The Diary of the Building of a 5" gauge Stirling Single

    

Tender

30th July 2014
 
A piece of oak, which was given to me by my friend John, was cut to size to fit between the outer and the inner buffer beams at the front of the loco.
 
1st August 2014
A trip to Maidstone Model Engineering Supplies to buy steel for buffers etc a total cost if just over £50.
 
In the afternoon I was able to make a start on the buffer stocks. They were turned from 1 1/4" square stock to round ready to be finished to the required profile.
 
Similarly the other end will be turned for the spigot to go through the buffer beam.
 

 Buffer Stocks

2nd August 2014
The remaining preliminary turning carried out.
 
 


 buffer stock
3rd August 2014
I decided to make up a form tool to cut the profile of the buffer stocks. Having a piece of 1/2" square tool steel the profile was ground into the end such that one side cut the beam side whilst the other the end of the buffer stock.
 
This method has achieved 4 similar profile buffer stocks.

buffer stock
buffer stock and tool
3rd August 2014
The buffer stocks were drill out to 1/2" for 20mm deep and then bored out to 14.9mm. A 3.5mm hole was drilled through to take the 1/8" holding rod.
Later the buffer head was cut from bar and the machining carried out to the section which will slide in the buffer stock.
 
 		buffer


4th August 2014
 
The buffered were completed today with the buffer head being machined to a good fit in the  buffer stock and 5BA tapping made up the centre which was previously drill to clear the buffer spring.
 
buffer
I used the same piece of equipment I have used several times before to put the rounded front on the buffer head. profiler
5th August 2014
Today the buffers were completed and fitted to the front beam. This was then taken apart so that the OAK timber could be given a coat of varnish.
completed buffers
7th August 2014

The front inner Buffer beam is installed on the loco chassis using 4BA bolts tapped into the Buffer beam and then cut off with metal saw and made flush with angle grinder !
 buffer
8th August 2014
I was in the workshop with my granddaughter giving her a taste of what I do. She fixed all the bolts and nuts to fix in the from buffers.

My granddaughter helped with the assembly of the rear drag beam of the loco, as seen in the lower picture,  which is without buffers.

The loco to tender fixing is still be be drilled out and filed to the rectangular slot.


 front buffers
rear buffer