Rainhill

[This posting has been removed]

I would really recommend some simpler projects to start with and learning to use a lathe before attacking costly castings. But if you are a jump-in-the-deep-end kinda guy, go for it.

Edited By Hopper on 20/06/2019 13:22:34

[This posting has been removed]

[This posting has been removed]

[This posting has been removed]

My advice may be untrustworthy because I'm definitely not a deep-end kind of chap, nor am I good with my hands!

But be warned there is a lot to learn and quite a few tricks of the trade. Even drilling holes accurately isn't as easy as it looks. Expect lots of mistakes at the beginning.

Several advantages in starting with a small horizontal engine or similar first.

• Even a small engine will exercise your ability to understand plans and cut metal accurately over a wide range of shapes.
• Mistakes don't cost much.
• It won't take long to finish
• On a small model you can afford the time and money to revisit parts several times, correcting mistakes or making everything beautiful.
• Most usefully you can assess how good or bad you are as a workman and identify tooling needs. (Didn't take me long to decide a power-saw and milling machine were essential.) Polishing skills needing remedial work will save frustration in the long run. Also experience is very useful in estimating how long it takes to do stuff before committing time, money and enthusiasm to a big project. I'd love to know how many projects are started and never finished simply because the maker runs out of steam!

Although I'm confident I could make a Rainhill, I'm fairly certain my impatience would mean plenty of tool-marked parts and minor errors. From experience I'm dead certain I'd mess up the paint job, and my brazing skills are weak. Without attending to my shortcomings I could not produce a quality Rainhill. Really annoying when I ruin several hours work because lack of skills or poor choice of technique trashes a part right at the end.

Buy hey, whatever motivates you is best. There's nothing like a target for energising people.

Dave

H, I see that GLR can even supply water jet cut frames for both the loco and tender but you may want to have a go at the frames yourself.

If you are an in at the deepend person then I would say go for it, if you can get support and assistance from your local club then so much the better, they should keep you on the straight and narrow.

Yes you will probably make mistakes but the truth be known, we all do (or at least I do) and for me thats all part of the learning curve