Tender wheels for GTR 1120

The 3D-printed centres for the tender wheels took two tries, not because the print failed in some way, but because I assumed the drawing, which I worked on months ago, was finished. It wasn’t and the axle holes were about a quarter millimetre oversize. It took minutes over days to get correct centres and a […]

Tender wheel parts

The tyres for 1120’s tender have been plopping unceremoniously onto the lathe bed for the past couple of weeks. I had thought to make them in two batches – one per truck – but wound up getting several extra tyres and wheels out of one blank, albeit not enough for the whole tender. In the […]

Engine Truck for GTR 1120

As with many commercial models, the engine truck for the Spectrum 4-4-0 is just along for the ride. It plays no role in supporting the cylinders, and doesn’t even guide the driving wheels into corners. Effectively, it is its own vehicle, shackled to the front of the frame. Consequently it needs to be as heavy […]

GTR 1120 as a 4-4-0

The crank pins are an easy press-fit into the drivers, and thankfully, I didn’t need to remove the rear drivers to insert them. Then the connecting rods and the main rods dropped into place with almost no fanfare, except that I need to get a 1.3mm nut driver for 0-80 screws. Holding my breath, I […]

GTR 1120 as a 4-2-2

Once The Last Equipment Cradle was put together, soldering the wires that capture the rear wheels was delicate but not difficult. I dropped the engine on the rails, and was immediately disappointed by the results. I expected it to be slippery without the connecting rods, but I didn’t expect the front drivers, the only drivers […]

GTR 1120 Wheel removal and replacement

I’ve looked in vain for a video or description of someone else who has successfully taken apart a Spectrum 4-4-0. A lot of the parts seem to be glued or held in place with invisible tabs. The exploded view diagram was no help. So, rather than risk further damage to the model, which came with […]

Wheel-fitting Heresy

The standard approach to putting wheels on axles seems to be – well – to put the wheels on the axles. The assumption is that the wheels are complete: they have their tyres and crank pins. It’s easy to see why that would be the standard. If you buy your wheels, they naturally have tyres […]

Crank pin parts

The crank pins for 1120 are much heavier than those of 622, and as a result much easier to fabricate. Most of the time in their fabrication went to tapping them for 0-80 bolts as my tap kept binding when I tried to reverse it out of the holes. Even so, the pieces are tiny, […]

Bearings

There is a point after you’ve accumulated some hours with a tool or technique when it becomes enjoyable. I think, after five years with the lathe I am finally there. Sure, there will always be parts that will challenge me, but simple ones, like these bearings enable me to get into a rhythm of turning, […]

Finding the slots

Although, being jig-made, the slots are probably in the same place on the two axles, the question remains: where exactly are they? The right-hand (red is always right in my workshop) end is noticeably off-centre, while the left-hand looks pretty good. Our eyes are fantastic at noticing things that are not straight or centred, but […]