HR Passenger Tank Progress

Cab interior and backhead detail

My aim is to finish the sheet metal work first before adding the castings to the model. The brass backhead seen above is made from an etched fret supplied by Lochgorm Kits, it awaits fittings from LGM's 2-24 Drummond Backhead set. Though there is no drawing nor other direct evidence for the backhead fittings I believe they must have been fairly standard ones, much like those of the Loch class, for which there is a drawing, though adjusted to fit a smaller prototype. There is an inner front spectacle plate, to which the backhead is attached, which slides upwards so that this unit can be removed and worked on as a separate module. The circular brass window surrounds were etched to my own design.





HR 46 sheet metal work nearing completion.

The Highland built four of these little Passenger Tanks in 1905/6, based on Drummond's solitary HR53 of 1901 which was the subject of an earlier scratch building project on my Blog.

From the four possibilities I decided to model HR46 in original condition with the boiler bands on show rather than being covered by a saddle, which seems to have been added later across the side tanks of all these engines. Both front and rear spectacle plates are double to facilitate glazing.






Cab interior showing coal hole with sliding door.

You may notice that there's an "L" shaped angle piece covering the join between the boiler and the spectacle plate. This was made from "T" section brass, which can be persuaded to adopt a curved shape rather more easily than "L" section, which is quite intransigent. The rear flange is filed off the "T" section after it has been bent to shape to form the required "L" section.

The coal hole has a sliding door which adds interest to the interior of the cab, there will be much more detail in the cab before the model is finished and of course consideration is already being given to the poses and positions of the crew.





HR46 showing opening cab doors.

I've been poring over photos to try and understand the way that the sneck that holds the door shut from the inside works and I think I've got it; it's quite simple really and I'll see if I can replicate it in miniature tonight! There's a tablet catcher attached on the left hand side of the engine so the door will need a slot cutting in it to accommodate the operating mechanism of the apparatus which goes between the door stanchion and the tank side sheet.