Details
I've begun adding the detail parts to areas where the paint is good - these
include a Westinghouse pump, air tank and pipe work, steam turbo-generator,
toolbox, dummy whistle and jacks, along with running lamps and tools on the
tender. I've also added a pair of dummy clack valves and pipes - these are
simply glued to the boiler wrapper and so far have stayed in place.
I've connected the lamp on the smokebox using a fine P.T.F.E. cable within a
1/16th copper pipe, this now leads to a 9v PP3 type battery in the
tender. The lamp is a 12v one, and the reduced voltage gives a pleasant glow.
The switch for the radio control power is a two pole, two way toggle switch and
is arranged so that it switches both r/c and lamp, but I can run with the lamp
on or off.
This view shows the inside of the cab well in running condition. You can see the regulator servo on the right, the driver is sitting on the reverser servo.
The
whistle was at first fitted below the cab floor on the left hand side, operated using a
servo with the whistle arm through a slot in the floor. This is very neat in
appearance, but is susceptible to condensation build up and leading to a psshht
rather than a peep! The steam takeoff from the turret was achieved by drilling
and tapping to take a union, the threads sealed with Loctite when cold. The
copper pipe was then easily bent to run from the whistle valve to the turret.
Due to the condensation problems, the whistle has now been re-mounted vertically
inside the cab. This does fill the cab with steam when operating the whistle,
but as the cab is open, the steam clears straight away. There is a vast
improvement in the peep though.
You will notice that gold lining was added in this shot, using Fox transfers, but should have been over-sprayed with clear coat or fixative, consequently parts have come off again during operation, eg when the lining gets wet.
Running on Southdown layout, indoors, Engineer showed a lot of wheelspin with trains that The Chief could haul with ease. The track on the indoor layout is much cleaner than that out in the garden and takes on a polished top with no grit for grip. Measuring the axle loads using a set of kitchen scales showed the leading drivers were carrying more than 2kg, the rears less than 1kg. The solution has been to fit ballast weights under the cab floor, to the tune of some 600g. The weights are painted black are visible but not obtrusive. The results however were as desired and Southdown running is a much more civilised event. The power of the engine was ably demonstrated by hauling 23 bogie wagons with ease on the Sierra Leone railway Purbrook. Running on the slippery Southdown rails with 9 open wagons and four wooden hoppers full of coal is entertaining.
The latest enhancement has been to replace the 40MHz radio set with a Spektrum unit. This is a radio operating on a 2.4GHz frequency, but uses digital technology to bind the Tx to any one of 10 selectable Rx's. Thus the need for crystals is removed, and since the units pair each time they are powered on, any one of 80 frequency matches are possible so it is very unlikely that there will be another model within range to cause interference. The radio also uses a dual signal system, comparing the two constantly to determine the true requirement - hence no glitching at all.
Engineer now has Accucraft chopper couplings fitted front and rear in search of a more prototypical appearance.