What have you done with your Keyser kit

[Jon Fitness]

As a young, impatient and impetuous teenager, I made my one and only K's kit, a Coal Tank. It never ran properly despite many re-builds and finally burnt out the motor and bent a coupling rod. It then proceeded to move further and faster than it ever had before, landing with a satisfying crunch in the middle of the road about 30 ft from my bedroom window where I left it to be repeatedly run over by the passing traffic......

There are probably still a few bits embedded in the surface of Westbourne Avenue in Great Lever, Bolton if you need any spares....

JF

[hayfield]

 

As a young, impatient and impetuous teenager, I made my one and only K's kit, a Coal Tank. It never ran properly despite many re-builds and finally burnt out the motor and bent a coupling rod. It then proceeded to move further and faster than it ever had before, landing with a satisfying crunch in the middle of the road about 30 ft from my bedroom window where I left it to be repeatedly run over by the passing traffic......

There are probably still a few bits embedded in the surface of Westbourne Avenue in Great Lever, Bolton if you need any spares....

JF

  

As a young, impatient and impetuous teenager, I made my one and only K's kit, a Coal Tank. It never ran properly despite many re-builds and finally burnt out the motor and bent a coupling rod. It then proceeded to move further and faster than it ever had before, landing with a satisfying crunch in the middle of the road about 30 ft from my bedroom window where I left it to be repeatedly run over by the passing traffic......

There are probably still a few bits embedded in the surface of Westbourne Avenue in Great Lever, Bolton if you need any spares....

JF

 Thats a shame as I have one to build, but if the chassis is too naff I have a London Road chassis waiting to be built. 

As a young, impatient and impetuous teenager, I made my one and only K's kit, a Coal Tank. It never ran properly despite many re-builds and finally burnt out the motor and bent a coupling rod. It then proceeded to move further and faster than it ever had before, landing with a satisfying crunch in the middle of the road about 30 ft from my bedroom window where I left it to be repeatedly run over by the passing traffic......

There are probably still a few bits embedded in the surface of Westbourne Avenue in Great Lever, Bolton if you need any spares....

JF

 

[coachmann]

Is that the web equivalent of a stutter John...

[Jon Fitness]

Someone likes what I wrote!

Is that the web equivalent of a stutter John...

[hayfield]

Me and technology, I guess it truly is a multi quote.

 

 

 

[dajt]

Hello dajt, I posted a few pics of my layout on the old RMWeb.  Look at RMWeb 2006 to 2009,  'Kit building and scratchbuilding' and then 'Modelling the pre-group scene'

There are some nice examples of Coachman Larry's handiwork.

Derek

 

Hi Derek, I just had a look via the link kindly posted by someone else. Beautiful work. I had seen it a few years ago because I remember the part about the OO gauge track for your son, I thought that was great given most people who could model like you probably wouldn't countenance doing that Those P4/S7 types take it a bit too seriously sometimes.

[Jol Wilkinson]

Hi Derek, I just had a look via the link kindly posted by someone else. Beautiful work. I had seen it a few years ago because I remember the part about the OO gauge track for your son, I thought that was great given most people who could model like you probably wouldn't countenance doing that Those P4/S7 types take it a bit too seriously sometimes.

Good modelling is always good modelling. What it has got to do with P4/S4 I can't see. And as one of those "types" are you saying I can't take my modelling seriously?

 

Jol

[Mrkirtley800]

Thanks for the nice comments folks.  I started modelling in EM back in the mid 1950's, why - I have no idea.  Seemed like a good idea at the time, although I have never regretted it.  I joined the EM Gauge Society in, I think, about 1961-ish but for some reason didn't renew my membership.  Rejoined in 1966 and have been a member since then.  Well worth the membership subscription and I found really nice and helful people running it.

I would probably have modelled in 18.83 gauge had it been a viable proposition in the early 60's but to change now would be a massive undertaking and anyway EM gauge satisfies me, although during the last few years I have been building '0' gauge locos for my yougest son and my grandson.  Sorry to get off topic.

Derek

[Captain Kernow]

I never ended up building too many K's kits (although I suspect I actually tackled more than I can currently remember, certainly more than I have photos for!)...

 

Here are three examples from many years ago.

 

This was an old kit when I built it in 1985 for a friend. As can be seen from the photos, I built it pretty much 'as per', using the components supplied in the kit. As it had to be run on a layout, however, I drew the line at using their wheels and substituted Romfords. I remember that this was a really rough old kit, and the castings needed a lot of fettling to get them to fit...

 

 

 

Here is one that I had initially built for myself in 1977, again pretty much using all components as supplied. When first built, 4406 was glued together using epoxy, but I became dissatisfied with both the running qualities and the paint finish, so it was completely stripped down a few years later. After a period in store, I rebuilt it in 1984, soldering it this time and scratchbuilding a completely new chassis and using Romford wheels. I still have this one, and it makes very occasional appearances on my OO layouts on railtours...

 

 

The 44XX was the last loco I built for myself to be finished in GW colours, as in 1984 I changed my allegiance to the BR black era.

 

Also built in 1984, initially using the original K's chassis but with Romford wheels and an awful ECM motor, was 1451. She ran smoothly enough, but the noise of the motor and gears attracted the nickname of 'meat grinder'. A few years ago she became the only one of my OO locos to be re-gauged to P4. For this I made very little change to the body, but built a new (Perseverence) chassis, Mashima motor and High Level gearbox. She is now a Callow Lane loco and has made occasional appearances on Re6/6's layout 'Matford', hauling the 'Dawlish Donkey':

 

One other K's kit I built was a '1363' saddle tank kit. This was the very first whitemetal loco kit I ever bought, in my teens, in the early 1970s. It was rebuilt at least once, but was eventually sold to a friend and subsequently sold on. I have no photos that I'm aware of of her, as I didn't own a decent camera at that time.

 

[devonseasider]

Afraid they're not very good photos, but here's one of the K's family still in regular use on "Tormouth Quay".

Obviously unfinished when the photos were taken a couple of years ago (and, if I'm honest, still unfinished to this day!) but looking the part running between the warehouses & the water's edge.

 

I threw away everything below the running plate 9 or 10 years back & fitted Gibson frames, Romford wheels, Mashima flat can & Branchlines multibox.  The motor drives the rear axle with beam compensation on the front 2 axles using MJT (I think) hornblocks.  Ran very well up to the Taunton show last October, when it turned into a good representation of a 3-legged dog.  For some reason a soldered joint on the chassis has fractured and a house move (& all the fun that goes with it!) means that I haven't had the opportunity to do anything about it.

 

 

 

 

I remember the real 47161 from the days "when I were a lad".  I was in Blackpool & it was shedded at Fleetwood, just a short bike ride away.  On my fairly frequent visits I would find it pottering about the shed yard or shunting the fish quay except on the days when I had a camera in the saddle bag.  On those occasions it would be tucked away in the back of the shed in a completely unphotographable (is that a word?) position.  Then one day it wasn't there at all and it never came back.  Never did get a photo of it!

47165 was another one-time Fleetwood inmate but it disappeared even earlier and managed a short existence elsewhere before its date with Gertie GasTorch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[micknich2003]

 Just found the attached advert for K's first motor. For its day it looks a quility product, but at 37/6 very expensive, without checking the then Triand/Rovex eqivelent would probably have been less the "Ten Bob". Does anyone have recollecton of this K's motor?

 By 1952 K's must have been in business for sometime, in the April "MRN" they are once again advertising their annual loco building compotition.

 Same page, the advert/description of the "Scale" colour light signal, would today, be a bit close to the Trade Descripion Act. Mick.

[Horsetan]

....the advert/description of the "Scale" colour light signal, would today, be a bit close to the Trade Descripion Act.

 

Early fibre optics. I love the massive bulb hiding underneath!!

[micknich2003]

^{Probably a Perspex rod with polished ends.}

[jwealleans]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but it's an excuse to get some locos out...

 

J72, bought unfinished and incomplete at the Wakefield show club stand at the end of 2011. Twenty quid and the chap dropped it for me for free. Luckily it survived. Now has a Comet chassis and detail bits from Arthur K and Mainly Trains.

 

 

The original chassis had brass plates either side of a whitemetal casting and I'm pretty sure I looked in Robert Forsythe's book and found that it could be as old as the late 1950s. It's almost certainly older than me.

 

6272 was bought part built and incomplete from Ebay. Dave Alexander tender and the rest of the bits from Autocom. One of my favourite engines.

 

 

The next two came as a pair, again from Ebay. The chap knew nothing about model railways and hadn't realised they were EM - neither did I until I tried to run them. 3249 still has K's wheels and motor and is in 'as bought' condition.

 

 

4444 was regauged to OO. The motor expired in what I now know was a predictable cloud of smoke after not much use and it now has a Mashima and a flywheel. Neither of them is the right colour but they are so nicely painted I've never been able to bring myself to strip them down. They're a credit to the original builder, whoever he was.

 

 

The Grano on the right was a swap with the OP - for a cattle van as I recall. It's had new underpinnings and a great deal of detailing and now runs on Thurston at shows.

 

 

Finally, two vans I was given to build for Ormesby Hall, both of which now run on the Pilmoor layout. An LNER corrugated end van

 

 

and a banana van.

 

 

Just don't ask what a single banana van is doing roaming the North East.

Edited September 29, 2018 by jwealleans

[Captain Kernow]

Just don't ask what a single banana van is doing roaming the North East

Clearly delivering single bananas to discerning customers!

 

Lovely images Jonathan, some very good work clearly gone into those kits to get them to that standard 

[Coach bogie]

The first thing on opening the box or vac-pack was to thrown away the motor, the plastic 'D' axle wheels and any whitemetal motion, and replace them with an MW5 or XO4, 30 to 1 gearset, Romford lathe turned drivers and make the motion out of rail

 

I keep being told this. I am down to my last couple of K's kits now and decided to see if the critical comments were justified. I too usually replaced wheels with Romfords, though not on the GWR double frame engines. Most of my Bulldogs, Duke, Earl, Aberdares, 2361 etc all run with original motor and original wheels/ metal outside cranks. There was a batch with plastic outside cranks that was never going to be strong enough.

 

Recently I decided to build my last Pannier kit as Ken Keyser intended, with original wheels and motor. It is now built, painted and running and it works fine. Whether I could have done this as a teenager, when I built my first K's, I doubt, but being much older, more skilled, and determined, I have been pleasantly surprised how well it runs.

 

I prefer to think that K's inspired more modellers to build engines, rather than put them off. Certainly the critics who challenged me to build the Pannier were not put off. They just accepted K's for what they were but went for replacement parts that suited their purpose/layout, as I have done with many of mine. Granges, Moguls, Prairies, 48XX, other Panniers etc all have Romfords, mainly because Romfords were easily obtainable, easier to fit and inexpensive in relation to the price of a kit. To purchase a set of Romfords at the new increased price for the Pannier below would give little change out of £40 for a kit that cost £25.

 

They were what they were. Sadly the market changed and diversified in many directions, and K's (and Wills to a certain extent) could not keep up with the many different demands in terms of brass V cast, choice of three gauges, coreless motors etc and of course, changing technology and  lifestyles ( I installed the first PC at work in 1985 -the year the K's tooling was sold on). One could argue they were too good. Every K's kit I own, or built for others is still running. Not helpful for future sales potential.

 

Thanks K's. My layout would be significantly less motive power without you - if I had continued with a layout at all. It was Ken Keyser who inspired me as a teenager to have a go. He made me a personal promise to replace any part I broke during assembly. He was as good as his word and introduced me to a new world of scale prototypes curing my boredom and dissatisfaction with plastic jinties and Halls.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[Grasshopper John]

Hello Hayfield,

 

Remember me , My first ever build started in Jan 2012. What an adventure and what a learning curve. I fancied building something and came across a 70's K Kit Hall 68xx on the bay neither of which i had ever heard of. I was surprised when it arrived that is was vertualy a flat pack of WM parts all vacuum packed.

 

Thus began a never ending story and getting bitten by the bug of building Locomotives, which incidentally I have a fond passion for being a late 50's kid. Anyway Hayfield and others were a great help on my uphill struggle.

 

I used all of the Kit apart from wheels and motor ( i'll get me coat ) 

 

 

 

 

 

Was never pleased with the gloss paint finish but it was a learning curve, still building to this day all of 15 months later, still love it.

 

Grasshopper John.

[Earlswood Nob]

Evening all

I found the box for my first Kay's kit (J72) today as I was looking for something else. It is the same as JW's above, with the address as Hanover Court, Shepherds Bush, but with "70 series" handstamped under the pic. I bought it in about 1970/1 from Passmore models in Coulsdon, which I think was Bob Wills old shop. I did fit Romford drivers, but it still runs on the old Kays MkII motor. It looks amateurish compared the my other J72 which is a Mainline body with a Mainly trains chassis and Mashima motor, but it will pull a lot more.

Earlswood nob

[Arthur]

My first ever kit was a K's Coal Tank, which I was quite pleased with at the time.

 

Here are some others I've built over the years, posing on the module I built of this years SWAG meet.  They all have Romford wheels and gears, and Anchoridge motors of one type or another. All have etched brake gear on the locos and new frames as most were bought as bodyline kits.

 

 

 

 

 

The Midland 2F has a Perseverance etched chassis and I modified the round top firebox by added a Belpaire firebox in brass.

 

 

I've a Fowler dock tank and Robinson O4 2-8-0 somewhere too.

 

Unbuilt, I've still got bodyline kits for another O4 which was going to be modified to an O4/7, a Princess, Duchess, 8F and a Garratt most of which have Comet chassis to go with them.  

 

 

[Earlswood Nob]

Morning all

I have replaced all my Kay's brass slab atom bomb proof chassis. The J72 got a Mainly Trains chassis (for Mainline J72 but fits). The C1 Atlantic has a scratchbuilt chassis, The J50 has a Gibson chassis, but a chopped short Comet N2 would have fitted. The J3 has a scratch chassis, but a Comet GWR chaissis will fit, and has a plasticard tender, as the supplied tender is wrong, with the original tender going to  a SEFinecast K3 to make an early GNR version. The O4 is a useful work horse, as was the original, and one can pick up O4 kits cheaply. They all have new chassis with one built as a O4/1 as per kit, one converted into an O4/4 with new boiler etc, another into an O5 with new boiler etc, another is being converted into an S1 with sidetanks, and there is one left which is planned to have the boiler shortened and  fitted with a new footplate and chassis to become a B9. The B2 has a new chassis, and when I find another one, that will be converted into a B3.

Earlswood Nob

Edited May 2, 2013 by Earlswood Nob

[Ceptic]

 

Just remembered....

 

If anyone has a K's Rebuilt "Merchant Navy" kit tucked away, have a good hard look at that firebox casting. I think K's famously cast it the wrong way round......

 

 

It looks as if Ks,... instead of giving Albert Goodall a call,... relied too heavily on the 'O' gauge drawings, published in the July 1972 'Model Railways' (Now defunct MAP mag.).

The plan view shows a severely tapered firebox, with a parallel boiler, i.e. no tapered boiler ring adjacent to firebox.

 

Shown below is, long timeee - no finisheee, K's MN with firebox and boiler, re- modelled to Albert's dimensions.  Alongside is Hornby's 'skinny' version.

The firebox does taper in from cab to boiler, but only by about an inch or so.

Plus, the cab roof has been re-profiled.

 

P.S.  There was a review, by, one, Dave Lowery, in the Jan. 1984 edition of the same mag.

 

Regards.

 

P.P.S. Edit :

A slice of the MN's firebox / boiler G/A, backing up Albert.   Of course, the cladding should be added to these dimensions.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Ceptic

[Digs]

Here's another K's kit - my first, built last month. The box is from my youth though! The instructions were dated 1982 but the artwork seems older somehow...

 

Pretty basic, but I added a floor and some other bits and pieces and am happy enough with it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another K's kit - my first, built last month. The box is from my youth though! The instructions were dated 1982 but the artwork seems older somehow...

 

Pretty basic, but I added a floor and some other bits and pieces and am happy enough with it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

Found another one - purchased at 'Wheels of Steel' in London last year.  I bought two, one for myself to be finished in SR livery and this one which I've done in SECR colours for Corfe.

 

Edited October 17, 2018 by jwealleans

[bike2steam]

A K's Terrier body on a scratchbuilt chassis (with correct wheelbase)with a 'shoehorned' DS10 motor, a reliable, smooth, and quiet running stalwart on 'Bembridge' for over 10 years.

[Mallard60022]

I only had one Ks full Loco Kit. It was a Grange that I bought in about 1976/7 at the Co-op in Rushden (I think). It remained in the box until Geoff Brewin (now of Comet Models) had his arm twisted very hard indeed to build it for me in the late 90s. He made a fantastic job of it and I seem to remember it actually works despite having the original wheels and motor. However, it is 'lost' in the 36E archive (loft) at the moment. Geoff has spoken to me since.........................

I think I actually won a Ks Bodyline Kit in a raffle at a model railway show sometime in the early 70s and glued it together and then attached it to a Hornby Dublo(?) chassis.

It was some sort of condensing tank loco and I'm going to try and find it so you can all have a bl**dy good laugh 

I've built a few of those SR vans over the years; think I actually painted one as well...............

However, I read somewhere that it is quite a good idea to keep the first loco you build and then dig it out (if it isn't buried in the tarmac) at some later date and place beside the latest one. Uuuuummm; not sure I would do that.................................... 

I think  the items illustrated so far prove that silk purses are really possible.

 

P

Edited May 21, 2013 by Mallard60022