Right Away

Thanks Bob.

Further searching looks like I’ve answered my own question; additional vents on one side only..". duhhh!

Not sure if this has been mentioned before. Does any member know of the “rough” dates when the side vents on these locomotives were altered/dispensed with and why? (If they were provided on one side only, this could explain their “absence” in certain photographs.) For reference, here are two cropped images of No 20002, the lower being dated as 9th May 1959.

When drilling small pilot holes for delicate work such as track laying, I prefer to use a drill having fine speed control from 0 RPM > or even a pin vice, as the holes are of such small diameter and shallow depth. I am not sure of what the latest Dremels offer, but mine is 12 years old and is operated by a slide switch on the side. It’s a great tool for many tasks, but I wouldn’t use it for fine drilling as it’s a two handed affair to initially start - meaning, hold Dremel in one hand, switch on to desired speed with t’other and than bring rapidly spinning tool (bit) to workpiece.

There’s hardly more we need to know; great posting, many thanks.

Similar to Oldddudders, I can well recall many times the “disappointment” of seeing an electric loco approaching instead of a hoped for steam engine in the late 50s and 60s. I’d stand on the down platform at Haywards Heath with my parent’s Kodak TLR (only one camera per family, if you were lucky in those days) held at the waist, in a wishful attempt to grab a shot of an up working. With a fixed shutter speed of a blistering 1/60sec and the handicap of trying to frame with the reversed image in the viewfinder, moving train photos rarely resulted in success. “Hello digital imaging, it’s 1961 and I’m waiting for you!” Seriously, the decision to produce a model of such a numerically small and localised class is surprising and would have hardly borne fruit not that many years ago and it is deserved of congratulation to those involved with its development. Not handsome beasts by any standard, the “Hornbys” bland appearance were as much part and parcel of my younger days as EMUs, Brighton tanks, West Countries and many more. Like some others, who strive to recreate to a degree their earlier years of railway interest, my modelling encompasses those times and to this end it is would hardly be fitting not to permit one of the, most unexpected, new models to take its place alongside an Atlantic. Well done, Bachmann, EFE and Muz

Marvellous view of 20002 on the up Newhaven “Boat” with a wonderful selection of coaching stock to boot.

The cab ends of CC1/CC2 (20001/20002) could be more likened to an earlier 2-HAL or a “Sheba 4-SUB, whilst 20003 was more akin to the all steel HAL, SUB, DD.

Won’t need that banker to Forest Hill and we can have a fry up without fear of losing half of it in the fire!

When the likes of Accurascale and Dapol can produce fine, newly tooled 7800 class 4-6-0s for the prices they charge, an unrebuilt Light Pacific project from either, for a maybe slightly higher RRP could delight many. Watch those pre-orders!

When it came to providing outside brake linkage on their M7, 700 and “Terrier” classes, Hornby wisely used metal which has proved relatively trouble free. Perhaps we might hope Hornby will (some day) take a serious look at improving certain details on such a time-served and popular locomotive as their unrebuilt WC/BB. The provision of metal brake linkages, cylinder drain pipes and thinner smoke deflectors to the existing model would enhance its appearance immensely. At the very least it would go some way in attempting to justify the current 2023 asking price.

…. and anything else, including loose dentures!

Getting up and going to the sink for more hot water, for me, is a natural break and gives the eyes a rest from all that close up work.

A rather nice job indeed. Shame though, the driver’ll fail her at Plymouth when he goes round her. EXJ will have to rustle up some RH brake links and send ‘em down on the back of the next tender. Nevertheless, those Maunsells will keep her in check down Hemerdon.

… probably; and then found itself stuck to the bottom of your old Dad’s hobnail boots!

…. ONLY a Black 5. That should get some comments! Seriously though; the mellow hooting of the Caledonian bass siren, whether echoing in the hollow confines of an urban setting or heard fleetingly from afar across the Northern moors can evoke some dormant inner emotions. Perhaps it’s my Southern ears, but that sound has always emitted an almost haunting appeal, .

I’ve just seen this thread and do not work in 2mm scale but was surprised to learn that Peco are no longer producing the Code 55 turnout you require in Electrofrog format. This is not helpful and does not appear to be the way forward with regard to good running characteristics where locomotives have a current collection wheelbase falling directly upon the insulated gaps. As has been mentioned, the time-honoured “belts and braces” solution of switching the frog will have no benefit at all for said locomotives in this case. It will be interesting to hear what other models are afflicted by the same problem and if Peco might re-introduce the Electrofrog version. I surmise that the introduction of Unifrog is an issue of production costs - you can have one type or t’other but not the ideal one. Having to consider spending additional time and money on “workarounds” such as providing stay-alives in an adjacent vehicle etc as a solution to a problem which has only recently been introduced by the track manufacturer is rather poor. Good luck.

One source is “Power of the Castles” . The photo captions are very informative. Another is “Stars, Castles and Kings” by O S Nock. These books do not delve deeply into the really fine details but contain sufficient information on the members of the various batches as built and modifications thereafter. Collett and Hawksworth tender changes are best verified by dated photographs. The provision dates of double chimneys are listed. 3 and 4 row superheated boilers are identified by which sIde of the, boiler, behind smokebox, the “bulge” is located and its length. Inside cylinder covers of the earlier Castles up to 5012 had a curved profile as built. Framing above the bogie was inset at the front to clear front bogie wheels on Nos 4073-92 and the “Star” rebuilds, though this would be somewhat insignificant on a small scale mode. Outside steam pipes where later modified to a more sweeping, curved profile. Again, dates would be best checked against photos.

When the “Great Terrier War” was getting underway, finances pointed towards the Hornby version even though I was aware that the then forthcoming Rails/Dapol model offered higher detail. I therefore cannot speak of the virtues or otherwise of the latter model. In the event I purchased a Hornby model with not a little trepidation which has subsequently proved to be unfounded. Equipped with a Zimo MX617F decoder, the slow speed performance of the little engine was such a delight, when funds permitted, I eventually bought two more! With a little weathering they can do a quite respectable job of looking the bizz. The attached photo, which has been posted elsewhere on RMWeb shows one which underwent surgery to remove the Westinghouse “donkey” with which 55 was not fitted - at least not in the period modelled. These are comparatively light models and rely on a smoothly laid permanent way plus all wheel electrical pick up. The pick ups are quite flimsy but can be easily tweaked by undoing the 4 screws and removing the keeper plate which has no wires to worry about as there are two spring plungers to the chassis. Spare keeper plate and wipers (Hornby X7425) are available from Lendons of Cardiff if required. I purchased a spare set “just in case” and found the new wipers to be stiffer than those originally fitted to the model. Note: Zimo have now replaced the MX617F (which went for around twenty quid) by a far more expensive decoder, which, going by the forums, some have had issues with.

Have you considered fabricating the bridge plate by inlaying Plastikard sheet onto a length of track. The chairs could be concealed by the plastic sheet. I used this method for a level crossing some years ago, see photo. ) Please ignore wonky signal head which has been replaced.

Externally, breakdown cranes were generally kept to a high standard by the gangs; not pristine but certainly presentable. That said, possibly with the exception of the Bachmann model, the appearance of some other red liveried model cranes would be benefit by some judicious weathering. With reference to photographs, the aim would be to just tone down that bright red, which can appear to jump out at the viewer and almost shout “model”. Having said that, I must confess to not personally owning a red crane from any manufacturer and so can only surmise on any improvements.

Not being familiar with the actual J15 model itself, I can add that over the years I have experienced separately fitted details coming adrift on various models. These have ranged from end handrails, step boards, vacuum ejector exhaust pipes to even an axle box cover of a Hornby Maunsell Van C. In many cases this would appear to be due to a dearth of adhesive applied in the factory, whether by omission or to mitigate an excess of adhesive. As irritating as it is, I would prefer the latter to the alternative of an unsightly blob of glue. I recall an occasion when some grab handles from the sides of a Hornby Maunsell coach became detached, adhering to a strip of masking tape during a weathering session. Lesson learned: Masking tape only along bottom and top of coach sides with a strip of plain paper between both over the grab handles in future! Depending on the material and location, loose items can be quickly refitted by the application of a very minute dab of adhesive on the tip of a piece of 0.45mm wire and tweezers. As many of these culprits are virtually weightless and not load bearing, a dab of “Glue ‘n Glaze” usually does the trick; doesn’t set too rapidly allowing adjustment. Superglue gels, if used, have to be applied with much care as they can “fog” paintwork and best avoided where possible.

For interest, here’s some attempts I’ve made to “improve” on out-of-the-box offerings by the addition of a few detailed bits (excluding the smoke/steam effects of course). The “West Country” is a renamed/renumbered 34032 having a shorter drawbar, cylinder drains and very light weathering. I’ve yet to source a suitably flexible cab roof to tender sheet that meets all requirements in a working model, but the closer coupling does reduce the impact of its omission. The “5” has again, a home made, shorter drawbar, cylinder drains, injector feed pipe and very light weathering. (Note: Brassmasters also offer the detail bits). The front cylinder covers have been made circular with shaped Plastruct rod glue into place. Drawbars of both models are made from brass strip, and cylinder drain pipes from 0.45mm brass rod. The Fairburn tank has home made front footsteps and SR lamp brackets added to smokebox. The provision of front steps in the detailing pack for the Bachmann is long overdue as are the cylinder drains on the Hornby unmodified Light Pacifics. As mentioned before, these extras are a personal choice that some might consider unnecessary, but its having that choice that makes the hobby so rewarding to the individual.

Whether or not to fit supplied accessories comes down to a number of factors that only the modeller him/herself can answer, such as: Will any accessory interfere with running such as fouling bogie wheels? Can the tightest curve accommodate a model with additional accessories, many don’t. Would the absence of said accessories detract from the overall impression of the model? Is the modeller’s dexterity sufficient to permit fitting without causing damage to the model? On a personal note, I find there are many models, especially older releases where visual improvements can be made by making and adding “home made” accessories where necessary, eg steam locomotive injectors and pipework, cylinder drain pipes, cylinder head covers (where these have been altered to accommodate the swing of a leading bogie). On newer models, I find most “accessories” are necessities!

It can be most rewarding to present models of the same class in differing levels of weathering and adding fine details differences where appropriate, as they can adopt their own individuality. Depending on the class, there can be a host of differences between members which, when modelled, will add considerable interest.