Lochgorm Tank progress

Lochgorm Tank "up and running".

You can see the lead weight here which fills the ash pan low down between the centre and rear wheels. The fly-wheel is a screw fitting one and was obtained from MSC Models, it greatly enhances the running qualities of the loco which is running smoothly even though there are no pick-ups on the centre wheels yet and the coupling rods are not jointed.

Wired up and weighted

A cross member at the back of the underframe fits under a retaining angle strip fastened to the inner side of the rear buffer beam; an 8BA screw holds the front of the underframe tight against the running plate by means of a nut which will be hidden inside the smokebox. The ash pan has a rivetted bottom plate and is filled with 200g of lead sheet.

Electrical pick-up is from the brass hornblocks which run in Slaters' insulated hornguides. Wires take the current from the hornblocks to strips of copper clad insulation board glued to the side frame above each axle, the wire acts as a sort of spring. Current is fed to the motor through wires via another piece of CCIB above the center axle.


  

Running plate in place.

Dummy side frames of full scale width are soldered to the rear of the front buffer beam, the slightly narrower working side frames fit neatly between the dummy ones, the joint will eventually be masked by the brakes and sandpipes.
A start has been made on the superstructure... at the moment I'm working on the plate-work in the flat.

Ben Clebrig at CD0GG

Ben Clebrig in action today

I took Ben Clebrig up to Carlisle today to the CD0GG running day at the club room at the Citadel Station for her first real test on a club layout.
Here she is rounding the bend into the station on the scenic section of the layout with a local passenger train of four assorted coaches. Today was a "timetabled" day and the Wee Ben had the privilege of heading the local passenger service...she performed her role in the unfolding drama admirably, gliding smoothly into Kinchley Lane Station right on time.
I spent time the previous evening cleaning wheels, tightening crank pin nuts and checking electrical connections which paid off, she ran smoothly without a hitch and I was most pleased with her running qualities.