab side and unlike plastic should not melt. /media/tinymce_upload/711c9a0878070bbe275bba93ac4845d3.jpg Some of the fine detail was to solder in these right angle brackets then pass a short bit of brass wire through the small holes to make it look like a nut and bolt fixing to the boiler banding. /media/tinymce_upload/69d9d96731b07b0237020cb8dd17ca3c.jpg The ventilator in the roof will have a small cover so that the water tank filler screw cannot be visible when the engine is running. The coal space at the rear of the cab needs a cardboard cover to which the fibre glass can be spread on and the small lumps of coal can be pressed into. Unlike other engines I’ve built this does not need to be removed to fill the water tank. /media/tinymce_upload/a4f9c2261c8f10e75b64c323fed49244.jpg Some of the detail to the front and the smoke box the buffers are omitted and will be fitted once the painting is finished. I have the paint and the transfers are on the way looking at the dart handles in the centre of the smoke box door as a child I used to think they were the hands of a clock which told you the time of the next train.The wheels here need a good clean as you can see brass filings on the hubs and spokes.A good wash in thinners is all that they need as they are made from black plastic so no painting needed here just the cast frames. /media/tinymce_upload/cee5d0741af677c5fac43ef4f5345dc7.jpg The smoke box door opens to reveal the adjusting screw to the switch which will I hope turn on the engines rear red lamp fitted to the lamp housing recess in the tender.This make any adjustment easy as the body will not need to be remove. /media/tinymce_upload/73496614db705cedac3132d388ee6bc2.jpg The right hand side much the same as the left but with Douglas the fireman watching the world go by again Douglas like his driver has no legs but doesn’t stopping him enjoying the ride. To drive a goods train took more skill than a passenger train most loose coupled stock had no brakes controled by the engineso it was all down to the drivers skill with help from the fireman in keeping the couplings tight to stopping a sudden snatch that might break a coupling leaving the guard in his van and half the train on the track if this happens on an incline then its possible the brakes on the guards van will not hold a high tonnage load and wagons and guard go roaring off in the other direction. Passenger coaches unlike loose goods had fail safe vacuum brakes so that the braking was through out the train. /media/tinymce_upload/d9f6c5cfffadcc43c616e7ce701b8c04.jpg I need to make one more test run just to check all is well before I start the painting.

Hi Mctrains yes I have found the same problem only with some engines that the tyres expanded and came off the wheels I use mentholated spirt on a kitchen paper towel this works well ken

Hi its all bin said the gas tanks are replaceable with a better designed unit that is all I know about the Rocket as it's a model I have not dealt with my knowledge is limited if RAF 96 is thinking as me as the expert then sorry no is the answer 00 gauge steam maybe and as for expert remember an EX is something that was? And a SPERT is a drip under pressure!!!!

The paint has been ordered but before any paint can be applied I need to carry on finishing some of the detail to the chassis. /media/tinymce_upload/3b6e30a3daed6c6db16a9979ab384bf5.jpg The engine needs some good old Great Western cross heads I could use the ones in the kit but these need to be made up from about 3 parts and all soldered together what I normally do is look at what Hornby have made and buy some of there’s and make the necessary changes. /media/tinymce_upload/433fada795b46db9a9196e0af95eb3d1.jpg The side bars support bracket from the kit looks ok and as this assembly will need to be strong as it will encounter forces that a normal electric engine wouldn’t face when running under load. /media/tinymce_upload/52197cfc1302ddc508401b6d367af82e.jpg Looking at the parts that go to make up the Hornby cross heads the piston rod needs cutting off along with the vacuum drive parts these can be remade if possible later. Also the connecting rod which is riveted to the cross head wants to be removed and a hole drilled through and threaded 1.2 mm for a nut and bolt assembly to hold the stronger con rod of the live seam A3 type engines. It was decided that the 2 square lugs on the side bars could have a slot filed in them and the corresponding support bracket from the kit could also have slots filed in place and the two could then lock together and with some solder make for a very strong assembly. /media/tinymce_upload/83830dae41104940513d99b7339326cd.jpg The picture here shows filing of the side bars as mentioned. /media/tinymce_upload/f7fb39629179ea527fd028b1b7f37131.jpg Next was to file the slots in the support bracket. This would had to maintain the correct distance between the bars for the cross head so after a little filing the 2 parts were fitted together just to see how things were going on. Here the support bracket is being filed to take the slide bars. /media/tinymce_upload/c076f5a22b8274d3e9ec1a13a231c2b9.jpg You can see in this picture the finished parts with the slots all that is needed is to fit them together and solder them in place. The Hornby section at the other end holding the side bars together can then be cut and this part needs a support bracket made up so the completed unit can be screwed in place on the chassis. /media/tinymce_upload/7b69ee5c9778a9f60302df1c6c6a9045.jpg Now all soldered together they make a very strong item next will be to sort out how this will be fix to the engine it is best that like the Hornby engines it is not fixed to the body as this will make servicing harder but to fix it to the chassis in some way. /media/tinymce_upload/3cca7ee14793732dca26453485a9bf10.jpg A set of spare cylinders were used to test out the fit and how far the cross head travelled up and down the side bars all looked ok so now a bracket to hold them in place was made. /media/tinymce_upload/00c93825224e2aefe6e86bc1e2960015.JPG This picture is of the new bracket which is soldered to cross head bars and uses the 2 Hornby holes in the bottom of the cylinder assembly shown here with two Philips screws holding the bracket in place. This keeps every thing built onto the chassis. /media/tinymce_upload/aa31d25ef4d36cf4e8e3feebe9e9b607.jpg Now with this part complete the body can have some of the detail fitted. Looking at this picture I see I need to add some wheel weights as well to complete the chassis before I carry on the build of the body.