Wright writes.....

[Bucoops]

I did ask about some Stevenson kits in April 2021. I got a very quick and positive reply saying the ones I wanted were on order and would be a couple of weeks and gave a price. I replied saying that was fine and requested they let me know when in stock. I followed up a couple of times after a few weeks, then  a couple of months with no response.

 

Fortunately I found what I wanted elsewhere.

[Tony Wright]

 

 

Progress continues with my building of the BR Standard Five...........

 

 

The fit of parts was excellent.

 

 

As usual, thorough testing was undertaken at this relatively early stage in the loco's building. 

 

Even without additional ballast it took this 13-car express easily, passing my recent Little Engines J11. 

 

 

Running both ways was equally successful, though I had to shave a little of the leading edges of the front brake shoes; otherwise they caught the rear bogie wheels on curves. 

 

It shouldn't take much longer to complete............

 

I await with interest the next chapter in the DJH story. 

[brightspark]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Progress continues with my building of the BR Standard Five...........

 

It shouldn't take much longer to complete............

 

 

Hi Tony,

I disagree with that last comment. 🙂

You have the twiddly bit to do yet.

 

I think of BR standards as build of three parts.

The chassis, the body and then the pipework.

The DJH pipework mouldings look a little feeble to me. This is an area that can be really worked up especially around the injectors. 

 

This is my attempt at the Standard class 5.

 

It's a DJH kit but on a scratch-built chassis in EM gauge.

The fittings are from Alan Gibson with copper wire for the pipework.

 

(Yes the rear wheels are lifted off the rails. That would explain why it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. My mistake was correcting the tender height and forgetting to adjust the drawbar to match. All corrected now and this loco is good performer.)

[John Besley]

On 18/02/2024 at 15:55, Tony Wright said:

A quick question, if I may (and it's way outside my comfort zone)?

 

A friend has been handed some 40 Lima diesels, all mint, boxed and unused. I know not from where or whence they came (though it looks like the result of a bereavement), but he's seeking to sell them and has asked my advice. Since that advice would be negligible I'm asking the question - what might they be worth each? 

 

I'm certainly not abusing the privileged position I have on Wws where Mo and I sell kit-built items on behalf of bereaved/distressed families (we don't 'deal' in RTR), but when I know exactly what there is I'll post a list should anyone be interested, passing on details to my friend. 

 

Thanks.

 

I'd be interested in a class 33 chassis if there was one ....  used them before and have another project build in mind.

 

Let me know

[B661Sutton]

Hello all,

I'm currently dabbling in modelling some Eastern Region stock as, although my main interest is in the copper-capped machines from out West, I do have a soft spot for the Gresley Pacifics. The locomotive I'm wanting to model is A3 60066 Merry Hampton as she was in the early 1960s, as that is the era I mostly model in. In this condition, she had the A4 boiler as fitted to some A3s and this has given me a problem in finding a suitable base model to start. My original plan was to use the DJH kit for the A3 as I enjoy kit building, but the kit doesn't cater for the boiler variant I require for my chosen prototype. I did consider using a Hornby A3 as a basis, but the required base models are hard to find for a good price. As most residents and regulars to this chat are more seasoned Eastern modellers than I, what would you all suggest?

[Northmoor]

On 18/02/2024 at 16:50, MJI said:

Yes they do, and compete against modellers,  need 47s, get 4 or 5 Lima for the price of a Bachmann.

 

They look like 47s even though moulded handrails and the like. But a bit of work, flushglaze, respray, nice transfers,  they look fine infront of a passenger train at speed.

 

The 31 is liked as well, tends to be a good rehome for Hornby mazak rot drivechains.

 

I would recommend Ebaying if they know ebay.

 

I go for the tatty rather than mint in box.

You've obviously had more Lima diesels than I have but would concur with your comments on the 47; it was the first 4mm scale 47 that looked like one.  Never had their 31, I'm actually quite happy with my Airfix and Triang ones, mostly for sentimental reasons.  Even my Deltics and 50s aren't being replaced, just tweaked.  I have a collection of Lima HST power cars for spares/repair in front of me right now and they look right as far as I'm  concerned, so I've never felt the need to spend a huge amount on acquiring a Hornby one. 

 

There are definitively cycles with Lima prices.  Many went up in value after the company went into receivership, but when Bachmann et al brought out their versions of the same classes, Lima models got dumped and prices fell sharply.  However, they quickly recovered when those who wanted four locos for the price of one new one, hoovered up all they could get hold of.

 

From Tony's POV, these aren't going to earn much so would recommend someone puts them on eBay in batches of four or five, unless as others said, there are special editions which can be worth much more than an ordinary liveried example.

[St Enodoc]

10 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

What about wheeling the old British HO one out of the cupboard?! 😉

American 00?

[Lemmy282]

15 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Even my Deltics and 50s aren't being replaced, just tweaked. 

I have quite a few Lima locos and when detailed look very good, except the Deltic which is wrong in so many areas I gave up, probably the worst model they made!

[Northmoor]

7 minutes ago, Lemmy282 said:

I have quite a few Lima locos and when detailed look very good, except the Deltic which is wrong in so many areas I gave up, probably the worst model they made!

Of their diesels, maybe, although I like mine.

 

If we consider their steam locos, the Hawksworth Pannier and J50 are quite good dimensionally above the running plate.  The chassis however, well there aren't the words in the English language.  Anglo-Saxon on the other hand..........  Probably their worst loco overall was the LMS Crab*; it is amusing to look back at the very easy-going reviews of the time and even they are pretty damning with feint praise.

 

*But we still have one!

[Buhar]

2 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Probably their worst loco overall was the LMS Crab

The buffers were quite good, as was the whistle, but anything between or below was awful.

 

Alan

[Lemmy282]

5 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Of their diesels, maybe, although I like mine.

Yes, I should have qualified that I was taking about their diesel and electric locos, I don't have any steam.

[1471SirFrederickBanbury]

6 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

American 00?

Something I’ve always wanted to see done to a high standard.  I do wish British H0 was more popular as well.  P4 feels best in my hands though.  I still have an omnipresent fascination with z scale live steam also, rather unfortunately  

 

Rohan

Edited February 20 by 1471SirFrederickBanbury
Forgot the punchline!

[MJI]

My 31s are Triang and Airfix.

 

47s a right mix. But 4 Lima ones.

 

One 50 is stretched bogies.

 

Western is ok.

 

Nothing BRCW yet.

 

Most of my Bachmann locos were when around £40.

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, John Besley said:

 

I'd be interested in a class 33 chassis if there was one ....  used them before and have another project build in mind.

 

Let me know

Will do.

 

I'll know later this morning.

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, Northmoor said:

You've obviously had more Lima diesels than I have but would concur with your comments on the 47; it was the first 4mm scale 47 that looked like one.  Never had their 31, I'm actually quite happy with my Airfix and Triang ones, mostly for sentimental reasons.  Even my Deltics and 50s aren't being replaced, just tweaked.  I have a collection of Lima HST power cars for spares/repair in front of me right now and they look right as far as I'm  concerned, so I've never felt the need to spend a huge amount on acquiring a Hornby one. 

 

There are definitively cycles with Lima prices.  Many went up in value after the company went into receivership, but when Bachmann et al brought out their versions of the same classes, Lima models got dumped and prices fell sharply.  However, they quickly recovered when those who wanted four locos for the price of one new one, hoovered up all they could get hold of.

 

From Tony's POV, these aren't going to earn much so would recommend someone puts them on eBay in batches of four or five, unless as others said, there are special editions which can be worth much more than an ordinary liveried example.

Good morning Rob,

 

Though I might 'move' the odd one on, I'm not taking on the 'Lima diesel project' for sale. I've learned that their sales are not on behalf of a distressed/bereaved family, which means using Wws as a vehicle for selling them is inappropriate.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, B661Sutton said:

Hello all,

I'm currently dabbling in modelling some Eastern Region stock as, although my main interest is in the copper-capped machines from out West, I do have a soft spot for the Gresley Pacifics. The locomotive I'm wanting to model is A3 60066 Merry Hampton as she was in the early 1960s, as that is the era I mostly model in. In this condition, she had the A4 boiler as fitted to some A3s and this has given me a problem in finding a suitable base model to start. My original plan was to use the DJH kit for the A3 as I enjoy kit building, but the kit doesn't cater for the boiler variant I require for my chosen prototype. I did consider using a Hornby A3 as a basis, but the required base models are hard to find for a good price. As most residents and regulars to this chat are more seasoned Eastern modellers than I, what would you all suggest?

Good morning,

 

A couple of points, if I may? 

 

The DJH A3 boiler (if one can obtain the kit - it's been out of production for a long time) can be modified to produce a Dia. 107 type - move the last cladding band further forward to produce the combustion chamber, alter the boiler/firebox conjunction to suit (file and fill!) and reposition the firebox wash-out plugs. Also move the streamlined dome further forward. 

 

I was astonished when Hornby released its A3 with an A4 boiler (CORONACH, I think), something no kit-manufacturer has ever offered at source. 

 

Don't forget that MERRY HAMPTON had the raised roof ventilator at the time you're modelling (switching cabs with St. SIMON). The last time I saw her was 64 years ago, bowling through Retford on the Down morning Talisman'. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[APOLLO]

Lima Diesels - Good in their day, not excellent, but good. I have quite a few bought in the late 80's / early 90's for around £15 - £20 a pop brand new. My 47 "special edition" collection numbers a dozen or so. They are quite nice, probably worth a few quid more.

 

They growl when running, a drop of oil on the pancake motor central bearings helps.

The wheels are brass and tarnish over time, just pop them out and clean them up, a drop of switch cleaner helps.

The traction tyres can spin / come loose etc. I bought a few packets cheaply at Wigan MRE a few years ago.

And that's it. Simple. No faffing around with  electrickery !!

 

Unlike Bachman and Heljan I have NEVER had one fail. They're like cockroaches you just can't kill them !!

 

Value today ? Not a great lot. Have a look on Elaines Trains for approximate values, good ones are around £20-£30 today.

 

Oh and yes, their Steam locos were dire.

 

Brit15

 

 

[St Enodoc]

50 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

their Steam locos were dire

That's a bit harsh! They produced some locos that weren't available RTR elsewhere and which scrubbed up quite well. I still have my oft-repainted King, although it doesn't run regularly in Mid-Cornwall, and before the latest Bachmann 94xx came along the Lima body wasn't at all bad (the chassis was dire, though, so an easy fix, if you didn't mind the splashers being slightly misaligned, was to plonk it on a Bachmann 57xx chassis. See also http://www.gwr.org.uk/pro94xx.html.

 

Can't speak for any of the other railways' prototypes though.

[Tony Wright]

15 hours ago, brightspark said:

 

Hi Tony,

I disagree with that last comment. 🙂

You have the twiddly bit to do yet.

 

I think of BR standards as build of three parts.

The chassis, the body and then the pipework.

The DJH pipework mouldings look a little feeble to me. This is an area that can be really worked up especially around the injectors. 

 

This is my attempt at the Standard class 5.

 

It's a DJH kit but on a scratch-built chassis in EM gauge.

The fittings are from Alan Gibson with copper wire for the pipework.

 

(Yes the rear wheels are lifted off the rails. That would explain why it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. My mistake was correcting the tender height and forgetting to adjust the drawbar to match. All corrected now and this loco is good performer.)

Good morning,

 

I've had plenty of practice at making the 'twiddly' bits on BR Standard locos, so it shouldn't take too long. 

 

I might use a few bits of the stuff provided by DJH, but it's mainly made of Comet's castings and various gauges of wire, all securely soldered together. 

 

I don't have a picture of the DJH Standard Five I made years ago, but here are some other Standard examples of possible interest.........

 

 

Plenty on this DJH Britannia.

 

 

More easily seen after Geoff Haynes painted it. 

 

The one 'concession' I've had to accept when making all these gubbins on DJH Britannias is, because of the need to allow the pony to swing, any pipework has to be a bit higher in places than scale. As here...........

 

 

And here (this one painted by Ian Rathbone). 

 

 

And also here, on a modified (ex-tender-drive) Hornby Brit, which now runs on Shap/Carlisle. 

 

 

The later, loco-drive, Hornby Brits had a fixed pony truck, so any extra pipework detail could be in the right place. 

 

9Fs, of course, don't have a rear pony..........

 

 

Which means that all that lovely, complex pipework can be incorporated, as seen on this Model Loco 9F.

 

 

And also on a DJH one. 

 

Very little supplied by DJH was used here. 

 

 

When Tom Wright (aged 15) built this Kitmaster/Crownline/Comet 9F, he used Crownline's castings for all the pipework, which are a bit chunky. 

 

 

But, at 'normal' layout-viewing distances (though this is quite close-up), it fits the bill. 

 

 

A close-up of the pipework on the Standard Five built by Roy Jackson.

 

 

Apart from the 9Fs and the occasional Britannia, BR Standards were not common through Little Bytham (unless one counts the Austerities as 'Standards'), though there are a couple of BR Standard Four 2-6-0s which run (some members of the Class were built/repaired at Doncaster, so that's the reason). This DJH one (with pipework just visible) was acquired as a 'poor runner' (builder/painter unknown). It runs well now, and I've since altered its identity!

 

 

This DJH example (built/painted/weathered by Tony Geary) once belonged to another friend after Tony sold it. When it became surplus to my other friend's requirements, I acquired it (I'm the lucky owner now of several of Tony's locos), and it was posted to me. Unfortunately, any 'fragile' labelling on packaging seems to be taken as a 'challenge' for the postal services, and the cab got squashed on this side. I've straightened it as best I can, but it might not be unrealistic. At least the pipework survived.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Edited February 20 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Mark Laidlay]

23 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

What about wheeling the old British HO one out of the cupboard?! 😉

Like this?  And Lima, I think I have a H0 "scale" 4F somewhere so I have hit two topics with one loco.  But maybe I just dumped it being pretty awful. 

Edited February 20 by Mark Laidlay

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I'll know later this morning.

Hopefully someone can advise if anything of potential interest is present.

On 18/02/2024 at 16:44, Tony Wright said:

Do folk really collect Lima?

They certainly did, and some maybe still do*. The range ultimately developed for the collectorati, with new liveries released every month, to potentially enable the completists to have every class XX in every livery it ever carried, had Lima remained in business. 

 

*A new UK distributor engaged the revived Vi-Trains operation in an attempt to restart this programme with a couple of diesel models, but on the evidence available the collectorati had 'moved on' we know not where. I am still waiting for a report of a house collapsed under the weight of a RTR OO model railway collection...

[APOLLO]

Lovely Brits Tony.

 

Carlisle August 1967, Birmingham - Leeds - Glasgow train (Jubilee Leeds to Carlisle). 45562 Alberta comes off.

 

 

And 70028 Royal Star awaits to go on. Nice tender view.

 

 

 

Our ride home south to Wigan, mucky black 5. If I remember correctly the train was 1M31 !!!!!!!! (Anyone dare to model this ?)

 

 

The Brits put on a good show between Crewe & Carlisle until the end.

Vulcan southbound at Springs Branch. 1966/67, Dad's photos.

 

 

Firth of Forth slogs up to Boars Head, Wigan. Plenty of steam !!!!

 

 

With steam to spare, Western Star coasts down the bank.

 

 

And soon they were gone, along with their wonderful chime whistles.

 

Brit15

 

[Steamport Southport]

4 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

That's a bit harsh! They produced some locos that weren't available RTR elsewhere and which scrubbed up quite well. I still have my oft-repainted King, although it doesn't run regularly in Mid-Cornwall, and before the latest Bachmann 94xx came along the Lima body wasn't at all bad (the chassis was dire, though, so an easy fix, if you didn't mind the splashers being slightly misaligned, was to plonk it on a Bachmann 57xx chassis. See also http://www.gwr.org.uk/pro94xx.html.

 

Can't speak for any of the other railways' prototypes though.

 

GWR 45XX being far too big over the tanks, firebox and cab to fit the motor in. I'm pretty sure the 94XX suffered from similar enlargement.

 

Also the Crab having the cab and tender the same width!

 

I'm afraid Lima did have problems with scale and seemingly reading the drawings. Still befuddled by what was going on when it came to the horse box roof....

 

 

 

Despite the livery and crude chassis it's not a bad model of a GWR horse box. Obviously superseded by the newer Hornby one.

 

 

Jason

Edited February 20 by Steamport Southport
Autocorrect changing words!

[Tony Wright]

58 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

Lovely Brits Tony.

 

Carlisle August 1967, Birmingham - Leeds - Glasgow train (Jubilee Leeds to Carlisle). 45562 Alberta comes off.

 

 

And 70028 Royal Star awaits to go on. Nice tender view.

 

 

 

Our ride home south to Wigan, mucky black 5. If I remember correctly the train was 1M31 !!!!!!!! (Anyone dare to model this ?)

 

 

The Brits put on a good show between Crewe & Carlisle until the end.

Vulcan southbound at Springs Branch. 1966/67, Dad's photos.

 

 

Firth of Forth slogs up to Boars Head, Wigan. Plenty of steam !!!!

 

 

With steam to spare, Western Star coasts down the bank.

 

 

And soon they were gone, along with their wonderful chime whistles.

 

Brit15

 

Thanks for some great shots.

 

They've illustrated the variations in the mass of pipework/conduits on the fireman's side of a Brit's firebox.

 

I've yet to find two exactly the same, and have modelled them accordingly.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[melmoth]

43 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

Still befuddled by what was going on when it came to the horse box roof....

 

Apparently the Lima model makers only had side and end elevations to work from.  That made it appear that the vents were arranged in 4 rows of 3 instead of 2-1-2-1 (or thereabouts)