Trying to make Thompson's Pacifics.

[Le Night ferry]

Did someone managed to do this?
Is it possible to modifying cylinder and valve gear?
Donor loco will be minitrix's a3.

[Papyrus]

I have a cunning plan to try and build a Thompson A2 but I was going to use a Farish Hall chassis which has the valve gear in approximately the right position. This is a project for the far future so I can't offer much more advice!

Cheers,

Chris

[chrism]

I have a cunning plan to try and build a Thompson A2 but I was going to use a Farish Hall chassis which has the valve gear in approximately the right position. This is a project for the far future so I can't offer much more advice!

What valve gear? The Hall's was between the frames for both cylinders whilst the Thompsons had outside gear for the outside cylinders. You'd have to alter the cylinders and concoct two sets of valve gear.

Surely it'd be easier to start off using something with outside valve gear, shift the cylinders back and do a cut 'n' shut job on the conn rods, radius rod and, possibly, the eccentric rod?

[Papyrus]

Point taken. I actually meant the cylinders are approximately in the right place. But yes it will need a bit of work.

Cheers,

Chris

[Le Night ferry]

I have a cunning plan to try and build a Thompson A2 but I was going to use a Farish Hall chassis which has the valve gear in approximately the right position. This is a project for the far future so I can't offer much more advice!

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks.
Well, in fact I also going to mks SNCF locos, but their cylinder makes hard.
I tried to make it with Kato's old C57 and Minitrix Pacifics...

[Roy L S]

I seem to recall a Thompson Pacific being sold on eBay that used a Farish V2 chassis as a basis - it might be worth considering?

Roy

[w greatbatch]

Dr.Al of this parish documented an A2/3 build on this forum using a V2 chassis, I'm sure coz I copied it (not to the same standard of course).

[msr]

I have two of these, the first being 60504 which I bought from a dealer in Hampshire that had been converted from a Poole Farish green A3:

The second is 60505 which I constructed myself utilising the chassis and body from a green V2 60800 "Green Arrow" combined with the smokebox from V2 60807, tender and double chimney from A3 60103 and smoke pipes from a Stanier 8F:

[Dr Al]

I seem to recall a Thompson Pacific being sold on eBay that used a Farish V2 chassis as a basis - it might be worth considering?

I bought that - it was an A2/2 (P2 rebuild).

It was a Pro-models conversion (long defunct bespoke builder, who as far as I'm aware built 2 of these). The one I bought was fairly battered after a life on exhibition circuit, so I stripped it completely and rebuilt as I did with the previous one - the basic components were:

- Farish V2 chassis
- Farish B1 driving wheels
- Dapol A3 front bogie
- Langley(?) whitemetal A3 boiler, with Pro-models custom resin parts at the front end.
- Foxhunter A1 etched whitemetal cab
- Farish A1 tender drive

The A1 parts I replaced from the original, as well as the V2's wheels - this gives better cab and dual motors (the V2 motor also retained) giving formidable performance. The original tender was a resin custom body (based on old Farish) without corridor, but was in fairly poor condition.





In terms of A2/3 (Thompson new build), I'm currently building one from a completely different basis of parts:
- Farish A2 chassis, and main boiler
- Farish A1 smokebox
- Farish A1 front footplate
- Farish B1 front platform
- Dapol A3 Cab
- modified cylinder and valve gear placement.

That one is still a work in progress though, but the intent is for it to become 60512 "Steady Aim".

In general, V2 or A2 is the best starting point for these - the real locos were much more closely related to those than the A3 - indeed the 4 A2/1's that were built first (after the P2 conversions to A2/2) were originally ordered by Gresley as V2s. They even had V2 tenders to start with.

Cheers,
Alan

[Le Night ferry]

I seem to recall a Thompson Pacific being sold on eBay that used a Farish V2 chassis as a basis - it might be worth considering?

I bought that - it was an A2/2 (P2 rebuild).

It was a Pro-models conversion (long defunct bespoke builder, who as far as I'm aware built 2 of these). The one I bought was fairly battered after a life on exhibition circuit, so I stripped it completely and rebuilt as I did with the previous one - the basic components were:

- Farish V2 chassis
- Farish B1 driving wheels
- Dapol A3 front bogie
- Langley(?) whitemetal A3 boiler, with Pro-models custom resin parts at the front end.
- Foxhunter A1 etched whitemetal cab
- Farish A1 tender drive

The A1 parts I replaced from the original, as well as the V2's wheels - this gives better cab and dual motors (the V2 motor also retained) giving formidable performance. The original tender was a resin custom body (based on old Farish) without corridor, but was in fairly poor condition.





In terms of A2/3 (Thompson new build), I'm currently building one from a completely different basis of parts:
- Farish A2 chassis, and main boiler
- Farish A1 smokebox
- Farish A1 front footplate
- Farish B1 front platform
- Dapol A3 Cab
- modified cylinder and valve gear placement.

That one is still a work in progress though, but the intent is for it to become 60512 "Steady Aim".

In general, V2 or A2 is the best starting point for these - the real locos were much more closely related to those than the A3 - indeed the 4 A2/1's that were built first (after the P2 conversions to A2/2) were originally ordered by Gresley as V2s. They even had V2 tenders to start with.

Cheers,
Alan

Hope to your progect getting well
In fact, I thought to make thompson A1/1 with minitrix a1, but it seems hard