Member postings for Weary

A further thought:

You could make a box section drawbar by centrally brazing in a short section of the 1/2" 'L' material left over from the drawbar the opposite way round to the drawbar. I suggest this as an 'option' only as it may actually be easier to set this up and hold for brazing than a single piece of flat bar.

The drawbar itself can be any material that you might have available but obviously limited to 3/32" thick unless you open out the slots. The 1/4" width is the minimum, but again you can use anything suitable that you might have i.e. 3/32" x 5/8". If it is much wider than 1/4" it will almost certainly need 'waisting' between the securing pins - but that is hardly a big job.

I'm afraid that LBSC left these sort of details to the builder to sort out. Provided it works it is good!

Phil

Hello John,

As no-one else has attempted to assist you here are my thoughts ->

For the drawbar of "Dot" I think that you will find that a piece of 3/32" x 1/4" wide flat bar will do the job. It could be connected by 1/8" diameter pins at each end dropping centrally through the horizontal part of the respective drawbars. You can provide a lower support to the pin as well if you prefer by simply brazing in a short length of 1/2" wide by 3/32" thick flat centrally along the lower edge of each drawbar parallel to the upper surface and drilling through from above. You may need to laterally slightly 'waist' the middle portion of the drawbar to provide side clearance in the 1/2" wide drawbar slots. This depends on the minimum track curvature you intend your locomotive to pass.

Similarly I think that you will find the LBSC didn't specify a length of loco/tender drawbar as once again this depended on the minimum track curvature that the locomotive had to go round. I'm afraid that it is down to a bit of experimentation as to what is the shortest length allowing sensible clearance between locomotive and tender on the tightest curves and that still 'looks right'.

Regards & best of luck,

Phil

And, the 'calculator' doesn't seem to rank the results/options by accuracy nor give any indication of which might be give the least 'error'.... Or does it & I have simply not understood???

Phil

PM sent to you so please check your inbox.

Regards,

Phil

Hello,

In the absence of the correct union-nut/tube-size combination you can use 1/4" pipe. If this is too intrusive on the backhead or similar visible locations then you could make yourself a small reducer that can be hidden somewhere discrete to reduce 1/4" diam. tube-work to 5/32" for the visible pipework.

The reducer is simply a short piece (say 1/2" long), of non-ferrous material drilled halfway thorough 1/4" and the other half 5/32". Make sure that there is clearance between your pipes and the holes in the reducer for the silver solder to fill, clean, flux, and silver-solder.

Regards,

Phil

Chris,

to answer your original question, which doesn't appear to have been answered, but you may have 'sorted' since posting.

Lucky 7 can be built as an outside framed 3 1/2" gauge 'narrow gauge' Forney locomotive. This is the gauge and scale combination in which the 2" gauge prototype is most often built.

Video.

It can also be built as 'mini' Lucky 7, that is using the drawings for the 3 1/2" gauge locomotive above BUT as an inside framed 7 1/4" (or 7 1/2"  ) gauge locomotive. The difference is in the axle lengths and wheels (which are spoked, rather than disc), nearly everything else remains as the 3 1/2" gauge locomotive. In fact, if you make two sets of wheels and axles it becomes a dual gauge locomotive that can be changed over relatively rapidly.

Video.

There is also Maxi 7, a 7 1/4" ( or 7 1/2 inch) gauge version, which is an outside framed, narrow gauge locomotive. This is a rescaled drawing set of the 3 1/2" Lucky 7.

Video.

(And, to further confuse the issue Lucky 7 has been built in 5" gauge, 2 1/2" to the foot, as a narrow gauge Forney, I think by rescaling the 3 1/2" drawings, but you would have to do this yourself.)

Video.

Regards,

Phil.

Edited By Weary on 02/04/2018 15:47:58

Edited By Weary on 02/04/2018 15:48:46

Edited By Weary on 02/04/2018 15:49:34

You have a Personal Mail. Check your message inbox.

Regards,

Phil

Matt,

You can make a faceplate - if you want. All you need is a circular slice of metal that you can bolt to a lathe back-plate. It can be a piece of scrap plate that initially you cut to rough size and then turn down and face flat in the lathe if you cannot or don't want to purchase/find/source suitable diameter steel/cast-iron/wot-evah as the basis of your faceplate.

Similarly, using the lathe as a mill you can true-up your out-of-true angle bracket or make one yourself from a suitable piece of steel, (girder, bracket, welded pieces, etc.). If making it yourself don't forget that, at a push, you only need to true the area to which the cylinder will actually be bolted/attached - & thus may save lots of tedious milling!!

Hopefully not suggesting solutions that = 'teaching grandma.. etc.,' Apologies if so.

Regards,

Phil

Very nice work.

But, a question ->

You show the 'passenger' seating as running across the rear of the locomotive, but was it constructed like this?

I cannot find any pics of the very earliest 2-2-2T incarnation viewed from the rear, but I believed that there always was an entrance for passengers from the rear through a hinged door. A footstep was added slightly later - but maybe that was always there too, I'm unsure of my source on this point. Here is a 3/4 rear view of the locomotive showing the door, and a 'weather-shield' for passengers. The passengers were isolated from the footplate by a steel sheet running across the rear of the footplate area level with the back of the side-doorways - this is visible in many of the 'standard' 3/4 front views.

I dropped in and searched the Doman & Co. Ltd. archive, and on my searching could not find any remaining drawings pertinent to this locomotive. EXCEPT I did find one drawing, undated, untitled, no scale, which looks very much like the frames of 'Gazelle'. PM me for more info' if you wish.

You should note that the Doman archive has never been fully referenced and sorted since being saved from the closing works in 1975, so looking for information means sorting through the documents one by one. Much of the archive is in very poor condition with no conservation work having been carried out.

Regards,

Phil

Worth checking your PM (Inbox for Personal Mail)?

Regards,

Phil

Edited By Weary on 07/03/2018 16:31:42

One on ebay at the moment. Have seen them for sale comparatively frequently.

No personal link whatsoever to vendor nor interest in the sale etc., etc..

Regards,

Phil

I use path or brick cleaner diluted in water to make a bath - add brick/path cleaner to water. Immerse blackened steel parts and leave until the blackened areas have flaked off. Some gentle abrasion/prodding, etc., will speed things up if desired. Parts are left with a matt grey finish that needs protection against rust immediately upon removal from the cleaning fluid.

In my experience there is no damage to the parts by leaving them too long (overnight) in the cleaning bath.

Regards,

Phil

This angled shot shows the valve spindle and confirms the cylinder position showing that there is nothing substantial between the leading axle and the buffer-beam below footplate level.

Picture source: Deviant Art gallery here.

Plus, if you scroll down this page, under the heading GAZELLE and an illustration there is, amongst other matters covered in a brief discussion and description, the following sentence: The crank axle is behind the fire-box, the connecting rod and eccentrics working between it and the frame.   Thus fixing those positions.

Locomotive looks like a very interesting model project.

Regards,

Phil

Edited By Weary on 25/02/2018 20:56:14

There is a view of the cylinders of the present incarnation of Gazelle here, around 0:41. But they seem to be located immediately behind the leading axle, rather than in-front of it as you have drawn as that looks like an axle at bottom-right of picture level with cylinder lower edge (?). It does however confirm that the cylinders are widely spaced being attached directly to the frames

Many other detail views of current state of the loco' in the video too.

Regards,

Phil

Copper rivets silver-soldered into position is the current preferred option. Screwed and nutted stays were preferred at the period when LBSC was writing as it allowed the use of (relatively) high-temperature solder ('Comsol' ) as a sealant in the event of leaks.

Suggest that heads are placed on inside of firebox, small countersink on outside of structure on side where heat is to be applied where stem of rivet is to be silver-soldered. I would not make the fit 'good' with no qualification as you write, as you need to allow the sliver solder to flow along the stem of the rivet through the hole. Of course one man's 'good fit' is another's 'rattling good fit' in the world of model engineering! A couple of 'nicks' made with a file around the good fit hole will allow silver-solder flow to both sides of the stay. Basically you want a ring of silver-solder on both sides of the structure where the rivet passes through after silver-soldering.

Cut excess length of rivets when boiler tested and thus all silver soldering fully completed.

Regards,

Phil

Edited By Weary on 18/02/2018 08:52:22

For a very rough idea:

Measure or calculate total joint lengths and that will give approximate length of 1mm diameter silver solder that you require. Don't forget 'dabs' around fasteners, rings around stays & bushes, etc.,

Actual amount used will depend on fit of joints, depth of joints, your skill-level, etc., etc. You can always add a contingency. I s'pose that knowing the gap and depth of the joints one could calculate an 'exact' minimum volume of solder required, but .............!!

'Fraid that I cannot give you an actual amount used, as, whilst I have made a couple of copper boilers, I didn't keep a record of the amounts of silver solder consumed as I tend to buy 'quite a bit' for all kinds of silver-soldering jobs and seem to just use it up without any conscious consideration!

Regards,

Phil.

PM in your inbox.

Phil

The safety valves steam exits through the cab roof on Sweet William through two long tubes. I suspect that is the 'exhaust' that you are seeing exiting above the cab roof.

Refer this video. Where you can also occasionally see the grey combustion 'exhaust' from the chimney.

Exhaust form chimney clearly visible in this video,

Regards,

Phil

You have a PM in your 'inbox'.

Regards,

Phil

This index should help you search for relevant articles in principal UK model engineering mags.

Lister single cylinder information on this site:

This Thread on this site may assist. Unfortunately Ennech hasn't been on-line here for some months.

Issues with drawings referred to here.

Hobbynuts build here. Hobbynut hasn't been on-line here for nearly two years.

Jasonb may be able to give you further information and 'leads'.

+ suggest that you search this site if you haven't already done so.

Apologies if you already know all this 'stuff'.

Regards,

Phil