The whitemetal kit parts for the bodywork are not likely to pose insurmountable problems if you already have modelling skills. Patience, cleaning up the parts, and assembly on a flat surface with a set square; and reference to drawings and photographs should bring the job in. But for the powered chassis let me suggest a heretical thought. It is worth researching what is available in RTR form that might match the chassis of the Jones goods and fit entire within the whitemetal body , for the simple reason that even purchasing a whole RTR model to acquire the chassis may be little different in cost than the wheels, motor and gearbox to complete a kit chassis. Surplus parts from the RTR model can be readily sold in my experience (people damage their models just for a start) and that brings the cost down further.
OO Loco kits
im thinking of purchasing a DKH loco kit Ref k 18, it the Jones goods loco, i have not used their kits before, has any one have experiance with them? i have reasonable skills with model building, would this kit be beyond my capabilities? any thoughts would be welcomed, incidently, considering that the complete loco would be marching on towards £200 when complete, it puts into perspective the resonable cost of todays locos and their quality.
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QUOTE (34C @ 13 Apr 2008, 00:29) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The whitemetal kit parts for the bodywork are not likely to pose insurmountable problems if you already have modelling skills. Patience, cleaning up the parts, and assembly on a flat surface with a set square; and reference to drawings and photographs should bring the job in. But for the powered chassis let me suggest a heretical thought. It is worth researching what is available in RTR form that might match the chassis of the Jones goods and fit entire within the whitemetal body , for the simple reason that even purchasing a whole RTR model to acquire the chassis may be little different in cost than the wheels, motor and gearbox to complete a kit chassis. Surplus parts from the RTR model can be readily sold in my experience (people damage their models just for a start) and that brings the cost down further.
***The Jones goods wheel spacing has no RTR equivalent. Its one of the older DJH kits but I have built the kit and it goes together well enough. Its a bit spartan on detail and some time spent pouring over prototype photo's and adding a little to the kit detail levels will pay dividends.
Possible issues:
The crosshead and piston rod are whitemetal. I cut off the rod and crilled the crosshead to take a harder metal for the rod - I substituted nickel silver wire (you could also use a bit of any stright metal rod - like a bit cut from a paperclip of the right diameter)
The first two of the three driver sets are VERY, VERY close together. Getting the brake blocks in line with wheels with no shorting to the wheels can be tricky.
Regards
Richard
DCCconcepts
***The Jones goods wheel spacing has no RTR equivalent. Its one of the older DJH kits but I have built the kit and it goes together well enough. Its a bit spartan on detail and some time spent pouring over prototype photo's and adding a little to the kit detail levels will pay dividends.
Possible issues:
The crosshead and piston rod are whitemetal. I cut off the rod and crilled the crosshead to take a harder metal for the rod - I substituted nickel silver wire (you could also use a bit of any stright metal rod - like a bit cut from a paperclip of the right diameter)
The first two of the three driver sets are VERY, VERY close together. Getting the brake blocks in line with wheels with no shorting to the wheels can be tricky.
Regards
Richard
DCCconcepts
a couple of observations to add to Richard's notes.....re piston rods....another alternative is to use a [discarded??] drill bit of the correct diameter?...nice hard steel,usually straight....recycling?
for the brake blocks, I have in the past, filed off the actual brake lining part, and replaced with a sliver of plasticard, glued on....this stops much of the shorting out issue on wheelsets that are close together.
or...insulate from the chassis, the entire brake hanger system? [make in two halves?]....Araldite and plastic wire insulation?
for the brake blocks, I have in the past, filed off the actual brake lining part, and replaced with a sliver of plasticard, glued on....this stops much of the shorting out issue on wheelsets that are close together.
or...insulate from the chassis, the entire brake hanger system? [make in two halves?]....Araldite and plastic wire insulation?
Many thanks for the replys so far, all of which i had given no thought to at all, its a shame that there appears to be no rtr chassis available, as i can see the merits with this if it where possible, as a sizable cost of the kit is taken in the wheels and motor, also changinging the piston rod to a harder wearing metal makes sense, again something i would not have thought of. As a point of intrest where the wheel spacings peculiar to this locomotive only?
many thanks, John
many thanks, John
uneven or unequal driving wheel spacing was quite commonplace....in fact, I don't think too many loco types actually had equal spacing between driving wheels.
your comments re the cheapness of proprietary mechanisms compared to scratch or kit building a chassis, were one reason why,30, 40, or 50 years ago, ''bodyline'' kits were so popular.
There were loads of GWR pannier tanks running on Triang Jinty chassis, for example.....and this trait can still be found today....check out Mainly Trains site....especially the chassis kits for Hornby NER tanks...sort of in reverse???
your comments re the cheapness of proprietary mechanisms compared to scratch or kit building a chassis, were one reason why,30, 40, or 50 years ago, ''bodyline'' kits were so popular.
There were loads of GWR pannier tanks running on Triang Jinty chassis, for example.....and this trait can still be found today....check out Mainly Trains site....especially the chassis kits for Hornby NER tanks...sort of in reverse???
Two things - get yerself a copy of Iain Rice's Loco Chassis book. In the Wild Swan range there are other books about whitemetal and brass kits - even scratchbuilding. Also, I strongly recommend that you watch the BRM DVD's on loco kit building (1,2 and 3). Tony Wright makes it look easy. Of course the monthly magazines frequently feature a kit build - they may have done your model. There are frequently tricky bits that the pros can help you with.
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