Woodcock29

I have just run my digital callipers (bought maybe 10 years ago and now my most used measuring device!) over my 'hybrid' J3. The boiler is 20.6mm in diameter across the centre line. Smokebox is 21.7mm horizontally and about 22mm vertically - a bit difficult to measure. Boiler pitch is about 0.5mm too low. Dome and chimney are the correct heights individually. Total height over chimney is 1mm too low. Cab width about 1mm too wide. Footplate correct 32mm at front but only 31mm at the rear. Overall not a bad result I thought. Thinking further about the source of my chimney - I think I stole it from an unbuilt Connisseur J50 I was given. The dome just came from my spares. Andrew

Tony John does supply parts separately. I got some w/m C12 smokebox doors and some cast brass boiler fittings and whistles etc from him. In respect to your J3 why not see if Graeme King can supply a J6 smokebox front - that's what I used on my J3. I've also re-measured my Ks J3 boiler and it's not much under size at all. Graeme's J6 smokebox front fitted nicely. Andrew

Tony A few years ago I built this J3. It has a Ks footplate, boiler and cab and not much else. The chassis is a Mainly Trains J52 scale chassis, they shared the same wheelbase - now available from Andrew Hartshorne. It has Romford driving wheels, small Portescap motor/gearbox and a LRM Stirling D Type tender. The chimney I'm not sure where from but certainly not Ks. The dome probably not the Ks item. The safety valve is actually from a Premier kits D2/D3. The whistle is LRM from the C12 kit. The steps on the loco are made up from brass. The smokebox door is one of Graeme King's resin J6 smokebox doors and one of the items that changes the look totally from the Ks kit, as does the chimney. The only visual issue I have is that the splashers are a bit oversize. Although the boiler is slightly under size in diameter I think it still looks the part now it has Graeme's smokebox door. You'll note the NEM pocket under the front - that's so it can have a Kadee fitted at the front for running on our Spirsby layout where it needs to be able to run tender first. Andrew

RCTS Part 8B page 24 indicates that the 10 J72s built at Doncaster got full red lining including on the wheel rims and centres. They lost this when shopped after 1928. There is a picture of J72 No 500 on page 82 of Yeadon Volume 43A which clearly shows red lining of the driving wheels. This was then replicated on the two Gateshead shunters J72s 2313 and 1720 in the late 1930s. I'm sure I've seen a photo of one of these shunters which clearly shows the red lined wheels but can't lay my hands on it at the moment. I'm fairly certain its not right for an A5 though. The LNER black A5s should of course have black buffer shanks but that is easily fixed. Andrew

LNER Locos in black livery, where lined, were normally red lined. In Yeadon Vol 21 there is picture of 5045 in what is described as red and white lining but in the photo it all appears to be white as the Sonic model has. Whether in fact there was red lining as well which doesn't show up in the photo can't be determined. It seems to me that Sonic still haven't got the chimney correct. The sides of the chimney should have more curve in them. I'm sure I read somewhere that this was being corrected on the final models but it doesn't appear to be so. I'm curious about the red lining on the wheels of 5024. The only LNER locos where I've seen evidence of red lined wheels is on some ex NER J72s and they would have been painted at Darlington. Darlington also commonly painted coupling rods red. Can anyone provide any evidence that the wheels had red lining on locos overhauled at Gorton? Red of course doesn't come out on most B&W photos of the period. Andrew

Heard yesterday the sad news that Iain had passed. We had him as our UK speaker at our BRMA Convention in Perth, WA in 2005. I recall he was very entertaining. Andrew

Hi KNP What camera are you using? Andrew

Tony the C1 in the photo you show above appears to be a DJH model because it looks too big. The smokebox diameter in particular. Andrew

The second one as it has more warmth to it. Andrew

I did similar with a J39. But it's so long ago now I can hardly remember the details. We sold it back in the 80s I think.

Two of my favourite A3s. Thanks Gilbert. I also have BR models of both despite the fact I mainly model 1930s! I've also got an LNER version of Galtee More as Dad took me onto her footplate at KX not long before she was withdrawn. Andrew

Tony I borrowed a Dapol Mallard from one of our local BRMA members so I could do a comparison with my Hornby version and write a review for The Clearing House. I'll dig out the review and send it to you for interest. Looking at the side on photo of the silver version above I note that Dapol have got the tender wrong. The rear sheeting around the water filler on the four silver A4s had gaps between it and the curved over sides of the tender. I'm currently modifying my Hornby A4 Silver Fox tender accordingly - of course the Hornby tender didn't have the sheeting to start with. Andrew

Yes they are - the small ones. Bachmann seem to be the best. I've too much stock to change to anything else now. I do have dedicated goods stock for running on the Spirsby exhibition layout which are fitted with Kadees. Coaching stock and locos used on that have NEM pockets so I can temporarily fit Kadees instead of tension lock. Andrew

Not long ago I bought a batch of 50 wagons from the auction of a deceased estate in NSW. They comprised a range of mostly kit built NER and LNWR wagons to EM Gauge. Easy to change the gauge to OO. There were a lot of D&S, 51L or David Geen models amongst them. Including postage they worked out at $5.62 or ~ £3 ea. Another local BRMA member bought a batch of 75 wagons from the estate, interestingly all OO. He wanted the horse boxes in that batch in particular. He was aiming to build up a train or two of pre grouping wagons so was very willing to swap a range of pre-group wagons from my batch for some of his. I gained a D&S Dia 87 LNER Milk Van, Dia 5 Horsebox, NE Road Van, L&Y CCT, a pair of D&S GN ballast wagons, Jidenco LMS Cement wagon as well as few others. I was willing to swap two of mine for each of his but no he was happy with one for one swaps. They all need some work - the brass models in particular will need to have their paint stripped and fine details fitted better. The only two I've worked on so far are the two GN ballast wagons which were built but unpainted. I needed to remove a bit of excess low melt solder and finish them off. I had been looking for one of those for while to add to my engineering train but to get two was great! The main cost to me will be the time so most have gone into a drawer for when I have time or need a particular wagon/van to add to a train. That's what I consider to be budget modelling. Here are the two GN ballast wagons. they'll need to be weathered in due course. Andrew

The last coach was running a hot box and needed to be removed by the lovely little N5?

Oh but that gap! On my one and only new V2 I replaced the coupling with a brass hook and 'goal post'. I was able to retain the 'guts' of the Bachmann coupling for electrical connection to tender pick ups as well. I've also done 3 others for a friend. They do look so much better. I also did the smokebox on all of them and on mine I fitted Comet valve gear. I also removed virtually all the surface rivets on the footplate of mine as its in early LNER condition, when from my observation of numerous photos they were not evident. On your heavily weathered version Gibert the chunky valve gear is not as obvious. Sorry can't post a photo of mine as I'm not at home but in Qld currently. Andrew

Hope you're able to keep cool Gilbert. I know your houses aren't designed for heat like ours here in Oz. I expect its much hotter in the railway room than downstairs. Andrew

Yes I have Tony. Can't show you the evidence at the moment as I'm away in Queensland until end of next week. A number of my LNER A1s and BR A3s have had their coal rail tenders modified in this manner. Maybe too many actually. I've been meaning to go back and check photos now I have acquired more books and of course the range of photos on websites is continually expanding. Andrew

Very sad indeed. I remember going there in early 2012. For some reason I don't appear to have taken any photos inside which is most unusual for me! Andrew

Not really as they're hidden anyway so no scenery there - must be one of my favourite parts of the layout!

And belated best wishes from me. I've just started to contemplate the idea of a couple of 'tea trays' over my hidden storage loops to facilitate changing locos as one way to reduce the number sitting in the loco yard (excessive congestion so it looks like its always a Sunday) and also to extend the operating sequence.

That's not that unusual. I've had the grease solidify on several Hornby locos and had to clean it all out and regrease with something different. Its happened twice on one loco - my 4498 so maybe I didn't clean enough out the first time? You can usually tell if this has become a problem when one or more driving wheel axles don't slide sideways easily. Andrew

Jesse All the update info for the convention this year in Adelaide is on the BRMA website and will be in June TCH which should arrive in the next week or so. Dates are Fri, 30/9 - Tues, 4/10. I'll probably have a go at Sparrow Hawk myself at some stage but thanks for the offer. I looked through the remains of my Mum's art gear the other day and found a nice flat Windsor Newton Sable so Tony should approve of me having the right tool. Andrew

Jesse I think the A4 looks great - not sure I'm game to do that to one of mine - maybe I will to Sparrow Hawk? The silver tankers I believe are a post WW2 livery, they look good though - so out of your period assuming it to still be only pre WW2? I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm wrong about that. Andrew

Thanks for the additional photos Tony. I'd seen your previous posting before but these additional images are quite useful. I took a few myself in 2013 but of course I couldn't climb all over the tender. Andrew