JM Fowler 2-6-4T kit
Prepared by Tommy Day Originator J. Drakeley
Hello all
I have recently acquired a JM Fowler 2-6-4 tank kit or to be precise about three quarters of a kit. It will be the Stanier later version with the limousine cab but looking at the box lid it looks like it was originally the Fowler version.
As a number of you will know the JM kit range disappeared when John Markl;and ( or was it Martland) died. I built one of his 3F Jinty kits which was excellent value for money. Wish I had bought more.
So, this kit has quite a bit missing, boiler, cylinders, cross head and slide bars and instructions but what is there looks good.
Made a start with the chassis. The spacers were all numbered but lacking the instructions I had to guess which went were. The gearbox is one I made years ago for a streamlined Duchess which I chickened out of and never finished. It fits in like it was made for it.
Regards John
DavidL - Jan 16, 2018 at 5:58 PM
I think the name was John Maidment.
David
Powell2517 - Jan 16, 2018 at 6:30 PM
You will have no trouble with that one . With John's kits everything goes together well.
I do have a Fowler 2 6 4 but I didn't build it. Nice model.
Rgds
Graham Powell
NigelSmith - Jan 16, 2018 at 6:54 PM
Both versions go together well - I've built both but sold them to a friend of mine. Sadly he has now passed away and they are for sale on the Steamline website.
Cheers
Nigel
Drakeley16728 - Jan 16, 2018 at 10:57 PM
Hello all
David. Thanks for giving me the correct name.
Derek. The motor will fit inside the fire box, checked it on the drawing. The only thing is the motor may be to high, if it touches the fire box top I will change it.
Nigel. What a great photo the detail stands out, earlier cab but otherwise excellent. I didn't know JM kits are still available will look at Streamline site.
Got the Wild Swan publication on the 2-6-4 tanks. The great thing about these is the works drawings, works of art in my opinion. I have sent a few hours looking at them and I am beginning to think that not all in the box is part of a JM kit. Anyway with the info therein all will be easier.
Regards John
Powell2517 - Jan 17, 2018 at 9:12 AM
John Maidment was a nice guy. I knew him very well and the first 72xx kit was delivered here for me to build. He also went to college and learnt CAD to help him design the kits. I know on the 56xx tank the riveting is exactly as the works drawings.After he died, I ve been told that it all went in a skip.
Rgds
Graham Powell
NigelSmith - Jan 17, 2018 at 9:44 AM
Yep you're right about the 56XX it was a super kit - I've built two and have two more to do. Shame the artwork was destroyed as they stand up well even now.
Nigel
Tams20986 - Jan 17, 2018 at 9:53 AM
I've just completed a similar project with the original cab version in BR form, a 2nd hand kit with a couple of bits missing.
I found the quality of some of the white metal castings to be not as good as I'd like so I raided the catalogues of LG and Ragstone to good effect. I found that John Furminger of Signature kits was very helpful in supplying some bits I needed from the etches to his kit.
The boiler is a heavy brass tube with overlays, that soaks up the heat and requires a powerful iron, or in my case a micro flame to solder some of the parts to it.
If yours is the original Fowler kit then it will have etches for the bogie and pony truck brakes which aren't needed for the BR or Limousine cab versions. I added extra detail in the form of lifting eyes, pipework lubricators. My kit didn't model the water scoop fitted to some of the class.
I don't have access to my instructions until mid March, but if you want I may be able to identify from memory any parts on the etches you're unsure about. You could take a small photo (<250Kb ish). My current internet is a bit slow.
Overall I'm really pleased with the finished loco
Kev
Drakeley16728 - Mar 7, 2018 at 5:46 PM
Hello all
Started work on the Fowler 2-6-4 tank again but was undecided whether to continue with this post. It doe's eat into modeling time a bit, especially at the speed I type. Anyway since I have started I will finish, as they say.
I thought I would try using the 12BA screws which come with Slaters wheels, thought it would save a bit of time Mistake, what a pain trying to screw the nuts back on the screws. So it was back to replacing 12BA with 10BA.
Body quite well on the way. When I acquired this kit all the rivets had been pressed out with the exception of the back of the tender. Since there must be hundreds of rivets this saved a lot of time. Just a point, the rear running plate tapers in 3“ each side on the real thing which was not incorporated in the kit so the rear tender plate was to wide. Apart from that all was OK.
No boiler barrel in the kit so had to roll one.
The firebox, with regard to the washout plugs was nothing like, so again I had to make one. This was a bit of a struggle to get the rad. correct. It's sitting to high at the moment and the the holes for the washout plugs have to drilled.
The kit does not include cylinders so that is the coming challenge.
Regards John
Drakeley16728 - Mar 8, 2018 at 8:07 PM
Hello all
Soldered the cab front & rear plates on the body to find a slight problem when I fitted the boiler bits. The boiler, though all parts are the correct length, is 2/3 mm short. The tank sides are that much too long.
So the question is where to add the length.
Regards John
End of thread