45 tonner under the knife...

[trammayo]

Well, I've owned it long enough, looked at it long engough and even offered it for sale twice! My "Mid West ..." livered example is no different to any of these beasts - just too damn big - and they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I stripped it down to the basic frame/deck and reckoned I could prune the width quite substantially (by 40mm actually). It's not to be based on any prototype, just trying to make the 'thing' universally available for running on the garden line or my trailer set-up. For the latter, I thought I might lower the bonnets (hoods?) and the cab.

I set to with a razor saw until I thought of my small bandsaw. A spray of the blade with PTFE lubricant and off I went. Soon had three pieces!

Next, using the same implement, I cut off the unwanted portions (remains of decking and draw beam) so that the side pieces will be glued to the cut-down deck with the same inset they had before I started carving everything up.All parts need the "bits of flashing" dressing.

The bonn ets don't need reducing in width but I thought of taking 10mm of the bottom - although this does interfere with the door moulding details.

The cab needs drastic pruning - width and height. The height will be easier to do but the width will require at least two cuts either side (as will the roof).

 

[garrymartin]

I'll be interested to see how this turns out, I've got one but I dont really like it much .

 

[steven large]

wow...u modfied it into smaller one if im rite? yes u are rite is so HUGE!! need narrowed it down......keep in posted!!!!!

 

[steven large]

I'll be interested to see how this turns out, I've got one but I dont really like it much .

hi mate...yes i do like them but it so HUGE as it wont go through my 3 tunnels!!....... i know it need modfied it to narrow it down.......

 

[trammayo]

I'll be interested to see how this turns out, I've got one but I dont really like it much .

Not half as interested as me I'll tell you - totally playing by ear I've just cleaned up the relevant parts of the frame/deck and glued them together using waste pipe glue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Already found a teeny snag - the brake cylinders might foul! Nothing that can't be overcome I suppose. It'll be the cab that will need to be spot on to save it looking like a garden shed.

 

[trammayo]

wow...u modfied it into smaller one if im rite? yes u are rite is so HUGE!! need narrowed it down......keep in posted!!!!!

Well I got fed up of digging the garden so thought I'd have go. With steps and other bits it shouldn't measure above 115mm wide - bodywise 105mm!

 

[steven large]

yes tht rite..same as me while im fed up doing the house chores and i was doing some project on my loco changing into battery....
so are u modfied the cab?

 

[CoggesRailway]

Or make two 0 4 0 s which was my solution to this behemoth

 

[Richie]

Great work Mick a really interesting project

 

[Tim Brien]

Mick,
rather than 'waste pipe glue', I have found the thinner PVC Priming Fluid to give a better bond, particularly on ABS plastics (I doubt B'mann plastics are ABS, more likely styrene). The active ingredient (solvent), Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) is present in both fluids (primer and glue), but the priming fluid does not have the 'fillers' present in the waste pipe glue and gives, to me, a better finish. Pick the 'glue' with the greater percentage of MEK.

 

[Don Gilham]

Excellent thread, I'll follow this with great interest Mick

 

[trammayo]

Or make two 0 4 0 s which was my solution to this behemoth

Yes I had thought of that or a couple of CDJR railcars. I saw (and followed) your project with great interest and was looking - when I remembered - for a US rod operated prototype. I just like the cranks I suppose - that the final solution if this doesn't work out

 

[trammayo]

Mick,
rather than 'waste pipe glue', I have found the thinner PVC Priming Fluid to give a better bond, particularly on ABS plastics (I doubt B'mann plastics are ABS, more likely styrene). The active ingredient (solvent), Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) is present in both fluids (primer and glue), but the priming fluid does not have the 'fillers' present in the waste pipe glue and gives, to me, a better finish. Pick the 'glue' with the greater percentage of MEK.

Hi Tim, not seen the PVC Priming Fluid in this part of the world. The west (here) runs on "one size fits all" and mail order isn't a big thing here either. Getting it from the UK is generally a no-no because of Royal Mail's prohibited list (solvents, pressurised containers, chemicals etc) due to possibility of air freight.

You are right about the better finish of thinner solutions. In this case it doesn't show (unless you turn it over) and it seems to have worked although the brush applicator marks are there on the inside.

 

[trammayo]

Anyway, thanks everybody for your intrest, comments and tips.

Having finished digging the first of my veggie plots (before the sun gets high), I'm going to alter the brake actuators on the trucks to provide a little more clearance (at the moment its zilch because, originally, the frames were well clear and now they are a lot nearer together) and then test it on the track. Pics later.

 

[Tim Brien]

Mick,
typically with PVC plumbing, the thinner priming fluid is applied first. This removes the shine from the piping and degreases it. The PVC (waste pipe) glue is then applied immediately and the plumbing connection made. My son put me onto the priming fluid and I am more than happy, particularly with ABS plastics. It is the MEK that is the active ingredient.

 

[trammayo]

Hi Tim - not much solvent weld plumbing these days (apart from waste systems) and I must admit that I haven't come across the use of a primer.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I am watching this with trepidation, fascination and.................


Glee


I win the bridge clearance competition !!

 

[trammayo]

I am watching this with trepidation, fascination and.................


Glee


I win the bridge clearance competition !!

:crying::crying::crying::crying:

 

[trammayo]

Well here goes, the fruits of this morning's bodging ...

The frame has glued OK it seems so I had a further look at brake actuators. I was going to re-drill until I realised they were handed. A matter of swapping sides and turning them over. However they then fail to line up with the brake linkage so the latter had to be tweaked to produce an offset. Don't put too tight a crank in it otherwise it cracks (yes). Once this short foray into butchering had been completed, a drop of the ever faithful superglue was applied to stop things dropping off. I also used a 1.5mm drill during the swapping around to clear out any glue or plastic residue in the castings.

Posting pics is simple but realising that pic No. so & so is exactly where you need it in the text can be a problem. So I've added cryptic notes directly to the pics.

 

[trammayo]

Having again failed to inset pics in the order I wanted, I'm reverting back to plan A for this afternoon's efforts. It was time for some drastic cuts. I decided I'd only lower the height by 5mm so I used a marking gauge (and marked the paintwork in the process:thumbdown and scribed a deep line around the bonnets and cab.

Then I chanced my arm by using the bandsaw again and managed to cut reasonably accurately....

Then it was the cab's turn - again not too bad ...

Then the width had to be tackled further by removing a good 20mm off the returns on the cab sides. Pic shows bits posed together ....

It does look a little tall in this end-on view ...

Side view looking down at angle ...

and side full on..