A J15 for Finsbury Square

[31A]

 

Been playing around with a Hornby J15, obtained from a Forum member as part of a 'horse trading' arrangement.

 

The model started life as 65356 (R3231); this was one of two J15s which originally only had steam brakes, and were given train vacuum brakes in 1933.  The other was 65390, and of the two only the latter also received steam heating equipment.

 

This version of the Hornby model is supplied with the footplate casting which portrays a vacuum pipe on one side of the running plate, and a steam pipe on the other.  Consequently it seems more suited to 65390, which is the number I've given mine; it corresponds in terms of the shape of the cab side, and the tender frame cutouts.  Strictly speaking, it should also have balanced driving wheels.

 

As part of the vacuum brake fitment, a pipe ran horizontally from the cab to the smokebox; I've added this using 0.9mm brass wire, the junction with the smokebox being a small washer.  This loco also had an extra lamp iron at the front above the right hand (driver's side) buffer; the RCTS 'Green Book' says this was in an LMS position for working on the Cambridge-Kettering line.  I'm slightly suspicious of this as I can't find any pictures of other locos on that line, whether J15s, ex MR 2-4-0s, or LMS Class 2 2-6-0s carrying either the extra lamp iron, or two lamps above the buffer.  I suspect it might have more to do with a previous existence in the London area, but in any case I've added it to my model.  I also added a tarpaulin rail on the tender (from nickel silver strip and wire), crew and fire irons.

 

I also carried out a modification to lower the body on the mechanism, to make the join between the upper and lower parts of the boiler less obvious.  This is easy enough to do and involves filing metal from the front and back ends of the chassis block; you just need to remember to keep the loco / tender wiring out of the way of your big file.  I realised this the split second after I'd mangled the wiring; suffice to say this loco is no longer DCC Ready!

 

 

The real 65390 lead an interesting existence for the last few years of its life; in the 1950s it was allocated to Cambridge and used on the Kettering line, then transferred to March in 1957 and further reallocated to Neasden later the same year, from where it was used from the sub shed at Aylesbury on the Princes Risborough-Watlington branch until withdrawal in December 1958.  Quite what it's doing at Finsbury Square is something of a mystery!

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

Very nice, I love a good J15, Err, time for an update on the layout, Please, pretty please.

 

manna

[31A]

Thanks, Manna!  I'll have to think about what's new.  I have put some stuff about signals on the 'S&T' thread and more to come I hope, and new rolling stock on the 'C&W' thread (again, more to come soon), but as to the actual layout I'm not sure much has changed since the last instalment, but I'll see what I can come up with.