What have you done with your Keyser kit

[hayfield]

Now Dave has sold off Southeastern Finecast perhaps we will see more of the older ranges that found their way to NuCast.

 

The smaller tank locos do have quite a following, the castings being the better part of these kits, some do like the simple format of the K's chassis, which can be easily bought up to modern day standards possibly with a decent set of wheels, certainly with a better gearbox/gears and modern motor

 

The partnership has both the Y7 & Y8 in production, will they produce the TVR0-4-0T or the LMS Johnson 0-4-0 ?

[russell price]

a couple of ks moguls, the Black one was my first ever loco kit, for my tenth birthday i asked for the Airfix BR Mogul, however this is what i got!!! Father didnt like plastic locos!! It was built in 1979. with a set of Romfords and a Portescap motor!! Mechanically untouched since the original build, it had a bodywork rebuild a few weeks ago and decided to paint it BR Black, i guess i got a BR mogul.  Is it me or does the Ks Cab seem to be the wrong shape? ive lopped a couple of MMs off the front of the cab roof and it looks much better. Without a drawing to hand, does the kit represent 4300-4320 only??

The unpainted one is a recent build, Bristol Models chassis with a recon xo4 powering it, markits wheels , M&L cab and 7300/9300 conversion bits, probably going to be in BR Lined Green livery, this will haul anything you want it to

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by russell price

[russell price]

Recent ebay purchase, mkII motor, Plastic D centre Wheels, chassis runs really well, the only bits that didnt come out of the Ks Box were the Connecting rods, £15 needing a front footplate which i had off an ebay scrpper, cant have too many moguls on the Cambrian.

[russell price]

a few more ks from various sources all need fettling and rebuilding/updating to run on my layout.

dean goods all ks except romford wheels

Beyer goods, romford wheels and Portescap motor

Bulldog  romford wheels, HP2M motor, High days use only!!!!!!

Duke Nu cast etched chassis, recon XO4 Drives rear axle

Aberdare  all Ks as intended MkII Motor

5800 tank all as Ks intended

Given that im very much from the Throw the wheels away and HP2M era of Ks kits it is surprising how many of theese rescues use the original chassis.

[russell price]

In need of a strip down and body overhaul is LMS Black Five, i built this in about 1980 and Dad did the Valve gear!! Romford Wheels and Portescap motor

[russell price]

An ebay rescue, had been watching it and no one bid on it, so had it for the starting bid as the auction ended!! it is superbly done all through and is all Ks except for an Anchorage Motor and Romford Wheels

Edited March 21, 2021 by russell price

[russell price]

Whilst the loco isnt Keyser i believe the motor to be an early Keyser unit, did i see earlier in the posts an advert showing this motor predating the cast loco kits?? I have a 1959 1400 autotank that has the earliest kit motor with the pole pieces screwed on an a badly bent whitemetal chassis. Does anyone have a spare whitemetal chassis, I have a few Locos with Gearboxes and Mashima motors but im still happy to run old school stuff , I could just put a new Comet chassis under it i suppose.  Having built a few Ks kits when they were in production they were all buildable and would work, my theory on some of the horrors surfacing on ebay giving Ks a worse name than ever is i suspect there are a number of reject/ returned kits etc as defective now coming onto the market

ive been caught with new ebay kits that have issues and do just wonder, preferring to buy badly built but complete ones nowadays/

[Steamport Southport]

5 hours ago, russell price said:

a couple of ks moguls, the Black one was my first ever loco kit, for my tenth birthday i asked for the Airfix BR Mogul, however this is what i got!!! Father didnt like plastic locos!! It was built in 1979. with a set of Romfords and a Portescap motor!! Mechanically untouched since the original build, it had a bodywork rebuild a few weeks ago and decided to paint it BR Black, i guess i got a BR mogul.  Is it me or does the Ks Cab seem to be the wrong shape? ive lopped a couple of MMs off the front of the cab roof and it looks much better. Without a drawing to hand, does the kit represent 4300-4320 only??

The unpainted one is a recent build, Bristol Models chassis with a recon xo4 powering it, markits wheels , M&L cab and 7300/9300 conversion bits, probably going to be in BR Lined Green livery, this will haul anything you want it to

 

 

The K's GWR Mogul is a 63XX version. Same type as Dapol now do. The easiest way to tell the difference is the splashers. Earlier versions had an elongated splasher.

 

Cabs correct ISTR.

 

Mainline did the 43XX (but not the first 20 which were shorter at the cab end and had an earlier type of cab). I think M&L also did a kit for that variant.

 

 

Jason

[Steamport Southport]

This is my recent purchase. Not my photo as I don't have a digital camera, so I'm using the ones from Hattons. Where it was obtained for what now seems to be a bargain IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has a few minor issues. But actually runs quite well after a bit of oiling. The cranks and rods aren't actually out of synch in real life.

 

Bought as I felt sorry for it and thought it would at least yield some parts. Needs new buffers, handrails, minor detailing, etc. But seems well built otherwise, just a bit tired and needs a repaint into proper GWR livery.

 

Not that fussy on the name. But might keep it if I can't find anything else that "fits" it's condition.

 

Posted while we had a show and tell of GWR models. I'll get a camera soon and post some photos, before I do something with it.

 

 

Jason

[hayfield]

9 hours ago, russell price said:

Whilst the loco isnt Keyser i believe the motor to be an early Keyser unit, did i see earlier in the posts an advert showing this motor predating the cast loco kits?? I have a 1959 1400 autotank that has the earliest kit motor with the pole pieces screwed on an a badly bent whitemetal chassis. Does anyone have a spare whitemetal chassis, I have a few Locos with Gearboxes and Mashima motors but im still happy to run old school stuff , I could just put a new Comet chassis under it i suppose.  Having built a few Ks kits when they were in production they were all buildable and would work, my theory on some of the horrors surfacing on ebay giving Ks a worse name than ever is i suspect there are a number of reject/ returned kits etc as defective now coming onto the market

ive been caught with new ebay kits that have issues and do just wonder, preferring to buy badly built but complete ones nowadays/

 

Russell

 

K's kits were produced to be a complete and affordable kit, early models even had transfers

 

The whitemetal casting was good for its time and can be made in to a nice model. But it was at a time when instructions were sparse, materials and tools in short availability and tooling in its infancy

 

If built well the chassis will work fine, the early pre-quartered wheels were a bit coarse and few recognised that the frames needed straightening

 

Some parts were made to a price, rather than longevity (crossheads etc)

 

Using plastic was in its infancy, so things like plastic spoked wheels tended to get broken easy, gears were of their time some good others bad. And the modern HP2M motors were not very robust and perhaps their downfall

 

As you say the models are around in large numbers and as you say can work very well as designed or lend themselves to upgrading

 

I think your 0-4-0 is an early cast RTR model from the early 50's

 

[MarkC]

My Spinner

[Pebbles]

13 hours ago, russell price said:

Whilst the loco isnt Keyser i believe the motor to be an early Keyser unit, did i see earlier in the posts an advert showing this motor predating the cast loco kits?? I have a 1959 1400 autotank that has the earliest kit motor with the pole pieces screwed on an a badly bent whitemetal chassis. Does anyone have a spare whitemetal chassis, I have a few Locos with Gearboxes and Mashima motors but im still happy to run old school stuff , I could just put a new Comet chassis under it i suppose.  Having built a few Ks kits when they were in production they were all buildable and would work, my theory on some of the horrors surfacing on ebay giving Ks a worse name than ever is i suspect there are a number of reject/ returned kits etc as defective now coming onto the market

ive been caught with new ebay kits that have issues and do just wonder, preferring to buy badly built but complete ones nowadays/

Your motor is almost certainly a "Zenith" I purchased the only one (in its original box complete with gears), I have ever seen from a model shop in Cheltenham in about 1990. They were advertised in model mags in the 1950s, so its almost antique! that said surperbly made.

[russell price]

27 minutes ago, Pebbles said:

Your motor is almost certainly a "Zenith" I purchased the only one (in its original box complete with gears), I have ever seen from a model shop in Cheltenham in about 1990. They were advertised in model mags in the 1950s, so its almost antique! that said surperbly made.

Thank you. not sure of the manufacturer of the loco either. It is a brass loco Jamieson style. Yes I know it was built  before 1961 as that’s when it’s builder passed away! It still runs better than much newer stuff.

[Steamport Southport]

I think it's meant to be an LMS Kitson.

 

Quite possibly Jamieson.

[Free At Last]

What have I done with my Keyser Kits?

Put them back in the cupboard to be forgotten about for another 40+ years.

[russell price]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

I think it's meant to be an LMS Kitson.

 

Quite possibly Jamieson.

Yes certainly a kitson. Just not sure of its ancestry.

[russell price]

10 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

Russell

 

K's kits were produced to be a complete and affordable kit, early models even had transfers

 

The whitemetal casting was good for its time and can be made in to a nice model. But it was at a time when instructions were sparse, materials and tools in short availability and tooling in its infancy

 

If built well the chassis will work fine, the early pre-quartered wheels were a bit coarse and few recognised that the frames needed straightening

 

Some parts were made to a price, rather than longevity (crossheads etc)

 

Using plastic was in its infancy, so things like plastic spoked wheels tended to get broken easy, gears were of their time some good others bad. And the modern HP2M motors were not very robust and perhaps their downfall

 

As you say the models are around in large numbers and as you say can work very well as designed or lend themselves to upgrading

 

I think your 0-4-0 is an early cast RTR model from the early 50's

 

Is this the one you are thinking of? Hambling’s  Gnat also having a heavy overhaul. Romford wheels have replaced the Hamblings originals and also a Keyser MkII motor powers it

[hayfield]

I think there were two or three variants about in the early 50's, I somehow seem to recall the firm was either in Kent or Sussex way. A chap who sadly has stopped posting  "Bertie Dog" was very knowledgeable on the subject

[Marshall5]

2 hours ago, russell price said:

Is this the one you are thinking of? Hambling’s  Gnat also having a heavy overhaul. Romford wheels have replaced the Hamblings originals and also a Keyser MkII motor powers it

Hamblings sold several OO locos produced by other small manufacturers.  In this case the model is an Essar 'Gnat' as identified.  Other models they sold were the Reidpath 'Jinty' lookalike (with round top firebox) and the Gaiety 57xx pannier. My Dad had examples of each from about 1956 and they ran for ever.  He sold all his OO stuff years ago but I still have the photos.

Ray.

[russell price]

7 minutes ago, hayfield said:

I think there were two or three variants about in the early 50's, I somehow seem to recall the firm was either in Kent or Sussex way. A chap who sadly has stopped posting  "Bertie Dog" was very knowledgeable on the subject

i think ive read some of his posts about theese, i have a super collection of older locos, some are complete basket  restoration jobs, another favourite is a Farish Black five still with its original motor!!!!

[Sandhole]

My Knat. Sill aas Hamblings intended.
Coachbogie put a set of Airfix valve gear on it. No problem, because the beast is powered on both axles by a big ringfield motor.
The connecting rod got broken, on one side, when I moved house. I must sort it out.
I have to warm up the motor. Then she's a lovely runner.
The fireless is Impetus.
Christmas present from Mike.

[Chas Levin]

On 21/03/2021 at 22:30, russell price said:

An ebay rescue, had been watching it and no one bid on it, so had it for the starting bid as the auction ended!! it is superbly done all through and is all Ks except for an Anchorage Motor and Romford Wheels

Very nice

[locomad2]

The "beast" built by myself in my teens, it originally had 2 K's motors and it just about moved itself, its ended up on the repair list after the value gear broke. Always been my aim to re motor it,  and get it into good working order,  I've the layout now to cope with the larger curves. I  could go down the route of 2 HD R1 chassis with 4MT value gear or fit 2 X04 motors and repair the value gear.

 

Plan is go try the X04 route, if it fails use the HD route, I've noticed someone selling HD "neverwas" for £600, so nothing to lose. The X04 motor will be a lot lower, and value gear mounts need to be changed.

 

 

It's so heavy it discovered the filled in inspection pit hence the bend in the middle

[Barclay]

Can anyone advise me on this K's 1361 I have bought off ebay?

 

The body looks pretty decent but the chassis will need a lot of adjustment including conversion to EM gauge. I have not seen this incarnation of the K's wheel before though. Good strong wheels on what look like plain axles. All insulated. Perhaps a brass bush between wheel and axle. Keyhole type holes in the frames for the brass bearings. Would these have been pre-assembled and quartered at the factory, and if so, is it possible to get them off the axles without damage and re-fit them to a standard EM axle by, say, Gibson? Thank you.

 

Out of interest the chassis will need moving back to put the rear drivers in the correct position and the front portion of the wheelbase is too long - curious anomalies.

 

 

[hayfield]

Barclay

 

The chassis is of the early design, the wheels being quite coarse and due to the axle holes being stamped out, it is quite possible the mainframes are banana shaped

 

I thought I posted this, but looking at this thread I have not 

 

I was going to title this "What I will do with my K's kit"

 

 

I bought an old unmade kit for £40 which hade the old type chassis, pre-quartered wheels and the Mk 1 motor, the chassis was disposed of and fetched £20 ish. I have spare Romford drivers for it, also a 10mm can motor and I invested in a CSP 1361 chassis. The main bonus of the CSP chassis is that it uses a hard cast crosshead and cylinder rod and etched connecting rod, the intension is to build it to EM gauge, certainly a big challenge using the K's chassis, but as Barclay has mentioned the wheelbase is incorrect, no doubt nigh on impossible.

 

The two reservations I have are. Firstly will there be enough clearance using Romford wheels behind the cylinders ? I may have to fall back on buying a set of Gibson's. If my 10mm can motor is not up to it I have a very small Mashima motor. Will finish off with a nice High Level  gear box