| GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY 2000 GALLON WATER TANK & CRANE |
In the late 1960s my late father was the archivist for the Norfolk Railway Society. Among the documents and drawings
in the collection was the original Stratford works drawing for the water tower that stood on a siding to the north of North
Walsham main station. Dated 1904, the siding and the tower were for the locomotive that worked the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint
line trains to Mundesley and Cromer. As a boy I remember the tower, although by then it was out of use; the Mundesley Branch
being a very early candidate for Dieselisation in the mid 1950s.
In my late teens I became interested in technical drawing and produced a 14mm/foot drawing of the tower that was published in the Model Railway Constructor in 1972. I think I was paid £2.50. I had always fancied modelling the tower, but never got around to it, partly because I lost the magazine, and partly because I knew that it would pose some interesting constructional problems that I was not sure I could solve. Recently however a friend was clearing out old magazines and came across the said drawing and passed it on. This, and the fact that I had some time on my hands, meant I could fulfil a modelling project that began in my head nearly forty years ago. The model Where possible I like to make the difficult bits first, but the idea of turning the taper column proved irresistible and thus I started here. The column was turned on the lathe from brass held in a %in collett with the other end supported by a centre held in the tailstock. The top slide was set at a one degree taper which gave the correct diameters top and bottom. The top 10mm is parallel and reduced in diameter to provide a push fit into the flange that is attached to the bottom of the tank. This arrangement enabled the tank to be constructed separately from the column. |
Jim Featherstone
 The completed water tower |
|
|---|---|---|
The elbow bends in the delivery pipe are filed from the solid after milling the metal to the thickness of the finished diameter. The ends were bored to accept the straight lengths of pipe which were later soldered or loctited together. To enable to pipe to swing there is an 8BA bolt from the inside of the tank with a compression spring to prevent the pipe flopping around. The ribs on the elbow that connect onto the bracket were silver soldered in place. The 0.012in nickel-silver tank wrapper was riveted using the lathe top slide index to produce straight lines and equally spaced rivets. The riveting tool was clamped in a four jaw chuck and the wrapper clamped in the tool post. Rivet spacing is 0.040in; slightly more than the correct 1½ in, but it looks right. The wrapper was then annealed and rolled in rolling bars between two pieces of cereal packet card to protect the rivets. This works really well and I have used this method successfully on riveted smokeboxes and saddletanks. The top former is a ring turned from brass and the tank bottom made from 0.020in nickel-silver. When making a cylinder such as this (for example a loco boiler) it is better to produce the wrapper first and then make the ends to fit. I didn't on this occasion, got my calculations slightly wrong, and had to take a few thou off top and bottom diameters, which is easier said than done. |
|
Showing how the 45 degree segments were
Left: The water enters the tank through the bell- |
|
Before assembly the tank bottom was drilled and then scribed for the eight
supporting ribs. The easiest way to do this is to download and print a protractor. The bottom is taped onto the centre, and
using the protractor as a guide scribed at 45 degree angles. I used this method on my Isle of Wight Class 02 0-4-4 tank loco,
which has rivets on the smokebox front spaced at six degrees. Because the protractor is a much greater radius than the metal
any slight inaccuracies are much reduced. The tank was now assembled using soft iron wire to hold it in shape while soldering,
and a strengthening fillet of solder was run around inside the join. The join is in the position that will be partly concealed
by the ladder. After assembly the top, flanged part of the column was drilled for the bolts and this was soldered in place
as were the ribs. Finally the bolts were filed from brass wire held in a pin chuck with a hexagonal tightening nut which produces
the hexagonal head. These were loctited in.
With the main components complete and temporarily assembled, attention turned to the details. The photographs show these. The ball cock was turned from brass, but is not quite spherical being flat where it was parted off. Since this flat is to the bottom who will notice? The wheel was turned as a disc with a boss and rim that was then filed out to make the four spokes. Both brackets are glued on because the column is a considerable heat sink. A square brass plate was made for the base of the column and final assembly took place. The ladder is made up from stile etchings supplied by Southwark Bridge Models which can be highly recommended. The stile etches have small holes for the rungs which are O.020in brass wire soldered in and then cleaned up. I made my own assembly jig, though Southwark Bridge Models do sell a jig, which on reflection may have been a good investment. To clean up the sides of the stiles I clamped the ladder between two strips of balsa in the vice and filed the rung ends flush. |
The operating wheel and bracket. The bracket is screwed and loctited to the column.
|
|
There are eight ribs to support the tank attached to the top of the column.
This is separate to the tapered column and a push fit onto it. Hexagonal bolt heads are made from filed brass wire.
The elbow bend, ribs and support bracket can be seen.
|
|
|
|
The tower is very top heavy, hence the substantial lump of brass on which it stands. When it is incorporated
into a layout this brass can be put to another use. For me this marked the end of my interest in the project, the pleasure
coming from the problem solving and construction. It was all very satisfying, especially as it was made from the drawings
that I made all those years ago. It would be interesting to know if anyone else has made their own model from the drawings.
My wife considers it to be the best thing I've ever made; now there's an endorsement!
|
The model was given to my brother Pete as a significant birthday and retirement present. He enjoys painting
and I hope he will contribute a photograph of the finished article at some point. In LNER and BR days it was green, though
the drawing states that the colour in GER days was left to the discretion of the engineer. An adjacent drainage system
(shown on the drawing) will also be required. I can supply a copy of the drawing to anyone interested in making this water tower.
The original is in the Model Railway Constructor for April 1972. My thanks to my friends Mike Johnson for locating the drawing
and Wally West for his inspiration, never ending advice and always constructive criticism.
|