Iconic Aircraft Aviation Forum

ok highlight of the last big issue
the bolts highlighted for the suspension are rubbing on the track,

not normaly an issue untill you have multiple gauges running on the same track

so i now have the fiddly job of undoing all the bolts (12 off) and cutting them down and the springs too, while the loco is in full build condition never happens when they are easy to get at
at least I am aware of this issue when I build the axle boxes for speedy

edit cant say how happy i am to report that there is an issue while on the track
ok now fixed the offending side i now have to do the other one
before:

after trimming 1/4" off

Great job there Dougs. 'These things are sent to try us', as they say!

PW

thwarted yet again!!!!!
just when I thought I had got every duck in line I was determined that i was going to run butch this weekend for its 2nd shakedown test and i go and break my collar bone so thats probably it for the rest of this year
(sholders sholder drops and he walks away)

Rest up and heal well. Thank you for your updates.

thanks Minty they gonna have to take me down kicking and screaming (prob. like a baby) i am already thinking up ways of getting some way of running my loco without the heavy lifting

Sorry to hear your news, Dougs. I am sure that you are a quick healer (the 'young man' that you are ) and will soon be 'back in harness'. Take good care of yourself.

PW

Sounds like time for some Helpers !

What rotten luck, though.....

Danf.

Good news I did get to run today I did about four laps of the track I am very happy that it is now an officially fully running locomotive no issues so I can close this chapter of restoration everything from now on is upgrading and "pimping"
So what would I like to do in the not so distant future, well here is the list;
Modify the lubrication system for the cylinders to aid maintenance and general access
Modify the steam manifold so all the controls are easy to get to in the cab and face the driver (should stop the scolding that currently happens on EVERY outing )
Respray the whole loco (currently no paint adhesion so it peels off very easily)
Refurbish the axle water pump
Fit a new steam injector ( for filling the boiler current one does not work)
Fit a new pressure gauge current one is too big and gets in the way of the controls

So with that little lot I should be kept busy for a while and hopefully you guys entertained with updates that lot should turn my little loco into a great runner
I have one last run to do on 17th November so my dad can see it running then it's having some heavy surgery hopefully I won't be following suit

That's excellent news Dougs. Quite a 'to do' list, but I know that you are more than capable of working through it systematically. Keep the Updates coming!

PW

With the results of the run on Sunday added to the issues I have with my shoulder I have made the decision not to run again this year, as the train could be damaged if I don’t get it working correctly. The main issue is with the lubrication pump this puts a small amount of oil into the cylinders to keep everything moving. I noticed while running everything getting a little tight and the train would not free wheel easily some of the guys at the club had a quick look and told me to stop running right away as without oil going into the cylinders it could seize up I checked the lube pump when i got home by running on compressed air and sure enough it’s not working which is when I made the job list above. to get to the lube pump and water pump it’s a boiler off job with this in mind I can attack nearly all the jobs on the list if I do a complete strip down and don’t run again (remove any time pressures) so with this in mind I am working from the back forward and repainting and fixing as I go.
The rear bunker plate is the first off

once off it shows the hand pump to feed the boiler

the panel is then put in the blaster cabinet to have the paint removed this is something I can do to most of the panels except the two side tanks these will require stripping by hand as I don’t want sand in the water system

all nicely stripped of paint and keyed ready for Acid etch primer to be applied I can also see some area's that will have to be filled to make a super clean finish as I am now going for showroom finish

painting is going to be fairly long and complex job as I have quite a few layers to put down first off Acid etch primer, because its brass normal primer will just peel off, any filling that’s required then comes some red primer this will help the top coat show its crimson colour off then to top it off a lacquer coat to protect the paint and the livery on the sides I am thinking a two pack for this as its very hard to scratch.
TBC

This is all fascinating stuff, Dougs. Looks like you'll be kept busy over Winter. Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Another PERFECTIONIST, I see !

It's a painful condition to live with

Onward!

Danf.

Thank you Dougs. Yes, lubrication is VERY important! (While working on 'Sir Keith Park' I was astounded by the extent of all the small bore copper lubrication pipework - mostly hidden underneath the Boiler/inside the Frames ).

Keep up the good work, Dougs. Really enjoy your detailed, step by step, Reports.

PW

general lubrication is very time consuming on my loco too PW there are so many lubrication points it takes about ten mins to go round them all and trying not to forget any it’s then ready for one good run before it needs doing again the thing drips oil like a Chinese motorbike
anyway on with the paint job and strip down the bunker back plate in etch primer

The roof removed next

The roof panels now removed I have only recently painted them but as I am going for the "Full Monty" I may as well strip them too

The removable panel this is the bit that gets removed when driving 3 different paint colours on it so should be interesting

As you can see the inside of the cab is kind of cream coloured I will go with something similar maybe a little darker

The roof stripped of paint



The paint pretty much fell off which confirms that the adhesion is not that good so hopefully the acid etch will grab it better
EDIT;
a little lunchtime research shows up that prototypes tended to have cream/beige roofs and walls from waist level up
and black on the bottom parts this makes total sence to me as it would almost definately end up black any way from all the soot and coal so i am going two tone!

Thank you, Dougs. I'm sure it must be very satisfying to see the painting work progressing. (At SLL, our Locomotives get 5 Top coats).

PW

34053 wrote:Thank you, Dougs. I'm sure it must be very satisfying to see the painting work progressing. (At SLL, our Locomotives get 5 Top coats).

PW

that made my knees go weak
the paint I have got cost £38 and its only enough for 1 and a bit coats
add the cost of the filler and primers its quite a costly job
Ok so the original cab colour is

The new colour

The match is much closer than it looks see the roof fitted

And a quick pic of the panels so far

TBC

Looking good, Dougs.

PW

Been busy again painting and stripping
The cab with front and back spectacle plates removed

Rear spectacle plate with windows removed darn things were soldered on this pic shows how bad the paint has become

Front spectacle plate with the windows removed with a blow lamp

The main roof finished this is the first complete new painted part! I am very happy with the new paint job it looks awesome


The photo's don't do it justice it will look amazing when complete

Thank you Dougs. Keep up the Good Work.

PW

Bit more progress
first front specticle plate blasted and filled ready for primer

rear cab wall just after a coat of etch primer

and after the inside paint finishes have been applied the black is the same as the roof (a very hard wearing 2k acrilic) this shows the design i have gone for black upto waist height and cream above

and what it looks like fitted


I havent done any of the external paint yet as I thought it would be best to try and do it all in one go so i dont waste any and can do a few coats. I am really happy with my new spray gun its brill no runs at all and have a nice even spray.

Such a difference ('before' and 'after') already. Well done Dougs!

PW

Progress is still ongoing the boiler is now off and I can see the fault with the lubrication pump more on that later
Boiler removed

I removed the boiler cover very carefully as it had an Asbestos jacket and I didn't want to take any chances so it got bagged and went in the bin I will use a more modern fibre insulation material when I rebuild

The boiler in the buff

The boiler jacket rolled up like old lettuce when I shot blasted it I think its because it was annealed so I had to straiten it out once it was stripped back

And another shot

Good news on the spray and rebuild I have secured some funding for my little hobby so it all should come together better now the cost is so expensive the repaint is costing well over £100 alone so I am happy now the money comming in to my saving pot will cover this and make a good start to the cost of a boiler for my other loco which will cost me at least £500 to build.

Dougs wrote:................ and make a good start to the cost of a boiler for my other loco which will cost me at least £500 to build.

My boiler for the 9f will be at least 3 times that much!!!!! Scary stuff.

Your painting skills look pretty good to me.

Vulcan Bomber wrote:

Dougs wrote:................ and make a good start to the cost of a boiler for my other loco which will cost me at least £500 to build.

My boiler for the 9f will be at least 3 times that much!!!!! Scary stuff.

Your painting skills look pretty good to me.

thanks I am still learning what I can/cant do or get away with
TBH VB your loco is Epic in size though, the boiler is about half as much again bigger as my GWR "standard 10 k class boiler"
I have to admit I am very scared to start building the boiler as mistakes are VERY costly although I am assured faults are rarely unfixable. the whole new build is on halt at the moment anyway as I am putting all my efforts into my "running" loco to get it up to scratch and reliable. Also I am still learning alot about running and repairing a loco which will hopefully feed into the new build design

The first two pannels are ready for top coat
The removable roof section

And the bunker back plate

Just a couple of days drying and I can shoot the first coat of colour