The running gear is now assembled and, as shown in the previous blog, tested on air. The next step is the painting of the 'brass work' (Tanks, coal bunker, cab etc.)
And if you want to download the latest version of the drawings of this locomotive and the goods wagons go to Grabcad via this Link ; ( Drawings in Solidworks 2016)
The livery: red, black-grey and black, with the steel rods it looks quite pleasing.
The smokebox and exhaust are assembled. The baffle plate will stay unpainted and is made of stainless steel. The blower and its steam supply pipe are also connected. All the screw threads inside the smokebox are greased with copper paste; so hopefully it will be easy to disassemble for maintenance.
For locking the doors in the water tanks, simple neodymium magnets were bought. A model engineer friend of mine gave me this tip. He uses this on the toolbox doors of his 5" gauge German P8 class loco. This way the doors can be opened and closed quickly, without any movements of the handles. and I hope it will prevent damage on the paintwork.
A brass block is screwed to the inside of the tank and a 4mm round magnet is pressed in the drilled hole. A set screw on the back allows fine adjustments, so a lock nut on the handle of the door is just touching the magnet, when the door is closed.
The magnets in position
For painting the brass parts, sandblasting was needed, so the primer will have good adhesion to the surface.
Because of the rivets, nameplates and window frames using sandpaper was not an option. The professional sand blasting equipment, at the work of my son, worked perfect.
In one evening, almost all the parts were done. The transport box of my 5" gauge loco was used to safely transport the tanks, cab, doors and other small parts.
Several parts primed and drying above the heating
Spraying the tanks. The rotating stool came in handy.
Hardly any difference in colour: sprayed primer and sandblasted brass. The inside of the tanks is not painted.
The first coat of black-grey paint on the spectacle plate.
The first impression of the livery.
Sanding down the surface, ready for taking the second coat.
The inside of the cab was also painted; but will get a third coat later; in light yellow or cream.
The copper steam dome.
The tanks, after three days of drying, assembled on the loco and connected to the balancing pipes.
We filled both tanks with water, to washout any traces of sand blasting grit and other debris that may have entered the tanks. At the same time we've tested all the connections to be watertight.
Inside the frames the balancing pipes and oil pipes are mounted
A view from the rear to the "front end".
Tanks assembled and cleaned.
The lubricator, easy to be reached via the door.
