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Great British Locomotives


EddieB
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Very typical for these series: they are run until the sales begin to sag away, then the next subject 'ready in the pipeline' is run. In time any subject exhausts the market, and then the next one is brought on: what goes around, comes around in time.

Cars, diggers, boats, planes,

Armour, trucks, warbirds, trains.

 

...Whatever might happen, it would inevitably be 'loss led' by the perennial Mallard, Flying Scotsman, streamlined(?) Duchess and the like which would appeal to the essential Joe Public...

 I take that as read: always going to get the half dozen 'perennials' that are known to the public at large as a minimum, the essential 'hook' to attract as many purchasers as possible..

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I'm clearing out my unused GBL stuff.

This has all been opened, no magazines unless you really want them. The plinth may well not match the loco...

Swapsies to the value of £12 (inc. postage) to cover the cost and p&p. I've no idea how to get money through Paypal, and I'm not hugely interested...

 

We have, in no particular order:

 

Deltic

2 x Black 5 (1 lightly weathered, 1 pristine)

Mallard

HST

8F

Coronation

J39

Britannia

Jinty

Castle

Western

Royal Scot

B12

4MT

 

and

 

N Gauge

2 x F40

 

Usual deal, I send you the loco (s) you send me something to equivalent value. I may sort out a wishlist later, but just now I'm scanning al the 1970s photos I found in the loft at the same time!

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I think part, possibly most of the problem was using dodgy originals or poor scans for models, and not starting from scatch.The various series being done in France, for railcars has featured brand new designs which have been well received. Supplies of some of the models can still be bought online direct from China. As usual it is assumed we will accept second quality for items, not top quality. Even adding separate handrails to every model would have helped, which is what they did for the first few ones.

 

The type of series which might work is something like diesel shunters through the ages, plenty of choice there. Possibly even steam in industry. Steam railmotors might be an interesting series, but could be combined with other single coach diesel and petrol railcars. Certainly not a random collection of steam and diesel locos based on old models. Even Locomotion was a scanned model of the special Bachmann did, which is why it ended up HO scale.

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Atlas published  a good tram series, with models in HO, or rather series as they seem to be different issues in different countries. I bought a couple from China via Ebay  (guess that is where they are made).  Very well finished and detailed.

I don't think it was ever stated exactly where GBL was made, suggested it was Eastern Europe somewhere.  GBLs strength is providing a source of loco bits to be cut up and reused to produce something better, such as Rowanj and Rosiesboss have posted above.

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Atlas published  a good tram series, with models in HO, or rather series as they seem to be different issues in different countries. I bought a couple from China via Ebay  (guess that is where they are made).  Very well finished and detailed.

I don't think it was ever stated exactly where GBL was made, suggested it was Eastern Europe somewhere.  GBLs strength is providing a source of loco bits to be cut up and reused to produce something better, such as Rowanj and Rosiesboss have posted above.

some of the trams were British OOC, and therefore not HO, but I gather they did have some upgrading from original models.

There is no reason why something of similar quality could not have been done for the GBL series, and when you look at the variety of partwork collections you realise they dont have to be like what GBL was. They tried to do what they thought was of biggest interest, when it was actualy what others perceive as being of interest to railway enthusiasts.

There are some very specialised collections around, such as tractors over the years. Those dealing with cars don't just concentrate on the petrol head type cars but ordinary ones. Dinky replicas is another series. All far better tha GBL, which failed because it took the wrong route. Granted some are good for cutting up, I have a couple in the pipeline, but most are not worth it. Tempted to build a model of a scapyard for them.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
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There are a couple of dozen of these engines in the Farleigh Hospice shop in Heybridge (Essex), might suit someone wanting to add to their collection. Currently in the store room so if you can't see them, ask for Nat or Jean. on the shelves with the bric a brac, near the door.

 

- Richard.

 

Edit 14 May: All these have now been sold.

- Richard.

Edited by 47137
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attachicon.gifP1060488.JPG

 

 

re the T9.  I've found a drawing of the LSWR K10 class,  same boiler dia as T9 but shorter firebox and shorter coupled wheelbase, also smaller driving wheels.   Here's a comparison with my Hornby T9, so think if GBL boiler is shortened and splashers cut down, could get away with it.  There was also the L11 which seems to have been the K10 with the T9 firebox (so would only have to cut off the T9 superheated version smokebox, and which had the T9 coupled wheelbase although smaller wheels as well.  L11s had the 8 wheel tender and some K10s did as well. 

So original unsuperheated T9, (shorter smokebox, wing plates) K10 and L11 in LSWR livery would appear possible.

 

Might have to widen the cab/splashers as well, need to do some more research there. But - in with a chance, perhaps.

 

They would need an original Drummond chimney of course, and smokebox wing plates. I  think I've got a chimney somewhere, did see it some years ago. :-(

 

That's without thinking about any of those rather nice Scottish locos....

 

Er, probably won't find any GBL T9s now.  Hope the Asda buyer is on his toes....

 

 

Also, thanks for the Gem 4-4-0 chassis heads-up,  Rowanj. Could be just the job.

 

Hi Railroadbill,

 

I know it was a few years ago now, but I've just found your message about the K10 class.  Please can I ask what the origin of that drawing is?  

I'm looking for K10 drawings etc, and I've not come across that one before.

 

Thanks very much,

Dave.T

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A latecomer to this topic and the GBL series. I only discovered these from looking at RMWeb and somehow totally missed the partwork here. Looking at the efforts to motorise and given a nice scrap box of old triang 00 got me thinking. A quick browse of ebay and I found a good few of these including the C class, Director, T9, K3 and caley single all for around $10 each.

 

So a plan was hatched, given the good but crude nature of these models, a workplan is underway to convert as many to triang mechanisms. The plan is

 

T9/Director - triang L1

k3 - Hornby Ivatt

C Class - jinty

Caley 123 - triang

 

Not sure about the royal scot just yet, was going for a shortened princess but even that is too short.

 

First off the line tonight

 

C with jinty chassis in the triang midland 3f style

 

post-6952-0-69950100-1497703393.jpg

 

Motor in the cab.....

 

post-6952-0-07862500-1497703459.jpg

 

post-6952-0-10552900-1497703481.jpg

 

This conversion worked first time with no accidents apart from cutting the wrong end off the part under the boiler. Might have to do a proper conversion on the other one I got with a 20 pound Bachmann jinty chassis from ebay.

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A couple more, this conversion process is really quite fun.

 

post-6952-0-68826600-1498288150.jpg

 

K3 on Hornby Ivatt chassis, makes a nice margate looking loco and was a very good fit.

 

post-6952-0-81426900-1498288229.jpg

 

Butler Henderson on an L1 chassis, nice fit but alot more involved cutting the body apart. Not helped by the brittle nature of the plastic moulding and inability to take any form of glue. At least the backhead fits behind the motor well enough.

 

post-6952-0-03092100-1498288359.jpg

 

post-6952-0-58870900-1498288704.jpg

Edited by TT3
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Hi Railroadbill,

 

I know it was a few years ago now, but I've just found your message about the K10 class.  Please can I ask what the origin of that drawing is?  

I'm looking for K10 drawings etc, and I've not come across that one before.

 

Thanks very much,

Dave.T

Hi Dave,

Sorry for delay in replying, missed your post. The drawing is Skinley 350H. Not sure if Skinley drawings are still published or who holds copyright.

PM'd you.

cheers,

Bill

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  • 4 weeks later...
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For anyone still following this thread, I have finally got around to motorising my C Class!! I ordered the parts for this not long after it came out!!

 

I have used the Airfix 4f chassis, which has a motorised tender. This has meant having to make a lump in the top of the coal however I think it will look OK once I get some real coal in it.

 

Other thing I have done is just some simple painting so the safety valves are now the right colour, and I have also painted the cab interior, other than this the body work is pretty much as it was supplied:

 

post-22762-0-29787300-1500831638_thumb.jpg

 

post-22762-0-75189100-1500831639_thumb.jpg

 

I don't have great lighting for pictures at the moment but I will be adding some to my Oak Hill thread on Tuesday.

 

Gary

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Great British Locomotives, the magazine that just keeps on giving!!

 

Some more pictures of the Class, this time in better light and with coal added to the bunker:

post-22762-0-61026000-1501009124_thumb.jpg

 

post-22762-0-72706300-1501009125_thumb.jpg

 

I also dug out my N Class, I still need to get a suitable chassis to motorise this one but in the meantime I have removed the smoke deflectors and started to paint the model in SECR Wartime Grey, this will be finished off with some home made transfers:

post-22762-0-08176200-1501009127_thumb.jpg

 

Gary

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some great modelling been going on here. Any one done anything with the class 47 model?

Fitted it on the Hornby Class 47 TTS chassis as a replacement for the BR big logo scheme body.  There's a pic somewhere in the past of this thread!

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Here's mine on a Heljan 47 chassis. It was a very tight fit, and some metal had to be removed from the chassis at the front ends mainly round the corners. Really. the body needs a repaint, as the Sherwood Green is pretty poor,but I used it as a practice piece for dry weathering. As usual, pictures do my work no favours, but in real life, its not too bad.

post-1659-0-33058100-1502018347_thumb.jpg

Edited by rowanj
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Just keeping the thread going. Some of the GBL models currently being reworked. All require finishing.

 

T9, awaiting smokebox number plate

21651184063_f4314dccea_c.jpgS2660001 by Shane Wilton, on Flickr

 

A4, new chassis. This will become 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley in 1980's condition

22084161350_cb10dfc56b_c.jpgS2660002 by Shane Wilton, on Flickr

 

Class 55 Deltic, this will become 55015 or 009 in 1981 condition. 

22084153890_0d30727f69_c.jpgS2660003 by Shane Wilton, on Flickr

 

Class 47, 47617 in ex-works large logo livery, Scottish style

21649460724_e929d60b79_c.jpgS2660004 by Shane Wilton, on Flickr

 

cheers

 

Shane

Here's the 47 I did back in 2015, along with some other stuff, still not finished them!

 

Cheers

 

Shane

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