Yet another Otto bash

[ge_rik]

Part 1 - The bug bites again

I keep telling myself that I have more than enough locos ...... and then I see another loco which takes my fancy and, before you know it, I'm up to my eyes in plasticard. You may remember a few weeks ago I posted a video of a battery conversion which I had done for a customer. He had bashed an Otto into a half-cab loco.

Well it just so happened that I had picked up a rather tatty Otto a month or so earlier which had been sitting on the shelf in case I needed some spare parts for my other locos ..... It seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

Part 2 - Disassembly

Having dismantled a few of these in my time, before long the Otto was in pieces on the workbench

Part 3 - Hack it about a bit
Easy, I thought. All I have to do is chop the cab in half and the job is done!

Hmmmm..... I thought. It's OK, but it don't look right!

I could maybe add a dome - perhaps that would improve matters....?
Being a cheapskate, I filched the top off a bottle of sun tan cream which was actually the same size as the original dome - but a bit more dome-shaped.

Nope ..... not sure about that!

 

[ge_rik]

Part 4 - Back to the drawing board

At about that time, I happened to pick up a copy of Ivo Peters' OPC book on narrow gauge railways (The Narrow Gauge Charm of Yesteryear: A Pictorial Tribute; Peters, I; OPC; 1976) and in there were some pictures of the Ironstone Railways around Kettering - which included some pictures of a couple of Black Hawthorn 3' gauge 0-4-0 saddle tanks ...... which really caught my eye (Plates 89, 90, 99, 101, 106, 107, 108).

eg see

After a bit of research I discovered that one of them, the imaginatively named 'Kettering Furnaces No. 3" was preserved at Penrhyn Castle - about an hour and a quarter's drive away. So, armed with my Box Brownie (or similar) I hot-footed it over to Bangor.

I decided to take around 70 photos from every conceivable angle. Never had a real loco to base my bashes on before!

 

[ge_rik]

Part 5 - Out comes the razor saw

So, back at base, the razor saw went into mad frenzied action.

...... and the tanks (now to become the bunkers) were shoved back a bit .....

....... and a saddle tank was fashioned out of plasticard.

My bashes are never exact scale models - I like to think they are 'inspired' by the originals and so rather than getting the micrometer and rivet-counter out, I tend to do things by eye. This is progress so far.

As you can see, there's still a fair bit to do. That cab-front/spectacle plate is the next highly distinctive feature. I think that'll have to be brass sheet if it's to survive the maulings and occasional earth-plummets which happen on the Peckforton Light Railway.

Rik

 

[stevedenver]

I like the otto.
I have a german made version, heavy, and smooth.

Yours looks great, and w battery, runs beautifully, no hesitation on start up.

Ottos are Surprisingly heavy too.

Your rwy is beautiful, and I love the sound of your stream.

 

[dunnyrail]

All the loks from Kettering Furnases were real cuties, sadly the place had closed before I got into Industrial Steam. But I must be thankful for what was still around in 1967 and to the end.
JonD

 

[nsrjohn]

That looks very interesting - look forward to seeing more as the project progresses.

 

[gregh]

I hope the PLR Drivers' Union negotiates the supply of umbrellas for the Drivers.
English weather with no roof??

Seriously, it's looking great. I've never been game to attempt a saddle tank yet. Yours will motivate me.
What's the plan for the batteries and electronics? Will they go in the saddle tank and if so, how will you access them? Will it have sound?

 

[ge_rik]

I like the otto.
I have a german made version, heavy, and smooth.
Yours looks great, and w battery, runs beautifully, no hesitation on start up.
Ottos are Surprisingly heavy too.

Yes, the big chunk of lead ( or lead substitute as it is now) gives it plenty of weight. Going to raise an interesting problem when converting her to battery as I'll need the space for batteries and electronics. With the conversion in the video, you may notice there's a bundle of lead strip on the footplate to add a bit more adhesion. My conversion will have, amongst other things, a whitemetal driver figure.

Your rwy is beautiful, and I love the sound of your stream.

Thanks Steve. I aim for an air of carefully nurtured neglect, and the stream does add an extra dimension, especially when sitting outside on a warm summer's evening (remember those?

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

All the loks from Kettering Furnases were real cuties, sadly the place had closed before I got into Industrial Steam. But I must be thankful for what was still around in 1967 and to the end.
JonD

Hi Jon
Yes, there were some great looking 3' gauge locos on that railway - and, of course it provides a legitimate reason for running Cambrai et al on British metals.

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

That looks very interesting - look forward to seeing more as the project progresses.

Thanks John
Only too happy to oblige.
Rik

 

[ge_rik]

I hope the PLR Drivers' Union negotiates the supply of umbrellas for the Drivers.
English weather with no roof??

Hi Greg
They made those ironstone drivers tough in them days ......

Seriously, it's looking great. I've never been game to attempt a saddle tank yet. Yours will motivate me.

I vowed I'd never construct another saddle tank loco after the last one ..... https://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/how-i-constructed-manning-wardle-0-6-0.html - so much for resolutions!

What's the plan for the batteries and electronics? Will they go in the saddle tank and if so, how will you access them? Will it have sound?

Not enough room on the tank for the batteries. I did consider making it a bit deeper to take 14500 li-ions (AA sized) but the tank would have looked disproportionate. I'll probably stuff it with lead for weight and hope it doesn't make her too top heavy.

I'd like to add sound. I might put the speaker in the firebox and leave the firebox door open for the sound to escape .......

That's what I love about bashes, trying to sort out these problems on the fly. I know you plan your builds a lot more carefully in advance than me.

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

Part 6 - Running plate
A bit more progress. Decided the running plate (and footplate) were more important than the cab front as so much else depends on it.

May not look like a lot of progress, but actually took quite a bit of prototyping before I got it (more or less) right. Where would we be without cereal box cardboard?

You may have noticed that (for now) the side tanks have gone. I realised that, if I was to retain the clean lines of the original, these needed to be raised as did the footplate. Now I've got the datum line of the footplate/running plate, I can get the other bits looking right.

Rik

 

[Jon Lucas]

ok found thread....... looks good..... may need to extend flooring on my conversion.

 

[ge_rik]

ok found thread....... looks good..... may need to extend flooring on my conversion.

Not essential, Jon. I think your bash looks fine as it is......

Rik

 

[Paul M]

Hi Greg
They made those ironstone drivers tough in them days ......


I vowed I'd never construct another saddle tank loco after the last one ..... https://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/how-i-constructed-manning-wardle-0-6-0.html - so much for resolutions!


Not enough room on the tank for the batteries. I did consider making it a bit deeper to take 14500 li-ions (AA sized) but the tank would have looked disproportionate. I'll probably stuff it with lead for weight and hope it doesn't make her too top heavy.

I'd like to add sound. I might put the speaker in the firebox and leave the firebox door open for the sound to escape .......

That's what I love about bashes, trying to sort out these problems on the fly. I know you plan your builds a lot more carefully in advance than me.

Rik

Fantastic piece of modelling in the video. You make it look easy!

 

[Tas devil]

I hope the PLR Drivers' Union negotiates the supply of umbrellas for the Drivers.
English weather with no roof??

Seriously, it's looking great. I've never been game to attempt a saddle tank yet. Yours will motivate me.
What's the plan for the batteries and electronics? Will they go in the saddle tank and if so, how will you access them? Will it have sound?

hi Greg
Just wanted to say hope all is well with you. cheers

 

[Tas devil]

Part 6 - Running plate
A bit more progress. Decided the running plate (and footplate) were more important than the cab front as so much else depends on it.

May not look like a lot of progress, but actually took quite a bit of prototyping before I got it (more or less) right. Where would we be without cereal box cardboard?

You may have noticed that (for now) the side tanks have gone. I realised that, if I was to retain the clean lines of the original, these needed to be raised as did the footplate. Now I've got the datum line of the footplate/running plate, I can get the other bits looking right.

Rik

That is looking great Rik. Cheers

 

[ge_rik]

Part 7 - Making a spectacle (of myself!)

A couple of jobs needed to be done before I could make a start on the spectacle plate. Firstly, I needed to finish off the running board. It needed a 0.5mm thick 'plate' over the entire surface, and the sides needed some reinforcement. At the same time, I added the front buffer beam, which required some remodelling of the original buffer beam and coupling mount.

I then needed to re-affix the side tanks (ie the new coal bunkers). These required a fair bit of work before they could be fixed into place. They needed to be lopped off at the bottom, they needed to be opened out at the top and they needed around 1mm shaved off the back so they wouldn't overlap the sides of the running plate.

I could then start work on the spectacle plate, which had to be fashioned from brass sheet. As I had only a 2" wide sheet of the right gauge to hand, this dictated the width - besides which it looked in proportion with the original. It was marked up, drilled and filed to shape.

Although it's correctly proportioned in terms of the prototype, I'm not convinced it looks right on the Otto bash, which is a fair bit wider than Kettering Furnaces No.3

I'm now wondering whether to make a wider version. I think a bit more cereal-box cardboard prototyping is on the cards (sorry about the pun!)

Rik

 

[ge_rik]

While awaiting fresh supplies of brass, I thought I'd take a look at what the spectacle plate might look like 10mm wider. I think this is better proportioned for Otto.

Rik