ian@stenochs

Hi All, I'm building a G&SWR 187 class 0-4-2 and want to do it as one of the locos which worked on the Port Road and in particular the Portpatrick branch. The locos for that service were fitted with tender cabs. I have enough information to build the model but all the photos I have seen are of the locos in post 1919 livery and I model circa 1906. This photo shows the loco on the branch, can anyone help with a picture of the class in earlier condition please? Thanks, Ian

"Anyway on to the build. On opening the box I found the brass to be quite tarnished so the first job was to give the etches a good clean with a Garryflex block. This didn't take long and I soon had them nice and shiny again and ready for soldering." Hi Sandy, I find that a spray with Viakal removes the tarnish very quickly and without the risk of snagging the finer bits of etch on the Garryflex. Ian

Hi, I couldn't afford the Wills kit so scratch built a body on a Triang 3f chassis. As I recall I used an off cut of 3/4" water pipe for the boiler, slit along its length to open it up to the correct diameter with a piece of oo gauge rail wedged in. I recall too that the copper was very difficult to solder, it needed so much heat, while the cocoa tin that I built the rest from was a doddle! Nowadays I use virgin metal and roll the boilers. Sheet metal availability is so much better now and at quite modest cost considering the value of the finished models. Ian

Hi Jock, Good to hear from you again. Yes please for your stories, the Sou West newsletter is alway looking out for relevant stories of the G&SW. Davie Smith di a book on the LMS era as well as his original 'Tales' so some from the BR period would be very interesting. Regards, Ian. PS I'm writing this while having a cup of tea during a break in building a Black 5 which will be 45160 of Ayr shed and sometime driven by the original Mad McCann!

Hi. The wagons at Dunaskin are the remnants of a training scheme which fell apart when the Heritage trust folded. The Ayrshire Railwsy Preservation Group eas not involved and continues todsy. The wagons are on arpg property but do not actually belong to them. They are slowly mouldering into oblivion as the groups funds are centred on their core aims. There is a very nice brake van in the group of wagons. Could it be Lilleshall design or LNW? ARPG have some interesting stuff mostly Barclays with a few of DICo originals and the only working fireless loco in the U K. Ian.

Sorry about that but I was Model Wagon Co! Ian.

Model the G&SWR like me and you are virtually the only one doing so. RTR highly unlikely and kits almost like hens teeth. That said the G&SWR Assn have a 7 mm kit for a cattle van out st Telford next weekend. Ian.

Nice workmanship but without either a scale drawing or photograph of the original we cannot tell how good it really is! Ian.

Hi Sundoger SNAP! My first scratch built loco was one of these too when I was 16. I used the same drawing, I think it was RM circa 1964. I later found out it was not much better than a sketch! However a very interesting engine, the heaviest 0-4-0 Tank built for a British railway and a good choice. Like you I used tinplate, from cocoa tins for the body cut out with mothers best scissors! and brass curtain rail off cuts for frames. I learned to solder with a fire heated copper bolt borrowed from my Grandad. Wheels were Hamblings and the motor was a Triang XT60 It worked and here is the only record I have of it along with some of my later 00 models. I disposed of my 00 stuff when I changed to P4 in the 70s and regret selling the pug. Something I much regret now. However I have since moved up to S7 and have recently built a replacement. This time I had access to the GA drawing and lot of experience. Here is a picture taken last Summer. Happy modelling, Ian

Somewhere in rural Ayrshire 57577 waits for the road on its way to pick up the days output from the pit.

Lovely model. You have captured the look of a working engine perfectly.

Hi, If you are curving angle for the roof it helps to solder two pieces flange to flange to make a tee. When bending this curbs the tendency of a single piece to curl over. It also has the advantage of making both pieces exactly the same. It is quite easy to curve them over a large cylinder by hand. However if you are lucky enough to having a rolling mill it is by far the easiest way. The angle soldered back to back method works well if you need two handed pieces. I use it to form the angle you often find between the boiler and splasher tops on some 4-4-0s. Ian

Ian, lovely models, but my eye is constantly drawn to the left of the picture; a real beauty. THANKS. It's a G&SWR 306 class. Not many folk know that a couple of these locos worked on the GWR during the Great War. Replacing Dean goods which were sent to France. A bit of variety and something different. IAN

My initial railway experience was early 60s train spotting, mostly steam but I discovered David L Smiths 'Tales of the G&SWR' in the local library and was hooked. I have modelled the later since but have a parallell thread of locos I spotted. My layout is based on one of the South Wests bylines which changed very little from building to closure so I can run two periods without much alteration, just road vehicles etc. there is a secondary benefit in that the early period is virtually all scratch building but the br period is mostly kits which can be, not always, quicker to build. Below is an example of two recently finished models, both could have been seen together but would have been in LMS livery then. Ian

There certainly is space for pre grouping colour. I for one am completely turned off by the plethora of rail blue which seems to be flooding exhibitions. If we are to inspire the young and new modellers to more than just a train set then variety is essential. The pre group scene has scope for individuality and the chance to make something the trade won't. Ian

Simon, No. You can shorten and bend the resistor tails to make fitting easier if required Ian.

Hi Simon, Cut one of the motor wires, doesn't matter which, and solder the resistor between the cut ends. Current flows through the resistor and then the motor. Hope this is clear. Ian

Simon, Glad you have got another bit on, sometimes it just takes a wee bit time off the job for a problem to resolve itself. Thinking further on my stalled projects, photo below is only some!, I can think of a number of reasons for the holdup. Firstly. The next bit of the project is a bit tedious or time consuming. The 3 locos in the photo need chimneys and other boiler mountings which needs me to set up for fly cutting and turning. I know too that it will be the best part of an afternoon to make one chimney. I'm not in the mood or cannot find the time. Secondly. Something else has taken my interest. At the moment it is an etched kit which I have been asked to test build. Thirdly. Don't have the correct material or tool for the job. Bit of a cop out that one as there are always alternatives. Fourthly. Lack of information, common one this as I often spend hours looking for a picture which shows up a detail. I model pre-group so photos are thin on the ground and usually 3/4front which doesn't help in a lot of instances. Fifthly. I'm not disciplined enough! I think this is the real reason if I'm honest. However, I have the tenders for the 3 engines in the photo all ready finished and waiting. I hate building tenders and always get them out the way first! Ian. More a Real Ale man!

Hi, With machine tools you get what you pay for. I too have a Taylor Hobson bought 2nd hand, it may be old but it was and still is a quality machine which has paid for itself in the parts it has turned out over the years. If you want a really rigid small mill I would suggest you look at Cowells. I have one and it is a very well engineered knee type with all the important parts in cast iron with adjustable Gibs. With an infinitely variable speed it is a very flexible and versatile machine. Certainly handles anything in 7mm scale. Ian.

Lastly - I've no idea what this is for, maybe a 'special' made by the previous owner for a one off job. image.jpg Hi, That looks like a centre for holding tubes. I had one like it on a previous lathe when I was turning boiler bands onto a thick wall brass tube. The other end was held in the chuck with a piece of solid bar inside to stop the jaw pressure denting the end and the conical centre held the free end on centre. What other goodies do you have? Ian.

That is a good looking Super 7 I But I have never seen one in such a dark shade of blue! You can be very lucky with 2nd hand buys in that you get tools which you might never buy yourself, even some you cannot identify, but one day they might just be found a use! I got a big box of bits from a friend of my fathers estate most of which at the time I thought was junk but have found a use for an awful lot of it. Enjoy finding out what you have and what you can do on Myford. Ian.

Hi Pete, I always use 188 too. I have a reel of 145 on the bench but hardly ever use it as I too find it does not flow for me. Ian.