Having been building 7mm kits for some years, I thought it was time for a change. Following a discussion on the Guild Forum about cutting metal using a piercing saw, I thought I would have a go. I found in a book a drawing of the inside gear frame for a GWR 4- cylinder locomotive which I decided would be my first effort. I bought some piercing saw blades and set out.

I cut out the main frame, then had to bend it to shape. It took two goes to get the bend in the right place. I used the piercing saw to cut out rest of the bits with the various slots and holes, and a file to get the final shape. It took me some time, but I got there. I planned the assembly, using solders of different melting temperatures, so that the previous joins did not melt when I added more components. I then had to think about the bearings. I sorted out some suitable brass material and cut the two parts to size, and marked a line down the centre for the drilled hole. This was scored deeply with a triangular file, and the pieces were then sweated together with solder. The hole for the shaft was then drilled and reamed. The bearing was then filed to shape, drilled for screws to hold the two parts together, and then the parts were separated. Finally it was soldered into the base and cleaned up.

Four of the pictures show the frame from various angles and the fifth is of the bearings.

It all sounds quite quick, but the whole thing occupied many months sitting and planning. The moral of the story is do not think about things too hard, but try and try again until you do them, and feel proud. I have the drawings for a King to put the gear frame in, that I plan to make from scratch. I hope to be able to keep you informed of my progress.