7mm Narrow Gauge O-16.5

I've built another two wagons and the loco with two wagons will just about fit on my version of a cassette, otherwise known as a Peco Loco Lift.

Not a very good picture as there's not a lot of light in the kitchen, but you get the idea.


Ed

 

I've started the 'ECHO' kit and it just about fits on the cassette.

Footplate isn't quite flat on the chassis for some reason and that large T/L coupling has got to come off.

I've replaced the couplings on the first loco with a wire loop, but I'm not really happy with it, so some more surgery required on both loco chassis to see what I can get to fit.


Ed

 

Great film Ron.

Couple more, although I think some sequences are duplicated.

(best watched full screen)

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/153

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/154


Ed

 

Got the boiler fitted at the week-end.

It says in the instructions that "If fouling occurs, pare carefully away at the underside of the backhead on the inside edge to gain clearance", and check that the capacitor/suppressors and resistors are not on top of the motor, but in front of the motor and behind the worm gear or to the side.

Bearing in mind these 0-4-0 chassis have changed a bit over the years, I found that the rear of the motor and it's plastic mounting didn't require much 'paring' to fit, it was the capacitors and motor connections themselves that needed quite a bit of sanding to the inside of the boiler to allow it to sit down on the footplate. Moving the caps forward just made them droop so that they were almost touching the worm.

I've tried to dim the picture a bit to show the basic shape inside the boiler casting.

On reflection, it would have been easier to fit a decoder which normally means turning the motor upside down anyway.

Food for thought

Now working on the cab and have fitted the regulator.

Ed

 

Yup, that's what I meant Keith, here's one I did some years ago.

Ed

Edit: Just realised this picture is one where I hadn't flipped the motor but If I had, I could have moved the decoder down so that it over hanged the worm a bit, or a Z scale decoder would be a bit smaller.

Quite right though Keith, definitely don't need all the capacitor gubbins, if fitting a decoder.

 

While assembling the cab front and sides, I remembered it said in the instructions to get the boiler as far forward as possible to clear the top of the motor. But bearing in mind the cab front fits in front of the rear band on the boiler, the further forward it is, the greater the distance between the cab front and back, and......

you can end up with a bit of a gap.

Some filing of the rear boiler band solved the problem.

The side tanks are glued in line with the cab sides, running parallel to the outer edge of the footplate.

This should leave a gap of about 2mm between the inside of the front of the tanks and outside of the smoke box.

Mine isn't, so despite all my efforts I didn't quite get the boiler in right in the middle of the footplate

Not going to show you a picture of that though, too late now anyway

Just about had time yesterday to give it a quick spray with grey primer.

Chimney looks a bit sloped in the pictures, but it looks ok when I'm looking at it.

Cab roof isn't fixed either as I want to paint the inside of the cab and add a driver.

I rather fancy painting it red, don't know why, just think a red narrow gauge locomotive would look good.

Still have the smoke box door darts to fit and a whistle once painted.

As I was putting the body back on the capacitor connection to one of the motor terminals broke away, so out with the soldering iron next.



Ed

 

It was a leg of what I believe to be the Choke (Inductor) that had broken, ringed red below.

Not re-solderable and I found a Gaugemaster DCC26 which I'd bought for an old Hornby B12, so chipping it was going to be easier.

I tried turning the motor to give a bit more room, but the motor terminals were fouling on the chassis. The DCC26 is a pretty small decoder and fits ok on top anyway, so I left the motor the right way up.

According to Gaugemaster, "DC Running: Allows running on both DC and DCC layouts with no adjustment, if your controller has a smooth DC output then your locomotive will run better than before!", so it should be ok on the micro layout on DC.


Ed

 

Thanks Gary , had to do some repairs though.

Took it in the cold garage on Sunday to check the decoder on the programming track and to give it a quick test on Latton street. It was fine until I knocked it on the garage floor when putting the dust sheets back on the garage layout

Funnel and one of the side tanks came off, but I've just stuck 'em back on


Ed

 

Not much time at the moment for doing anything, although I have given 'ECHO' a couple of coats of burgundy.
The smokebox dart isn't right so I need to revisit it, or find an alternative and it all looks more like pink in the pictures which I'm sure is down to the camera.

+

Ed

 

Thanks Ron, I do think red looks particularly good on NG locos and by chance I've a maroon coach to build.

Ed

 

What with a family bereavement in March, health problems and the recent very hot weather, I haven't been in the mood much for modelling, but I finally got around to doing the coach kit.

It would have looked very odd without passengers, so as you can see I've stuck some in after making some benches out of lolly sticks.

They're not quite the right scale, but I think it looks ok if you don't look too closely.

The couplings have turned out a bit too low.

So I'll have to file the buffer beams down a bit and pack it out with styrene.

Not much done really, but it's something.



Ed

 

Thanks Matt

I've still got a Mars kit to do, when I can summon up some more enthusiasm.


Ed

 

Thanks Toto

I was planning to use the Brian Kirby/Gormo staple Paul, as I did it on Latton Fields quite successfully, but I keep thinking it might be fun to try something else that looks a bit more like a centre buffer/coupling.

Kadee are the obvious alternative but they just don't look right to me on small wagons or steam locos and I really need to decide on a layout, as I think small tension locks are about the only thing that will go around really tight curves.




Ed