Seven Models Britannia build.

I'm starting this thread up and then mothballing it until its time to build this one, so basically the kit is by Scorpio and marked under the name of Seven Models and is completely reworked from the previous Jim Harris version. The loco in question on this build is a Britannia Pacific and will be 70010 Owen Glendower an engine that I saw once as a youth at Prestatyn station on a passenger working to Holyhead in July 1966. At the moment I've still to get Slater's wheels and a good motor with reduction gearing as ultimately I'd like this one as flagship of my fleet, so the main box, nice and strong but potentially not what I'll keep the finished loco in, the other package that came with it held some castings. Mr Ennis sent it this way because of the weight.

Now the instructions are quite well laid out better in my opinion than the flat pack 4MT ones, the drawing style is also different being much better informing.

Some bags of castings both white metal and lost wax.

Now look at this a nicely cast chimney and dome... no white metal here.

The boiler barrel and smokebox wrapper, on these I notice there is now a half etch lip to seam solder underneath, the 4MT kit didn't have this facility.

 

Now the etches themselves... heaps and heaps of them. Smoke deflectors and differing version of them.

The BR1 tender frames, 70010 was fitted with this type of tender... oh just a point for anyone ordering this kit you need to say which tender version you'd like as the BR1A and BR1D are also offered, so really you need to have an idea which engine you intend to make. Oh and I nearly forgot there are 48 pages of detailed instructions with scale drawings and well set out diagrams.

The nickel silver loco main frame and motion etches.

Cab etches.

And the tender side etches, these are for the BR1 tender.

Now I nearly missed this, here is a goodly lump of polystyrene packing... a big bolder for Luib bridge ... I'll bring this with me for you when I come up to Dundee.

 

Now the only slight downside is it appears that the smokebox door casting is missing, I'm not too worried right now but I'll ring Mr Ennis on Monday and ask him to pop me one in the post... I shall have to uphold great restraint and not order another kit. I do like the thought of doing a 2-6-2 3MT tank or a Caprotti Five ... oh dear that reminds me SWMBO has decreed we need to upgrade our viewing experience... whatever that means , I think she wants a new telly whats wrong with this one I don't quite know.

 

I think when this is built it will be a special occasion loco and probably live on the shelf. It will never properly get a run on Elton Crossing but could be something for the club layout.

 

You gonna get one then Toto? Yes I'll kit this one out properly and see what happens. I just fancy this idea of something eye catching.

 

Oh yes guest appearances are a definite... in fact all my builds will be... hang on at this rate of purchasing I'll run out of places to hide these all from SWMBO

 

Well Dundee Paul I guessed it went without saying that these locos (once finished) could run on Another Bridge as well, but hey thanks for the invite and absolutely no pressure of course... ... seriously I'll see if I can get the 4MT ready for the then.

 

Thanks Ian but no need to duck and hide SWMBO does like the loco kits really... her words are " its a shame to have to paint them they look nice in brass" and to be honest getting a new telly means I can then come back with another loco kit. So putting this concept into practice SWMBO has gone off to Cologne for a visit to family so I bought a nice Britannia kit. I win cos the Brit will take ages to make and her holiday is only for a week.

 

Well a little bit of curiosity caused me to quietly crack this kit open and to see what was there, so far as an aside to my main build projects over the last few weeks I've progressed this far and have to say I'm extremely pleased with the way this one is going together. In fact I haven't even used a chassis jig to fabricate the frames, just my flat marble stone slab, some graph paper and my engineers square and the frames are level and the wheels rotate with side rods without any binding whatsoever. Well that's three hundred quid saved which can go towards another nice kit. Here are a few pictures.

Now this kit doesn't come with axle keeps for the rear truck so I had to make my own from scrap etches, this is where the keep will go over the brass axlebox casting.

Just like this which adds a nice touch I think.

And the rear truck back under the mainframe.

Just for a little challenge I fabricated the motion bracket assemblies... shades of Jim Harris me thinks.

And finally the rolling chassis.

Next stop is fitting the crossheads and slide bars, then I shall get this and the BR Standard 4 frames ready for painting after which I can make up the motion sets on both locos. In the mean time its back to the diesel builds so no more steamie pics for a while folks.

 

Not having posted on any of my build threads recently partly due to work and also cold weather making being in the workshop chilly to say the least I though a quick update on the Seven Models Britannia thread appropriate, this is a kit quietly simmering away in the background and one in which keeps my hand in so to speak with steam loco builds. Anyway here are a few current pictures of the state of build of what will be 70010 Owen Glendower... I'm seriously thinking about doing another one in the future.

The BR1 tender is at a stage where it can be soldered to its frame and dressed, brake rigging and electrical pickups yet to be installed on the inner frame.

The core firebox assembly ready to be fettled to fit the boiler tube.

The boiler and smokebox so far... awaiting the door.

Footplate and running plate assembly mainly finished.

And the firebox sits nicely in the footplate, it just need dressing with the cladding bands and the ashpan awaiting fitting of whitemetal components such as the damper doors.

All the core component assemblies now dry fitted together, once the "body" has been completed I will be able to return focus on the motion build and to locate a best place to drill the frames for sprung pick ups.

So as can be seen the boiler doesn't fit with the firebox as yet... all these aspects will come together fairly rapidly, in the mean time 70010 meets 75031 on the Elton Crossing layout.

And speaking of 75031 here we are both kits will have their motion assemblies built up at the same time.

 

Nah... get a 9F from Seven Models... £350 includes the tender