Saltford Simplex rebuild part 1.

I'm rebuilding my broken Saltford Models Simplex, which featured in this post. This was possibly my first loco kit, if not it'll be the second or third as I built a couple of Peco Vari-Kits around the same time. My aim is to improve the running but keeping the look of the original build, so I'm going to try and leave the green paint as is.

The wheels as supplied are 3mm wide and rather coarse, so I've made up replacements using the method described here. This time however I've used the tyres from 6.2mm dia. Parkside wheels, and to keep the 3mm width there is a shoulder turned on the outer face of the boss. Brian used 1/16" material for his axles, so my wheels are drilled 1.5mm and opened out with a 5-sided cutting broach, this gives me fine control over the final hole size making it easier to make the stub axles (1/16" silver steel) a light press fit. On one side I've fitted Nigel Lawton 3mm pulleys, broached out and Loctited to the stub axles to carry the drive to the front axle, remember that these kits only drive the rear axle. Here's the machined components waiting to be glued together;

I used Araldite Rapid to bond the stub axles into the muffs. For comparison here's the old Saltford wheels along with my replacements;

I cut a new footplate from .030" styrene, epoxied one sideframe in place, then when set fitted the wheels and drivebelt (Nigel Lawton 12mm ID belt) and epoxied the second side onto the footplate trapping the wheels in place;

The replacement motor is a Mashima 1015. I had to shorten both of the shafts, other than that its a good fit and will allow me to fit a flywheel. Here it is epoxied to the footplate, the bufferbeams now fitted as well;

 

Another view of the underside;

 

The motor leads are soldered to little tags made from scrap etch and drilled 1.8mm (10BA clearence) and are attached to the sideframes using 10BA cheesehead screws. Originally 10BA countersunk screws were supplied which the leads were soldered to. I like my idea better, more work but neater.
The front axle is slightly askew, which is partly down to the casting and partly down to a lack of finesse on my part 25ish years ago.

With thanks to Brian Meldon, whose idea it was to carry the drive to the front axle using a drive belt.

Paul.

Turning a funnel for a OO9 Polish Px48.

Another turning job for James Hilton, this time a stovepipe chimney to be fitted to a 3D printed Polish Px48. This is another first for me as I've not attempted to turn a flanged chimney before. I've been reading up on the subject and the two most popular methods to shape the flange so that it sits on the boiler are by flycutting and filing and by squeezing. For simplicity I chose the latter method.

James sent me a drawing which I printed out to size, measured and made a rough dimensioned sketch from. The largest diameter, the flange, scaled at 6.3mm so I started with 7mm dia. brass turned down firstly to the flange dia. and then to 5.4mm, the size of the top lip;

The next job was to turn the middle section, paralell at first to the top dia., then with the headstock set at an angle (judged by eye) taper turned;

For this part of the job I used a pointed tool set at an angle.
The flange was shaped with a round file and the lip filed to shape, then the funnel drilled out to 3.5mm;

 

At this stage I realised that I should have turned it the other way round, with the flange outermost so it could be thinned down internally to aid forming. So I parted the chimney off and turned it around in the chuck, the jaws lightly gripping on the thin lip. However, this was enough for me to file out the bore to thin down the inner part of the flange;

 

 The flange thinned down;

 

Now the flange can be squashed against a suitable piece of bar, 16mm in this case. The method usually described involves holding the chimney and bar in a vice. My vice is of the modelmakers lightweight bench type and not really up to the job, so I brought out my bench drill. I turned a small mandrell to sit in the chuck and hold the chimney upright, held some 16mm dia. brass in a V block, lined everything up by eye and pressed the flange over the bar to form the curved bottom;

And here's the finished chimney alongside the mandrel;

Not bad for a first effort.

All turning and drilling at 1600rpm, parting off at 365rpm. Cut dry.

Paul.

Grounded van bodies 5.

This one is in a field next to Harewood Moor, west of Chesterfield (SK312678);

Paul.