Scorpio Models BR Class 3 tank engine build.

Discussion in 'Workshop Benches' started by York Paul, Dec 6, 2018.

  1. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Here we go with a few more latest pics on this build and a few things to watch out for if anyone intends to put this Transport Age kit together. First pointer start with building the footplate and use one of the mainframes as a template to get the drop down angle to the buffers correct, second pointer concerns the truck frames, the instructions only show using one A frame in this part of the build but use twp frames laminated together for strength... there are four A frames in total on the etches. Then you can build the frames up and wheel them to check for the correct buffer line ride height.


    Next to holding down box containing the 8BA captive nut located underneath the lower footplate slope needs to be reduced by 2mm all round otherwise the body will stand proud from the frames. I also packed up the screw using a couple of suitable size washers, this avoids having to shorten the thread length and makes for a nice solid fit.


    Third pointer is dry fit the firebox first, I scribed a centre line on both firebox back face and the spectacle plate wall then drilled through to accept an 8BA nut and bolt to set the alignment correctly, then I bent the lower edge of the firebox back carrier with a small lip which fitted over the footplate body. DO NOT SOLDER AT THIS STAGE.

    Then add the boiler and smokebox, align correctly so that the chimney is perpendicular and TACK solder the whole assembly in place starting with the firebox lip then the underside of the boiler to the whitemetal firebox front casting and finally the smokebox to the saddle on the underside. Checking for level and straightness all the time. Note that I'm not so bothered with solder blobs underneath, the main thing it to keep everything nice and straight and aligned properly.


    Finally fit the sub assemblies together and check all is good. At this stage I still have not soldered in the cylinder assembly yet because I need to make up the slidebar and cross head units and also the radius rod return crank assemblies which need to be away from the frames. Also the brake rigging needs to be fitted and it is easier to remove the forward driving wheels with the cylinder assembly away.


    Also note I have not made up the bunker portion because I need to make a template of the cab roof profile first in order to make a wooden former to bend the roof profile to. Now the safety valves can be added as the boiler is fitted now along with the rest of the fittings to dress the body.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2018
  2. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Dont know what to say really ....... maybe start with amazing ...... you have crashed that one in Yorkie. beautiful photos as well. a viewing pleasure.

    cheers

    toto
     
  3. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Well thanks Toto but the pics are a bit hurried with over-saturating light which isn't making for a detailed image... I'm going to bang a few bits on the bodyshell then take some better pictures:thumbs:
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2018
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  4. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Well this picture post will be the last one from my workshop bench in the Long Shed at Wolds Works and what better to go out with an update of the last loco kit I started in mid December. So here is the bench work so far on what will be 82003 as last allocated to Patricroft shed. Most of the brasswork has been completed with only cab and footplate steps to be fitted: I have these made up ready, the cab roof gutters and an internal clip fixing for roof removal need to be made up along with cab door rain strip and window bezels. I'm also going to fabricate a micro harnessing containing lubrication feeds from the Silvertown mechanical lubricators which sit on the front footplate, once done all soldering work on the body is finished and after a major de flux I shall add in all the white metal bits and bobs including backhead, cab seats and reverser mangle. So here is a close up of that blessed regulator crank arm I broke the other day, its repaired now and in the end I scratched a connection using a tiny piece of micro tube.


    The bunker is built up now and I scratched a representation of the slacking rail fitted to the cab wall, this is not an absolute exact copy because I cannot find pictures of the originals in such detail, the ones I have found show this rail in all manner of different positions.

     
  5. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    The other area I have really struggled with is to accurately represent all the plumbing work on the firebox and boiler, the Transport Age castings are not exactly accurate so a bit of cutting and filing was necessary, by no means is what I have done here bang on correct but is a fairly plausible representation for a model. I guess I shall have to wait until 82045 rolls out of the erecting shop at Bridgnorth. Now as an add on I scratched the two fire iron forks which sit on the tank top, I then knocked up a firemans clinker shovel and jigger pick from bits of scrap etch... oh for the joys of scratch building.

     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2018
  6. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Finally here are a couple of side views, the body now sits nicely on the frames and is also at the correct buffing height, once fully dressed I shall prime the bodyshell and put it to one side to start on the motion build. I have already laminated the side rods and connecting rods in readiness. Enjoy.


     
  7. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    It's a beautiful model Yorkie. What a talent:worship:.
     
  8. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    These Transport Age kits are all right if you put the work in, they can be finished to whatever level of detailing you want, the downside is not all the etches fit correctly and a certain amount of cutting and filing is needed so these are not kits for the novice. Having said that the Seven Models line from Scorpio are a dream to build and experience in building my Britannia is this is so much more an easier kit to put together, to the point with a reasonable amount of experience you couldn't really go wrong.
     
  9. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Beautiful Yorkie, excellent workmanship!!!!

    Pete.
     
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  10. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Thanks Pete glad you like, I've learnt one thing with building these kits and that is start by making a level foundation which sits square to avoid problems later on.
     
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  11. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    After a very long sojourn of sitting in the stock cupboard for this little tank loco the time had come to either finish it or waste even more time wondering what to do next with this stalled build, being honest I'd quite forgotten where I had got to with it but that was soon remedied so it was on with the thinking cap. The first issue was to resolve the weak front end which had a round brass frame spacer which stubbornly refused to remain soldered fast... some strengthening of the thin(ish) nickel silver frames was needed and a plan was hatched. I decided the cylinder saddle needed to be removable so a box fabrication which could bolt both saddle and frame together would give some added strength to the front end of the mainframe, in fact the cylinder had to be removable for all the obvious reasons in building tank engines if the front driving wheels were ever to be removed for painting, maintenance or simply just adding in the plunger pick ups. A plate was made to fit inside the frames and was drilled to take four 10BA screws which were soldered fast from underneath.

    [​IMG]

    The frame plate rests in the brass frame spacer and the angle for positioning was calculated beforehand... important as the cylinder saddle needs to sit in correct alignment so the centre of the piston port through the slidbars and along to the centre of the middle driving wheel axle must maintain a straight line for the motion to work properly and look correct. Final alignment for the saddle was made using thin washers as shims.

    [​IMG]


    Next the top plate over the cylinder saddle was fitted into position and soldered the the from and rear of the saddle... the fifth hole was drilled as an alignment for both plates to be drilled together. Finally the threads were filed down to just above the nuts for clearance of the footplate and smoke box and the white metal pieces either side on top of the valve chest was also filed down to make clearance for the footplate.

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    So now this little tank engine had a nicely rigid front end chassis and a removable cylinder block which I'll finish the motion off on the other side tomorrow and it was time to see what could be done to improve the front truck which had some rather mediocre representation of a lateral spring etched on... this won't do at all. Research from doing the Ivatt 2 tank engine tells me that these trucks lead to unstable riding qualities if both pony trucks were fitted with lateral side springs, the answer was to have one truck fitted with swinging links and so I decided to represent this in the model. The front truck was given swing links which were scratched from scrap etch.

    [​IMG]


    Visually this looks much better from a head on view... I'll deal with the rear truck which will have lateral springs fitted another day.


    [​IMG]


    Just as things were going swimmingly it wasn't long before the next snag arose, basically in order to fit the front truck frame on its swivel pin the forward brake rigging pull bar was slap bang in the way when it came to screwing down the nut... nothing easy in these kits it seems. I got around the problem by scratch modifying the front pair of brake hangers and blocks using some nickel silver ones laminated together from out of the parts box... this allowed me to gently move the rigging sideways just enough to fasten the swivel pin in place. The other blocks and hangers are somewhat delicate white metal castings and so won't need such handling, if I'd though I'd have replaced them with better castings from Laurie Griffin.


    [​IMG]


    Finally uniting loco body and chassis together, the ride height is correct and what bit of motion that has been built all clears as it should giving a free rolling loco... more tomorrow when I'll deal with the back sanders, rear truck fitting and giving everything else a good clean up and filing down the lumpy solder areas.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Got quite a bit done today, started off this morning scratching the lateral truck spring... made from some electrical copper wire and thin coated garden wire found in my greenhouse... the green coating removed off course. It all went together nicely and was soldered onto the rear truck. I also made a radius beam to stop the truck from swinging out and straining the swivel link connection.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    I didn't get to do any work on the other side motion but lots of fine detailing completed on the body tho... including scratch making the rear sand pipes and a representation of the sand blower valve... still more plumbing to do and make some tiny single feed oil reservoirs which lubricate the pistion arm.

    [​IMG]


    Finally a view of the Class 3 tank on my Elton Crossing layout.


    [​IMG]
     
  15. Kimbo

    Kimbo Staff Member Moderator

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    It might be taking you a while to build Paul, but it’s worth it. Great looking loco.
     
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  16. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    I’d second that for the layout. Taking a very long time ! :giggle:
     
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  17. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    To be fair to this model Kim its only been sat on my shelf for the last two years with not a thing done to it... the modifications you see now have happened in the last week or so.

    Andy ... true Leek station is taking a while but I'm on holiday for two weeks as from the middle of the month so the Leek project will surge ahead and as the nights draw in that is the time of year when I can turn to model making again.
     
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  18. Andy_Sollis

    Andy_Sollis Staff Member Moderator

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    I was referring to Elton… :thumbs:
     
  19. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Bit of an update on the build so far, well its now on with the final putting together stage or so I thought. Today the loco got its motor and gearbox and finally wired up to spring pick ups which were fitted the other day, so on to the test bed rolling road the loco went and proved to be a very free runner ... the cylinder block is currently removed for some final fitting of the lubricator drive rods which I'd forgotten to add previously...I know the con rods and combination lever along with valves work freely as I've tested them for clearances and all is well there. Anyway the loco went for a test run on Elton Crossing and promptly did a pole vault... on close inspection the original Scorpio white metal brake rigging had come adrift and broke free... I ought to have just chucked all the fragile white metal parts like these in the bin as stuff like this is worse than useless. Replacements will come as lost wax casts from Laurie Griffin, so its two steps forward and one back ... anyway onwards and upwards we are now getting to the finish line.

    The four brass threads over the front frame bulkhead where the cylinder saddle sits are the fixing and fine adjustment points for the removeable cylinder and motion bracket unit.


    [​IMG]
     
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  20. York Paul

    York Paul Staff Member Moderator

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    Loco body is finished and is prepped ready in grey primer, it will go into lined loco green with small emblem as 82005 which worked its final days on the Cambriam lines.

    Much of the pipework is scratch made particulaly around the smokebox area and so is the number plate, the speedo cable is on a hinge and with flex with the compensation beam once coupled to the rear driving wheel. The position of the front brake hanger can clearly be seen where it was ripped off.

    [​IMG]


    Again all the live steam injector pipework and water feed plumbing has been scratch made with references taken from photos. Next pictures will show the complete cylinder saddle and then the final paintwork with detailing parts shown.


    [​IMG]
     
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