My Locomotives: LNER O2

Recently built Nu-Cast white metal kit of Gresley's Heavy Freight 2-8-0 Class O2 locomotive, bought at 2012's Warley Model Railway Exhibition, Birmingham NEC UK.

The locomotive was primarily solder assembled in preference to adhesive, because in my opinion, for easiness / speed / correction. Not withstanding that many joint imperfections and gaps can be filled with solder during the build progress and then filed out. Although I have to say this course of action does ruin your files, so buy cheap.

Unfortunately the supplied chassis was fabricated for the XO4 'open frame' or similar motor being the norm at the time of the kits production, obviously with the disappointment that part of the motor and worm are visible under the boiler, a situation I plan to rectify in the future with a High Level gearbox and 126:1 gears. The motor will be placed in a trailing position driving the rear axle opposed to the second axle as present, thus concealing her from view.

Chassis ready for locomotive haulage, testing for clearance's, short circuits, valve gear/coupling rod binding.

Loco Body, Chassis, Footplate and Tender ready for Paint Shop 

Currently she is equipped with 50:1 gears with a 30 year old Tri-ang XO4 motor, and surprisingly, following a running in period of some 20 mins in both directions there has been no hint of trouble, e.g. over heating, although she's somewhat noisy.

To enable her to run on my DCC system I have hard wired a TCS MC2 decoder and to enhance her slow running characteristics, making full use of the gear ratio mentioned above, and limiting her top speed I have created her own speed table using JMRI's De-Coder Pro software also with modification to the acceleration/de-acceleration CV values.

I have also, as with all my locomotives, increased her weight to 18 oz (510 grams in today's money) ) excluding the tender, which I believe would knock spots off any RTR steam outline loco on haulage.

Locomotive brake gear and wheel balance weights not supplied in the kit have been added, together with a crew, headlamps, smokebox number plate, early BR totem's and running number (each number being applied individually) and Kadee couplings both front and rear.

In Service

Please enjoy, letting me have any comments/improvements etc, at your leisure.
Thank you.
Graham DA Hefferman. (@yellowwellies)

My Locomotives: LNER B4

My recently built white metal McGowan kit of J.G. Robinson's 8F 4-6-0 "Immingham" for the Great Central Railway in 1906 which became Class B4 in LNER and British Railways days before being withdrawn from service in 1950.

The locomotive kit, purchased at Warley MR Exhibition in 2011 being of 1960's vintage is somewhat basic to today's standard, so brake gear has not been included. Also the chassis was a white metal cast block which I scrapped, building my own from nickel strip. She is powered on the rear axle with a Mashima motor driving a High Level High Flier 54:1gear box in a trailing position.

Hand built Chassis with Wheels and a High Level High Flyer Gearbox

On Going Construction

She is DCC equipped with sound being provided by a Zimo MX645R decoder which is located in the tender. I have used 2 x 2 pin micro plug/sockets to transfer the necessary electrical connections from the loco to the tender with guides to protect them from contact with the leading tender axle/wheels.

To improve her haulage capabilities I have also, as I do all my locomotives, increased her weight, which in this case is 15oz excluding tender.

In Service: but less Name Plates and Wheel lining

Since this 'In Service' photograph was taken, I have added her name plates. 

Her normal diagrams consist 'fish' and 'suburban' train workings, with the occasional secondary express passenger service.

Followers of my tweets may have seen a short video of this locomotive hauling a set of Gresley quinartic's last year, in which can now be viewed below, together with a more recent upload of a vid showing the locomotive hauling a Fish train at a more realistic speed.

Please enjoy, letting me have any comments/improvements etc, at your leisure.
Thank you
Graham DA Hefferman. (@yellowwellies)