The RHBR's No.9 'Lochlannach'

[williamfj]

With Offler out of action for the foreseeable future (until I get brave and rebuild the electronics) the RHBR could do with a 'big' diesel to cover any instances where Minnie is unavailable. I plan on giving this loco it's own identity, although the idea of this being Offler MKIV and renaming the current Offler 'Lord Beric' quite appealing.

The first page shows my initial ideas, the idea that I proceded with early on is drawing No.3 based on a BR Class 15, however on an Essel 010A chassis I'm going to use the body would be too stumpy and would look simply wrong. I'm quite pleased with my idea of how to represent BR's folding headboard discs on the bottom right corner of the page, the bolts that would attach the hinge to the disc halves would also attach them to the body meaning they would be easy to fit and replace if need be.


So with the class 15 inspired loco sunk I decided to try developing design No. 4 based on a North British diesel hydraulic shunter, the BR ones lasted on average 8 years in service while industrial & military examples fared better with at least 3 preserved.
http://www.srpsmuseum.org.uk/10016.htm
While this is by no means a final drawing, there aren't even rough drawings for the rear & top. I have decided to fit a lamp to the front above the North British plate, so I'll be going the whole hog and fit lights to the cab and rear. If the finished loco looks like this I'll be satisfied. I do believe this has legs and I might even be bold and enter MotY, if nothing else I'll make the other entrants look even better!


There won't be any real progress until the new year as the chassis, electric gear and fittings are going to be my Christmas present but this has been rattling about in my head this week.

[Chris Cairns]

Good luck with your NBL inspired project.

Here is former Royal Air Force 'River Eden' running footplate & brake van rides at the KFRPS' Doors Open Day 15 Sep 2013.



We (ARPG) have NBL 27644/1959 'Tees Storage' at Dunaskin but I do not have any photos - it is currently sheeted over in open storage.

Chris Cairns.

[Big Jim]

You design is not that far off the old lima o gauge shunter I think. It could be adaptable if the size is right, I have a feeling they were a bit over scale for 7mm.
(standing by to be shot down in flames!)

[williamfj]

Thanks Chris, do you have any photos inside the cab? I'm having trouble finding any information about their control layout.

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

I like the scattered drawings! Shame you aren't going to go with the Class 15 in the end, I'm pretty sure I know someone who'll have the soundtrack of the Paxman 16YHXL if you ever decided to go with sound with it!

[williamfj]

You design is not that far off the old lima o gauge shunter I think. It could be adaptable if the size is right, I have a feeling they were a bit over scale for 7mm.
(standing by to be shot down in flames!)

I won't shoot you down although some Lima collectors might! I won't use a Lima loco, I'd probably ending up binning the chassis and chopping most of the body.

I like the scattered drawings! Shame you aren't going to go with the Class 15 in the end, I'm pretty sure I know someone who'll have the soundtrack of the Paxman 16YHXL if you ever decided to go with sound with it!

The class 15 idea has been put in the one day list, I dare say it wouldn't be too difficult to build and I really want to see if my headcode disc idea will work. I do quite like the sound of the engine on a class 15 so that's another reason to keep that idea alive I suppose!

[Chris Cairns]

Thanks Chris, do you have any photos inside the cab?

I was originally going to respond not on this occasion as my cab ride was rather cramped (at least 6 of us in there). However it is your lucky day as I found a cab shot I took from my visit in 2012.



And here is another version of an NBL Diesel shunter, this time SRPS's D2767 at Kinneil Halt during the last Diesel Gala.



Chris Cairns.

[williamfj]

Great, thanks Chris!

[MDLR]

Looks as if it could be a VERY nice loco when it's done!

[williamfj]

I need to wait another couple of weeks before I can start amassing the parts I need and then I can start making the body. But work on the design is pretty much finished now, I've produced finer drawings for the front, rear and side, the only elevation left is the top. There have been a number of changes, the main one is that the bonnet sides aren't sloped any more, a concession to common sense. I've also made changes to the bonnet layout and the cab roof so that they resemble the real NBL MK1s, or at least the BR examples. But in much more important news I've decided on a livery, name & number for the loco.
She'll be painted Ailsa green with lining as carried by IMR No.17 Viking and she'll be named 'Lochlannach', the Gaelic word for Viking.

[williamfj]

Lochlannoch is now under construction, the electrical gear arrived yesterday and the chassis arrived earlier today, I've got the plastic and now need to plan how to fix the body onto the chassis & how to configure the R/C gear.

[Mattyrallye]

Like this a lot. Watching closely. I like that you haven't gone too standard gauge inspired design. Replicating standard gauge on narrow never quite works in my opinion.

Keep up the good work!

[williamfj]

Thanks Matt, once I get the couplings from Brandbright I should be able to temporarily fix the floor to the chassis.

[williamfj]

Thanks to a chest infection I've been unable to do anything for most of the week but today I've cut the cab rear sheet and figured out how to set the electrics up. The curve for the top of the cab ends has been sorted out thanks to a spare IPE coach end, slightly unfortunately it does mean the cabside dimensions have to be altered a bit but it isn't by any means a disaster.

The set square propping the end up isn't much longer than the cab will be which shows how much space I've given myself to work with. The buffers are spares I have but I think I'll keep them on the loco, albeit after a good clean & repaint.

Hopefully now I've restarted work I can keep the momentum up for a while.

[williamfj]

I've now got the cab front cut finished and one cab side & door is cut, although I've yet to mark the window holes and I've made a start on repainting the spare buffers. My concern over the slab like nature of the cab rear has been addressed as I will model a representation of the marker lights the LNER & BR used on some locos (inc BR's North British MK1s) and have found a source of suitable lenses, which was one of the potential pitfalls of modelling them.
I have found 1 new problem, after prising off an axlebox & spring from Offler and seeing how best to fit them I've found that the springs won't fit on the chassis, the bolts on the motor hangars are in the way so I'll be modelling a coil spring arrangement in time.
Lochlannoch as of 28/1/14, everything she has is balanced precariously on the chassis.

Now that I'm partway through painting them red I'm wondering if the buffers would be better in black.

[williamfj]

I had a moment of genius regarding the chrome plated steps, I've used some of the L section and some plastic rod, that does mean that all of them are permanently in the down position but at least it will be obvious what they are. I've fitted plug connectors to the motor wires and Lochlannoch has moved under her own power, albeit without a bonnet, cab or any body apart from the floor. It's tools down for the moment as I've run out of good, sharp x-acto blade and have wasted time & plastic trying to cut out the other cab side.

Here are the 6 steps, they're probably a bit small for a 16mm scale foot but I think if they were much bigger they'd dominate the bonnet.


I'm not convinced about the cut-out & milliput method I plan on using for the bonnet top curve, I might well cut out new bonnet sides without the notch and simply sand a curve onto the plastic.

[williamfj]

The name & works plates have arrived and;
When ordering them I made sure the nameplates would be small, too small for a 16mm loco in fact.
I gambled that the cabsides would just be big enough for the NBL plates, and they're a fraction too short
I'll make new cab sides and add probably plastic strips to the cab rear sheet to simulate door pillars and the teeny nameplates might end up in the cab.
At least this has given me a kick up the proverbials to restart working on her.

[williamfj]

The latest issue of SMT has given me the inspiration to dig out the bits and see what needed doing and I'm unhappy with all of the body so it's been consigned to the scrap heap! I want to simplify the design so it should look similar to the original design but is easier to make than the first one.