Back in the Workshop.

It was an enjoyable break in France, as Sarah told you, the visit to the Gare de Sos was a real treat.
At the 16mm AGM show in Peterborough I purchased a kit from Swift Sixteen for a protected Simplex(Tin Turtle).  The were built in large numbers, 104 were ordered in 1917 and quite a few are still around.  This kit was based on the locomotive at Apedale. Where they are having a WD commemoration  on 12th/13th September this year.  Well worth going to, not only a unique assembly of WD locomotives and stock but also an accurate re-creation of a section of trench showing all the different trenching methods used.
The kit itself was excellent.  Well detailed and no problems in assembly- everthing fitted and the downloaded instructions were OK, perhaps some of the photos were a little hard on old eyes. Last weekend saw it built and painted.  I still have to paint the details and apply the well etched works plate and number plates.

The Tin Turtle assembled from a Swift Sixteen kit

After the Turtle was finished thoughts turned to the Quarry Hunslet locos.  We have notes of interest in over 50!  So the time has arrived to start building them.  I have decided to start with the mechanism.  We make this in house by fabrication.  The cylinder block starts out as a length of 3/4" x 1/2" bar.  The first operation is to get the batch all square and the same length having cut them roughly on a chop saw.

All machined to length

Next using the end of the machine vice as the datum they are all endmilled with a recess that is going to become the valve face between the frames of the loco.  The removal of metal is limited by the table stops and the down stops.  So once set up not much skill is needed.  The machine takes off 50 thou at a pass.

Starting to machine the last one in the batch.