Roy C Link/Wrightlines Bagnall 0-4-0ST
In June 2020 I started the next lockdown loco. I dusted off a Roy C Link/Wrightlines Bagnall 0-4-0ST kit and made a start by seeing if a KB Scale 54:1 gearbox would fit. It did along with a Mashima 1020 can motor after a bit of trimming inside the firebox.
My brother built one of these in O16.5 when they first came out and it ran for many years on Dyffryn. The original 38:1 gears meant that it had a good turn of speed and it used to pull ‘wheelies’ until we packed lead inside the boiler. I didn’t finish my own O16.5 version but I did fit a High Level ‘Micro Miser’ 108:1 gearbox which ran beautifully. Unfortunately that gearbox was too wide for an O14 version hence the compromise.
I don’t recall any problems with the original build but this one has taxed me quite a bit with forming the tank and various other bits. I think a general loss of skill through many years of inactivity, together with degrading eyesight and arthritis in my hands is making me struggle a bit.
The motor just fits inside the firebox. I did wonder about a smaller motor and flywheel but I decided that the 1020 would be a better beast as I intend to add a fair bit of weight to the loco.
I thought I had a tight spot but the slow running doesn’t show anything. Typically it runs better backwards and the motor really hums when going so slowly. Hopefully it will get better with running in and a bit of weight.
This one will be similar to Sybil but with an open back. I helped Kay with some of the details when she wanted to reintroduce the etched version of the kit and in return she very kindly supplied a short chimney and open safety valve casting.
For once I have been intentionally taking my time with the Bagnall and painting in all those hard to get to bits on the chassis that would be virtually impossible when the valve gear is fitted. Today saw the completion of both assembly and fitting of the valve gear. I did this on one of these years ago and thought how straightforward it was – not so this time! However I managed it eventually and the test run was okay. I am not sure it is as free running as it was before the valve gear was added but I am sure it will improve with running in. This is very simplified valve gear with just one ‘wiggly’ bit and dummy valve motion (as intended in the kit) as I think working Bagnall-Price valve gear is way beyond me.
Surprisingly for me, I am taking my time with the Bagnall build and I decided to try out the Custom Model Decals lining on the saddle tank. This is my first time with waterslide decals for about 30 years so I thought I would try something easy like a round tank surface! Fortunately it went pretty well. I went for the original black yellow black lining offer as I wanted a faded look. Andrew does a more intense yellow version which I would use if I wasn’t modelling such run down locos. Now I need to get on with the cab as I think I will put lining on the cab sides too.
I followed the excellent set of instructions that came with the decals as detailed on their web site.
Generally everything went very well but you might notice that the right hand lining over the tank doesn’t quite line up with the corner despite my best efforts and the help of my optivisor! Also there is a slight wrinkle at the top of the tank on the left hand lining. Both down to my ability, impatience and decision to practice on something a bit challenging! I think the weathering will disguise these features and no one will know if I stay quiet about it!
I think lining on the cylinders will be a step too far so I will be keeping thing simple. It is still a major step forward for me as this will be the first 014 loco that I have with lining.
The cab sides are now painted and lined using an early version of the Custom Model Decals black-yellow-black lining. This doesn’t have the intensity of the later version and the pale yellow is just what I am after as this will be a tired, weathered loco.
Just need to crack on with the fittings now and work out the coupling height/fixing as I think they will need to pivot due to the overhang from the wheels.
Typically, during a test run after greasing the gears, the final gear has started slipping on the main axle. This is a nylon gear which was a force fit but I think the plastic is a bit slippery? I have tried to clean it up as best I can and applied some Loctite so I will see if that does the trick. I hope so as it will be a bit of a swine to disassemble!
It’s not raining today so I have rushed out to get some better photos of the Bagnall. No harsh reflection from the flash or internal image processing to boost certain colours!
I was pleased to be able to share this loco build with Roy C Link in the summer of 2020 and it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for the both of us as I had boxes from his original kit and the subsequent Wrightlines re-issues. This was a beautifully though out kit and the castings really impressed me when I first saw them. I don’t think I have seen better patterns than in Roy’s kits and he told me that he worked hard using his panto-graph milling machine to ensure the nuts and bolt heads were hexagonal and square edged.
Following Roy’s death I though I would rename the loco and commissioned new name and works plates from Narrow Planet (Light Railway Stores).
More Bagnalls!
I had originally planned on building one Bagnall to 014 but Russell Wright (the originator of the Wrightlines range) gave me an 014 chassis (built by Pete Wilson) in exchange for an 016.5 version. The exchange included a few extra Bagnall cab castings and etches with a suggestion from Russell that I build a different variation. He suggested a dropped footplate version but I felt that it would be too hard to cut the built chassis so that variation will wait for another day. I do have a couple more of these kits so I should be able to build four 014 Bagnalls; the open one shown above, a closed cab with a dome on the tank, A conventional open cab with a roof as per the original kit and a dropped footplate version!
About the time I was thinking about all of this the dropped footplate Bagnall ‘Dorothy’ arrived at the Bala Lake Railway and provided some prototype inspiration. I realised that I wouldn’t be able to reproduce Dorothy accurately without extensive surgery to the cab etches so I though I would make my own version keeping the etches and just dropping the footplate where the cab sides finished. Time will tell how quickly all these versions take to complete so don’t hold your breath. The Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 gave me a chance to catch up on a lot of loco projects but now I have more ideas to add to the build pile.