Woodcock29

I guess I must be one of a rare few as I find building valve gear quite a pleasure. I started though not with building a full kit but with fitting Ks Black 5 valve gear to a Triang Hornby 'Silver Seal' (I think that's right) Black 5 back when I would have been about 20. I had previously built a few w/m kits from age 16 - glued at that time of course but none with outside valve gear up to that point. Andrew (currently in Doha on my way to the UK!)

I've just remembered that this is actually my second Peregrine as back in the 90s I renamed a Bachmann model Peregrine but sold that on after Hornby released their new models with far superior bodies not to mention the range of correct tenders. Andrew

Jesse - what did you say above? Sorry about the quality of the photo - just a quick phone photo. I only renamed this loco in the last 12 months - second-hand Mallard that I couldn't resist buying for a cheap price. I still need to close couple the engine and tender. Andrew

They've arrived apparently as I've just received an email from Bachmann announcing that. Andrew

Not that I know of Mark. If you pm me your email address I can send you some photos. Andrew

I don't know anything about the range of couplings (if there is more than one?) that might be available for smaller knuckle couplers from Sergent but have had experience here in Adelaide with using Sergent scale buckeye couplers on a South Australian P87 layout. I operate on this layout once a month and we mostly find they can work well or be quite awkward. The buckeyes need to be seen from above to use them as you have to line them up perfectly if using them in shunting operations which we do. If they stick either open of closed they need to be tapped with a magnetic stick - we do this from above also but it seems that can be done from the side. In my view they're ok for small layouts where you can get the above access required.

The one where you can see the abrupt end of the bridge doesn't really bother me much as the sky is dominated by the signals which I like. The other shot where the B1's chimney hides the end of the bridge was never going to be as good because of the backlighting but then we've all had to take such shots in real life and we do so. Tbe front of the B1 is what captures me so its not all that bad. Andrew

Here's a rebuild of a Bachmann O4 4000 gallon tender body into a 3250 gallon tender for a J11. I used etched Millholme coal rails from the spares draw and added thin plastic card for the outside plating. The height of the body was reduced by 1.5-2mm at the base above the sole plates to convert it from a 4000 gallon to 3250 gallon. Note I think the hinges and handles on the boxes over the water pick up gear next to the rear dividing coal plate should actually be reversed now. I copied what Bachmann did on its J11 LNER 4000 gallon tender in respect to the position of those - might have to change those around! The resin water filler/pickup covering boxes are by Graeme King. The 'ships wheel' on the finished model below is the lost wax Gibson casting but will be replaced at some stage with Mike Edge's corect etched 6 spoke wheel that I have in stock. and the finished model (seen before on WW). Andrew

Tony The self trimming 4000 gallon GC tenders were only ever fitted to D11, B3 and B7s as far as I know. Bachmann have made 5 differing GC tenders (6 if you count the version issued with the GWR/WR ROD). Possibly even a 7th with the latest ROD models - I've not seen its tender closeup. Initially the version with all the O4 models, which is a 4000 gallon ex ROD tender I think. Although this is confounded by the fact the tender with the LNER version 6190 has the number plate 6202 on the front coal plate which was first coupled to an O4/1 so would have had water pickup when built. (Interestingly the tender with the preserved O4/1 has the number plate 6202 on it but was never coupled to that engine in service according to Yeadon.) Then the self trimming 4000 gallon tender with water pick up with the D11/1 and a non-water pick version with the D11/2 (actually made before the D11/1 by Bachmann). Two 4000 gallon versions with the J11. One with water pickup for the LNER version and one without water pickup for the BR version. This is the best model in my view as by this stage Bachmann had got around to fitting separate brakes. Others might be able to add more about these tenders? Andrew

This was an issue fitting 24mm Romford wheels to the Ks P2 - had to turn the flanges down. Now I do it as standard practice when using any older Romfords.

I bought an unbuilt Kitmaster LMS Garratt quite a few years ago at a BRMA Convention in Canberra with the aim of building it with Ks frames and valve gear (Ok I know they are very basic but I had them in stock from many many years ago with the aim of rebuilding a kit my Dad had got and we built probably 50 yrs ago!). Then only last year I got a Heljan garratt (for not much) that had been knocked onto the floor (oh dear) by a local BRMA member but it's salvageable. As I run DC the fact the wiring joining each unit to the centre unit is shot I can get it running with individual power in each end. Only need to find the time and move it up the list of priorities - it's a long way down at the moment! Andrew

Heard on a YouTube video by Little Wicket that 20% of sales were O/S. 13% from Europe and 7% rest of the world. He quoted Hattons' financial statements. Andrew

Jesse They are generally quite responsive. I've been in touch directly with them via their website contacts. They sent me a heap of photos of the steam railmotor when I built that and several times I've got info on certain wagons from Noel Coates, their wagon guru. Curiously I've just finished a number of L&YR wagons in LMS livery. I have 5 of the D&S 6 wheelers to build one day including the family saloon but they're a long way down the list! Andrew

Thanks Gilbert. I actually should have said May! Hopefully it works out. Regards Andrew

Happy New Year to everyone. I also could be a possible visitor to PN if Gilbert will have me. I visited once before in 2013. I'll be around that area in April. Andrew

And likewise to you Chas. Andrew

I too would like to wish everyone on Wright Writes a happy Christmas and New Year and hope you all get to do plenty of modelling in 2024. Andrew

Merry Christmas to you Gilbert and all your readers. Thanks so much for all your postings. At least once a day if not twice a day I usually call in to check on progress on what's happening on the ECML at PN. Andrew

Tony Bill makes the comment above that by the 30s they had been fitted with sliding window vents above the main windows so that's a change to the sides. Andrew

I have seen the layout in question a couple of times - in late 1997 and again in early 2006. Trains were certainly running during the 1997 visit and at least some were run during my visit in 2006 although by that time maintenance was becoming an issue for Bill. I can't say that a schedule was ever run - I simply don't know. When I was editor of our BRMA Journal The Clearing House I published an article in 2014 with recollections of Bill Richmond from a range of modellers and a selection of photos of the layout. One recollection said the trains ran well and I quote "His trains ran remarkably well and even reversed over the full length of the layout with no derailments." The structures on the layout were built by a wide variety of contributors, mostly from Australia. Graham Warburton built a number of signals including the gantry in Tring cutting and a gantry outside the mouth of Primrose Hill tunnel. Here's my photo of the Primrose Hill tunnels - the tunnels built I believe by the late Alex Mathieson. David Lord's photo of the gantry in the Tring cutting A photo (by David Lord I think) of Bill with Stewart Hine who visited in 2001. Tring cutting is behind the control panels on the left of Stewart illustrating the height of the layout as Bill believed the railway should be seen from lineside level.

Even down to 24" right in the centre I believe for about 2". Getting models I build or modify for others to go around the Peco slips is a good test.

I should have said in my posting that when I built this in 1983 it needed to be able to negotiate 2ft radius which I accomplished in the building of it - just! My current layout has an approximate minimum of 3ft so it's very happy there. Andrew

U1 - one of the very few kits I built as soon as I got it - in 1983! It really needs renumbering/relettering with HMRS. It has a single RG4M1 in the bunker and will pull anything (sorry should say push!) I want it to. It does get used when we operate the schedule on my layout. It has a dedicated siding just outside the main station on my fictional location on the assumption it gets used as a banker on heavy coal trains. It gets driven across to the loco depot for re-coaling late in the schedule and returned back to its own siding. This necessitates a number of back and forth movements to access the loco depot on the opposite side of the station. Andrew

Nice one Mark. I've actually got a VR J Class and could get tempted with a K. I've also got a DJH kit of an N Class but this will probably be built as one of the SAR 750 Class, acquired from VR in the 1950s. Andrew

I've finally finished a D3 I've been working on, on and off for about 2.5 years. One reason its taken so long is I wasn't happy with the paint finished after I sprayed it with my airbrush and I couldn't work out what was causing the paint to dry with a rough finish because as far as I could tell nothing had changed in how I used the airbrush. Anyway I stripped the tender and repainted that with a car rattle can. I rubbed the engine down and resprayed that with the rattle can. Finally I got around to lining it with a bow pen and HMRS lining on the boiler. The lining is far from perfect but once its been lightly weathered I think it will be ok. Since I took the photo below its been coaled, glazed and crewed. Its also now got a lamp on it for local passenger! The engine itself is from a Premier Kit (formerly Models and Leisure?) purchased quite cheaply secondhand in Perth, Western Australia in 2016. Its fitted with the smaller of the DJH motor/gearboxes and Markits wheels and has lots of extra brass detailing, including hand turned brass whistle in the cordless drill. The smokebox door is a resin casting from Graeme King's J6 that I had as a spare. The tender is a kit bash to get the correct Ivatt A Type tender with the remodelled front. The body sides and back minus soleplate are from a Ks C1 Atlantic). It has new homemade brass coal rails, new tender front from plastic card, Graeme King's cast resin water filler, tool boxes and frames. A sole plate cut from brass sheet and a Comet 6'6" + 6'6" inner chassis. Andrew