Missing instructions for A K's GWR 28XX Engine

[Charlie17]

I have recently come back to 00 Railways after a gap of 35 years plus. Among st the items I had kept was a Ks 8XX white metal loco building kit still in its box bu apparently started as some pockets empty but some lose pies in a box for the tender.. There a 2 cards of parts but no instructions or parts list. 

 

There is also a 8 wheel chassis with motor but no electrical connections.

 

 

Can anybody help with parts list  and instructions?

 

Walter

[Steamport Southport]

I've got a kit, but don't think I've got the instructions. Seems to be a quite common problem, people take the instructions out to read and don't put them back. 

 

I will have a look though.

 

Might be worth also asking in this thread as that is where the K's kit fans congregate.

 

 

 

Jason

[hayfield]

I have quite a few K's kits, mainly GWR with a few Southern, probably half have instructions, sadly I don't have the IT skills to start a website. Secondly someone may still own the copyright to them. Sorry I don't have a copy of the 2-8-0

 

The instructions were very basis, mainly an exploded diagram

 

The body kits had the instructions printed on the back of the mounting cards,

The early chassis instructions are different to the latter ones

[ikcdab]

Ks kits were pretty basic, I'm sure if you were to post a few pics then the good folks on here could identify parts for you. I last made a ks kits more than 30 years ago and there is a reason why I haven't done one since! I don't think it ever ran and the kit was characterized by anonymous blobs of white metal pretending to be loco parts! It maybe good to get you back into modeling, but don't expect a museum quality product at the end. 

[hayfield]

2 minutes ago, ikcdab said:

Ks kits were pretty basic, I'm sure if you were to post a few pics then the good folks on here could identify parts for you. I last made a ks kits more than 30 years ago and there is a reason why I haven't done one since! I don't think it ever ran and the kit was characterized by anonymous blobs of white metal pretending to be loco parts! It maybe good to get you back into modeling, but don't expect a museum quality product at the end. 

 

I think your comment is a little unfair, there are plenty of K's locos running very well using the parts originally supplied, even though the quality of some parts can be questioned. I even have a couple which have been rewheeled to EM gauge using the k's chassis. These kits were a budget complete kit, so the parts reflected this, many cut their teeth on these affordable kits

 

These are a kit of their times, early kits were designed in the 60's and the revised kits in the 70's. Most were easily buildable and were better than the average models of their day, far easier to build than a Jedinco kit. But things have moved on, with improvements in design, materials, manufacturing and instructions over the past 50 years, as you would expect

 

If they were unbuildable, then they would not have sold so well, again if they were as bad as you describe they would not still be sold on the second hand market in the vast numbers they are sold. There are far worse whitemetal makes on the market

 

Nu Cast have been selling them for years with little modification, and now you have the NuCast Partners giving some kits a revamp 

 

The first kit I bought (a Dean Goods) worked very well for years, despite it being my first (hamfisted) attempt at building a whitemetal kit

[Steamport Southport]

Some of the later kits were amongst the best whitemetal kits ever made. Look at the Lord Nelson and the Duchess if you can find one. That was at the time when they planned to renovate most of the kits, but they were taken over and nothing happened.

 

Many have never been bettered. Try and find a 4mm kit of a 57xx for example.

 

So if you are comparing them to modern RTR and the better etched kits they are a bit crude. But they were still light years ahead of most RTR that was available at the time.

 

Worth looking at the modellers that have built them. Many still use them. I'm pretty sure there are some still on Little Bytham and similar layouts. I think Tony Wright posted a few recently.

 

That's the point though. They were made for the average modeller, but they could be built by the better modellers into showcase models. When they used to have the kitbuilding section in exhibitions, it was often a detailed K's kit that won.

 

 

 

Jason

Edited April 18, 2021 by Steamport Southport

[Charlie17]

Thank you for the interest shown. I do not feel so alone now. Did I get from one of the posts that they were taken over by a company that still exists ? An exploded diagram would be a big help. AS my eyesight is not as good as it should be I have no great aspirations and wondered if I could build a body would it fit on to a commercial running gear?

[ikcdab]

Ok I take points made about Ks kits. You are right that many good models have been mate from them.

I can only speak from my own experience. As a teenager I bought the Ks kit for a 1361. I never got it to run and I still have some of the parts lying round today!

[hayfield]

3 hours ago, ikcdab said:

Ok I take points made about Ks kits. You are right that many good models have been mate from them.

I can only speak from my own experience. As a teenager I bought the Ks kit for a 1361. I never got it to run and I still have some of the parts lying round today!

 

The 1361 was about the 5th or 6th kit I built, its OK the main stumbling block was the whitemetal crosshead and connecting rod. But even I got one to work, recently I have found that CSP produce an etched brass model (old Agenoria kit). They both sell a full kit and a chassis kit, I have bought 2 chassis kits for my k's locos

 

The main issues with K's kits are the chassis (early ones had the axle holes stamped out and were a bit banana shaped) the early wheels being a bit coarse and the later wheels hard to fit square. Less said about the newer HP2M motors, and the gears were of their time. 

 

Many modellers have where possible used etched brass chassis from the likes of Perseverance and Comet, these transform the performance especially when new motors and gear sets/boxes are used. These also allow for cab detail to be added

 

As Steamport Southport has said, there are numerous kits like the GWR 48xx & 57xx plus the SR Terries still pottering around many layouts

 

My own view is that their downfall was in trying to keep their models both as complete kits and too cheap

[Rail-Online]

Is this what you want?

 

Tony

[hayfield]

Nothing like basic instructions

 

I do like the Plastic 8ba screws, whilst not strong they have their uses.

[Charlie17]

Thank you for the Pictures . They look ideal. I am sorry to take so long replying but did no find them when I came back last time