Having seen Scratchman's Glover 2-6-0 I though I might try a "big" scale engine in styrene.I've always liked the 2ft gauge WW1 Alco 2-6-2T's here we go! Some excellent drawings from a book by Christian Cenac (though they were in 1/35th scale) plus a visit to the real thing at Pithiviers (just south of Paris) helped. All styrene construction with the driving wheels 3D printed by a local here on the Isle of Wight. The frames were done from 60 thou and 40 thou sheet glued together (the real frames are nearly 3" thick!) and cut out with a fretsaw (the fingers survived!). Photos show the real engine (one at Froissy in France) and the model progress so far. Les
Nice start! That's a nice engine.
YES! -- Russ
Another very cool build!
16mm to the foot?
-Marty
Nice project, great start!
Yes Marty, 16mm to the ft, that comes out at 1/19th scale. Having normally worked in 1/35th this is big but there are still "fiddly" bits (where I need to take my glasses off!), current fiddly bits are the brake blocks.
Les
Impressive! I look forward to see this come together.
Volker
Very Nice Les - fiddley bits never mind the brake bits what about that valve gear !!!
Marty 16 mm to the foot over here is a big thing using O gauge track 32mm works out at 2 foot gauge - there is a big following of this scale mainly by the live steam garden railway people. But there is an increasing amount of electric 2 rail people mainly for indoor use
Barney
Still at it, slow progress. The amazing thing is the sheer weight considering its all plastic - what it will be like when the boiler and tanks are on who knows. Being in the larger scale the thickness of the pieces is much greater, I've been doing more cutting with a saw than knife. Brake blocks now on (couple of pics attached) and now on the smokebox saddle/cylinders.
Les
Its been a quiet day so "cracked on" as they say. Progress shot of smokebox saddle and cylinders. The saddle and main cylinder shapes were cut out of 60 tho styere using a fretsaw then the curved side pieces were thin sheet just bent into the shapes and glued. The cylinder cover ends were turned in a Dremel with a small woodworking chisel. Nbws still to be added to the lower covers and the valve chests finished off before painting and installing. Then on to the boiler. Hope to make an opening smokebox door showing the tube plate.
Les
Great job! That's going to be a hefty loco when it's done.
Coming along nicely!
The styrene work is nice and crisp.
Imagine the weight if you did it in brass!
Mj
The painted parts really look like metal. Satisfactory. -- Russ
Painted with Humbrol "Gunmetal" spray from a can, then Bragdon powders for weathering.
Les
Very nice!
"Very big and very nice"
Barney
More progress shots of the 16mm Alco. Chassis and motion now complete (all styrene)and moving onto the boiler. Purchased some acrylic tubing as the basis which will be styrene wrapped. Rainy day here today so should get a fair bit of modelling done.
Les
And that's all hand cut styrene!?!?!?
Impressive!
now where was that rubber band airplane thread.....
mj
Incroyable! -- Russ
Astounding!
Not quite all styrene, forgot to say the driving wheels were 3D printed. All that rain we have had over the last two days here on the (sunny!!!) south coast of England has enabled me to press on, lots of styrene on the boiler and firebox now completed.
Russ - don't know you spoke a foreign language!
Les
Not one, four: French, German, Latin, ancient Greek. Important note: I have forgotten all of them. -- Russ
EXCELLANT !! Our Les and not a LEGO block or rubber band in site !!
Barney
Excellent, definitely excellent!
A couple more progress shots now the boiler is being worked on. It started with acrylic tube wrapped with styrene. Smokebox door and firebox door both turned in styrene on a dremel. (Lots of shavings on the carpet, wife not happy!!!). Grandt line nbw's and rivets for detail. The domes are 21mm waste outlet tube from the local diy store with turned tops and lids added. Have started the weathering on the smokebox and firebox but still needs to be done on the main boiler casing.
Les
Waste outlet tubes! Flush me out the door. Your work looks like metal, heavy and used, wonderful!
Wow, great progress Les!
Awesome!
First time looking in, very nice styrene work, I will follow along now.
Michael
A couple more progress pics. Been working on the backhead using some parts from Trackside Details, the rest are scratch built. The reverser rack was done using "L" section styrene glued together then trimmed and sanded, this gives even spacing.
Les
Beautiful. -- Russ
Very very nice -looks lived in !
Barney
Les -
Love the way you built the reverser rack. I'm going to steal that idea.
Bill Martinsen
Excellent! I really like your idea for creating the teeth on the reverser. Very clever!
Les, I'm lost, can you give a bit more detail about the reverser rack construction?
OK Bill,
I use styrene "L" (or angle) strip ( in this case 1.5mm angle), gluing a very short length to a base of styrene. Another piece is then glued on in front of that and so on. (It would look like a series of "L"s giving LLLLLLLLL). This gives constant height and spacing. When the needed length is reached just cut/sand to the right width. I hope that makes sense!
Les
NIce to see more progress!
OK Bill,
I use styrene "L" (or angle) strip ( in this case 1.5mm angle), gluing a very short length to a base of styrene. Another piece is then glued on in front of that and so on. (It would look like a series of "L"s giving LLLLLLLLL). This gives constant height and spacing. When the needed length is reached just cut/sand to the right width. I hope that makes sense!
Les
Thanks Les, I was making it more complicated than necessary. That helps understanding it a lot, though the technique probably wouldn't work for HO scale.
Finished (after 9 months work). Enjoyed working in this BIG scale.
Les
Couple more pics. The plates came from a company called Narrow Planet here in the Uk. They offer a wide range of scales and styles.
Les
Wow, that is incredible! It looks like you could fire it up and put it to work!
Les, That's just beautiful all around!
Most satisfactory!
Incidentally, the final photo (3/4 front from above) has too much contrast and that makes the paint look too light and rust too vivid. Such an outstanding model demands an equally outstanding photo.
Russ
Lovely!
Cheers John
Most excellent!
Ill have to check out that narrow planet.
Marty
Hi, Les,
what Ray and the others said. Looks like it could start running immediately. No way to identify this being built from plastics! Which size / weight does the model have?
Happy new year!
Cheers,
Volker
P.S.: I'm with Russ concerning the color in the pictures. The rust looks somewhat redish and a bit arbitrarily positioned. For a 'running' loco you may add some more coal dust / oil stains around the footplate and some 'polished' areas at parts often touched like the handles and so. The frame /wheelsets / drive look spot on, but the upper chassis lacks a bit a color conjunction with the lower parts.
That came out so nice, Les! Quite an achievement!
nice
happy 2016
Hi Volker,
just measured it 34 cm (for Europeans!), 13 inches in "real money". The weight I find incredible for styrene, its tricky to pick up but is quite heavy (mind I've been modelling in 1/35th before and to me this is BIG!!!!). I've enjoyed building it - now looking at a Kitson steam tram engine in the same scale (16mm or approx 1/19th).
Les
Les
All what they say plus a big WOW !!!!
Barney