Kerr Stuart diesel

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Andrew
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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:22 am

Thanks for the advice chaps. Most of the skills I possess are fairly self-taught, so I appreciate all the help I can get!

The cab's now on too, still some filling and sanding to do though. The Plastic Weld recommended over on Phil's railway thread is great stuff, the whole thing seems really strong and rigid. I ought to have said too that the kit is great, really well designed and all the parts seem to fit together nicely, I'd definitely recommend. It's only because I'm messing around with it (essentially shortening it by around 6cm and modifying to fit a RH chassis) that I'm running into problems!

All the best,

Andrew.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Phil.P » Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:32 am

Talking of plastic weld / MEK, etc.

How do people apply it? - Does a fine-brush go solid, and useless?

I would like a bottle with a fine, long nozzle, but they are all plastic, and I am pretty sure these solvent adhesives will melt them.. :dontknow:

Phil Partridge.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:52 am

Phil.P wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:32 am Talking of plastic weld / MEK, etc.

How do people apply it? - Does a fine-brush go solid, and useless?

I would like a bottle with a fine, long nozzle, but they are all plastic, and I am pretty sure these solvent adhesives will melt them.. :dontknow:

Phil Partridge.
I have been using a brush, and it has indeed gone solid and useless but it softens again when you dip it back in the Plastic Weld. So it remains good for that, just not for anything else!

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by philipy » Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:47 am

Always use a brush. Squirting from a nozzles can't really be controlled and you risk squirting it everywhere and/or applying far to much..
I use a signwriters brush, kept exclusively for this purpose, which has long soft bristles and is what Slaters sell at a vastly inflated price as a Mekpak brush. Mine has bristles about 23mm long and says "Handover Series No.3 Kalinsky Sable" on the side and came from an online art shop called "Jacksons".
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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Phil.P » Mon Jun 27, 2022 5:19 pm

Thank you Gentlemen.. Brush it is, the.
:thumbright:

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:29 pm

Good evening!

Here's the cab in place...

KS 4.jpg
KS 4.jpg (103.81 KiB) Viewed 4596 times
KS 5.jpg
KS 5.jpg (96.31 KiB) Viewed 4596 times

The roof trusses are only resting there temporarily for now while I work out what to do inside the cab. The radiator will have to be further back than the original (and central too, rather than offset), so it'll be harder to hide the fact that there's not a great big engine behind it. Or in front of it, I suppose, given that the radiator's at the back. Modelling the louvred shutters in the closed position should help...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by philipy » Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:47 pm

Full marks for effort Andrew and I'm sure the finished item will look superb. Can't help thinking that a blank sheet of styrene, a pencil and a ruler would have been easier though!
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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:41 am

philipy wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:47 pm Full marks for effort Andrew and I'm sure the finished item will look superb. Can't help thinking that a blank sheet of styrene, a pencil and a ruler would have been easier though!
You might well be right, and that was the original plan. It still is for an parts that I mess up!

What I like about the approach I'm taking is that a lot of the thinking (in terms of design) and much of the work of creating the main parts has already been done. That's speeding the process along (maintaining a momemtum that should actually see the project finished) while also leaving me enough of a challenge (including working with a new material) to make it feel like an achievement.

I think the finished thing will look better too. The parts are much more squarely and cleanly cut than I generally manage, and while I think a bit of wonkiness can add to the charm of a slightly dilapdated carriage or wagon, on a loco it just looks wrong.

Time to tackle the bonnet next, but this week's looking busy, so I'm not sure when that's going to happen. Hopefully I'll have a few hours spare at the weekend...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:26 pm

Afternoon!

Just a little more progress to report, with the construction of the bonnet this morning. A sheet of plasticard will actually cover the whole front/top, but I liked it that you could still see inside, so I took the photo before it was finished:

KS 6.jpg
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Once the bonnet's complete I'll attach it to the rest of the body, fill and sand as necessary and then pause for a think. I want to get a coat of primer on so I can see where further work's required, but first I need to consider how the cab detail's going to work...

Still a long way to go, but I like the shape that's emerging...

Cheers,

Andrew.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Old Man Aaron » Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:40 am

Gorgeous little thing already.
Regards,
Aaron - Scum Class Works

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by ge_rik » Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:21 pm

Old Man Aaron wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:40 am Gorgeous little thing already.
Iconic!

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Phil.P » Mon Jul 04, 2022 1:07 pm

"Iconic" Sounds like a good name, for a distinctive loco..
:thumbright:

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Mon Jul 04, 2022 1:21 pm

Or "Ironic" if the rest of the build goes badly...

It did last night, when I underestimated the power of my daughter's hairdryer which I was using to bend the front of the bonnet. It buckled horribly, so it's off to the model shop for another sheet of plasticard...

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by GTB » Mon Jul 04, 2022 4:27 pm

Andrew wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 7:29 pm The radiator will have to be further back than the original (and central too, rather than offset), so it'll be harder to hide the fact that there's not a great big engine behind it. Or in front of it, I suppose, given that the radiator's at the back. Modelling the louvred shutters in the closed position should help...
The attached builders photo is I think the second K-S 60HP diesel, b/no. 4418, which was sold to a railway in the Sudan, hence :shock: the open cab. More importantly, it has an engine cover between the radiator and the front plate of the cab. I've never seen a clear enough photo to tell either way with 4415, but it was a prototype, so may not have had the cover. I don't think this pic was taken in Sudan either......... :roll:

https://topstastic.blogspot.com/2021/07 ... -4415.html

Those perforated metal doors would be interesting to model, not.... :shock: The louvred doors on modern diesels are bad enough.


Welcome to the lottery of heat forming polystyrene sheet. It's a very fine line between softening the stuff enough to form it and releasing the internal stresses so that it shrinks and turns into something resembling a potato chip. Acrylic is much easier to heat form as it turns rubbery, but doesn't shrink appreciably, when heated.

If all else fails, I've been known to 'plank' sharp bends and use filler and sandpaper to form a smooth curve in polystyrene.

Graeme

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Tue Jul 05, 2022 9:13 am

That's a great photo of the Sudanese Kerr Stuart, thank you! Very good news about the engine cover - I think 4415 mnay have had some mesh, but this will be lots easier! The bell's a tempting addition too...

I'm very pleased to see one in lined works grey as well. It's a long way off, but if the build goes well I've been thinking that I maygo for that as a livery. The idea of my model is that KS also tried out a prototype of the 30HP loco on the WHR/FR, and that, in my parallel universe, the railway could afford to buy it, unlike 4415. If that had happened, I reckon it would have ended up green, like the Ffestiniog's other "tractors", but it's so much more recognisable in grey. Lined photographic grey would tick that box while being a little different too, fit the "trial" thing, and - hopefully - look nice! I didn't know there was a prototype though, unti I saw your photo!

I'm grateful for your "Plan B" re the bonnet too - I imagine I may well end up needing to use it! It's a shame about my first attempt - it went pretty well apart from a couple of wrinkles at one edge, which I just couldn't get rid of...

All the best,

Andrew.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Scrat » Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:53 am

Phil.P wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 1:07 pm "Iconic" Sounds like a good name, for a distinctive loco..
:thumbright:

Phil.P
ICONIC aka 1306 is sitting in my workshop.
3.5" model of the Teutonic-class loco, real 3-cylinder compound.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:50 pm

Scrat wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:53 am
Phil.P wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 1:07 pm "Iconic" Sounds like a good name, for a distinctive loco..
:thumbright:

Phil.P
ICONIC aka 1306 is sitting in my workshop.
3.5" model of the Teutonic-class loco, real 3-cylinder compound.
Which were named after White Star liners, according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNWR_Teutonic_Class

Fascinating locos, and a huge challenge to model, I'd imagine??

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Scrat » Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:37 pm

I bought it as a "project".

-motion seized solid
-valve timing is off
-some small bits missing
-painted with a tar brush.

The model is a real three-cylinder compound.
Will take some time to get her back to running order.

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Andrew » Sun Jul 10, 2022 9:59 am

Hello!

It took some doing, but I think I've got the front of the bonnet sorted. I won't really know until I prime it, but I hope it's going to look OK...

On the original, the hatch seems to have given access to the gearbox (replaced by an additional door in the side on the Sudanese version?), but on the model it will allow me to get to the on/off switch and charging socket.

KS 7.jpg
KS 7.jpg (124.28 KiB) Viewed 4609 times

Radiator and engine cover next, I think, but only when I'm back from a holiday...

Cheers,

Andrew

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Re: Kerr Stuart diesel

Post by Phil.P » Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:19 pm

With all these kits now using laser-cut acrylic:

Is it worth giving the faces a very fine rubbing down before assembly?
I am thinking it will 'key' the surface, for when you come to paint?

Phil.P

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