Skeleton Edrig

Thanks Carl, So it's really a question of you gets what you pay for?

Well as promised I've been at the flux and solder again.





It was really important to get everything square in both planes and for the body to be a close but not tight fight on the chassis.
So I made a wooden block soldering jig 1mm larger than the Edrig chassis.

The roof formers were all kept in line and square by using threaded rods. This allows very precise adjustment and alignment. These will be removed when the roof is all soldered up.

blimey I wouldnt have even thought about using threaded rods to keep it square!! I'm learning as i'm watching.

Mikey

I've now soldered the lower frame runners.
Notice the bottom one sits ouside while the one above sits inside the angled ends.
It has to be like this otherwise it won't fit over the chassis! A mistake I originally made on the dummy plastic body.









Notice in this last picture the small (but insignificant) misalignment of the Accucraft boiler fittings, dome, saftey valve, regulator.

They are all very slightly off centre. You only notice it from this angle. My centre holes are....in the centre....honest!

dont wanna sound like creep but that is beautiful workmanship Carl. it sort of comes alive in brass!

Mikey

Cracking on with a bit more today while I had a lesson cancel.


More framework.




And some solid sides!








The side panels were a tad difficult to solder without distorting the rest of the framework. A bit of deft pencil torch work and asbestos fingers.

With hindsight I should have started with those and constructed it diffrently. I just made more work for myself this way.

Then I wasn't happy with bottom rail so I changed it for 1.5mm thick.

I think the roof could be next. Now where's the wife's rolling pin?

That's looking so good!

Almost tempted to rip the body off my Edrig!

I'd better save my pennies for when Track Shack get their expected delivery of Skeleta, in June?

B

A bit more again today.
This time the roof.

It scares me a little with the rising cost of raw materials and taking such a large piece of virgin brass and trying to get it right first time.

So we adopted the 'Gwhizz' method of roof rolling.



Take a large round metal bar longer than the piece you want to roll, a meaty piece of semi dense foam and then roll..... but don't rock.
It was important to roll absolutely square and evenly.



Here trial fitted to the body.

I've actually just come in from the 'workshop' and the roof is now soldered.
More pics tomorrow.

First class piece of engineering there, Carl. Erm if it's not a daft question, how will you now cut a hole in the roof for the engine's chimney?

A couple more pics of the now soldered roof.





I used slightly thinner material (0.5mm) than I would have liked. It was easier to solder but difficult to keep square and avoid warping when heat was applied. Also trying to stop every joint locally from pinging loose was a headache. There was always one place I forgot to put a heat sink clamp (metal crococodile clip).

The roof formers needed some hefty soldering to keep them in place too.

I'm off to drill some holes for chimney, saftey valve and gas filler now.

I did think about drilling these before soldering but if I was just a millimetre out with the measurements it would look crap.
So I will fit the body and mark out the holes live and cut them slowly will a hole cutter.

Holes in roof cut in the relevant places.

I had a major problem with what was insignificant but now important.
I mentioned earlier that the boiler wasn't mounted centrally along the axis of the chassis so of course now the safety valve and filler cap were not central and I didn't want to have off centre holes in the roof (ex. for gas replinishment). So, I had to completely strip down the loco and file out a lateral slot in the rear boiler mounting hole to realign the boiler centrally.
It's still not totally perfect but much better than before.







You may notice the method of fixing the body to the chassis....by way of the chimney capping.

I made the hole 2mm larger than the chimney in diameter so the roof is sandwiched between the capping and the chimney. To remove the body just unscrew the copper capping.

The smaller rear pipe sticking up is the outlet for the safety valve.

carl hibbs wrote:

The smaller rear pipe sticking up is the outlet for the safety valve.

Brilliant job Carl!

Is it strictly necessary to vent the safety valve through the roof??

Does the safety blow so regularly that it's required???

B

GWhizz wrote:

carl hibbs wrote:

The smaller rear pipe sticking up is the outlet for the safety valve.

Is it strictly necessary to vent the safety valve through the roof??

Does the safety blow so regularly that it's required???

B

It isn't strictly necessary but it's a lot neater I think, otherwise when the safety valve blows steam will just billow about under the roof and condensate.

I have made a copper tube to fit over the safety valve so the steam is channelled upwards.

I'm also experimenting with a saftey valve whistle......

Very impressive Carl, I think messrs Regner and Reppinghem et al need to watch out. Presuming you are going to light it from the chimney, will that work ? Aha, you can do it from underneath the smokebox I think.

Fantastic!! Yeah ok, who forgot to pay the phone bill? no phone for 6 days even though bill was paid after 3!! Looking good Carl

Mikey

https://s575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/deantwerpen_2009/

The black tram is a Roundhouse/Accucraft Edrig hybrid I started last night. The chassis had to be shortened by a few mm each end.

The green body is a new addition to my scrapbox from a customer who wants his Stanley converting back to a Billy.

Just experimenting with the image hosting

Brest

Mike Ousby

Well I'll just chuck mine in the bin then.......

That's some quality modelling.
So a modified Roundhouse body on an Accucraft chassis, interesting. What's happened/going to happen to the boiler?

The chassis looks better shortened.

I like the method of using Accucraft running gear as opposed to Roundhouse.
A complete ready to run bare working loco for under £400.

What I really would like though is a close coupled 0-6-0 chassis as were most typical French tram engines like Blanc Misseron.

I'm thinking of ways to modify an Edrig chassis......

carl hibbs wrote:

[i]

What I really would like though is a close coupled 0-6-0 chassis as were most typical French tram engines like Blanc Misseron.

I'm thinking of ways to modify an Edrig chassis......

Wouldn't you be better off starting with a Lawley. I know it's a lot more dosh, but by the time you've sourced and installed a third axle, wheelset and coupling rods wouldn't be a lot in it ?

Besides you could throw the redundant Lawley body in my direction

ps Welcome Mike

Might end up going that way Brian. The Lawley/Wrekin chassis is too long really but as Mike has done I could always cut it down a bit.

Is the 0-6-0 boiler the same (length) as the 0-4-0 boiler I wonder....?
Can they be interchanged.....?

carl hibbs wrote:

Might end up going that way Brian. The Lawley/Wrekin chassis is too long really but as Mike has done I could always cut it down a bit.

Is the 0-6-0 boiler the same (length) as the 0-4-0 boiler I wonder....?
Can they be interchanged.....?

I'll be able to check when Van comes over with his Lawley and we can do a Lawley / Edrig Comparison.

B

mikeyh wrote:

Fantastic!! Yeah ok, who forgot to pay the phone bill? no phone for 6 days even though bill was paid after 3!! Looking good Carl

Mikey

Hi Mikey

If you've not been on the forum for a few days you may have missed Van (FM12)'s posts on his new Lawley.

I hope you'll be able to come over too when he comes for a test run.

I'll PM you nearer the time likely to be week after next or so!

Cheers Brian

carl hibbs wrote:

Well I'll just chuck mine in the bin then.......

That's some quality modelling.
So a modified Roundhouse body on an Accucraft chassis, interesting. What's happened/going to happen to the boiler?

The chassis looks better shortened.

I like the method of using Accucraft running gear as opposed to Roundhouse.
A complete ready to run bare working loco for under £400.

What I really would like though is a close coupled 0-6-0 chassis as were most typical French tram engines like Blanc Misseron.

I'm thinking of ways to modify an Edrig chassis......

Don't be silly, I think that your construction looks very good. Remeber that I am recycling proprietry parts.

The chassis is only shortened by about six millimetres and the bolier can be moved forwards or aft a tad. One of the advantages of doing the Accucraft warranty work is that my scrap box is well stocked.

The Stanley body is not available now and indeed never was separately. Only 100 Stanleys were built, so at least I've got 2% of them.

I have a surplus Lady Ann power unit and don't know whether to put that with the black body and the modified Edrig Power unit with the green body.

Attached is a link to one of my own steam trams, built for the Silesian Tramways.

https://2img.net/h/i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/deantwerpen_2009/Kattowitz/HohenzollernKattowitz.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss196/deantwerpen_2009/Kattowitz/Kattowitz3.jpg



Best

MikeyO

An intriguing model which I've actually seen before but nice to see again.

A daft question maybe but often on the roof of steam trams (like the one above) there are various interesting 'bits', pipework, tanks etc.

What are these various 'bits' for. Condensing apparatus or reservoirs perhaps...?

Brian. Love to come over whenever. These different 'tram locos' certainly are the biz!

Mikeyh
(this is gonna be confusing with mikeyh and mikeyO)

pjti wrote:

Very impressive Carl, I think messrs Regner and Reppinghem et al need to watch out. Presuming you are going to light it from the chimney, will that work ? Aha, you can do it from underneath the smokebox I think.

I don't think Ralph and Manfred need worry too much...wait till I start doing the wobbly rivets.

I usually light all my engines via the chimney. Some you have no choice like Roundhouse but Accucraft you can light via the smoke box. With this tram body that will be difficult but not impossible as you can still open the smokebox door a little and if there is a big problem you can take the body quickly.