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Who sells a 4mm GWR 517 class loco kit ?


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Who makes/sells a 4mm GWR class 517 loco kit ? I have tried sending David Geen emails but I do not get a reply. I did see an Alan Gibson kit for sale but I cannot access the website for some reason. It sold on ebay for big money ! Does he still make them ? Is there anybody else that could sell me one ?

Edited by brian777999
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I think David - pending any new website / e-mail / telephone facilities - will respond to an enquiry accompanied by SAE.....

 

Do you have his address?

 

I do have his address but as I live in Australia it would be much quicker to use email or the telephone.

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I do have his address but as I live in Australia it would be much quicker to use email or the telephone.

 The sales@ address one is not working at present. Try david@davidgeen.co.uk though he is away until next week. Still made and one of his most popular kits. He had a couple on the shelf recently.

 

Other past producers of the 517 are a cast kit with brass chassis by McGowen models and Mallard/Blacksmith. The Gibson kit is the ex M&L kit.

 

Mike Wiltshire

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  • 1 year later...

I've designed a body shell for the Hornby 14XX which is broadly based on Fair Rosamund in her final condition. It is currently available from Shapeways as a BETA print as I have yet to try the final version on the chassis. I am currently awaiting what I hope will be the final test print. 

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I do have his address but as I live in Australia it would be much quicker to use email or the telephone.

 

I have one of the old M&L kits sitting on my shelf which is surplus to requirements. It lacks any refinements Alan Gibson may have made but still better than the McGowan one. 

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  • 1 month later...

I eventually received delivery of my final print. The fit on the body is a bit tight but it works (see below). The next stage was to start modifying the chassis and add handrails and find some suitable whistles.

1473 in Red Oxide

 
I have now drawn up two open cabbed versions (Belper and round topped fire box versions) and am awaiting delivery of these. Their Shapeways computer generated images are shown below:

00 GWR 517 body   with Open Cab & Round Firebox

00 GWR 517 body   with Open Cab & Belper Firebox

 

Edited by 81E
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  • 1 year later...

Mallard/Blacksmith also did a 517 which occasionally come up on auction sites.  I have seen the Mitchell one on David Geen's stand at exhibitions this year.

 

Don't know if the SE Finecast one is the old Gibson one; it would not surprise me as they probably did the castings for that anyway 

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I have a whitemetal kit built Metro? with Fair Rossamund on it, unless its another make which Southeastern Finecast are now re-releasing. Could it be anything to do with the NuCast partnership?

 

Well it shouldn't be a Metro!

 

I thought SEF had got hold of Ks/Nucast, but was unaware that these ranges included a 517.  If it is a part re-issue, I would expect it to have been fully revised, new chassis etc. I know that SE have said that they will not necessarily be able to revive all the Ks kits, and that some probably require a lot of work.

 

Wills/SE Finecast have had a Small Metro in their range forever.

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Ks did not do a 517, nor did Nucast, iirc. The only previous whitemetal-based 517 was I think the M&L one. (Inherited by Alan Gibson.)

 

Thank you.  Yes, I had not thought the 517 was ever done by Ks/Nucast!

 

Ks did a 4800.

 

I have, somewhere, an old M&L whitemetal 517. 

 

I assume that this is a brand new kit.  I would expect it to be to modern standards and, given this and the chosen media, to offer a non-tortuous build, so I am more than willing to have a go.

Edited by Edwardian
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Oh dear Edwardian, what have you got me into now..........  I just (out of interest, nothing else) looked at the SEF website, and..............

 

The list started with the delightful GER J67/69, then I thought the SR Wainwright 'D' looks nice, that's just the first page.... Hmmm, the SECR Cranetank looks good too, and of course my Aldersbrook (East London layout) could just about justify a Metro Class 'F'...........  :banghead:

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Thank you.  Yes, I had not thought the 517 was ever done by Ks/Nucast!

 

Ks did a 4800.

 

I have, somewhere, an old M&L whitemetal 517. 

 

I assume that this is a brand new kit.  I would expect it to be to modern standards and, given this and the chosen media, to offer a non-tortuous build, so I am more than willing to have a go.

 

I built an M&L 517 in P4 when they first came out.  IIRC it was fairly straightforward.  Being a small tank engine, there's not much to it.

 

I think the Gibson update was probably to include an etch running plate amongst other refinements which probably made it harder to build.

 

I've acquired a High Level 14XX chassis that I'm going to put under mine when I get round to it.  I doubt that anyone will be able to tell the difference.

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Oh dear Edwardian, what have you got me into now..........  I just (out of interest, nothing else) looked at the SEF website, and..............

 

The list started with the delightful GER J67/69, then I thought the SR Wainwright 'D' looks nice, that's just the first page.... Hmmm, the SECR Cranetank looks good too, and of course my Aldersbrook (East London layout) could just about justify a Metro Class 'F'...........  :banghead:

 

Well, I feel for you.  Stage one are some spare parts for the RTR bodges on the bench.

 

But, then ....

 

A number of LB&SCR and SE&CR loco kits, the GE Buckjumper and - NOW - a GW 517!

 

Don't forget, SEF also produce the elaborate full Wainwright lining transfers, too!

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I have a whitemetal kit built Metro? with Fair Rossamund on it, unless its another make which Southeastern Finecast are now re-releasing. Could it be anything to do with the NuCast partnership?

I had one. I cannot remember who made it; they also did a Patriot, came in a blue box. 

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

Just spoken to the chap I sold it to. McGowen. cast whitemetal with nickel chassis.Came with Fair Rosamund etched plates.

 

MW

Edited by Coach bogie
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  • 1 month later...

Hello.  4mm unmade kits for the 517 appear occasionally on ebay, it is worth putting up a search.  The big turn-off for a prospective new kit is possibly that there were so many variations that there were scarcely two the same by 1930 or so.  Some of the differences were fairly minor, but the fitting of outside frame trailing wheels on some to overcome the ongoing issue of hot running bearings, roundtop vs. belpaire fireboxes, and lengthening of the frames from the early version, presents a challenge.  So far as I'm aware and as previously said, there have been just the M&L and Gibson ones in recent years - not sure if the Mallard one became one of these.  All depicted the locos in later years, if anyone wants to see one in Victorian era, they'd probably need to revert to scratchbuilding.  See how many differences there were by taking a look at the RCTS GWR locos partwork.

 

 

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Hello.  4mm unmade kits for the 517 appear occasionally on ebay, it is worth putting up a search.  The big turn-off for a prospective new kit is possibly that there were so many variations that there were scarcely two the same by 1930 or so.  Some of the differences were fairly minor, but the fitting of outside frame trailing wheels on some to overcome the ongoing issue of hot running bearings, roundtop vs. belpaire fireboxes, and lengthening of the frames from the early version, presents a challenge.  So far as I'm aware and as previously said, there have been just the M&L and Gibson ones in recent years - not sure if the Mallard one became one of these.  All depicted the locos in later years, if anyone wants to see one in Victorian era, they'd probably need to revert to scratchbuilding.  See how many differences there were by taking a look at the RCTS GWR locos partwork.

Also the Mitchell via David Geen (makes most variants, the only kit version that does) and the McGowen white metal (which I suspect is the basis for the new SE Finecast as the spec is exactly the same). The Gibson one is the ex M&L kit. Blacksmith Mallard was yet another but has not reappeared since moving to new owners.

 

Mike Wiltshire

Edited by Coach bogie
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