DJH K8 Caledonian 439 0-4-4 Kit Build

[slackbladder]

Aww shame bout that Geoff. If you eventually need to I'm sure a chap of your caliber could fabricate a ledge. I'm thinking something on the lines of offering up the boiler to the plate in correct position, marking around the inside diameter then soldering on a piece of copper wire or such. I am thinking that maybe it doesn't really need to be a flat profile just something to locate, position and fix to. Not that I am any expert mind you as I have never ever even seen a kit let alone build one.

Good luck sir, I'm sure they will fix you up with the part. Please keep us updated with many pics.

[Dad-1]

Hi Slackers,

DJH based in Co. Durham ....... MMMMmmmmm ...... no they don't like telephone calls, faxes, or letters regarding missing parts so a visit wouldn't do either !!
They include a 'special form' which will be posted back tomorrow.

I've already worked out how I would drill and add 4 brass wire pegs. One each side for the boiler lower edge to sit on, then another each side higher up to locate laterally which would keep it in place on the lower pegs. The trouble with that would be the minimal contact area for adhesive, which gives away the fact that I may use superglue for much of the body building. The other thing is I'd have to cut that central hole to access the bogey screw, but we'll see how long it takes. Any product can have it's missing bits, it's the way a company recovers the situation is what one must judge them by.

I'm looking at hiding the decoder under coal in the bunker, it's quite deep and should have a metal top plate to both strengthen and need just a thin covering of coal. I'm thinking of of lining the bunker with thin plasticard and replacing the fixed top with a removable plastic replacement.





All just propped together to think of where I'm going !!

Geoff T.

[matt]

Looking good Geoff =)

[Bufferstop]

I may use superglue for much of the body building.

Try to keep superglue and soldering well apart. If you have the choice solder first superglue later. I once tried to repair a dot matrix print head by soldering, That's when I discovered that it had been assembled with superglue. I'd go for superglueing everything on the body. If you later discover that something needs moving you can unglue it by applying a soldering iron. Mind you, knowing that superglue breaks down with heat is little solace if it's your fingers that are glued together

[Dad-1]

Hi Bufferstop,

Interesting, although I'd never solder after using glues I wasn't aware that heat above a certain level broke-down/destroyed superglue. something I'll now always remember.

I've been thinking, as I can't do much else for a week or more. Decided the body will probably be made up using glue with filler inside hidden joints where accessible.

Looking at the motor/gearbox length with my planned flyweel I can't see where I'll put much lead ballast within the boiler. I have 2 flywheels coming for 1.5 mm motor shafts, one 1/2" the other 5/8". I'll use the largest by choice if there is enough room. With a 50:1 gearbox the kinetic energy even at slow speeds should give jerk free running.
I'll probably fill the front half of the side tanks (forward of the second driving wheel) with lead to improve traction, but the weight not be a far forward as I would have liked.

I'm also not even thinking about any compensated chassis - whatever that's all about !!

I'm also undecided about what DCC decoder to use - I have a spare Hornby R8249 here, but wonder about getting a Bachmann 6 pin 'N' type and soldering on leads. My reading of the motors power demand indicates this should take the ampage and being very small will rattle around the bunker space I have. The smallest and simplest chip will do as it only needs the motor feeds.

Even with delays this looks like it'll take less time than I thought ........ better start planning the next exercise ?

Geoff T.

[b308]

I'm also not even thinking about any compensated chassis - whatever that's all about !!

It just means that the chassis wheels/axles are "sprung" - a common way of doing it is to have one rigid axle and the other axle able to move up and down slightly usually controlled by spring wire or similar... Its used a lot on finescale layouts like P4 where the flanges are near scale and thus any imperfections in the track can have a big effect on running (or derailing!). It can be nice to have but not really needed in ordinary OO scale layouts.

Re ballasting, I'd be surprised if you would need to ballast it, its only a small loco and made of whitemetal which is pretty heavy in itself and I doubt you'll be pulling long trains with it... Try weighing the kit first and then weigh a similar sized loco in your stud to see if any is needed!

[Dad-1]

Hi b308,

I'm a bit of a maniac when it comes to traction requirements.
As an example I ventured into the garage today, stuck a weighted Hornby class 101 0-4-0 on a train of 21 wagons which the loco pulled around 1st radius curves with a minimum of slip. I try to have every loco able to pull 25 wagons, as much for the added security of electrical pick-up from the pressure of contact as the actual tractive ability. I mean who would want, or expect a Caledonian Pug to be pulling 25 wagons, but it can !!
In use I hope the 439 can pull 3 coaches, or around 8 wagons, but for ultimate pulling power ...... whatever I can get !!

I did think that "Compensated" would also cover the lateral flexibility of fixed wheel sets for going around curves. I still get lost with some railway modeller speak !

Geoff T.

[b308]

It probably does cover lateral movement as well... I've never found any need for it so haven't bothered going into any detail!

Re ballasting, I suspect that it'll pull three coaches/8 wagons easy enough in current form... The problem with adding lots of weight is that it produces extra wear on the mechanics of the loco, especially if they are slightly out... We see it a lot in 009 when a large whitemetal body is placed over an N gauge chassis, it tends to wear out quicker than if it just had the N gauge body on it... You could try a "dry run" without ballasting first!

You've reminded me that I must get out the second of the Model Loco kits and complete the final assembly some time!

[Dad-1]

Gentlemen,
My solders and flux arrived today, so I'll start soldering the brass chassis together this evening.

However I do have a problem and hope someone may have a better guess than me !!
This is my picture from the Bachmann 2010 calendar that I want to replicate in model form :-



Can anyone suggest what the small brass fittings are each side of the smokebox door ?
Small oil lights ? Some form of drain tap ?
I ask because there is nothing like this in the kit, and as can be seen the 4-4-0 locomotive behind 419
carries similar fittings which I assume must have been a standard fitting in Victorian times.
Also if you do know, is there anywhere you think I may find a picture of the real thing ?

I have a picture of a black 'BR' 439 on the Killin Branch line, but there is nothing, not even a patch where what
ever they are were located.

Geoff T.

[slackbladder]

Here's a link to a flickr account Geoff with some pics. Showing those strange fittings below the smoke box door

http://www.flickr.com/photos/punkrocksu ... 63/page88/

More pics...........http://www.srpssteam.com/gallery/displa ... m=19&pos=4


Image borrowed from a flickr account.

[Dad-1]

Hey, Thanks for that Slackers,
I know I'm a lazy devil & should have been searching for myself.
Still, burning ones self with a soldering iron is much more productive !!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Here's the brass chassis threaded into the white metal foot plate.

Itching for the replacement part and wheels sets .......
At the moment it feels like it shouldn't be too difficult a kit to make.
I keep forgetting to purchase all those little bit & pieces, need a crew for it. I may be able to use a couple of my Vic/Edwardian station staff ?
Time to dig them out !



Geoff T.

[b308]

Back to those fittings... they look like oil feeds of some sort as they are located just above where each of the two (inside framed) cylinders are... That curved bit below covers the ends of them.

[stuartp]

They are indeed oil feed thingummies, and I can't see them on the half dozen or so BR-era pics readily to hand so I assume they were removed or repositioned by the LMS. I think Caley Coaches do them as a spare but it wouldn't take long to turn some up from brass pins if you've got a mini-drill.

There's plenty of weight in the body but the problem with 0-4-4s generally is that half of it is in the wrong place. The bogie spring will need adjusting carefully to get the sit of the loco right. If you jack it up slightly too high at the back it will start to lift the trailing driving axle and reduce traction, too low and the front driving axle lifts off instead.

[b308]

Didn't people used to use two sets of kitchen scales with the loco balancing on each to get a 50/50 weight distribution (perhaps 60/40 in favour of the front?) for 0-4-4s?