IP-based battery diesel

[hussra]

There was a mention over on Pendo Pilot's layout thread about a "rather tall diesel" that I brought over to his on Friday.



Since then, my son has asked if we can bring it to run on Dixon Green at the AGM (I had assumed he would want to bring the Millie, but no), and by the way please can it be painted first? So no pressure.

The loco is not all that tall really. OK, it's 160mm over the cab, which I think is slightly taller than W&L stock (and definitely taller than my other stuff). The exhaust pipe is taller still but will be cut down shortly - this is the speed control potentiometer.

Since the painting job seems to be going OK so far I thought I'd try posting a few photos of the construction. The loco has been in its present form, in grey primer, since early 2009, so finishing it off is probably a bit overdue. Here it is in grey back in March '09 on the Eaves Green Tramway.

[Steven.T]

Looks good
The chassis kits are good, I'm halfway through painting mine and should be starting to build the body soon!
How many wagons do you find it will pull? I've only hauled 3 trucks using 2 1.5v batterys at the moment, and that worked fine

I have to agree with your son, the body needs painting

[hussra]

The underframe is one of IP's dual gauge "deluxe" ones, with the whitemetal gearbox. Here is is as delivered in November 2008:



And ready for its first trial run a week later!



(IP's rather crude speed controller, assembled on good old veroboard.) Couldn't leave it looking like that, so a footplate was hastily fashioned and a means of restraint for the electrics.



Much better!

[hussra]

A bit later... the basis of a bonnet has been fashioned out of 80 thou plasticard. And a cardboard mock-up of the cab - I was rather taken with the window arrangement on Upnor Castle, though the rest of the design is somewhat different.



But how to shape the bonnet top? First some layers of plasticard to rough out the outline, following the bonnet ends - then Milliput, sanded to shape. This bit took a while.



Trial run just before Christmas 2008:



Subsequent adornments have been battery boxes and Cambrian louvres on the bonnet sides, and a removable cab roof. (Can't remember quite how I got the roof to fit nicely but it took a bit of work!)

[hussra]

How many wagons do you find it will pull? I've only hauled 3 trucks using 2 1.5v batterys at the moment, and that worked fine  :D

Not sure - haven't managed to stall it or get it to slip yet - there's quite a wodge of lead under the cab floor. It was quite happy hauling everything we asked it to up the 1 in 32 on Friday at Shane's. Haven't yet tried it on a dead steam loco, though - that might be a bit much.

[Steven.T]

Good, I've bought the 4wheel drive chain for mine, don't know if it will make much difference though!

[hussra]

Good, I've bought the 4wheel drive chain for mine, don't know if it will make much difference though!

Mine just drives through the coupling rods. But I did find the plastic IP ones to be not exactly terribly strong. One snapped last summer in a very minor derailment at Dave Watkins' open day. (The loco accidentally trailed through a set of points set against it - with a Tenmille-style point lever on the points, it wasn't able to push them over, and derailed instead. "Ping" said the coupling rod.) The loco now has nice new metal ones - not as elegantly shaped as the plastic ones were, but a good deal stronger.

[hussra]

Some reasonable progress with painting yesterday and today - not the best paint job ever, but not too bad. Mr Bond will approve, I think.







Also shortened the speed control and (very carefully) drilled it out to better resemble an exhaust pipe. Cab interior is not going to be fancy but something is in hand.

[Pendo Pilot]

EEC china clay blue!!!

Looking really nice Richard, looking forward to watching your progress with it. It is a lovely little loco after all.

[hussra]

EEC china clay blue!!!

Ahem! Peugeot Royal Blue. It's not quite as day-glo in real life as the camera is making it appear.

Control panel for the cab is making some progress now. More tomorrow.

[90733]

Looking good

[hussra]

A few scraps of plasticard and a couple of pins liberated (with permission!) from the sewing box. Not the world's best modelling, but it's going to be tolerably well hidden in the cab.



A driver has had his oil can and feet sawn off in preparation for the next stage.

[hussra]

Cab does not bear close inspection but gives a passable impression I think.

[williamfj]

Looks good, for the gauge glasses did you use plastic cut using a hole cutter by any chance? Drifting off topic somewhat but where did you get the driver from?

[hussra]

Looks good, for the gauge glasses did you use plastic cut using a hole cutter by any chance?

I did indeed - if I had a slightly larger hole punch (and some slightly thinner plasticard that would have curled less) that would have been better, but this looks tolerable I think.

Drifting off topic somewhat but where did you get the driver from?

Driver is really a G scale figure (gasp!) picked up from Garden Railway Centres a couple of years ago. Can't remember the make but it was a pack of 2 driver figures, one standing with oil can and one sitting. He's a bit slim; the cab floor in reality is somewhat above where it appears from outside that it ought to be (due to electrics and two thicknesses of sheet lead), meaning that his head is about a scale 6 feet from where the cab floor level ought to be. Which looks OK.

[Later] On further investigation it's this Bachmann Scenecraft set, somewhat modified. A spot of dry brushing this morning has made a bit of an improvement. His friend is about the right size for my bow-framed Simplex.

[hussra]

Going back together a bit more now. Cab handrails still to go on.







Reasonably happy with the overall effect, but a bit more detailing would be nice - horns, vac pipes; some springs on the outside of the frames would be nice, too; one or two bits of gubbins on top of the bonnet? A bit of touching up of the black, then a bit of general grot all around?

[bessytractor]

top marks!

[hussra]

OK, we have reached a state of "presentable" in time for Stoneleigh, with the handrails and door handles on. Illness over the last couple of weeks has slowed progress somewhat.





Spot the deliberate mistake with the cab door handles - I had meant the two cab sides to be mirror images, but both doors ended up with the handle on the right. Not a major issue as it's hard for most people to see both sides at the same time.

Will be on the lookout for horns, spring castings, and general bonnet-top tat tomorrow.

Meanwhile I tried to give the other Bachmann driver (who drives the 20HP Simplex) a very quick tidy up; we will probably take the Simplex along tomorrow. He has been in a bit of a state since the children dropped him, which caused his head and one leg to break off. A little dry brushing has him looking a bit more together.

[Narrow Minded]

"Juz like that" A-ha-ha-ha!

[Steven.T]

Hi Richard, May I ask how you made the louvres? I'm thinking about adding some to my loco.
Cheers,
Ste