Kit 14 - Ashpan, Grate & Cleading

ModelWorks 4 inch Scale Burrell Agricultural Traction Engine
I collected Kit 14 from Citylink on April 1st  

Friday:  This kit was packed using shredded paper in which many of the parts seem to be hiding so I will be carefully checking off the items before disposing of the packing.  In the last few kits the smaller parts have been in an inner box, unfortunately this is not the case this time.  I am concerned that I can't find the damper Rod BU41433.    I don't think I have misplaced it as the missing damper rod should be about 30 inches long.  Since the longest diagonal of the packing box is 25 inches I don't think ModelWorks packed it.  

I was disappointed to learn than the crank omitted from the last kit was not included, however I agree with Steve that it is better to wait for the machining jig than suffer a poor finish to the crankpin.  I was planning to finish kit 16 before embarking on this kit - I will now need a new plan.  Steve also informs us that the next kit will be Kit 19 - the valve gear.

I have just had an email from Mike who was the first contributor to the Burrell Galley.  Mike is one step ahead of me and has already phoned ModelWorks. Apparently the damper rod is coming in a tube as it was too long for the box - I know!  Mike also tells me the packing list is wrong and there should only be one of item BU 41445, the fire door horizontal link.

Staurday: For some reason I have been drawn to the cleading in particular the "Manhole Finisher" as I could not immediately see how it was to be fitted.  The cleading is not the obvious place to start since once painted I do not plan to refit it until the engine is finished.  I even started fitting it from the wrong end as I wanted to see if I could fathom out the "Manhole Finisher"

When I tried on the cork mat it fitted well except around cylinder.  In the picture right it can be seen that the mat is covering all of the left hand cylinder bolts.  It looked as if an inch needed to be trimmed from the left hand side. 

After I had trimmed the inch I discovered I was wrong.  I now have a 1/2 gap along the side of the cylinder.  I have saved the off cut and I hope I will be able to join it back on.  I still can't work out how marking the cut  from the cylinder allowed me to cut too much off.  Next time I will be more cautious. 

Fitting the front 4 sections of cleading was relatively easy.  One problem which I have yet to resolve is that the boiler bands are too big.  Even though the bolts are fully tight I can still move the bands

After my abortive attempt to fit the Manhole Finisher I was now in a position to try again.  The weld fillet around the manhole cover is rough and relatively large.  To give the finisher a better chance I increased cleading's clearance around the manhole to 1/8th inch.

I have yet to fit the finisher.

I am having trouble fitting the final band as the last piece of cleading extends straight down the fire box. I don't know whether to cut the cleading or try and bend it around.

As a temporary measure I introduced a strip of aluninium under the band so as to hold the rear cleading in place (see picture below).


Sunday: I made a start by fitting the finisher.  It got a bit battered in the process.  I am not totally happy with the result and will probably turn the edge under with the cleading off the boiler.

I had a quick look at my collection of model traction engine pictures and could not find any with this feature.  After my struggle I was beginning to wonder why MW supplied this beast but a look at my full size pictures immediate showed that this is a standard feature.

I then turn my attention to the fire doors as this looked like a simple job.  The components cleaned up easily with a combination of file and flap wheel. 

I retired to the garage to fit the doors but was immediately  back in the workshop when I discovered that the first step was to rivet the operating pins in place.  This was easier said than done.  It took a lot of blows; I ended up using a lump hammer and a drift.

When I came to fit the top runner I hit a snag.  The bush for the water gauge stem is proud of the required line, preventing the runner fitting flush against its fixing.  On screwing in the stem I could also that it would foul the runner.

I don't want to alter the boiler and so I will be attacking the runner with a half round file.

I can't find it in the instructions but the water gauge stem BU41455 is fitted to the top right of the fire doors. 

Monday: I have discussed the cleading with Steve and he indicated that the wings extend below the centre line for "aesthetic reason".  So that I could see this myself I made a prototype from a piece of scrap aluninium.  To give a better impression I "painted" it using felt tip pens. I concluded that the wings would be better black to match to hornplate and boiler.

The picture below show both options and I am inclined to agree with Steve that extending the wing below the centre line looks better.

In order to catch the cleading in the band I shall be notching the lower part of the wing as per my prototype.

Tuesday: I returned my attention to the fire doors.  I was amazed at how much I had to remove from the back of the to runner to get it to fit properly over the boiler bush.  It took some time but it was worth the effort.

The  damper rod was waiting on the door mat when I got home from work.  Fortunately it fitted through the letter box and there was no need for me to go to the parcel office.

I have been troubled by the term cleading and assumed that it was a misspelling of cladding.  A colleague from work found this link definition of cleading and I now know the error of my ways.

Wednesday: I had an email from Mike asking me if the fire door operating lever fouls the oiler.  From the picture above it can be seen that if I fitted it, it would.  I believe the source of the problem is that the lever has be made a mirror image to that intended.  I have used electronic wizardry to make a picture of the correct lever.  If only it was that easy to refold the real lever.

I have pressed on and cut the rear cleading so that the boiler band fits.   Since my boiler bands rattle when fully closed up, I have shortened them by unfolding and refolding the tab using heat whilst unfolding the old tab so that it did not snap off.   I have talked to Steve about my loose boiler bands and so far no other constructor has encountered this problem.  He cautions against them being so tight that they distort the cleading - don't over do it. 

Thursday: Since both Mike and Steve have just contacted me regarding a problem with the ashpan I though I better tackle the ashpan tonight. Apparently the ashpan cannot be fitted with the rear support in place.  The favourite solution is to dispense with the support altogether.  Mike is also having difficulty inserting the front pins.  Luckily mine went in after a bit of jiggling.

Modelworks will be supplying updated instructions, longer screws for the damper hinge pin and a replacement fire door operating lever.

Friday: Having rushed the assembly of the ashpan, today I returned it to the workshop to do the job properly.  I found that I had to trim the long runners so that the bolts that secure the hinge lugs could be fitted. 

The grate area of the Burrell is about 70 square inches and at 1 KWatt per square inch it  would give a heat output of 70 KW.  While that seems a lot steam engines are not very efficient at converting this to useful work.

When I refitted the ashpan and added the damper control rod I found that its length was incorrect.  With the damper fully closed the ratchet fell it the mid position.  This  would mean that the damper could not be locked fully open.

The error is understandable as the hornplates are datumed from the cylinder and not the boiler bottom.  Thus I would expect the distance from the ratchet spigot BU40903 to damper to vary model to model.  Fortunately my rod was too long and there was sufficient metal at the end of the damper control rod to drill a new hole.   I now have three positions closed, 1/2 open and open.

Saturday: The last job for this kit is to fit the pipe connectors at the top of the boiler.  The instructions are very specific concerning which pipe connector goes where; unfortunately they are wrong!  The connections into the boiler and the elbows themselves are 1/4 BSP.  The fine threaded end of SP59025 should end up free ready to take the union nut and pipe we should be getting in a later kit.

Sunday 17 April:  In the week some parts came through the post, most notably the correct hand of fire door operating lever.

I was amazed to see that as soon as I filled the cup with oil it wicked up the wool.  When I looked some time later, the cup was empty and all the oil was down in the jar.