Class 24 build... oh no not another Stoke engine.

Thanks Toto, I'm off to Barnits in York for some pcb and epoxy glue I need to finish the pick ups ... the frames now have buffer beams and I can now start dressing the frames with detailing castings... a couple of progress pictures later today for sure. Then with luck make a start on the body frame section

 

Thanks for the upload Steve and advice which is very helpful , I was looking at the fuel tanks last night... sort of think planning forward into that part of the assembly which is fast approaching. Now I was also studying a really well detailed photo of 24022 at Manchester Vic

Sorry I've no idea who the photographer was but whoever you are your picture is of immense help so thank you.
I appreciate this one has the fairing removed but just look at the clarity of detail . My current 24 is to be green as D5018 (long time Stoke loco) with fairings and I'm now hugely tempted to do a blue 24 incorporating the mods as per 1970's. I figure if do one Sulzer I may as well do a couple together.

 

Oh let me guess now I've got to do a blue 24 now having seen this picture ... photos in a minute I'm just washing the flux of the frames.

 

So out of the Long Shed work bench a completed set of Class 24 frames emerged, a great moment as I can see with clarity what I have to do next because questions running round my head about if the bogies fit, are clearances good and what do I have to do if they are not quite so have been bugging me a bit... anyway enough of that here is the frame picture with extensions added and buffing beam installed. This part of the build is dead easy and I didn't feel it justified describing in detail, suffice to say check all the angles, make sure the pieces are not twisted and they fit into the slots then away you go with the soldering iron, not forgetting to run a little tin over the half etch fold joints to add strength.

Next I added the inner bogies as a dry fit using a couple of 6BA screws... as usual this is another pose picture.

Anyway during the frame build there was one small white metal item I couldn't find, its an electrical cut off plunger (I think)... so I just knocked one up out of scrap etch and a few bits of rod to as near dimensions as I thought were right. and Bob's your uncle as they say ... job done and 20 minutes work.

So now to the buffer height test and out came that much neglected BR Standard 4 loco build, well the tender anyway to use as a buffing height gauge. I think I have about 1mm of lift to achieve the correct ride height... nice all good so far but now a little issue to overcome arose. The wheel flange catches on the flange of the frame extension, now I can deal with this as Steve had a similar issue in his 24 build so this is not an unknown thing, I think the way forward is having set the frame (with buffers fitted) at the correct height on both ends is to add strengtheners across the tops of the frame extensions and file away a part of the frame flange where the wheel swings under, this should allow the bogie to pivot properly. Another modification may involve filing away a small area at the top of the inner bogie near the sprung pick up mount and this area also catches on the frames and will prevent the loco from taking curves... and we don't want that to happen. Anyway its not a problem for the staff at 5D Long Shed and this loco will work nicely.

 

Ok will do... now interestingly I've just pushed the loco (its a loco now cos its on wheels) through a B9 turnout and it went through the switches and crossing vee without issue, however it protesteth loudly on the B8 crossover. So no way with factory made Peco points. Now it still needs better clearance for bogie swing to avoid shorting out as well.

 

I know it would be an easy oversight resulting in endless workshop rampages and making vows to only ever buy RTR in future

 

Here you are Toto a few more frame extension pictures and hopefully showing how tight tolerances for clearance are at the mo, first picture is the frames standing on the B9.

A couple of off the rails up side down pictures of frame extensions.

Look how tight the bogie swing restricts, note the eyelets for the sprung pick ups interfering with the frame extension flange and even as the wheelset has dropped because its up side down it gives an idea of how important it will be to reinforce to keep strength when the frame is filed for clearance. That will be a potential massive weak point if not modified properly.

And an end shot looking down the frame from the buffing headstock.

 

Do you mean the bogie stretcher Toto?

 

No it is in its correct position Toto, it is the left hand end barer beam from the centre section which helps hold the battery boxes and fuel tanks via some little brackets, its made from three components and it sits in slots on the undercarriage etch, now the two holes you see are part of the fixing system on the under carriage to hold the upper undercarriage piece which carries the body support framework. This will be made to unbolt to release the chassis to gain access into the bodyshell for the DCC gear and smoke generator when that time comes.

 

That's pretty much in the area I had thought needed filing... I'll make it good... its all part of the pleasure in making. Now I hadn't even opened the bag of 3D items so I'll have a look and whip the bench made one off. Anyway thanks again Steve for all your helpful guidance.

 

Thanks Toto.. now I'm cooking on gas... I found the 3D lighting point unit. Ah well I've got the bodyside pieces on the table and am just snipping them of their frets.