Coal Tank... brake pull-rods

Brake pull-rods screwed in place.

 There are brake-pull rods both inside and outside the wheels on a Coal Tank. In order to allow the wheels to be taken off the outer rods need to be removable. So, though I soldered the inner rods in place onto the transverse spacers, I screwed the outer ones on. I tapped the small diameter tubes, which act as spacers for the rods 16BA, there's one of these tubes attached to each brake block as well as to the brake rod operating arm behind the rear driver. The screws are 16BA cheese heads which I've rounded off to look something like the rivets used on the real thing. You can just see the rear sand pipe in front of the brake rod operating arm protruding between the paired rods. The brake rods were rather fine, only 2" wide, a mere 1.16mm in 7mm scale. I made them from 1.18mm half-round rod which makes them both robust and to scale. When they're drilled for the 16BA screws there's very little metal left which necessitates a washer over the hole for strength... I think I can see the same arrangement on a photo of the prototype.

Below the chassis, behind the operating arm, you can see part of the lever connecting the transverse brake shaft to the reversing mechanism mounted in the bunker above. The cut-out shape in the chassis behind the rear wheel is much in evidence in this picture but is masked by the cab step once the superstructure is in place.


 

Coal is glued onto a Milliput former, the bunker top tool boxes are not yet in place.

 

 

 

The master pattern for the tool box was difficult to construct but is now finished and in a mould in the workshop. If you want some castings of this yourself there should be some available in a few days. The tool boxes stand on wooden blocks mounted on the bunker top, they protrude slightly beyond the bunker sides though they are held firmly in place by hooks which attach to the tool box handles.

I've been busy working on second version of the Coal Tank fireman in a less specific pose, so he's no longer "straddling" the works. This new character will be useful on almost any engine, he's also in a mould in the workshop at the moment and will be available very soon and will be featured on the Blog.

As construction of the Coal Tank is nearing completion I've been considering my next project. I've decided to step back into the realm of the Highland Railway and will be working on a D9 composite coach from a set of Lochgorm etches. I've spent some time working on the coach recently and will be making a posting on the progress I've made very soon...