Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

44 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Bittern was never steamed at Dinting. Blue Peter was ... until one day there was a bad leak from one of the large tubes and that was that (until the subsequent NELPG restoration)

 

Good morning Graham,

 

Weren't the pair stored at Neville Hill for a time?

 

I have a memory of trying to get in and see them with a mate and being chucked out by (I assume) Mr. Drury himself. We tried to explain we were both professional men (teachers) and were seeking permission to take some photos. No chance! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Northmoor]

8 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Or either of the very nice current Hornby rtr ones. The Mainline/Bachmann van is definitely showing its 1970s ancestry nowadays.

 

Call me a Luddite but I still like them, a lot of those Airfix/Mainline (bodies at least) are very nice mouldings.  In that photo, it only stands out because it's out-of-the-box; a little weathering would have worked wonders (and not seeing it blown up to twice life size on my computer screen).

[MikeTrice]

21 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

I do John,

 

But how do I PM you? I used to be able to do it with ease, when there were two buttons under the avatar. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hover over his avatar with the mouse (assuming you are using one) and you will see "Message".

[LNER4479]

33 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Graham,

 

Weren't the pair stored at Neville Hill for a time?

 

I have a memory of trying to get in and see them with a mate and being chucked out by (I assume) Mr. Drury himself. We tried to explain we were both professional men (teachers) and were seeking permission to take some photos. No chance! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

They were stored in several places in the 1970s prior to arrival at Dinting, Tony. They were at some colliery site at one stage, I believe.

 

Mr. Drury was a somewhat enigmatic character by all accounts from what I understand and your encounter with him sounds entirely typical. However, he deserves credit for putting his hand in his pocket to save two ECML thoroughbreds from an inevitable fate.

 

Bittern was reputedly his favourite and that was prioritised in the late 1960s/early 1970s for the necessary work to keep her in working order. I believe that it did - briefly - run a railtour or two in the post-1971 era, running as No.19 , effectively in post-war LNER guise (not sure how prototypical that was for that particular loco). 1973 was - I think - its last year of operation before its more recent restoration to running order.

 

Blue Peter meanwhile received a 'light overhaul' at Doncaster in 1969/1970 and received its fictitious LNER 532 livery and was subject of a rededication ceremony at which Val, John & Pete of the Children's TV programme of the same name presided! It was not - to my knowledge - passed fit to run a mainline railtour during this period although it did visit Tyseley for an Open Day event (1974?)

 

All now very much modern history. Anyone know any more about the 1970s history of the pair?

Edited February 7, 2021 by LNER4479

[Headstock]

43 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Fear not, Andrew,

 

The picture was taken some little time ago, and the brake van has long gone........................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Thank goodness, I thought LB was ruined for a moment.

[Tony Wright]

59 minutes ago, johndon said:

 

Hi Tony,

 

Do you have an email address so we can discuss this 'off board'?

 

John

PM sent John,

 

I hope.............................

[Headstock]

37 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Call me a Luddite but I still like them, a lot of those Airfix/Mainline (bodies at least) are very nice mouldings.  In that photo, it only stands out because it's out-of-the-box; a little weathering would have worked wonders (and not seeing it blown up to twice life size on my computer screen).

 

You Luddite,

 

It's fictiouse, completely the wrong dimensions. Neither the LNER or BR possessed such a thing.

[thegreenhowards]

A week or so ago we were discussing transfers on here at which some people were praising pressfix transfers. I hit a problem last night with a couple of Parkside 0 gauge wagon kits I'm just finishing off (bought unmade second hand off eBay). They have transfers included but they are very old PC Models pressfix transfers and are completely dry. I tried to use them but they just float about on the wagon side - I can't make them adhere. Is there a trick to renovating these transfers or do I bin them and buy some Fox waterslide ones?

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Andy

 

 

[Tony Wright]

In some recent correspondence with a friend, some questions were asked about Mailcoach carriages.

 

These are the type with clear plastic sides, requiring very careful painting.

 

I've built quite a few examples, including these................

 

 

An ex-Toursist BSO, running on cast metal bogies.

 

Definitely in the 'layout coach' category.

 

Under strong studio lighting, the maroon has come out rather bright. 

 

 

This is another one, this time running on the Mailcoach plastic bogies supplied. 

 

The difference in the colour is remarkable (this is lit by the room's lighting and fill-in flash), though I fancy I've painted them with different brands of BR maroon. 

 

 

And a pair of ex-Tourist TOs, again on cast metal bogies.

 

 

The ex-'Silver Jubilee' catering triplet with white metal bogies outboard and the Mailcoach 10' plastic ones in the middle.

 

All of these are sable-painted (several coats of enamel) with a final coat of sable-applied polyurethane satin varnish after lining/lettering/numbering. 

 

I don't think any of these come into the etched brass carriage class, but, at the time, they represented types unavailable from elsewhere. 

 

I'm told they command high prices on ebay now.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Tony Wright

[Andy Hayter]

24 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

A week or so ago we were discussing transfers on here at which some people were praising pressfix transfers. I hit a problem last night with a couple of Parkside 0 gauge wagon kits I'm just finishing off (bought unmade second hand off eBay). They have transfers included but they are very old PC Models pressfix transfers and are completely dry. I tried to use them but they just float about on the wagon side - I can't make them adhere. Is there a trick to renovating these transfers or do I bin them and buy some Fox waterslide ones?

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Andy

 

 

 

When you say floating around, I assume you have tried to treat them as Methfix (which I assume works for PC Models as well as it does for HMRS).   Put just enough meths/water (3:1 is my preferred ratio) to losen the transfer from its backing.  Position and then bring a tissue up to the edge of the liquid.  The liquid will be drawn to the tissue and the transfer should drop down into position.  When just about all of the liquid has been drawn away, lightly dab the transfer to get really good contact to the model and remove the last of the meths.  Then treat with microsol etc as required once the transfer has dried in position.

[Tony Wright]

A couple of donated locos of possible interest.................

 

 

This is a bit of a curiosity. It's a Ringfield motor-driven Hornby 'Hymek', on which someone has spent a lot of time - separate handrails, separate horns, an etched fan and cover, cast numerals, flush-glazed and a complete repaint. It runs really rather well as well, though it's an odd 'lily' to guild.

 

The box it came in (not Hornby) states 'A reconditioned model by Loco-Repair Bristol'. Anyone heard of this? 

 

 

And a Hornby tender-drive 28XX (weatherer unknown). This, too, runs rather well. 

 

Also on the donated list are another Tri-ang/Hornby 'Hymek' (an original blue one), a Lima 94XX and an original Tri-ang 'shorty' Metro-Cam DMU.

 

I've checked all these out, cleaned and oiled them and they all run all right (considering their origins).

 

Anyone interested in any of the above, please PM me. Any money raised will go to CRUK. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[robertcwp]

24 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

In some recent correspondence with a friend, some questions were asked about Mailcoach carriages.

 

These are the type with clear plastic sides, requiring very careful painting.

 

I've built quite a few examples, including these................

 

 

An ex-Toursist BSO, running on cast metal bogies.

 

Definitely in the 'layout coach' category.

 

Under strong studio lighting, the maroon has come out rather bright. 

 

 

This is another one, this time running on the Mailcoach plastic bogies supplied. 

 

The difference in the colour is remarkable (this is lit by the room's lighting and fill-in flash), though I fancy I've painted them with different brands of BR maroon. 

 

 

And a pair of ex-Tourist TOs, again on cast metal bogies.

 

 

The ex-'Silver Jubilee' catering triplet with white metal bogies outboard and the Mailcoach 10' plastic ones in the middle.

 

All of these are sable-painted (several coats of enamel) with a final coat of sable-applied polyurethane satin varnish after lining/lettering/numbering. 

 

I don't think any of these come into the etched brass carriage class, but, at the time, they represented types unavailable from elsewhere. 

 

I'm told they command high prices on ebay now.

 

 

 

 

Tony, did you build them so the floor comes out, with the roof fixed to the end and sides, or is the roof separate, or are they sealed up so you can't get inside them?

[davidw]

1 hour ago, thegreenhowards said:

A week or so ago we were discussing transfers on here at which some people were praising pressfix transfers. I hit a problem last night with a couple of Parkside 0 gauge wagon kits I'm just finishing off (bought unmade second hand off eBay). They have transfers included but they are very old PC Models pressfix transfers and are completely dry. I tried to use them but they just float about on the wagon side - I can't make them adhere. Is there a trick to renovating these transfers or do I bin them and buy some Fox waterslide ones?

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Andy

 

 

I've had some success with micro set

[johndon]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

PM sent John,

 

I hope.............................

 

Hi Tony,

 

The PM has been received, I'll email you shortly.

 

John

[Michael Edge]

2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

They were stored in several places in the 1970s prior to arrival at Dinting, Tony. They were at some colliery site at one stage, I believe.

 

Mr. Drury was a somewhat enigmatic character by all accounts from what I understand and your encounter with him sounds entirely typical. However, he deserves credit for putting his hand in his pocket to save two ECML thoroughbreds from an inevitable fate.

 

Bittern was reputedly his favourite and that was prioritised in the late 1960s/early 1970s for the necessary work to keep her in working order. I believe that it did - briefly - run a railtour or two in the post-1971 era, running as No.19 , effectively in post-war LNER guise (not sure how prototypical that was for that particular loco). 1973 was - I think - its last year of operation before its more recent restoration to running order.

 

Blue Peter meanwhile received a 'light overhaul' at Doncaster in 1969/1970 and received its fictitious LNER 532 livery and was subject of a rededication ceremony at which Val, John & Pete of the Children's TV programme of the same name presided! It was not - to my knowledge - passed fit to run a mainline railtour during this period although it did visit Tyseley for an Open Day event (1974?)

 

All now very much modern history. Anyone know any more about the 1970s history of the pair?

They were both parked at Walton pit (near Wakefield) for some time, I remember seeing them there but I don't think I took any photos.

[LNER4479]

47 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

They were both parked at Walton pit (near Wakefield) for some time, I remember seeing them there but I don't think I took any photos.

That sounds about right.

 

There's some pictures here, taken in October 1978 showing them en route to Dinting.

https://pjbrailwayphotos.piwigo.com/picture?/28564/category/31-dinting_railway_centre_glossop_in_the_1980s

Woodhead route still open at that time. Typical Manchester weather!

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, robertcwp said:

Tony, did you build them so the floor comes out, with the roof fixed to the end and sides, or is the roof separate, or are they sealed up so you can't get inside them?

They're sealed, Robert,

 

Not a brilliant idea, I know, but the internals are epoxied in place (no future-failing Evo-Stik). I had thought of making the roofs removable, but the fit at the ends was ghastly, needing loads of filing and filler. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

Fully-layout-tested now (backwards and forwards), and the new J6 just awaits weathering......................

 

 

 

 

Typical pick-up work, so no stalling or stuttering tolerated. 

 

Weathering should 'bring it to life'. 

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

6 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Bittern was never steamed at Dinting. Blue Peter was ... until one day there was a bad leak from one of the large tubes and that was that (until the subsequent NELPG restoration)

 

 

So what was the one I went behind then? 

 

It certainly wasn't Sir Nigel Gresley as I knew SNG as it was at Carnforth and none of the others fit. I was a regular visitor at the time.

 

I also remember the O4 and 30925 Cheltenham still in BR green livery.

[thegreenhowards]

4 hours ago, Andy Hayter said:

 

When you say floating around, I assume you have tried to treat them as Methfix (which I assume works for PC Models as well as it does for HMRS).   Put just enough meths/water (3:1 is my preferred ratio) to losen the transfer from its backing.  Position and then bring a tissue up to the edge of the liquid.  The liquid will be drawn to the tissue and the transfer should drop down into position.  When just about all of the liquid has been drawn away, lightly dab the transfer to get really good contact to the model and remove the last of the meths.  Then treat with microsol etc as required once the transfer has dried in position.

I didn’t use any meths. I’ve never tried methfix. I cur them out and tried to position them on the model but they wouldn’t really adhere. So I just rested them in place and added some water which is what the instructions said. When I removed the backing the numbers floated off in random directions or at best we’re still just resting in place. I put them back in place and tried some Microscale ‘Liquid Decal Film’ to fix them in place but that just crinkled them up (it always works well with water slide decals). I have some microsol so could try that instead of the decal film. 
 

Andy

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, davidw said:

I've had some success with micro set

Thanks David,

 

How does micro set differ from micro sol? I have the latter but not the former.

 

Andy

[Jamiel]

Many thanks to everyone who has helped with questions I have asked in this thread, Tony Wright, and also those who commented on my Ellerby thread, Lezz01, Barry 0, Mike Edge and the members of Leeds MRS. Some different opinions on parts of the build, and some bits fudged through by me, but after a couple of months building my second brass loco runs and is ready for priming.

 

A Lancashire and Yorkshire Class 23 Saddle Tank, by London Road Models. I had to open out the space behind the splashers, especially around the cab as this is OO Gauge and the back to back was a bit tight on the body when I put it in. Still needs a bit of cleaning up before priming, and the odd parts to be added after initial painting, like the buffers.

 

Here are a few photos at this stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The experience from building this I hope has given me the knowledge to get my first build a Comet Caprotti Black 5 running too. It was nearly there but had a tight point where the wheels would lock, some going back and carefully rebuilding I hope will get that going.

 

I will post some photos of the Class 23 when painted and weathered, and hopfully the Black 5 too.

 

Again, thank you to everyone here for inspiration and sharing knowledge.

 

Jamie

[D.Platt]

Afternoon Tony

I like the looks of a J6 I have two underlined in my  combine 64191 and 64245 I would imagine they were withdrawn when I saw them .

Can you tell me how you glaze the windows ?

Dennis

[Jol Wilkinson]

33 minutes ago, Jamiel said:

Many thanks to everyone who has helped with questions I have asked in this thread, Tony Wright, and also those who commented on my Ellerby thread, Lezz01, Barry 0, Mike Edge and the members of Leeds MRS. Some different opinions on parts of the build, and some bits fudged through by me, but after a couple of months building my second brass loco runs and is ready for priming.

 

A Lancashire and Yorkshire Class 23 Saddle Tank, by London Road Models. I had to open out the space behind the splashers, especially around the cab as this is OO Gauge and the back to back was a bit tight on the body when I put it in. Still needs a bit of cleaning up before priming, and the odd parts to be added after initial painting, like the buffers.

 

Here are a few photos at this stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The experience from building this I hope has given me the knowledge to get my first build a Comet Caprotti Black 5 running too. It was nearly there but had a tight point where the wheels would lock, some going back and carefully rebuilding I hope will get that going.

 

I will post some photos of the Class 23 when painted and weathered, and hopfully the Black 5 too.

 

Again, thank you to everyone here for inspiration and sharing knowledge.

 

Jamie

Hi Jamie,

 

is that a fairly old kit? When John Redrup at LRM took over the George Norton Connoisseurs Choice range he added a resin cast saddle tank  after a short while as the etched brass tank wasn't too easy too assemble. You've made a good job of that.

 

Jol

[Jamiel]

1 hour ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Hi Jamie,

 

is that a fairly old kit? When John Redrup at LRM took over the George Norton Connoisseurs Choice range he added a resin cast saddle tank  after a short while as the etched brass tank wasn't too easy too assemble. You've made a good job of that.

 

Jol

Thanks Jol.

The kit has both the etch and the resin cast, I bought it second hand on RMweb, so I am not sure how old it is. I was recommended by London Road Models at their stand at the York show in 2019 to just use the resin cast, but as the parts for the etch are there anyway, I decided to build the etched tank and see if it worked. If that went wrong, there was the cast anyway, and the build of the tank is a separate section in the instructions.

The rivet detail on the tank is really nice, so I think it is worth it. The tank is slightly too low at the front where I had to add in a little filler, but hope when painted and weathered it will not be apparent. I also find that brass is easier to work with than resin, although I do like the latter when making buildings.

This being only my second brass loco build, I can’t judge it against many other kits, but I felt it was a nice build. The body was not quite as easy as the Comet Back 5 I built, but then I have done a few other Comet kits for carriages and bogies so know how their kits work. I added quite a few bits of detail from other etches and brass offcuts as well after looking at as many photos of the prototype as I could find, but all in all it was a good kit for a novice.

Everyone who says start with an 0-6-0 is quite right, unless you want a 0-4-0. Detailing the body and parts of the chassis is fun, but getting the motion and wheels correct is the hard part, and it took some helpful advice and some patient building for that to get it working in the end.
 

I would certainly recommend this kit to anyone starting out building a loco, but build a carriage first just to get the hang of brass.

Jamie

Edited February 7, 2021 by Jamiel