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1st Locomotive, Richard Trevithick 1804- hauled to destination


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Well, I didn't notice this one coming but I'm in. With all the firsts in the world to choose from, I'm surprised how aviation this bg looks and wanted to broaden it out. 

I'm going with

https://www.scalemates.com/products/product.php?id=109407&p=timeline

 

which is The world's first steam locomotive, can't show you it yet as I've only just ordered it! Have to say not my first choice which was going to be the first locomotive to break the 100 mph barrier, City of Truro but Nimrod54 did this so brilliantly that I wouldn't come close, if you missed it here's his build

Hunting around I came across the Airfix kit for Trevithick and a cheaper Minicraft version but that is a strange 1:38 scale while the Airfix is the more conventional 1:32, which is gauge 1 for railway modellers, so it might get a crew to attend to it. But all that to come, first I need the Postie.

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I'm away for two weeks now, so to get ready for the start of such a diverse GB, I'll try and offer something for everyone...

 

For fans of Monty Python

Do you like grubby photos? Bet you do, nudge, nudge... the postie came today.

IMG_20170308_161025_1.jpg

 

Bet you like that, do you want to see some more?

 

IMG_20170308_161128_1.jpg

 

Want more?

IMG_20170308_161251_1.jpg

 

Seriously, when I get into the build proper I WILL use a camera and not my phone, but this is all a bit of a teaser.

 

First impression looking through the plastic bag is that there I wasn't expecting so many parts (104), and it is moulded in a curious shade of green. More seriously not too worried about the level of flash, but it is a 'working model' so lots of over-size joints that will need some consideration.

 

:tired: Should I be worried that there are no decals?:whistle:

 

For lovers of dire puns (yes I know all puns are dire)- seems this was really the world's first MRCA

Researching ready to start, I learnt that Trevithick took one of his existing engines and put wheels on it. After the run, it was dismantled again. This seems to be a feature of 'firsts', how something is taken off the production line and tampered with - look at the speed Spitfire for another example.

But to my mind this means it was the world's first MRCA, in this case

Multi Role Colliery Apparatus.

 

Moving on...

 

Desperate for sensible stuff

The Industrial Railway Society Website http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/59/Locos.htm

says that the contempary record is a little over 1,000 words an everything else is conjecture, or later gloss. This includes the plans that are always cited for the loco; seems they are a Trevithick engine but not necessarily for the first of them all. Means they'll be a lot of guess work in this, but does give a clue about the paint scheme (grand title). Lots of pictures show lovely red or blue gear wheels, I think this is really to make it more appealing to bored school children as it seems more plausible to me that as it was build from equipment already to hand it was unpainted. Lots of iron-work and a crash course in weathering.  Talking of which

 

Trivia time

It did have a crash of sorts on it's outing as it didn't fit in the tunnel and damaged the funnel which Trevithick had to repair, oh and he also had to relay the track as he went through the tunnel to go down the centre for maximum clearance.

 

That's all folks! Back in 2 weeks with a more sensible tone to the posts and some more of the history of the loco.

 

Michael

 

PS, A rough calculation makes me think the year-span on this build is currenyl 180 years or so, which must be a record.

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Nothing like a nice grubby photo :D!

 

Just like all the best grubby photos they're very nice teasers. It's a fascinating, almost mythical subject.

 

1/32 is a nice size for it. I would tend to agree with you that it probably had a very unglamorous colour scheme, it may have been very grubby indeed. Just like the photos!

 

See you soon.

Best regards

TonyT

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  • Mjwomack changed the title to 1st Locomotive, Richard Trevithick 1804

Starting to raise boiler pressure!

 

Hopefully some photos tomorrow, but for now I've changed the title because of course it was a steam locomotive! It was built in 1804 so it's hardly going to be the first nuclear one, ane fule knowes that is Back to the Future and is at the end of the century.

 

So far, I've figured that the instructions aren't very good which makes progress slow. Fair enough though when you keep in mind that the original only mustered 5mph!

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Whoops, in my eagerness to get dirty, I forgot the sprue shots, better late than never (a phrase you never year on Britain's railways)

IMG_0943%5B1%5D.jpg

 

The flash has washed out the colour and it is really moulded in a darker green.

 

There are some sink marks to contend with, but not at all bad really and a managable level of flash.

 

IMG_0946_1.jpg

 

The instructions are a bit of a 'mare- step 1 doesn't apply at all and seems to be for a motorised version. But step 2 is more of a problem as  part 7 is shown back to front- pretty obvious but in turn makes it harder to work out how the parts are keyed so that everything is the right way up. The assembled front and back plates come out as a scale 4inches. This feels a bit too thick, but there are no contmeporary plans for comparision. Also, Threvithick was pioneering high-pressure in the face of opposition from other engineers such as Watt (heard of him) and Boulton (did his company go into aviation later- never thought of it before). Given that one of his pumping engines had exploded at Greenwhich 8 years earlier with 4 deaths, I think he would have over-engineered (bit like a DC3 wing)

 

Cracking GB this- thanks to our hosts and everyone for joining in; it is a total education and I'm pondering a second entry.

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  • 2 weeks later...

IMG_0950_1.jpg

 

Bring on the Spice Girls!

 'Tell me what you want! What you really really want!' But the Spice Girls couldn't help. It seems to me us modellers are quite a contrary lot when it comes to what we want, and I'm not even a kit manufactorer. But I've spent a lot of the last week looking to be...

 

A smooth operator

Who doesn't spend a lot of time sanding smooth, filling in sink marks, removing ejector pins marks and general flash? Especially from vintage kits.

 

Who likes a bit of rough

The whole kit is devoid of texture, which I decided wasn't appropriate for a 1:32nd scale model of a pioneer of the industrial revolution and it all needs rouging up a bit for the fabled extra texture! So, with all the sanding and smoothing done, I've started giving it a light tickling with some glass paper.

 

Like I say, funny lot us modeller aren't we!

 

A splash of colour?

I idly browsed the painting instructions. The kit comes with 2, a very basic (2 colours) for beginners and those in a hurry and a more ambitious (if that's the right word) scheme using 6 colours. Seems a very sensible approach, except they don't match; the basic scheme paints most of the loco in matt black, but the advanced scheme is Brunswick Green (too loud by half). or the two tone uses a whole tin of brass paint for the slide arms, which are silver in the full paint job. My favourite little detail though is that it recommends that the drain cocks (aka taps) be painted gold, there again where there's muck there's money so maybe that is right.

 

A kit from the Airfix that time forgot.

Still having a lot of fun, but I think it is safe to say that this kit comes from Airfix's dark ages- that nether world between the happy memories of childhood kits and their modern high quality productions!

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You're doing a grand job :thumbsup2: 

 

This is just the kind of 'nether region' we need in this group build.

 

Some nether regions, no, we don't need to see them, but this one; yes :winkgrin:!

 

I was just looking at the build of the 'Turtle' Submarine (1775-6), Your loco is just 28 or so years after that.

 

These two really represent pioneering engineering and the coming together of the types of technologies that drove the Industrial Revolution. It's fantastic that we have things like this, then many more, later, innovations in this GB, that show just how far we human beans (;)) have changed the face of the planet, the way we live, travel, so much, in such a short period of time.

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying your sub headings. Back in my lecturing days I would gladly have paid you to do my PowerPoint slides; anyone that can get The Spice Girls and 'A Bit Of Rough' into a 19th Century steam engine build, can certainly get the attention of the audience!! :lol:!!

 

Go on, give it gold drain cocks, it deserves them :thumbsup2: 

 

Looking forward to the next instalment,

TonyT

 

 

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Nice progress! The kit is from 1968 according to scalemates.com, so it's hardly Airfix dark ages! I've built the beam engine, which was I think the first kit in that range, and it went together well after getting rid of all the ejector pin and sink marks. On the moving parts side, I found that sanding down the heads of the pins makes it look less clunky and gave me a bit more clearance. That might be useful to you when you get to that bit...

 

Regards,

Adrian

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On 8 April 2017 at 11:52 AM, Mjwomack said:

My favourite little detail though is that it recommends that the drain cocks (aka taps) be painted gold, there again where there's muck there's money so maybe that is right.

 

 

They were probably brass (easier to obtain from the works stores than gold I suspect), but I don't think there is such a colour in the Humbrol paint range.

 

As for the overall colour, being something to do with the railways, I'd suggest overall Grot with a liberal over-daubing of Filth (sorry, I don't have BS381C, RAL or FS595B references or Tamiya, Revell or Gunze mixes for those).

 

I remember building one of these when it was nearly new and it had the motorising option which I did get to work, eventually and briefly.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This'll sort the men from the boys, or at least the old men from the not-quite-so old men; Kylie or Little Eva because it time to

Do the Loco-motion

Though I suppose that in the circumstances the best answer is Grand Funk Railroad's version. But we'll get to that in a minute, first up though we turn our attention to a Talking Heads rockumentory...

 

Stop making sense

I like to think that in this enlightened age, part of the pre-production schedule is for someone to make the kit, haveing never seen it before using the instructions provided. You need to go a bit steady with the instruction for this one and accept that they will, indeed Stop making sense! For example

IMG_20170430_191637.jpg 

 

Oh Phoebe, be my Friends

What is far from obvious in this illustration, is that on the blind side of the wheel on part 12 is a flange, or as Phoebe would no doubt call it a filangey, and any afficiado knows how much trouble they can cause because thew y at the top of part 9, is meant to hug that very filangey. And with a little encouragement can be made to do so.

So that it looks like this

IMG_20170430_191558.jpg

Actually, because you're more dextrous and skilled than me, it won't look anything like this but way, way better!

 

Does it every land butter-side up, or who needs a carpet monster in any case?

After the inevitable sanding off the rough edges, I was happy with the way the piston rod was moving (no I don't know what I was bothered as this will be static, but I did say that it was time to stop making sense).  That's part 45 in this simple exploded diagram

IMG_20170430_200326.jpg

 

In my moment of self-satisfaction, I tested it once too often and the carpet monster never had a chance before it disapeared inside the boiler. Not relishing the 60 mile round trip to the LHS (I know it would be worse if I lived in Canada or Australia) to buy some plastic rod for a replacement, I grubbed about in the plastic strut archive and found an ideal piece

IMG_20170501_164220.jpg

 

And, just how the mug you drop and break had just been washed up, all that effort in cleaning the orginal piston rod was a waste because this is a lovely piece of plastic with no seam like to even need sanding off!

 

But, Ms Aguilera I thought it was Beautiful it seems you  want to get Dirrty!

There's a lot of dirt out there once you start looking!  Railway modellers can get all manner of dirt in the Railmatch range, but I went for straight-forward frame dirt and picked up what I take to be a starter pack in weathering powders from Revell; never tried powder before (I'm not Fleetwood Mac you know), so it'll be a big adventure soon.

IMG_20170501_164421.jpg

 

But what about the Locomotion?

 

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....nothing at all, after all that as the locomotive built for the Stockton and Darlington in 1825 by Stephenson and was the first passenger locomotive, I'm building the Pennydarren locomotive,but as I said early on, it was Time to Stop making sense!

OK, I'll get my coat. Until next time folks!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ah this is where the other one is, Great to see another one being built Micheal it all look's very familiar even the filler on the sink

mark's but a more respectable pace,will follow with interest:lol:

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I have been to Europe on Business for the last couple of weeks and passed through Bridgenorth in Shropshire on my travels.

While muching my lunch by the river I found this sign which you might find interesting.

 

20170503_112338_zpsn6cteeyy.jpg

 

So its a bit like your model really. Rastrick built it but Trevethick got the credit.

The sign is on the side of a resurant with no sign of a foundry anymore. A bit like the rest of the Industiral Midlands really!

 

Colin

 

 

 

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With 200 years of hindsight, I think Trevithick's great achievement was to press (an awful pun in every post in this thread!) with high pressure steam when the received wisdom was for low-pressure; I doubt if the industrial revolution would have got up much of a head of steam without that development.

 

Right, on with the show...

 

I was going to ask...

Do you know what it is yet? But have a nagging thought that such a phrase may not be allowed any more. Sad to think that so much of my childhood and the catch-phrases from it now have bad overtones. But really, could you hazard a guess?

IMG_20170512_214534.jpg

 

Even my wife, who among her many qualities loves railways, had no idea what it was. I think the triangular brace for the piston arm gives is a nautical feel; maybe it should be a tender to the Nautilus in 20,000 leagues under the sea.

 

By the next update, it will have gained some wheels and may well look like a locomotive, well as much like a locomotive as its ever going to look that is!

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By the next update, it will have gained some wheels and may well look like a locomotive, well as much like a locomotive as its ever going to look that is!

.... so true!

IMG_20170518_175540.jpg

 

...not just with wheels on, but everything else on as well. Still a very confusing beastie, but the handles on the control rods at the right are the back of the loco.

 

As Visage would say, 'fade to grey'

Oh come on! A joke about 50 shades of gray was too obvious, some sutelty please. It has now gained a coat or maybe 2 of primer, I started off with grey, but ran out so went over it with white; I'm not worried by this as I want an uneven finish. Next will be a coat of Humbrol Sea Gray and then a coat of Railmatch BR Executive Dark Grey (at least it's a railway paint), again hoping to get some imperfections in the finish, though given my unique style this is likely to be the first time I get an even finish.

 

Serious history bits..

Anyone still reading? I chanced upon a source, a mere 50 years after the event which mentions that only the rear wheels were driven. Dilema time, accepting that the contemporary source is hardly 1,000 words long and short in detail, plus the practicalities of driving both wheels of one central cog, I find the very plausible.

So why do all the renderings have it as two driven wheels? I suspect that's because they're wrong but all copied from a wrong source. Which is back to the problem of the only drawings can be convincingly argued as being for a later Trevithick loco; I think the question of rail gauge leading to a mangled scale for that drawing is the clincher. It also strikes me that as a first attempt, Trevitihck went for the simpler solution and later refined it into 2 driven wheels. So, dilema indeed; what am I going to do about it?

 

10,000 lemmings can't be wrong!

I'm well on the way to completing my first ever GB. I don't fancy taking the wheels off to cast an undriven wheel using the other side's wheels as a master. And, nobody knows how the configuration for the single driven wheel went in any case.

Therefore, I'll follow the herd and press on with this build.

 

Completely off the rails!

Looking at the wheels, you eventually realised what's missing. They have no flanges, which means they would simply fall of a modern railway track. I've come across double flanged wheels where there is a flange on both edges but never no flange at all. Simple to solve really, the flange was on the inside of the rail. I think this is more intriguing than how many wheels were driven, so I'm starting work on fabricating some flanged rail.

 

It's all a fabrication

Great word, becasue it IS a pun, I am fabricating the flanged rail from plastrut and also making it all up because of the problem of limited contemporary source. At least that source mentions the weight of the engine breaking the chairs for the rails, so I'm going with something that is pretty much like modern rail but with flanged rail. That's the theory, but I keep thinking of new details as I ponder how it might have worked.

 

Anyhow, thanks for stopping by, lots of admiration for all the brilliant models and skilled modellers out there (I just glanced in the gallery), thanks for humouring me- I'm in a happy place!

MJ

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Coming along a treat Micheal,we have the Northern show in a few week's I'm definitely going to try and seek out a couple more Loco

subject's hopefully old Airfix/Dapol offering's.

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On 21/05/2017 at 10:17 PM, stevej60 said:

Coming along a treat Micheal,we have the Northern show in a few week's I'm definitely going to try and seek out a couple more Loco

subject's hopefully old Airfix/Dapol offering's.

 

Wisdom Steve! They say everyone has a book in them, I think far more likely is that there's a trainspotter in everyone!

There is a strange satisfaction in these old kits, perhaps it's nostalgia for childhood or maybe because to get anything respectable from them is a personal triumph!

 

As is the case with this, a quick snap before I'm away for a very long weekend (curiously it involves a train ride in Italy but that's pure coincidence and other forms of transport are available).

IMG_20170523_104752.jpg

 

I'm pleased with the imperfect finish, fits for a pioneer of the industrial revolution when there was limited quality control to put it politely. When I get back, it'll be an adventure in muck and a first with weathering powders and the such.

 

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Fantastic work MJ :thumbsup2: !

 

Good save on the piston rod...

 

I'm just starting to catch up with everyone's threads. It looks like this one's headed to the gallery soon :thumbsup: .

 

Your rationale for the rails and wheels is perfectly logical. I'm looking forward to seeing how the weathering powders work out.

 

Enjoy your time in Italy.

 

All best regards

TonyT

 

 

Edited by TonyTiger66
Rambling on too much
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Cracking little model there. Sorry you stuffed up the poor painting by making a really good job of it. It looks great. 

 

I'm sure it is worthy of pulling Tonys tale of woe across Europe. Is this why you moved to South Africa? 

 

And yes I remember 'fade to grey' too.

 

Colin 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Did you ever get back from Italy Michael, or are you stranded somewhere in a tunnel beneath the alps :o?

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you throw some industrial muck and grot on this :D!

 

Hope all's well,

best regards

TonyT

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Alas I've just thrown my fist at it

thoroughly enjoyed italy though there were no nuns and guns involved. I was all set to slap on some grime and had made a start on weathering. A bigger problem was my plans to build some track for it with 3 contradictory type shown on the tinternet but was off to the industrial railway society for some help.

 

so far, so good but then I had one of mental health episodes and that's the end of it.

 

sorry to let you all down after all your encouragement, special thanks to the hosts for all your work behind the scenes. I'll dust myself down and be back to fall off the horse another day. And to think I was sooooo near to my first ever completed GB

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