What have you done with your Keyser kit

[hayfield]

12 hours ago, Brassey said:

GWR Beyer Goods.  Bought as a wreck of parts on ebay.  Many parts missing but I recognised what it was, now merged with Dean Goods and other elements from the spares box.  Scratch built chassis.  K's Broad Gauge Rover tender converted and also on scratch built chassis.  DCC sound with cube speaker in the tender.  Front springs will be sorted once it's painted.  Brake gear still to do:

 

 

That looks superb, perhaps a step above what many of us can achieve, but certainly an exceptional model

 

Thinking back to when I first started building them, certainly my skills were awful, tools and glues were quite naive, as was information on building techniques. Simple things like temperature controlled soldering irons, liquid flux and a range of low and medium solder. If you are into to gluing, them no super glue let alone industrial grade, epoxy glue is now much better plus a whole range of more modern glues

 

The range of etched brass chassis are now quite extensive, motor prices have fallen and gearboxes are far better than old motor mounts. Perhaps wheels is the area that has fallen behind. Markits are very expensive now and Gibson not the easiest to use. But our expectations are now far greater 

[Brassey]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

 

That looks superb, perhaps a step above what many of us can achieve, but certainly an exceptional model

 

Thinking back to when I first started building them, certainly my skills were awful, tools and glues were quite naive, as was information on building techniques. Simple things like temperature controlled soldering irons, liquid flux and a range of low and medium solder. If you are into to gluing, them no super glue let alone industrial grade, epoxy glue is now much better plus a whole range of more modern glues

 

The range of etched brass chassis are now quite extensive, motor prices have fallen and gearboxes are far better than old motor mounts. Perhaps wheels is the area that has fallen behind. Markits are very expensive now and Gibson not the easiest to use. But our expectations are now far greater 

Thanks.  It is far from perfect. 
 

This had been glued and also in places soldered using standard solder. It spent years in solutions to remove the paint and glue and to dismantle itself. Eventually I managed to pull it apart. Then the footplate spent some more years pinned to a board to straighten it. 

 

the wheels are Gibson (P4) and I split 3 outside cranks during the assembly. Luckily I had some spares. 
 

Mashima 1420 motor with a high level gearbox. Beam compensation allows all wheels to move. Hornblocks are MJT. 

 

the tender has 3 point compensation and pick ups too. The speaker is in the tender. Just the toolboxes to fit and then prep for the paintshop. 

[hayfield]

9 hours ago, Brassey said:

Thanks.  It is far from perfect. 
 

This had been glued and also in places soldered using standard solder. It spent years in solutions to remove the paint and glue and to dismantle itself. Eventually I managed to pull it apart. Then the footplate spent some more years pinned to a board to straighten it. 

 

the wheels are Gibson (P4) and I split 3 outside cranks during the assembly. Luckily I had some spares. 
 

Mashima 1420 motor with a high level gearbox. Beam compensation allows all wheels to move. Hornblocks are MJT. 

 

the tender has 3 point compensation and pick ups too. The speaker is in the tender. Just the toolboxes to fit and then prep for the paintshop. 

 

A smelly but effective and cheap method for both whitemetal and plastic is a bath in Dettol for a couple of days (great pity they don't make an odourless version,it also attacks certain glues 

[Prometheus]

I recently acquired a pair of Dean luggage vans and four Siphon F vans in poor condition. The Dean vans had been dismantled but showed signs of far too much glue, cement fingermarks and torn plastic. The roofs had also been snapped off the sprues rather than cut away and so had bites which needed careful filling. Both Deans were incomplete, also. The Siphons were all there, except for their bogies, but needed fettling. The first Dean has been completed and two Siphons are close on its heels. Worth the effort I think - the Deans are attractive vehicles - but I will replace the bogies [BSL] in due course. Repairing them was a project in itself and whilst they run, I cannot eliminate some tightness somewhere. They'll do, however. Some liberties have been taken with the livery [but it's what i wanted!].

 

 

Tony

Edited May 25, 2021 by Prometheus

[Prometheus]

....and a pair of Siphon F vans, part of a collection of four recently acquired in need of attention / rebuilding.

 

 

 

Incidentally, I found that 3mm [as in TT] decals were the right size for lettering between the panels: the G & W fit perfectly.

 

The problem with this group of four however is that, when finished, they’ll all run on K’s version of GWR American bogies whereas only two ever ran on them. Ah well, Rule One I suppose....

 

Tony

Edited May 29, 2021 by Prometheus

[Prometheus]

With all four now built, three run perfectly and the fourth adequately, although for that van, the track needs to be laid well. Anyway, an attractive rake for just thirty quid. But I wonder though just how often four of these would have run together given that only six were built....

 

 

And to add some visual interest, I gave two of the vans some branding. Probably not completely prototypical but they don't look so out of place.

 

 

 

By the way, how does one drill a square hole?

 

Tony

 

 

[bike2steam]

Glutten for punishment me!! Just acquired my 4th K's Stanier Mogul kit, probably end up the same as the others( page 21), with a suitably altered Wizard/Comet Fowler/Stanier 2-6-4T chassis kit, and High Level gearbox with motor(?)   -  Now in the pile of things to do when I (eventually) get this new layout finished.??????????

 

Edited June 14, 2021 by bike2steam

[Gibbo675]

1 hour ago, Prometheus said:

By the way, how does one drill a square hole?

 

Tony

 

 

Hi Tony,

 

With a fancy drilling attachment and a three fluted bit:

 

 

Alternatively you could brooch the hole.

 

Gibbo.

[lofty1966]

Collection of six. Got an etched brass one to make and a couple that could well end up as siphon C's

[Prometheus]

A Siphon C is next in line, utilising Keyser and Ratio parts. You can never have too many brown vehicles!

 

Tony

[Graham456]

4 hours ago, Prometheus said:

. You can never have too many brown vehicles!

Tony

eer um well I have built. Six keyser' siphon F's  the same as the GWR had all acquired at toy fairs cheep and built by previous owners, stripped and detailed by me with bits added that you could get from CPS before he died to do this (Mainly brake gear,) 

now the problem is haveing two more kits which would make eight two more than really exested  so you can have too many ! No I can't resist temptation.when it's cheep

Perhaps! I can experiment by shortening the stretched middle panels on these and fit the right bogies to the ones that didn't have the American ones, why did I miss that detail ?

Edited June 15, 2021 by Graham456

[Prometheus]

.....or chop them up to make Siphon C vans?

 

I cannot resist cheap buys either. I bought a still-shrink-wrapped-on-its-card K’s Dean PBV for an extraordinary £15 the other day. I’ve three built already, but they are such attractive vehicles.

 

Tony

[Graham456]

11 minutes ago, Prometheus said:

.....or chop them up to make Siphon C vans?

Tony

Yes but !

shiresceens etched brass sides on ratio coach underframes sorted my need for siphon C's out !even if the foot boards are a bit fragile so you then have to buy a brass detailing kit to sort that out

 

Quote

I cannot resist cheap buys either. I bought a still-shrink-wrapped-on-its-card K’s Dean PBV for an extraordinary £15 the other day. I’ve three built already, but they are such attractive vehicles.

 

but at least with these PBV you can ring the changes livery wise   And yep £15 is good 

 

anyway just about to start. On a keyser L M S cattle wagon haveing two coral A,s awaiting HRMS transfers to go back into production so I can say 

what have I done with my keyser kit?,,,,,,,,,,,built them

Edited June 15, 2021 by Graham456

[lofty1966]

47 minutes ago, Prometheus said:

.....or chop them up to make Siphon C vans?

 

I cannot resist cheap buys either. I bought a still-shrink-wrapped-on-its-card K’s Dean PBV for an extraordinary £15 the other day. I’ve three built already, but they are such attractive vehicles.

 

Tony

I think I'm up to seven PBV's.

Bought two the other week with 3 x 60ft brass rooves, 6 K's suburban B rooves, 3 brass underframes and some cast bogies and wheels. Twenty quid BIN....well I had to didn't I?

Edited June 15, 2021 by lofty1966

[Prometheus]

Blimey. Good buy.

 

tony

[33C]

This kit was part of a job lot of railway models i found at a flea market many moons ago, still shrink wrapped on its cards and amazingly complete......a bit of a faff to build but it does work! 

Edited June 15, 2021 by 33C
added detail

[Prometheus]

Very nice, and hand-lined, too. 

 

Tony

[Sophia NSE]

Part kitbuild (not by me!), part scratchbuild, part modifying RTR....

The chassis and front drivers are from a K's 14xx kit 

[Prometheus]

This one I didn't make, but I did get it running!

 

 

A £40 eBay non-runner. Nicely built and on Romfords, it had to be worth a punt. Reason for not running? Immediately visible on arrival: a pick-up was in contact with a wheel spoke, causing a short. 30 second repair and it now runs beautifully on - surprisingly - its original K's motor. Some very minor cosmetics will follow and I'll get shot of the Triang couplings, too.

 

Tony

[russell price]

Looks a good buy there.

[Brassey]

Beyer Goods 334 pretty much finished; springs and brake gear added:

 

 

On 18/04/2021 at 20:02, Brassey said:

GWR Beyer Goods.  Bought as a wreck of parts on ebay.  Many parts missing but I recognised what it was, now merged with Dean Goods and other elements from the spares box.  Scratch built chassis.  K's Broad Gauge Rover tender converted and also on scratch built chassis.  DCC sound with cube speaker in the tender.  Front springs will be sorted once it's painted.  Brake gear still to do:

 

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Brassey

[hayfield]

Brassey

 

That's a very nice job you have done there and shows silk purses are possible from pigs ears, I thought the wheels and coupling rods looked too good for K's items. As our Cornish friends would say " Proper Job"  Thanks for sharing

[Brassey]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

Brassey

 

That's a very nice job you have done there and shows silk purses are possible from pigs ears, I thought the wheels and coupling rods looked too good for K's items. As our Cornish friends would say " Proper Job"  Thanks for sharing

Thanks. Yes the wheels are Gibson as well as the rods I think and the outside cranks of which I managed to split a few. The biggest challenge was the springs. The spring hangers are a Martin Finney etch and the castings came from the spares box

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, Brassey said:

Thanks. Yes the wheels are Gibson as well as the rods I think and the outside cranks of which I managed to split a few. The biggest challenge was the springs. The spring hangers are a Martin Finney etch and the castings came from the spares box

 

 

I have a couple of Falcon Brass sets of etches only, I will look to combine a K's kit parts with the etched bits

[Brassey]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

 

 

I have a couple of Falcon Brass sets of etches only, I will look to combine a K's kit parts with the etched bits

I think this will be my last K’s kit. I do have a 44xx which I was going to build as a 45xx (2190) but I have since acquired a Malcolm Mitchell kit so will build that instead. 
 

I also have some Falcon etches that I will combine with a K’s Dukedog footplate to build a Bulldog/Bird. Waiting for the wheels