A4 Pacific Sir Nigel Gresley, O-scale

[Marcin Jakubiec]

Erik/Diderick – thanks for info boyz! I hope I'll find some time for this model in the nearest future, because I like this machine very much. I keep lookin' on this tread – great job Erik!

[Erik Zwaan]

Thanks guys for your kind words and interest shown!

Diderick, the overhaul pictures shown on the Gresley locomotive trust site are worth a million. The boiler is similar to a "shell and tube" heat exchanger as used in the process industry, only the terminologyis somewhat different (fire box = inlet channel; smoke box = outlet channel). The variable pitch between the tubes allowed the evolving steam bubbles to escape without impingement, which otherwise could leasd to considerable damage to the tubes.
Another smart feature is the steam superheater in the smoke box, this increases energy efficiency and hence results in a better performance of the engine.

Hopefully in a few days time another progress update regarding the tender.

Erik

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

A project like this grows on one, doesn't it? Here is the link to the blog about the complete overhaul of the Gresley: Sir Nigel Gresley overhaul - introduction - National Railway Museum blog

[Erik Zwaan]

Time for the weekly update. Last week the village where I stay celebrated the traditional end of Summer festival and with two teenagers in the house bringing a lot of their friends, our place very much looked like a youth hostel, which is not exactly the right setting to make much progress.

This week’s progress is mainly the result of a few hours spent yesterday, scattered throughout the day. The pictures were taken late at night and due to the artificial light the colors appear somewhat flat.

Managed to finalize the brake rigging at the front (engine) side of the tender, with the help of the GA drawing Diderick sent me some time ago and a few pictures I found on the internet. One can find many pictures of the backside of this type of corridor tender but only a few of the front side.
What I tried to detail out is the mechanism that links the topside turning levers (not yet installed) with, eventually, the brake bars and shoes. Needed to do a lot of edge painting and the color I used (Tamiya sky grey) looks a bit greenish in the pictures but isn’t that off in reality.

Glued the upper part of the tender on the rolling chassis and also the water (?) tank, its frame and hose connections to the back side and added a few more details to one of the hoses to enhance its relief.

I am still busy to add more details to the wheel suspension and the other remaining parts, such as the steps (quite a few), hooks, couplings and buffers. Also hand railing is yet to be added as additional detail and last but not least a more realistic look to the coal.

Although it’s not the main part of the model, this tender has sort of become a project of its own and indeed Diderick, such project tends to grows on you after a while .

Erik

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Most people probably do not realise just how much water an engine like this needed. As this picture shows, the volume of water in the tender (5000 imperial gallons, 22.730 liters) is much larger than that of coal (8 tons).
After the long distance, non stop steam engines had been phased out, of course the water troughs between the rails from which they scooped water at full speed were obsolete and removed. For special (non stop) runs for enthusiasts, the owners of the A4 Pacific 'Bittern' converted an old A4 corridor tender for use as extra water carrier. It has been used with both green and blue liveries. I am considering an extra model of just this water tender - depending on reactions to this thread?
The third picture shows a model version.

[Millimodels]

Just a question about the "cat on a mangle" British Railways symbol. I think it was only for a short period that the lion faced forwards on both sides of the tender. I seem to remember that as it was an official registered mark it always had to face to the left so there were repaints with the correct symbol.
Can anyone confirm this?

[Diderick A. den Bakker]

Millimodels:
found the following information for you on https://thebeautyoftransport.wordpre...ems-1949-1964/

It was reversible, so that the lion always faced forwards on steam locomotives (many diesel engines had a cab at each end and could run in either direction, so the lion faced left on these, and didn’t always face the direction of travel).

[Don Boose]

Terrific tender, Erik! The detailed undercarriage looks really good. Great precision work.

Don

[ricleite]

Nice work on the tender, Erik You intend to add railing on such a small scale?! I did notice wire steps and so on but, for the moment, they are "just" printed, right?

[Millimodels]

It looks like it depends on the date that is being modelled.
Have now found this:
Quoting **Brian Haresnape, "At the beginning the lion faced forward when applied to either side of the locomotives or tenders. Later it was decreed that, as the lion was taken directly from the BTCs heraldic crest, it always had to face the same direction as on the crest. As a result, from around 1957 the lion always faced left, irrespective of the side upon which it was used".

**'Railway Liveries - BR Steam 1948-68'