Wright writes.....

[Barry Ten]

14 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

 

 

as for fixing, I use Evostick which seems to have done the job nicely so far.

 

Agreed, Don't do as I did, and try and use cyano - I thought it would be more controllable, but the resultant bond was too brittle and the sides kept separating from the roof.

[Clearwater]

17 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Agreed, Don't do as I did, and try and use cyano - I thought it would be more controllable, but the resultant bond was too brittle and the sides kept separating from the roof.

and by evostick, is it this stuff?  I like to check to make sure I’m not getting the wrong stuff!
 

thanks

 

David

[jimwal]

11 minutes ago, Clearwater said:

and by evostick, is it this stuff?  I like to check to make sure I’m not getting the wrong stuff!
 

thanks

 

David

 

That's the stuff!

[96701]

Regarding "professional" loco builders. Geoff Brewin told me that he used to build locos for other people when he worked for an optician. He got fed up of working for others, so set up on his own and continued building locos for others. It was he quality of Comet kits that led him to get involved. Whilst the building of locos for others was not his main source of income, I considered him to be a professional loo kit builder because he built them for other people and accepted payment.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, 96701 said:

a professional loo kit builder

Round here we call them "plumbers"...

 

Sorry Phil!

[96701]

4 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Round here we call them "plumbers"...

 

Sorry Phil!

Workers in lead?

 

[Bucoops]

10 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Great pix! (modern history)

 

Yep - all preserved. Black 5 5428 at NYMR; K1 62005 a regular at Fort William for the Jacobite; K4 3442 (61994) no longer a runner, destined for John Cameron's Scottish museum with No.9. N7 out of service at North Norfolk (I think)

 

1968 was of course the 'dark time' for mainline steam, pending the 'return to steam' in 1971 so many locos were stored around the country like this, not many preserved lines running, one or two steam centres. Many of today's steam fleet still in Barry Scrapyard ...

 

All very different nowadays! (Covid notwithstanding)

 

The N7 is under restoration at the EARM - I think they are hoping to have it done for it's 100th birthday (2024). It's been missed as been out of steam for a while now.

[Dunsignalling]

I've been using Copydex to attach carriage roofs (and goods van ones too) where the design demands the roof goes on last, on models of both plastic and metal construction for many years.

 

I think the one on the worked-over Lima GUV in the attached photo has been in place since 1998 but others have been removed with ease when necessary.

 

John

Edited February 11, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[Jesse Sim]

On 10/02/2021 at 21:09, Tony Wright said:

.

4. If there is anything 'wrong' with a finished model, the best will always put it right. 

 

 

 

My C2 was supplied WITHOUT lamps, that’s wrong isn’t it? Can I have some sent to Oz please. 

[Jesse Sim]

21 hours ago, Clearwater said:

Whilst I've not brought any part completed or kit built locos over a certain popular auction site, I'd suggest a couple of other motivations:

1) a cost effective way to buy certain parts, for example wheels or motors.  If you pay £100 and get a set of wheels that would otherwise cost £60-70 plus a motor costing £40+, you may be ahead.   This may be particularly true if those motors are no longer in production.  

2) If the kit is long since out of production, it may be the only way of obtaining that prototype absent scratch building.  Even if badly assembled, it may offer a good scope for cannibalisation.  Take the Raven A2.  Limited number of kits produced, go for high prices in unassembled form, if you want one, then why wouldn't you buy a partially assembled kit?

 

David

I agree with you completely, I purchased an LNER J10 of ebay for 50 quid, new wheels and motor and she runs like a dream, yes DJH still produce the kit but this was built very well. 
 

Another hit and miss was an LNER B5, no longer in production, but a new motor has been fitted, parts are ready to go to make it more suitable for my era and wheels I’m waiting on. Rang Markits the other night asking about my order and I got “I’m busy, what the f**k do you want Jesse”, my reply was “My f**king wheels”.... a bit of banter later and I should have them in a few weeks. 

[Jesse Sim]

May I offer a humble photo of ones modelling work these past few days?

 

One wagon finished, another two weathered and all ready to join the meat train. 
 

These three wagons are all of different material. The far left is Graeme King’s resin meat containers with scratchbuilt running gear, the middle one is a NER F10 insulated van downgraded to fish/meat duties, made from a Hornby wagon with scratchbuilt running gear and the other is a DS GCR perishables wagon. 
 

I am very happy with the way I’ve built and finished these off. 
 

I must say a big thankyou to Graeme King for supplying the meat containers, all four of them and Jonathan Wealleans who I have bombarded for the last how ever many months on how to build them, thanks fellas. 

[Tony Wright]

12 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Saint Olaves (below) is restricted to my outer curves because of the steps (and even then, they're not modelled as they should be, with the characteristic tuck-in). But to omit the front steps spoils the look of the engine, I feel, so I accept the compromise.

 

 

I've managed to fit front steps to Lord Nelsons, King Arthurs and S15s and get them to squeak around the inner curve as well, but Schools seem to be a particularly challenging case.

 

Al

Good morning Al,

 

I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but by reducing a School's bogie's movement, sharp curves can be negotiated............. And the steps can still be retained. 

 

 

 

It needs a dead chassis, of course, but it's effectively a slightly-flexible 0-8-0. Even the rear bogie wheel splashers can be fitted, yet this will still go round 2' 6" radious curves. 

 

I think Baz Oliver solved similar problems, but in a different way. 

 

 

I don't think there's any finer or better-looking 4-4-0 than an SR Schools (the real things, I mean). I built this from a South Eastern Finecast kit and Ian Rathbone painted it. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Tony Teague]

2 hours ago, Bucoops said:

 

The N7 is under restoration at the EARM - I think they are hoping to have it done for it's 100th birthday (2024). It's been missed as been out of steam for a while now.

 

Here she is on the day her most recent boiler ticket expired - 18th April 2015, on the Churnet Valley Railway close to Consall Forge:

 

[Tony Wright]

12 hours ago, dibateg said:

I built professionally for 5 years after being made redundant from a job I'd been in 20 years. I soon found that I had a waiting list of at least a year. I was charging £20 per hour at the time. I didn't take a deposit, but asked for stage payments, which worked well for me and my clients. My philosophy was that I would build for my clients as if I were building for myself, that is I didn't build kits straight from the box, they would be improved as much as possible. So they were not cheap. If there are any problems ( rarely ! ) they come back to me for repair, I don't like other people fiddling with them!

I was lucky- I had lovely clients - all of which became friends, there were just a couple I didn't get on with - they were ditched.... I enjoyed the work, but I'm happy now to have the opportunity to work on my own projects.

I was challenged once over the price of an O gauge Crostie 9F build, my response was to say ' how much would you expect for five weeks work?' "Ah... yes..."

 

Completing part builds..... best avoided in my experience, although a couple of my mates seems to thrive on them!

 

Regards

Tony

 

Good morning Tony,

 

Seen before, but well worth a second look........................

 

 

If anyone 'challenged' you over the price for work of this quality, they'd be nuts!

 

If ever a model loco deserves the epithet 'professionally-built/-painted/-weathered', this is it (in the truest sense).

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[Clearwater]

Hopefully not too off-topic but perhaps a close parallel to the cost of commissioning a builder to make a loco is the artist world.  I'm sure many of us have admired, and probably have the odd print or two, of the works of Philip Hawkins.  His website states takes commissions though I'm willing to bet he has a waiting list of several years and the cost of a commission will run substantially into four figures if not five.  However, I have seen one or two originals in auctions that have not necessarily realised such a high price.  I can see a logic for paying a premium if you want your favourite trainspotting snap turned into a work of art but not necessarily being willing to pay for someone else's.

 

David

[MJI]

16 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Tony,

 

Seen before, but well worth a second look........................

 

 

If anyone 'challenged' you over the price for work of this quality, they'd be nuts!

 

If ever a model loco deserves the epithet 'professionally-built/-painted/-weathered', this is it (in the truest sense).

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

That is O Gauge isn't it.

 

I reckon that cost as much as a second hand car. If under £1k it would be a bargain.

[MJI]

Lets think of me a hobbyist modeller. What would my costs be?

 

My kitbashed, DMU a Gloucester Cross Country 119.

 

VERY rough times

 

Pre fit hinges, 2 hours

Soldering up 2 hours.

Bogies frames 2 hours

Motor bogie say 6 hours on and off

Masters for resin seats and bogie frames 3 hours

Casting on and off, 4 hours

Assembling interiors 3-4 hours

Roofs 1 hour

Cab domes 2 hours

Bow Ends 2 hours

Painting 4 hours

Lining and transfers 6 hours

Handrails 2 hours

 

40  hours plus things I forgot.

 

At my weekend rate (when I model) over a grand.

 

But it is my hobby and it is for me.

 

Would I do it for money?

 

No as I could earn more writing software.

[Tony Wright]

11 hours ago, sandra said:

Tony,

 

Buying a kit built locomotive built by someone else is always risky and can involve more work than starting a new kit from scratch. However it can be a much cheaper way of buying all the parts that make up a locomotive kit.

As you know I’ve been building locos for Retford and as an example here’s a locomotive I’ve just bought. This is an A3 built by an unknown builder from a DJH kit. It cost less than £100 on eBay. It is of course built in OO so at the very least I’ll have to convert it to EM.

It does, unusually, run very well as it has a Portescape motor and is very free running.  However it has a double chimney which it would not have had in 1957 so that will be changed but the biggest problem is that whilst it doesn’t look too bad the lining is not good enough and so it will have to have a complete repaint. I don’t know if it’s glued or soldered together so if I do strip the paint and it’s been glued together it might all fall apart and I end up with kit.

 

I think I’ll do the EM conversion first, 

get it to run properly, test it on Retford and then address the issue of the lining.

Sandra

Good morning Sandra,

 

May I be 'brutal' in my comments, please? 

 

I'd be inclined to dunk the whole loco body and the tender body in paint stripper, and go from there. Other than the poor lining (the firebox shouldn't be lined, anyway), the cabside numbers are all over the place and are probably too small. 

 

Construction-wise, the vacuum ejector pipe shouldn't turn up towards the cab (yes, I know some weren't dead straight) and there shouldn't be a clip for it on the smokebox other than at the flange. In fact, the other clip positions are nowhere near where they should be. The cab roof isn't on straight and, as discussed, the front bulkhead/coal plate on the tender should not lean backwards for this period (they were made vertical during the War). The front handrail on the tender is also far too inboard, and there are blobs of solder (or glue?) where the coal rails meet the sides. The tender side also appears to bulge at its base. 

 

Looking at the chassis, the slidebars incline upwards to the rear (the opposite of what they should be), as with Hornby's A4s. 

 

Since it was bought for less than £100.00, I'd say you've got a bargain, especially if it runs so well, though a rebuild is called for in my view. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[MJI]

I used to like messing around on PCs, but now, no just a tool, do I want to sit there playing games on them? building them?

 

No because I work on them and after work I would like a break.

 

In the software world I am not alone, lots of us have hobbies requiring skills, if we games consoles on TVs.

 

Making a living from a hobby can be hobby ending.

[Tony Wright]

11 hours ago, copleyhill007 said:

Blue Peter, Bittern and the N7 owned by Fred Youell were all in Neville Hill for quite some time. I did get in to see them after three attempts but without a camera.

I was with you on one occasion, if you recall, Dave; when Drury kicked us out! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, 96701 said:

Regarding "professional" loco builders. Geoff Brewin told me that he used to build locos for other people when he worked for an optician. He got fed up of working for others, so set up on his own and continued building locos for others. It was he quality of Comet kits that led him to get involved. Whilst the building of locos for others was not his main source of income, I considered him to be a professional loo kit builder because he built them for other people and accepted payment.

Geoff built very well, Phil,

 

And it's a privilege that I now have two locos which he'd (mainly) built.

 

 

He'd made the approaching A1 from a Pro-Scale kit, and it was painted all-over green when I acquired it after his death. I painted the black bits, lined, lettered and numbered it, adding the 'plates as well. 

 

Since Copley Hill A1s were rarely as clean as this, Tom Foster then weathered it for me..............

 

 

To produce a superb 'layout loco'. Not only does it look most-natural, but it doesn't half go! 

 

 

The other loco from Geoff's estate was this V2, which he'd made from a Nu-Cast kit to which he fitted a Comet chassis. I made a tender for it, and Geoff Haynes then painted it so well.

 

Not only do I have two excellent locos for Bytham, but also very tangible memories of a friend.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

44 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

 

That is O Gauge isn't it.

 

I reckon that cost as much as a second hand car. If under £1k it would be a bargain.

It is,

 

And brilliant!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Taz]

Going back to fixing roofs on brass coaches - I have always struggled to get a neat join (due to my cack handedness) with either having glue to clean up that has seeped out or bulges where too much glue is in the joint.

To get around this i solder brass strip at the top of the coach side and then brass spacers between the two sides.

 

By using roof off cuts to space the sides you end up with a tight friction fit between the body and roof.

 

I then secure at either end from the inside with evostick. This then allows the roof to be easily removed if required in the future. It also makes painting easier as the body and roof are separate items.

I think it produces a nice clean join

 

[Tony Wright]

With all this talk of 'professional' loco builders/painters, there's also another branch of the hobby where 'professionals' play a big part; those who are architectural modellers. 

 

Though their creations don't have to 'work' in the physical sense, the skill and expertise required is to a very high standard indeed. A standard far beyond anything I could achieve.

 

It's been my privilege to photograph the work of a few, including.........................

 

 

The late Allan Downes. This was a commission for Gilbert Barnatt and represents Spalding Station, but rendered in red brick. I think it's now been sold-on, and Peter Leyland has done the buildings for Gilbert's current Peterborough North. 

 

I got on very well with Allan; he was huge fun, but any commission from him needed a tight brief and an even tighter rein. 

 

On one occasion, he asked me if I'd like something built by him (at mate's rates, of course). I said I'd be delighted, but it was nothing grandiose. At the time, WMRC was building Charwelton, and two platelayers' huts were required. 'How about these?' I asked. 'Perfect, leave it to me!'. I gave him drawings and photographs to use when building the huts.

 

What came back were incredible. But, incredibly wrong! Instead of wood/brick/corrugated iron, humble structures, what were presented had stone pantile roofs, mullioned windows (with sashes), crazy paving outside and built on the grand scale (bigger than the signal box). I asked where the flying buttresses were! 'You're not going to pay me for them, then?' 'No chance, they're all wrong'. 'But, don't these look much better?' 'No doubt, but they're no use for Charwelton - it's an actual prototype'. He grumbled, but we still remained friends until up to the time he died. I believe he tried to sell them to someone else...............

 

In the end, club member Norman Turner built them. .......

 

 

 

They're seen in the two pictures above. 

 

 

Geoff Taylor is a superb architectural modeller. Witness his work on 'The Gresley Beat'.

 

 

Another brilliant builder of buildings is Peter Leyland. 

 

This trio of 'signature' buildings was made for Carlisle (Graham, see what's needed!).

 

 

A team of Ukranian model-makers has now been commissioned to create Carlisle's buildings. Citadel's frontage is incredible.

 

 

Though Ian Wilson is not, in the strictest sense, a professional architectural modeller, he was the original proprietor of Prototype Models, designing numerous (prototype-based) building kits. 

 

I'm thus very fortunate in having him design and build several of Bytham's buildings (I pay him in locomotives), including the stationmaster's house. 

 

Another top builder whose work I'm privileged to have on Little Bytham is Bob Dawson.

 

 

He built the island platform station buildings (and The Willoughby Arms, and several other structures) for me (part paid for by my taking photographs). 

 

 

He also built this lovely bridge on the M&GNR section. 

 

 

His wonderful buildings have been seen at many shows. 

 

 

[Dylan Sanderson]

Good afternoon everyone, a little help if I may!

 

I'm absolutely over the moon with Hornby's A2/2s, I have both 501 and 505 and they're incredible. They'll look even better once they've been shipped over to Mr Foster for him to work his magic on!

 

But, 505 has a glaring issue that seems common on the A2/2. The cab/firebox/running plate fit is all wrong, and looks frankly awful, ruining an otherwise superb model, as pictured below. Does anyone know how this issue can be rectified? 

 

501 has the same issue, but luckily is no where near as bad and is acceptable (although not perfect)

 

I'm not a confident modeller at all, so I hope the solution doesn't require lots of disassembly and hacking!

 

Stay safe and happy modelling,

 

Dylan