GENERAL PRODUCTION UPDATE: Week ending 22nd March 2013

Another general update this week as we are working on so many different kits at the moment. not sure if this is the best way to do it long term, depends what you guys think. anyway, the plan is to do the updates once a week (Friday/Saturday). if anything special comes up (like brass twisting) i may drop them in as extras

Burrell 4inch steering kit

all done on this kit we did want it to go out on Friday but there was a delay on packing so its now due to go out Monday 25th

last thing to be done was the steering shaft bushes...





and the kit is now on the control model...



and here's the photo of the steering wheels i promised you...



Burrell 2inch steering kit

just about the same as the 4inch kit really. again its now due to go out Monday 25th

only production photos i have of this are of the top steering bracket...







and the kit fitted to the control model...



also worth seeing is the new "non casting" rear hubs...

showmans roof kit

a lot of progress on this. hopefully we plan to get this out before Easter. i will update on how that's looking

the twisting of the smaller roof struts is now done and the brass is being cut to the right lengths...







anyone guess what this is going to be ?



another clue....



that's right, safety valve extensions...



and the chimney extensions...



are being done...



we have most of this in place now so due to the delays that have already happened this is our priority for next week.

Foden 6inch steering and handbrake kit

this is another kit that we would like to get out before Easter.

we have a few parts left to machine and they are not going to be easy. this huge lump...



takes 54 minutes of machining to get to this stage...



this is the main steering arm. it needs turning over and the same thing doing to the other side before its finished...



the steering wheel rims have been machined to take the spokes...





the spokes need welding in and then we drill the hole for the handle...



the laser cut parts for the steering boxes are now in and going together...



and the handbrake brackets are done...

traction wagons

don't think we have time to get this out before Easter. the milling is all done and the wood is in but there is still a bit of turning and manual work to be done.

laser cut parts are in...



and these struts run the length of the chassis to give it strength...

showmans cylinder blocks

we do have 10 block castings in. these are due to go on the machines as soon as possible. the main delay has been due to a bottleneck of stuff that needs to go on our large mill. certain things like wheels, boilers and chassis rails can only be done on this mill due to their size and the cylinder box needs to go on here due to it having a gearbox on the spindle, the other machines just won't cope with the bores and just overload the servos and stop.

good new is Steve has added a few things that will allow the testing of the area that has suffered from the failings in the castings

so there you go, the latest "stuff".

Comments, questions and the pointing out of spelling mistakes welcome

Thanks for the update Craig

If you do manage to get the Foden 6" kit out for Easter will you be aiming to get two kits out in April (as this is Febs kit I think) or is the month now lost?

Thanks
Adam

Thanks Craig......... I say, that 6" steering arm is impressive bit of machining, you must get a skip load of swath of every one you machine

Can't wait to get my hands on the next Showmans' kit, that's really going to add another dimension to the build
Regards,
Tony

to be honest Adam, i don't know. That's a decision for Steve and Dean to make.

i know there are possible opportunities to catch up on production when things like casting and boiler deposits are made but i don't know how these affect the Foden 6 inch.

i do know that Steve and Dean read these updates so maybe they can comment

yeah tony, took a while to program as well. most of the block is just cut away so there is a lot of swath.

bit of a worry when its running cos if we loose a tip on one of the tools it will be a big bang !!!

Thanks Craig its great to see what is happening in the factory and to see the parts taking shape. Keep up the good work.

Something I need to know as I dont want to end up paying for 2 kits in one month if i need to keep this months money to one side then I will, but i invest what i have left each month as savings accounts are a waste of time!!

Adam Brown wrote:Thanks for the update Craig

If you do manage to get the Foden 6" kit out for Easter will you be aiming to get two kits out in April (as this is Febs kit I think) or is the month now lost?

Thanks
Adam

Are there chimney extensions for the Road Locos as well for the initial drafting for the light up? We didnt get them in the final kits of last year.
Cheers Kevyn.

Safety valve extensions look the business, got to say its a nice sight watching the valves lift on the engine for the 1st time, impressive, mine did lift at 150 psi so a few steams before I got the valves lifting at the correct working pressure.

after the steam ticket weekend for me, I am now embarrassed to say that I won't be ready to start the next kit for about 3 weeks, as I have a long list of jobs I want to do (and I did a lot of moaning about 'when will the next kit be ready' and now I'm not ready myself).

Also not the place on the forum as this is about build; but I would like to take this opportunity to thank STW (Steve) for the fast delivery of two new sets of bearings I needed. Steve dispatched them very quickly and they are now on the engine (old ones will be in the post).

credit where credits due.

Dwain

Any news on if the Foden kits are going today?

Also any news on the revised (if revised) kit schedule?

I just had a phone call so expect yours soon.

They are ready tomorrow so if your having it posted unfortunately will mean it wont be delivered until wednesday. (they're going out tuesday as a past issue with kits going missing over a long weekend means they dont want them sat in the delivery company warehouse)

You have to option to collect but I thought since i havent finished the brake kit, i would just wait for it to arrive.

yep, showmans roof went today and the foden steering kit should be ready tomorrow

photos at the end of the week

quick update on last week.

although we have made progress on most kits this month we had to prioritize on two last week with the aim to get them out before Easter...

Showmans roof kit

this was just about done on the CNC section but needed a little manual work to get it finished. good new is this did go out the door on Wednesday. i guess most people will have received this already...

Foden 6inch steering and handbrake kit

this was the main final push this week for the machine shop. the main steering arm needed finishing, brake wheel and steering wheel needed completing and loads of bushes needed turning.

the main steering arm came good in the end. bit of a butt-clencher when running but we managed to get through the batch...



the oil holes were the simple bit...



the steering con-rods were turned and then milled. quite a simple job...



as were the brake wheels...



steering boxes awaiting final welding...



and steering wheels (before clean up)...



general kit photos....













we managed to get a couple of kits ready for customers to collect on Thursday and the rest only need some final finishing and packing before they go out next week

the traction wagon chassis kit and the next foden kit will be pushed forwards when we get back after easter

Craig,

Thanks for giving every one an update. Really appreciated.

Dean

Craig

Fantastic update on production and great to see the photos. This not only gives us an idea of what is going to be in the next kit but it also shows what it's going to look like when assembled. That is going to be a great help when I start building this kit.

Bill