45xx kit

[johnarcher]

Can anyone tell me, is the Churchward 45xx kit, which seems now to be available again from Precision, the same as the now absent Mitchell kit, or was it some sort of earlier version?

[Denbridge]

It is Malcoms earlier kit released under the Churchward models label. The later Mitchell kits were more refined. Though the Churchward one is still a very good model.

[NCB]

The 3mm version of the Churchward version is available through the 3mm Society. The 4mm version should be similar. It's a good kit, at least for those happy with soldering.

[Guest WM183]

Huh... there's a prairie kit in 3mm, eh? What about panniers by chance?

[Miss Prism]

http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits3mmstock1.html

 

[Mike G]

This is the Churchward model I almost finished...still haven't finished the buffer beams!

 

 

Not the best of paint jobs I've ever done. The only tricky bit is the smoke box wrapper. You either have to be very good with a file or have a friend with a lathe. If you want to know more PM me.

 

Mike

[johnarcher]

13 hours ago, Mike G said:

This is the Churchward model I almost finished...still haven't finished the buffer beams!

 

 

 

Not the best of paint jobs I've ever done. The only tricky bit is the smoke box wrapper. You either have to be very good with a file or have a friend with a lathe. If you want to know more PM me.

 

Mike

It looks pretty good.

Thanks for the re-assurance, if I do go for one I'll PM you for more information on the smoke-box wrapper!

Otherwise it goes together well?

[Mike G]

Yep - goes together well. Just use your head when it comes to bending stuff up and don't rush at it without thinking first. And don't be afraid to put supports in to help with construction...they can come out after (the frame for the tanks needed extra support - I'm a bit ham fisted!)

 

Mike

[DCB]

On 04/11/2019 at 21:12, Mike G said:

This is the Churchward model I almost finished...still haven't finished the buffer beams!

 

 

Not the best of paint jobs I've ever done. The only tricky bit is the smoke box wrapper. You either have to be very good with a file or have a friend with a lathe. If you want to know more PM me.

 

Mike

Looks good, I guess its a pre 4555 , pre grouping 45XX from the packing behind the rear buffer beam.  is the front Buffer beam the right way up?

One glaring error is the front number plate, it should be ON the top smokebox hinge not above it, as on all ex GW and BR std locos.  Above the hinge is LNER style and even Doncaster eventually adopted the GW style

[NCB]

On 04/11/2019 at 18:03, WM183 said:

Huh... there's a prairie kit in 3mm, eh? What about panniers by chance?

 

Plenty! Re the engines in the list Miss Prism quoted

http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits3mmstock1.html

Current state of play is that the Brynkits locomotives have passed to the 3mm Society, The only ones which were actually issued were the 2251, 57XX, 8750, and also the 54XX/64XX/74XX which isn't on the list. I believe a lot of work had been done on the others and they may yet appear. The 2251 came with very nice resin castings for smokebox/boiler/firebox and tender tank; here's a pic:

All the kits have resin smokebox/boiler/firebox and otherwise etchings for the main bits; they come with very neat fold-up chassis. I wasn't too keen on the resin bits for the panniers, so in building the 8750 I used modified whitemetal castings for panniers and bunkers from the GEM kit, as in:

This has extra weight inside the whitemetal panniers, a Mashima 1224 motor driving a High Level 1:54 gearbox, and will pull a horse. I'll probably do the same with the 57XX and 74XX I have yet to build.

 

There is the old GEM 57XX whitemetal  kit which was a bit crude but has recently been remastered, as has the ex BEC 94XX, both being offered by 3SMR and can be had with modern Brynkits chasses. K's did a 97XX whitemetal kit which is best forgotten.

 

Three Martin Finney were reduced to 3mm/ft and are now obtainable from the 3mm Society , one being 1854/2721 pannier; I saw the one built from the test etch some years ago and it looks superb. The other Finney kits are the 41xx/51xx/61xx prairie and the Churchward 3000 gallon tender.

 

I like panniers; I have a dream of a layout filled with panniers scuttling too and fro!

 

Nigel

 

[johnarcher]

12 hours ago, NCB said:

 

Plenty! Re the engines in the list Miss Prism quoted

http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits3mmstock1.html

Current state of play is that the Brynkits locomotives have passed to the 3mm Society, The only ones which were actually issued were the 2251, 57XX, 8750, and also the 54XX/64XX/74XX which isn't on the list. I believe a lot of work had been done on the others and they may yet appear. The 2251 came with very nice resin castings for smokebox/boiler/firebox and tender tank; here's a pic:

All the kits have resin smokebox/boiler/firebox and otherwise etchings for the main bits; they come with very neat fold-up chassis. I wasn't too keen on the resin bits for the panniers, so in building the 8750 I used modified whitemetal castings for panniers and bunkers from the GEM kit, as in:

This has extra weight inside the whitemetal panniers, a Mashima 1224 motor driving a High Level 1:54 gearbox, and will pull a horse. I'll probably do the same with the 57XX and 74XX I have yet to build.

 

There is the old GEM 57XX whitemetal  kit which was a bit crude but has recently been remastered, as has the ex BEC 94XX, both being offered by 3SMR and can be had with modern Brynkits chasses. K's did a 97XX whitemetal kit which is best forgotten.

 

Three Martin Finney were reduced to 3mm/ft and are now obtainable from the 3mm Society , one being 1854/2721 pannier; I saw the one built from the test etch some years ago and it looks superb. The other Finney kits are the 41xx/51xx/61xx prairie and the Churchward 3000 gallon tender.

 

I like panniers; I have a dream of a layout filled with panniers scuttling too and fro!

 

Nigel

 

You're tempting me about the 3mm scale alternative (considering the bery limited space I have available). Have you a picture of the 3mm 45xx you colud post, I'd like to see it?

Do you mean the Brynkits ones (including 74xx) are available through the society stores now? They weren't in the catalogue last time I looked at the website (I've had vague thoughts of 3mm scale for some time).

One last question if I may, what couplings are you using, I can't see too clearly on these photos? Many types seem over-prominent on 3mm models, but yours seem quite discreet).

[Mike G]

On 07/11/2019 at 02:14, DavidCBroad said:

Looks good, I guess its a pre 4555 , pre grouping 45XX from the packing behind the rear buffer beam.  is the front Buffer beam the right way up?

One glaring error is the front number plate, it should be ON the top smokebox hinge not above it, as on all ex GW and BR std locos.  Above the hinge is LNER style and even Doncaster eventually adopted the GW style

Already been fixed...but thanks

 

Mike

[Miss Prism]

I've done an update to the gwr.org page, which hopefully reflects Nigel's information above.

 

[NCB]

2 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

I've done an update to the gwr.org page, which hopefully reflects Nigel's information above.

 

Look's fine.

Nigel

[NCB]

5 hours ago, johnarcher said:

You're tempting me about the 3mm scale alternative (considering the bery limited space I have available). Have you a picture of the 3mm 45xx you colud post, I'd like to see it?

Do you mean the Brynkits ones (including 74xx) are available through the society stores now? They weren't in the catalogue last time I looked at the website (I've had vague thoughts of 3mm scale for some time).

One last question if I may, what couplings are you using, I can't see too clearly on these photos? Many types seem over-prominent on 3mm models, but yours seem quite discreet).

Personally haven't built the Churchward version, although I know it's been done successfully. I did build the Society's whitemetal one some time ago, which uses the Churchward chassis. Couldn't find pics I'd done of it so here's a quicky I've just done:

Looking at it may not have got the body quite level when posing it. It sits slightly high anyway due to thickness of the whitemetal footplate. In 14.2mm I needed to drift the cylinders out slightly so the crosshead stays clear of the crankpins; it's not noticeable because the footplate is slightly too wide by the same amount.

 

3mm/ft is fine so long as one likes building things; there's not much option!

 

Nigel

[johnarcher]

30 minutes ago, NCB said:

Personally haven't built the Churchward version, although I know it's been done successfully. I did build the Society's whitemetal one some time ago, which uses the Churchward chassis. Couldn't find pics I'd done of it so here's a quicky I've just done:

 

Looking at it may not have got the body quite level when posing it. It sits slightly high anyway due to thickness of the whitemetal footplate. In 14.2mm I needed to drift the cylinders out slightly so the crosshead stays clear of the crankpins; it's not noticeable because the footplate is slightly too wide by the same amount.

 

3mm/ft is fine so long as one likes building things; there's not much option!

 

Nigel

Thank you, fortunately I do like building things, I'm just a bit hesitant about the combination of a smaller scale and ageing eyes.

Oh, you didn't say, what are the couplings?

 

Re the gwr.org list, isn't there a society etched Metro kit?  (And is there the Brynkits 64xx?)

[NCB]

Couplings are B&B 3mm ones. Some people find them fiddly, mainly due to having to get both the loop and latch inserted in the main etching. If you decide you can have all the stock facing the same way around then you can afford to have the latch one end of a vehicle and the loop the other end, which simplifies assembly a lot. It also makes coupling/uncoupling easier as you avoid having corresponding bits in the two couplings competing. I didn't but am thinking of going in that direction. What I did was leave the loops off locomotives (to make the coupling less obtrusive) but full couplings on rolling stock, because I thought I might want to turn stock around.

 

Society Metro:

This is based on the Roxey kit, with an additional etch for later versions. Yet to have couplings added.

 

There are three kits for the 54/64/74XX covering the main variations. This is recent; I have one but not seriously looked at it yet.

Nigel

Edited November 9, 2019 by NCB