Another old build, this time from sometime in the early nineties.
It's a whitemetal kit of a Hibberd Planet, and is designed to sit on a Tenshodo 'spud' motor bogie.
It was quite a nice kit to build, but the body castings did need to be filed down as they were a tad oversize. I used 5 minute epoxy to hold it all together. I converted the chassis to EM using Romford 12mm 3 hole disc wheels.
Handrails were included, as were the three link couplings, and the brake gear was cleverly cast in one piece which simplified the build somewhat.
There is some interior detail, a brake stand and fuel tank. I thinned down the castings around the open part of the doorframes, to give the appearance of sheet metal. Windows were cut from thin clear material, from a sheet which I think I'm still using. Front and rear windows were made in two pieces as the prototype had sliding windows.
This model once fell from a layout onto the floor at an exhibition, damaging the cab and body sides. The club that I belonged to and organised the show offered to pay for a replacement kit, so I contacted Peter at Nonneminstre to order it and told him the reason why and he sent me some replacement parts as well as a new kit. I managed to fix the body without any sign that it had been dropped and the second kit is still unbuilt. I'd like to build it one day, on a scratchbuilt chassis.
The finish is Humbrol black enamel, hand painted, with a dusting of Carrs powders.
Not bad for an early effort.
Paul.
What a lovely little loco, Paul, glad you managed to repair it after its accident!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip re: wheels...I hadn't considered using Romfords on a Tenshodo SPUD, but I may well do so on my Branchlines Muir Hill.
Simon.
Thanks Simon.
DeleteRomfords don't look as nice as, say, Gibsons but they run true and being solid brass with an insulating bush they work well with the spud pick-ups.
I'll be featuring my Muir Hill sometime in the next few months.
Yes...comparing the two, that's what I felt...the hassle of having to fiddle with the pick-ups to bear consistently on the rims is probably more than the improved appearance of Gibsons is worth, especially given that they're still the wrong pattern anyway!
ReplyDeletePerhaps the slightly more "basic" look of the Romfords is closer in atmosphere to those on the Muir Hill...and I suppose it would be possible to add turned, or even 3D printed, inserts to the Romfords to closer replicate the look of the prototypes if you wanted to.
As I had a couple of the Romford wheelsets, today I set to and dismantled them and the Tenshodo SPUD wheelsets, removed the pinpoints from the Romford axles, fitted the Tenshodo gears and then the wheels, ensuring everything was square and to gauge...and it runs, both up and down the yard length of flexi track and through my 1980s built ply-and-rivet point.
Time I got on with building the body.
Thanks for the inspiration, Paul!
Simon.
Mine uses Romford 12mm discs, and the rather basic look does suit the loco. I also replaced the steps with ones made from brass strip and wire - a fiddle but worthwhile as the whitemetal steps are a tad chunky.
DeleteI built this kit many years ago - and even wrote it up for MORILL I think. I replaced the wheels with Romfords, as that's what all my other stock ran on. One of the sideframe castings was poor, so I contected Peter, and quickly recieved three more!
ReplyDeleteI had a problem with a bonnet side, I had two the same, and Peter sent me a couple more.
DeleteI've still got my MORILLs in the loft, I'll have to look out the article when I have a bit of spare time. A much missed magazine.