Steve Beattie kit NBL Class 21 build

Discussion in 'Workshop Benches' started by York Paul, Aug 17, 2018.

  1. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    The recently reintroduced Steve Beattie Class 21 kit got me thinking, ok yes I admit the workshop is being reorganized and there are already two locos on the bench under construction with a PRMRP Hymek conversion that has slipped down the league of priorities, I also have a Brit in the que with other kits on the way in the near future. Oh well in for a penny as they say I might as well make it a pound and so another nice blue box arrived in the post and here it is. Yes I bought the Class 21 kit and thought nice one.


    Now I have a bit of a rule when making loco kits, they are either kits of locos I've seen in real life or are locos that were allocated at either Stoke Uttoxeter or Crewe, the exception being my first build the F5 radial tank from Big Jim. So a Scottish engine and a type that was withdrawn back in the late sixties, well yes I saw D6122 in Barry scrapyard (or should it be B6121 with an identity crisis), the number I saw was definitely D6122 and it was green with small yellow warning panel and it had discs... fits my interest nicely ticking all the boxes :thumbup: Well is the main bodyshell etch with ancillary pieces.


    And for comparison the 21 bodyshell against the 24 bodyshell.

     
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  2. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Now the etches all brand new and marked 2018 Steve Beattie Developments, some of the pieces are very slender such is the grand quality of the etches... so a word of advice for anyone buying this kit, do take care handling the brasswork it is very delicate in the frames, but then that is the level of superb detail you are getting. Also take care handling the bodyshell because the cab side windows are very finely placed too.




    Now the white metal castings.



    And buffers which have etch parts to be fitted.


    The lost wax castings.


    Some 3D printed parts.


    The cast resin pieces which include the cab interiors.



    Brass strip sections and wire.


    And the CD Rom manual which I shall print out as a hard copy in the workshop.


    So there you have it. I shall que jump this kit and build it alongside the 24 but with its own thread. Work starts very soon... stand by for heaps and I mean heaps of detailed pictures.
     
  3. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    My prayers answered. Being able to see a class 21 being built and how it should go together hopefully avoiding a total fiasco of me trying it unaided. I think there are a few stashes starting to " swell " shall we say. The kit lists are getting bigger. :avatar:

    I've had the pleasure of seeing these etches and in the right hands, will make an amazing model. Hey ..... we can have a drag race. I'll fit mine with a couple of souped up turbo jobs and a rear fairing. :avatar:


    Great stuff

    Toto
     
  4. Timbersurf

    Timbersurf

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    Be carefulll what you joke about Toto! You will need to make a lot more modules to get a nine plus meter "1/4 Mile" drag strip! :avatar:
     
  5. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    He's already tried a Class 33 on the long jump, but that's another story :avatar:
     
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  6. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Great idea Toto... I may just decorate D6122 with a curvy speed strip and a stainless steel exhaust stack or maybe lower the suspension so everything sits flat on the rails... :avatar:
     
  7. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    :avatar: better get building then ..... thats a fair bit of ply and bracing .... :avatar:
     
  8. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    NAAS train driving ....... could catch on.
     
  9. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    :avatar: they don't seem to have a very good take off ability I understand
     
  10. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Next stop garden railways in Scotland Timbersurf :avatar::avatar::avatar:
     
  11. Timbersurf

    Timbersurf

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    Don't forget to replace the bogie pivot bearing for a UJT, so you can pull wheelies! :avatar:
     
  12. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I fear the 1000 hp NBL/MAN power unit is quite inadequate for such epic macho displays, so I think i'll just let Toto fit that modification to his loco. :avatar:
     
  13. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I've started to gather together all the furniture needed for this build, first on the shopping list was wheelsets, axle stub bearings and axle extension pieces, also it is necessary to purchase a 0.035 thou Allen key for through axles. So the stock items all from Slaters are as follows:-

    North British Diesel wheelsets, 4 off, Ref number 7843 NB
    Countersunk Allen screws with 2mm extensions, 2 off Ref number 7317 ( only 6 per pack and 8 are needed so you have 4 spare)
    Frame Bushes 2mm bore, 1 off, Ref number 1211 (you get 10 turned brass bushes per pack)
    0.035 thou Through Allen Key for 1/8 axles, Ref number X78003. (Note this is not the same Allen Key as used to tighten main driving wheels).

    Next purchases will be 1833 motors with suspended motor mount frames, Delrin chains and cogs and worn gearing 26;1 ratio.
    Here are to goodies which came this morning:-

    Wheelsets.


    Axle extension pieces,


    frame bushes.


    Allen Key. The larger main driving wheel allen Key is on the right hand side of the Slaters packet.

     
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  14. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    This evening I started the North British MAN Class 21 build which commenced with the body skeleton as described in Part 2 of Steve Beattie's kit instructions, now at this point I should say I have a reason for commencing the build at this point and that is because I'm waiting a parts for the Sulzer Class 24 that build cannot proceed until the required etches arrive. However I do have the Class 24 body skeleton complete now but am waiting an order of M3 brass cheese head screws and nuts which need to be soldered before moving forward to the next part of that build, so it made sense to fabricate the NBL/MAN body skeleton so all holding down nuts can be soldered together inside the skeletons at the same time.

    Now the first job was to remove all other parts attached the the skeleton components, some are quite delecate so I'd advice keeping them safe and storing them flat, I used the small compartment of the kit box.


    Once all the bits you don't need for this part of the build are placed safely away somewhere the main skeleton sections can have the fret nibs filed flat, these pieces comprise the base item, four bulkheads, the upper body to roof piece and three roof line formers. I will say at this point it is imperative to file the fret nibs on all the outer contacting frame areas otherwise there is a risk the skeleton will become out of true, particularly so as the etch sections on the Class 21 are ever so slightly thinner than on the Sulzer kits. This is not a problem as strength will be achieved later on but it is worth mentioning as care is needed handling the parts at this critical stage in the build.


    Now once the skeleton pieces have been filed flat for a clean construction it is most important to identify that the tab slots which hold the bulkheads align together in both the base piece and the top piece, don't worry about making the bulkhead clear the radiator apertures on the body shell at this stage as that will come later, I marked the ends with a black felt pen mark so I could tell which way round these pieces went.


    At this stage I will say that two of the bulkhead etches only have one bottom base tab fixing, this is not a problem as I put these at the outer ends on the base section where there is continuous contact for soldering. The other two etches which have fixing tabs at either side I placed in the middle area since one of the bulkheads can only be soldered at the outer base frame edge, this is because at that point there is no continuous cross brace on the base frame.This picture shows the difference in the tabs.


    So just to prove the base section has been filed clean and that this item is totally flat I checked it on my marble stone flatbed. This is a critical action to undertake because if the base section is not true and free from kinks it will affect the integrity of the fabrication later in the build.

     
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2018
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  15. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    So once I satisfied myself every part was clean soldering commenced, I started by soldering in the two middle bulkheads, the best way I found was to use a squared wooden block as a former.


    Then the end bulkheads were soldered in, to keep the small wooden block true and level I used a piece of scrap etch placed beneath the block... see the next picture as this describes the process visually.


    At this stage it is important that solder is kept away from underneath the base frame as any excess solder could affect how the body sits on the bogie chassis frame.


    Just to show my square wooden block method works the proof in achieving perpendicular bulkheads is shown in the next picture.

     
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  16. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Great start York Paul. :thumbs:
     
  17. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Once the four bulkheads have been soldered in correctly it is a simple matter of adding the top section in followed by the three roof formers. In soldering the top section I turned the skeleton over so that it could bare down on the top section which was placed flat on my wooden soldering mat, this way it was easily possible to line up mating the tabs and slots ready for soldering. I started in the middle and then soldered the two ends down onto the bulkheads. Next I soldered the three roof formers, this is why marking the top and base sections with a felt marker is important because it aids ease of making the skeleton, here the completed skeleton is shown on my marble stone, this proves that assembling the skeleton in this manner will result in a flat and level outcome. All that is needed to be done now is to wash away the flux residue.


    Now a trial fit of the body carcase into the skeleton shows that in a later stage of the build it must be placed the right way in so that the inner bulkheads do not obstruct the radiator apertures as mentioned previously.


    Finally it must be noted that care should be given in handling the skeleton at this stage because the fabrication is still quite delicate and can easily become distorted, however with the skeleton dry fitted inside the body shell I could immediately see how the whole assembly will gain strength once soldered. This whole job didn't take long this evening, I started trimming the etches at 6.45pm and by 8pm I was switching the lights off in the workshop, so it took just over an hour... not bad I thought. Next job will be to build the undercarriage, I may start that now. :scratchchin::avatar:

     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2018
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  18. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I thought you'd like that :D Toto
     
  19. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    The skeletal sub frame builds up very quickly. Even I am pretty confident on that part. You can see a loco emerging from the frets and that's very encouraging. I think the vents etc will also go in reasonably easily. I don't know if there is any way of stiffening the frame a little more though. A little extra cross bracing but some for sight would be needed to ensure that it would not cause any obstruction.

    Could be worth investigating as any additional strength could only serve to make the loco more handlable and robust adding to it's longevity. I think as it progresses, the cab bulkheads may aid this but something more central spanning the two sides maybe the ticket.

    I'll spend the rest of tonight ogling the above pictures now. :avatar::thumbs:we'll done and thanks for the above post York Paul.

    Cheers

    Toto
     
  20. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    From building the Class 24 skeleton, even as the etch was slightly thicker it was still quite flexible but gained rigidity when I screwed the under carriage in place abate without the holding down nuts. I think the bodyshell will add strength to the framework, I see this as similar to the monocoque construction of a Mark Two coach so at this stage I cannot say if it is necessary to add in additional pieces to gain strength, however as things progress I will be able to tell. Glad you like the pictures, next job is to deal with the sub frame ... so I guess that means more pics.:thumbup:
     
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