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Gauge 1, 2 rail electric garden railway.
CHAPTER 4: LOCOMOTIVES.
I made a very early decision that my needs for the proposed Gauge 1, end to end GWR branch line, would only be for tank engines and unlike in other scales, where everything is available, there are very rarely any off the shelf locomotives readily available in 10mm and as I also recognised that I do not have the tools or the skill to build such items myself - so a different approach to acquiring the stud would be needed.
When I initially moved up to Gauge 1 in 1996, I wrote an article on how I achieved this with two locomotives and this was published in The Railway Modeller explaining how I overcame the problem, by utilizing the experience and contacts available to me after my many years of "O" gauge modelling on the 7mm Black Park railway where the stud eventually consisted of over 40 locomotives.
Basically I have always split the job into the following categories:
Body.
Chassis.
Motor/gearbox.
Wheels/axles.
Pickups.
At first I started with the two locomotives which were featured in the Railway Modeller article:- a 48XX 0-4-2T, No:4826 and a 3IXX 2-6-2T, No:3102.
Mike Danby, an excellent model maker had built me these 2 bodies but for the locomotives I now needed to extend the stud of GWR and I decided to go for open cabbed locos to portray the early 20s era, I asked Jeremy Suter from The Macclesfield MRC if he would undertake the new bodies for me, initially these were a the GWR 'Metro'' tank and also an open cabbed GWR 517 class tank.
I supply him with the 10mm drawings (P.T.Moore ex Skinley) and good detailed photographs when ordering the model, and his usual time for supplying the unpainted bodies to requested specification of full rivet detail, exterior fittings and cab back plates, is usually about 6 weeks.
For the two chassis I again approached Mr Underhill, who although now retired, agreed to produce them in kit form for me and again from me supplying the drawings to completed and delivered chassis, it was only 5 weeks. (Another source of this service is Walsall Model Engineers).
These chassis kits include the two mainframes, drilled to take the 1/4 inch axle bushes and the countersunk holes for the cross members - the front and back cross members are drilled centrally to enable two bolts to be connected to the loco body - when Mr Underhill had earlier made me the chassis for the 2-6-2T he also supplied the two pony truck frames - finally the connecting rods are included, ready shaped and milled as required, all at a very reasonable charge.
1/4 inch axle bushes, if not supplied by the chassis maker can be bought machined and finished directly from the Wagon and Carriage works. Cat No: GB100.
Wheels for the 2-6-2T were sourced from Mark Wood and are available as castings or can, on request, be supplied turned, insulated and with connecting rod pins as well, the pony truck wheels are threaded onto the axle and the driving axle sets are supplied with wheels quartered ready mounted onto 1/4 inch split axles which are then joined by a little joining pin when the two pieces are brought together from both sides.
On ordering the wheel sets from Mark, I sent the machined connecting rods and these are used as a guide on quartering and the making and fitting of the crank pins.
For the 48xx I used a set of wheels which came my way by chance and were on the standard 40mm back to back axles - later on it turned out that the wheels themselves were actually fine scale and created a problem when on a 3 way point, so knowing they were from Mr Brown @ Walsall Model Industries I sent the chassis to him and he replaced them for standard ones.
Walsall Models also supplies either castings OR a full turning service and also will undertake the quartering and insulation and make rods and crank pins if required.
As in ''0'' gauge I use the extremely reliable 32-1 ratio Crailcrest motor and gear box, but when ordering stipulate for use with a 1/4 in axle.
Pick ups are LGB (tm) and can be attached by fitting the outer tubes into either formica, wood or other Insulating block material inside the chassis, I chose these as they are a spring loaded carbon rod in a tube, which when worn down allows one to easily slip in a replacement carbon.
By using this methodical approach to creating a locomotive, no engineering skills are needed and construction of the relevant items is straightforward and well within the skills range of the average modeler using basic tools and a little soldering to attach wire to motor from pick ups etc.
Of course the final painting and finishing still remains to be done - using the cleaning and preparation methods outlined in Chapter 10 - but by adopting the above process I end up with unusual locomotives which are not available commercially and by building in stages are within budget and produced at sensible prices and not beyond my skills to complete.
Recently I decided to add to the stud with a 57XX 0-6-OT which was a model partly built by Joe Cussen for the late Dougie Moorcroft and I heard it was looking for a good home but as the 57XX class is a later GWR class engine than I wanted and as the loco came with an incomplete body it gave me the opportunity to modify same and convert it into an open cab pannier loco of an earlier period No: 2761.
The chassis for this loco is built in the conventional manner by Mr Joe Cussen and is a good runner.
To supplement this and to have a station shunter I have sourced an 18xx, another open cab 0-6-0T with a body kit from Mercian Models and chassis/wheels from Walsall Model Industries and the motor and gear box from MSC.
I thought those 6 locomotives would give me all the operational units I need for some intensive running on an end to end branch line and by 2006 I found I needed another locomotive to complete the stud, my choice was the lovely little 0-6-0 saddle tank converted from Mercian Models 0-6-0 pannier kit to pull the 4 clerestory 1897 Queen Victoria's Royal Coaches which I have built from Pete Watermans etches and finally I was unexpectedly and fortunate to be offered 2 etched kits for GWR Metro tanks(these were a manufacturers prototypes which were never continued with !) and Walsall Models have supplied the working chassis and one is now completed and the 2nd chassis is fitted on to a spare body of an ex Taff Vale tank engine I had spare.
This left me with a spare etch for a Metro Tank and Walsall Models now have this with a view to making up a kit from the pattern.
Again I recently had an offer of a brand new 57xx (in BR livery) at a good price and had ideas to strip the body and turn it back 60 years in style but have decided to keep as supplied for the time being, it is a powerful loco and will not look out of place just running in the garden away from the period section of the railway !
Since then I have been looking for odd items on e bay and 2 came up which took my fancy - both 0-6-0 saddle tanks: the first being a Brassmasters loco, based on the J class LMS and the other being a Pecket industrial loco, both which had originally been in kit form and the bodies finished but the chassis were in a mess (one motor burnt out) and were abandoned projects !
I acquired both very cheaply and sent the chassis to Walsall Models to sort out and I have altered the bodies to resemble ex welsh railways absorbed locos (The J H Russell book on absorbed engines is a mine of information) and will post photographs of the finished items double heading the Crane works train in the Gallery.
This combination of engines now give me the option of double heading all the trains I choose and also being able to lengthen the trains as well - which looks terrific when running on the outdoor section.
All the number plates I required are made to order for me by GUILPLATES but
other sources of such items do exist in Gauge 1.
Pat Honey.
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Gallery:
These photographs - taken at different times - are to give you some idea of what can be seen on DENBURY. I can supply hundreds more on disc to any interested party subject to the condition that they are not used for any commercial purpose whatsoever, with out my written permission. Most basic information is on each photograph but for any queries or further information then contact me.
Pat Honey.
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