Wright writes.....

[APOLLO]

A nice late Christmas Eve sound recording of times past far away. Have a drink and listen.

 

Have a merry Christmas everyone.

 

 

Brit15

 

[Bucoops]

Happy Christmas to Tony, Mo and Jilly, and every contributor to Wright Writes - thank you for another year of education, inspiration and amusement 😊

[Tony Wright]

What happened in April?

 

 

Polybear bought this scratch-built A2/2. 

 

Originally built by Mike Edge, part-rebuilt by me, painted by Ian Rathbone and once the property of Gilbert Barnett.

 

 

 

Compensation was mentioned.

 

 

I rebuilt a WSM D2 for Jesse Sim (actually completed in March, but filmed a little later).

 

 

And made a video showing the M&GNR sequence, which included the late Brian Lee's scratch-built 3P. 

 

 

I finished the rebuilding of a South Eastern Finecast K3.

 

 

And also produced an O4/8 using K's bits, Graeme King's boiler fittings, a Bachmann B1 body and a bit of scratch-building. 

 

 

I bought this Nu-Cast O2/2 off Geoff West.

 

 

And he bought this Little Engines O4/3 from the estate of a deceased modeller (I think it was Geoff because he was here at the time!).

 

I also showed examples of my 'layout coach' modelling. Including..................

 

 

This Mailcoach Tourist BSO.

 

 

This ROCOM TO. 

 

 

And this Southern Pride Mk.1 BSO. 

 

I trust everyone has had a splendid Christmas.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something

[WT85]

Hi All, 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I was wondering what people thought about this little stash I had found when rooting through my collection. 

 

Now, I hadn't seen pinned track before and the Scaleway kit is one that I've had great fun building before albeit it was copper clad based rather than plastic.

 

These haven't been opened per se, the packaging is however slightly damaged. I had a peek inside a few and surprisingly the rails are pristine. Lovely!

 

Does anybody here have any memories of these products? Good or bad! They will have been boxed away from some part of my Grandads collection.

 

Being in my early twenties, I of course have no clue when they were made. But if it suits, I'll be sure to fit the scaleway kit somewhere suitable (perhaps a fiddleyard extension?) So that it can finally fill its purpose! 

 

Happy holidays 🎄

[Steamport Southport]

37 minutes ago, WT85 said:

Hi All, 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I was wondering what people thought about this little stash I had found when rooting through my collection. 

 

Now, I hadn't seen pinned track before and the Scaleway kit is one that I've had great fun building before albeit it was copper clad based rather than plastic.

 

These haven't been opened per se, the packaging is however slightly damaged. I had a peek inside a few and surprisingly the rails are pristine. Lovely!

 

Does anybody here have any memories of these products? Good or bad! They will have been boxed away from some part of my Grandads collection.

 

Being in my early twenties, I of course have no clue when they were made. But if it suits, I'll be sure to fit the scaleway kit somewhere suitable (perhaps a fiddleyard extension?) So that it can finally fill its purpose! 

 

Happy holidays 🎄

 

Definitely pre 1971 going by the price of 9/3 and "4/7 per yard"!

 

Pure guesswork from the packaging would be mid 1960s.

 

 

Jason

[Iain.d]

Over the last 10 days I have made steady progress on a couple of GW Siphon kits, much of the modelling done in quite short sittings between doing all the other things that need doing at this time of year – my longest session was an hour yesterday when everyone else took an afternoon nap! On the O.11, I soldered all the side and end fittings – there were lots and lots of tiny detail bits which did test my patience.

 

 

And I soldered up the bodies of both. I like to have the roofs removable so simply soldered a 10BA bolt to the roof and an ‘L’ shape bracket with a hole to the outside body partitions. The roof rain strips are ‘sweated’ on. I had wondered if there would be expansion issues with the fine strip brass, but I took some care and soldering from the centres out has seen them neatly secured.

 

 

The chassis’ are close to done, just the finer detail to add, and these have all be made pending fitting.

 

 

And all test assembled together. They are almost there as all the big jobs have been done.  I’ll do the gangways next and then finish off the underframes.

 

 

I hope all on WW have had a safe and happy Christmas, wishing everyone the best for next year, wherever you are.

 

Kind regards,

 

Iain

[Chuffer Davies]

12 hours ago, WT85 said:

Hi All, 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I was wondering what people thought about this little stash I had found when rooting through my collection. 

 

Now, I hadn't seen pinned track before and the Scaleway kit is one that I've had great fun building before albeit it was copper clad based rather than plastic.

 

These haven't been opened per se, the packaging is however slightly damaged. I had a peek inside a few and surprisingly the rails are pristine. Lovely!

 

Does anybody here have any memories of these products? Good or bad! They will have been boxed away from some part of my Grandads collection.

 

Being in my early twenties, I of course have no clue when they were made. But if it suits, I'll be sure to fit the scaleway kit somewhere suitable (perhaps a fiddleyard extension?) So that it can finally fill its purpose! 

 

Happy holidays 🎄

That takes me straight back to the late 1960’s when I was in my mid teens. Every Friday evening I would cycle over to my Godfather’s house in the village of Queen Charlton (a 7 mile cycle ride across Bristol) to visit his Great Western terminus to terminus layout.  Graham Dawes was a farm hand and Special Constable. When he discovered I was an aspiring railway modeller he sent me an Invitation to visit his layout.  It was he who gave me my Chuffer Davies nickname.

 

All the track on his layout was made from this Peco spiked track product laid on fibreboard to enable easy insertion of the spikes through the fibre sleeper bases.   The rail was flat bottomed as I recall.  The layout ran very well indeed and showed me how much better than standard set track, hand built track could be. 
Happy Days,

Frank

[WT85]

1 hour ago, Chuffer Davies said:

That takes me straight back to the late 1960’s when I was in my mid teens. Every Friday evening I would cycle over to my Godfather’s house in the village of Queen Charlton (a 7 mile cycle ride across Bristol) to visit his Great Western terminus to terminus layout.  Graham Dawes was a farm hand and Special Constable. When he discovered I was an aspiring railway modeller he sent me an Invitation to visit his layout.  It was he who gave me my Chuffer Davies nickname.

 

All the track on his layout was made from this Peco spiked track product laid on fibreboard to enable easy insertion of the spikes through the fibre sleeper bases.   The rail was flat bottomed as I recall.  The layout ran very well indeed and showed me how much better than standard set track, hand built track could be. 
Happy Days,

Frank

 

That's lovely to hear, thank you! 

 

Yes. The track is flat bottomed and 'fairly' thick, Code 100 esque? I'm sure it would promote smooth running even now. 

 

I wonder what I should do with it? I'll certainly make use of the Scaleway kit - but the Peco track... Would someone use it? 

[Tony Wright]

I showed this bogie van some little time ago............

 

 

It was built by the late Vic Halliwell and (oddly) it was in OO rather than his usual EM. 

 

I think it's scratch-built, running on Ratio bogies (though could it be a kit?). Whatever it is, does anyone know if it's a model of an actual prototype, please? 

 

Thanks in anticipation. 

 

 

[Chuffer Davies]

1 hour ago, WT85 said:

 

That's lovely to hear, thank you! 

 

Yes. The track is flat bottomed and 'fairly' thick, Code 100 esque? I'm sure it would promote smooth running even now. 

 

I wonder what I should do with it? I'll certainly make use of the Scaleway kit - but the Peco track... Would someone use it? 

I have seen the rail and spikes used to recreate American HO track using balsa wood sleepers. The fibre sleeper bases of the Peco system are fairly unique to British OO and unsuitable for using with e.g. the plastic chairs of the C&L system so probably of no real use to scale modellers. 
Frank

[Tony Wright]

I have this little model for sale; in a very good cause.

 

 

 

It's a Sentinel which was sold via Model Rail Magazine. 

 

It's a good runner, appears never to have been used and I'm asking £60.00 for it. Anyone interested, please PM me. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

May was a busy time at Bytham...............

 

 

It was the month I started the DJH S15.

 

 

To reach this stage by Christmas Eve. 

 

The friend, whom I'm building it for, will complete it next month.

 

 

I also started another DJH A1.

 

 

Which I completed quite quickly.

 

It's now with Geoff Haynes for painting.

 

 

Hornby brought out its Hornby Dublo A4 as 60007 SIR NIGEL GRESLEY. 

 

 

I compared it with a South Eastern Finecast 60007, built by the late Geoff Brewin, which I'd sold to Geoff West. 

 

 

I also compared it with a South Eastern Finecast A4 I'd built which Ian Rathbone painted, also as 60007. 

 

In the end, I bought the Geoff Brewin-built A4 back off Geoff........

 

 

And renumbered/renamed/detailed it to make 60032 GANNET (one of the last two A4s to retain a single chimney).

 

 

Andy Ralph donated some GWR locos for CRUK.

 

 

 

Trevor Follows brought a couple of his locos along for a run on LB.

 

Other friends brought some of their locos along for a run.............

 

 

Including a 'might-have-been' P2!

 

 

And a modified/detailed/weathered Hornby Britannia.

 

 

Geoff Haynes painted a Buffalo I'd built for one of his customers (Geoff made it go, in EM Gauge). 

 

 

I bought a Bachmann Thompson CK, detailed and weathered it.

 

And took some 'new' pictures on Little Bytham, including............

 

 

A shot of 60022 (Pro-Scale/Peabody/Wright/Rathbone) on an Up express.

 

 

60111 (SE Finecast/Wright/Haynes) on the Up afternoon Talisman.

 

 

60114 (DJH/Geary) on the Down Queen of Scots.

 

 

And 61448 (Nu-Cast/Wright) on an Up fitted freight. 

 

More tomorrow..................

[Tony Wright]

As I suspected, the GWR bogie van I showed earlier is a complete work of fiction.

 

My thanks to all who pointed that out.

 

At least the bogies might be of some use.

[Tony Wright]

Happy to report that the little Sentinel has sold. 

[St Enodoc]

5 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

As I suspected, the GWR bogie van I showed earlier is a complete work of fiction.

 

My thanks to all who pointed that out.

 

At least the bogies might be of some use.

Fictitious it may be but it's still a delightful little model and characteristic of its time. Please don't break it up!

[Northmoor]

47 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Fictitious it may be but it's still a delightful little model and characteristic of its time. Please don't break it up!

A candidate for re-bogie-ing into OOn3; looks more like a 3' gauge prototype to me.

[Tony Wright]

9 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Fictitious it may be but it's still a delightful little model and characteristic of its time. Please don't break it up!

Good morning John,

 

It's the very last item from the collection of the late Vic Halliwell (his widow and son were overwhelmed by how much Mo and I managed to make selling his models). Strangely, considering the bulk of the models, it was built in OO, not EM (I've probably mentioned this before, but when dozens of Vic's EM wagons failed to sell, I re-gauged them to OO and fitted tension-lock couplings in place of the three-links; then they flew! Which rather says something of the state of our hobby to me, especially as I got more for them afterwards!). 

 

Since I'll certainly not break the 'imaginary' van up, when Jesse comes over again next year, I'll give it to him and then he can give it to you on his return (there's no charge). It's got to be 50 years old at least, and it's nice to think of it going to a good home. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning John,

 

It's the very last item from the collection of the late Vic Halliwell (his widow and son were overwhelmed by how much Mo and I managed to make selling his models). Strangely, considering the bulk of the models, it was built in OO, not EM (I've probably mentioned this before, but when dozens of Vic's EM wagons failed to sell, I re-gauged them to OO and fitted tension-lock couplings in place of the three-links; then they flew! Which rather says something of the state of our hobby to me, especially as I got more for them afterwards!). 

 

Since I'll certainly not break the 'imaginary' van up, when Jesse comes over again next year, I'll give it to him and then he can give it to you on his return (there's no charge). It's got to be 50 years old at least, and it's nice to think of it going to a good home. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I've always reckoned that 90%+ of "modellers" have only ever been interested in buying items, however well-made, that are compatible with out-of-the-box r-t-r. 

 

The only change I've noticed over the years, is that Sprat & Winkle and Kadee couplers are now used by enough of the "adventurous" remainder that their presence is no longer an absolute kiss of death to selling pre-owned models.

 

The smaller audience means they will take longer to shift, though, and most of us who do buy them are reluctant to pay more than for a "bog-standard" equivalent, despite the saving in cost and workload they offer.

 

I've picked up several wagons with Kadees and aftermarket scale wheels at swap-meets where the "bits" were worth the asking price. If I don't want the actual model, I substitute "normal" factory parts from wagons I've converted myself, and flog them on.

 

A free supply of couplings and wheels; what's not to like!  😇 

 

John

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning John,

 

It's the very last item from the collection of the late Vic Halliwell (his widow and son were overwhelmed by how much Mo and I managed to make selling his models). Strangely, considering the bulk of the models, it was built in OO, not EM (I've probably mentioned this before, but when dozens of Vic's EM wagons failed to sell, I re-gauged them to OO and fitted tension-lock couplings in place of the three-links; then they flew! Which rather says something of the state of our hobby to me, especially as I got more for them afterwards!). 

 

Since I'll certainly not break the 'imaginary' van up, when Jesse comes over again next year, I'll give it to him and then he can give it to you on his return (there's no charge). It's got to be 50 years old at least, and it's nice to think of it going to a good home. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Thanks Tony, that's very kind. The livery is out of period for me, of course, but I know of at least one GWR modeller over here who would be delighted to give it a good home.

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

I've always reckoned that 90%+ of "modellers" have only ever been interested in buying items, however well-made, that are compatible with out-of-the-box r-t-r. 

 

The only change I've noticed over the years, is that Sprat & Winkle and Kadee couplers are now used by enough of the "adventurous" remainder that their presence is no longer an absolute kiss of death to selling pre-owned models.

 

The smaller audience means they will take longer to shift, though, and most of us who do buy them are reluctant to pay more than for a "bog-standard" equivalent, despite the saving in cost and workload they offer.

 

I've picked up several wagons with Kadees and aftermarket scale wheels at swap-meets where the "bits" were worth the asking price. If I don't want the actual model, I substitute "normal" factory parts from wagons I've converted myself, and flog them on.

 

A free supply of couplings and wheels; what's not to like!  😇 

 

John

 

I have done similar and will never apologise for exploiting others' laziness to subsidise my own hobby!  As an example, about fifteen years ago I bought a job lot of about 40 Airfix, Mainline and nicely kit-built wagons, all with 3-link couplings and re-gauged to EM.  The seller even included the original OO wheels where he could find them, but I still bought the lot for about £2/wagon.  I swapped the wheels back and sold the EM wheels on eBay for about 25% of the value of the whole lot.  Selling on some of the wagons that I didn't "need" brought the price of the remainder down to not much more than £1.50 each. 

[MJI]

Buyers care more for the boxes.

 

I tend to recycle them for room reasons

[RThompson]

Hello Tony,

 

As I know you like to see people kit building, this was my latest build, not that I've done much with a soldering iron this year tbh, mostly building plastic wagon and coach kits on my buses whilst sat on rail replacement standby duties.

 

It is a 4mm scale, 009 gauge Meridian models/SRB kit of the Ffestiniog railway Baldwin Gas mechanical No:11 before rebuilding into its current form.

 

All soldering done from inside where possible so almost no cleaning up was required.

 

I have altered the kit and compensated the front axle to help with electrical contact as well as further detailing.

 

Total build time was about 15 hours.

 

I do have a backwoods miniatures kit to build of the K1 Garratt at some point.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by RThompson

[Dunsignalling]

37 minutes ago, MJI said:

Buyers care more for the boxes.

 

I tend to recycle them for room reasons

Mine go into empty bigger boxes and up into the loft to provide additional insulation. The big boxes are numbered and I keep lists of their contents, just in case.

 

I've seldom moved things on up to now, but recently commenced a clear-out of the forgotten, the surplus, and the unused.

 

The boxes will provide useful protection as well as helping the resale prices. 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Keith Turbutt]

On 24/12/2023 at 14:13, Tony Wright said:

I've reached a point now where I'll do no more to the DJH S15 I've featured of late, leaving my friend to complete it.

 

 

Which he'll do when he visits in January. 

 

 

Hi Tony,

 

Is that the chimney that was supplied with the kit as, to my eye, and photos I have, it seems to be rather skinny and too tall.

See also Barry Ten's example posted earlier.

 

 

[MJI]

23 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Mine go into empty bigger boxes and up into the loft to provide additional insulation. The big boxes are numbered and I keep lists of their contents, just in case.

 

I've seldom moved things on up to now, but recently commenced a clear-out of the forgotten, the surplus, and the unused.

 

The boxes will provide useful protection as well as helping the resale prices. 

As far as i am concerned either a boy can have them, or it can be sold by rake in their really useful boxes.