Great British Locomotives

[Il Grifone]

Has anybody noticed that the Castle cast wheels don't actually fit on the track moulded onto the plinth. If the tyres are in contact with the rail on one side the gauge is too wide and the wheels on the other side rest on the flange. I happen to model in EM gauge and this Castle will sit on EM gauge track without the wheels falling between the rails as OO vehicles normally would.

 

Not only the 'Castle'.

The plinth gauge is 15.5mm, which is a tight squeeze for a 00 model. I haven't actually checked the GBL wheel dimensions (bin fodder!), but they only need to be a bit generous to sit on EM track. The Hornby Dublo wheel standards (continued after the take over and about the the only connection between Meccano Hornby and Tri-ang Hornby) actually need to capable of running on 18mm track to not between the rails (Dublo gauge tolerances are that slack!)

 

Greenhithe Asda had 3 'Castles' on  the shelf on Saturday morning, but the Tilbury one has sold out.

Edited August 11, 2014 by Il Grifone

[Jenny Emily]

As a thought, wasn't the factory/ies making these in the Russian federation, meaning that supplies could start to get harder to come by?

[emperordalek]

To refit the screw at the powered bogie rotate the bogie sideways, this allows a thin screwdriver to access the screw through the Lima coupling. I'll post some photos on Wednesday once my kids are back at school.

Evening sir! Many thanks for your very speedy reply indeed. That's a very ingenious way of doing it -would have never occured to me. I look forward to your photos later this week. I would imagine there was much delicate sculpturing of the GBL chassis to accoodate the two bogies. As an aside would you, or any Class 55 afficiandos, be able to tell me if there just one bodyside panel per nose end (which I've measured from a Model Rail article be 3ft long by  -1 and a half-feet wide), or just one single panel per loco? have looked through many photos in books and it would appear just one panel per loco. Many many thanks once again. Regards

[emperordalek]

Maybe a non-powered Jinty for me, depending on if I can get a 1978 Hornby chassis version with the X03 motor driving the front axle which has been reported as having poor pulling (I never had a problem with mine from when I was a kid but that has long gone, maybe the steel track and magnahension from those days helped). If memory serves, it won't have too much to grind off the chassis without cutting into the plastic off the GBL body. My wife is going to try and get me at least another. The more I look at the GBL Jinty, the more impressed I am with it. Just noticed a little overspray on the rear bufferbeam, probably not clamped properly as is a perfect straight line.

 

On today's mremag's editorial, Phil has wondered if anyone wanted to recreate the scene where the SDJR Jinty was being hauled away by road. Maybe one for our weathering man, wouldn't need anything doing to the chassis (if you can live with the solid wheels). Always make a headboard based on the real one it had that had "Bachmann" on it, with the caveat "with early Tri-ang wheels"

 

Had a quick flicker through the mag and was surprised about one of them being lined, 47473 with BRITISH RAILWAYS on the side. Be nice to see a picture of that, will search later. A class of loco as important as the Jinty, has there ever been a book on them? I do rather like these mags that come with the model, in the case of the Deltic, much better than the model!

 

Would I be not the only one who has wanted to buy more reading material after getting these models? As for detailing parts the more skillful modellers use, I hope Brian from Shawplan and the others are getting plenty of orders seeing that the big brand models aren't as easy to come by these days! Despite the shortcommings of these models (are they models really?), I think it's just what the hobby has needed.

Hi john! In response to your mention of articles on the Jinty I have been looking for scale drawings of one as I wanted to create a later "keyhole" version as one of the handful allocated to Royston shed - so I thought -ah - Model Rail Magazine would have covered in a Master-Class article over the years, after some four hours of searching online and through my printed indexes I drew a big fat blank. There is, however, an excellent photo feature on the preserved 47383 (no scale drawing though!) in the very first issue (Autumn '97). Other sources would be Ian Allan's  "On Midland Lines" and their "Locomotives Illustrated" magazine (don't know the exact issue number -sorry!). A byproduct of my research was that i compiled a complete "Master-Class" artcile list from 1997 to date. If anyone is interested please let me know and I will type it in all on Friday evening - thought it might come in handy now we're all chopping up and improving GBL models. Regards

[Horsetan]

As a thought, wasn't the factory/ies making these in the Russian federation, meaning that supplies could start to get harder to come by?

Where does the "Buk" stop on that one?

[tmz06003]

Evening sir! Many thanks for your very speedy reply indeed. That's a very ingenious way of doing it -would have never occured to me. I look forward to your photos later this week. I would imagine there was much delicate sculpturing of the GBL chassis to accoodate the two bogies. As an aside would you, or any Class 55 afficiandos, be able to tell me if there just one bodyside panel per nose end (which I've measured from a Model Rail article be 3ft long by  -1 and a half-feet wide), or just one single panel per loco? have looked through many photos in books and it would appear just one panel per loco. Many many thanks once again. Regards

If you refer to the nose side panels then there is only one, at the no.1 end. Other than this it's difficult to determine the no.1 end of a twin engine loco! There is a roof vent near to the exhausts at one end only so it's worth checking photos to make sure you add it to the correct end.

 

Regards

 

Tony.

[emperordalek]

If you refer to the nose side panels then there is only one, at the no.1 end. Other than this it's difficult to determine the no.1 end of a twin engine loco! There is a roof vent near to the exhausts at one end only so it's worth checking photos to make sure you add it to the correct end.

 

Regards

 

Tony.

Wow! Thanks yet again Tony!! I would definitely have yourself & Weathering Man on my list of friends on a certain defunct quiz show! I should have said nose end side panel in hindsight. That would explain my just-one -per -loco theory - back to checking photos again. Found a superb t/t green three-quarters view of D9014 in the "Looking Back At English Electric Locomotives" book incidentally. Thanks again and regards . Malcolm

[rowanj]

Here are a few photos of some of my motorised GBL bodies. The K3 is running on a modified Bachmann V1/3 chassis. These split chassis are sometimes problematic, and I have found it almost impossible to repair a dud. However many/most do run perfectly well if lubricated VERY lightly, and I think the photos show the big improvement of the scale wheels over the Bachmann K3.

The A4 is Mallard, de-valenced, then paired to a Scotsman tender, both on Hornby chassis .Repainted and lined using Railmatch aerosol and Fox Transfers/nameplates.

The 9f is running on a Hornby tender-drive. Like the Bachmann split chassis, if you get a decent one, then it runs ok, but there are a few duds around. It's repainted and weathered to represent a loco transferred from the SR to York in the 60's.Other than handrails, I did not do much to the loco. I had an ex-Brit tender so used that in place of the GBL one. The hardest part was removing the awful moulded lamps from the loco body.

[kernowtim]

I always thought 504 were made because the models were packed in boxes of 6 (or 12) , 6 small boxes fit better into 1 bigger box than 5 would !! Then you would have 84 boxes of 6 in an even bigger box..

[Horsetan]

I always thought 504 were made because the models were packed in boxes of 6 (or 12) , 6 small boxes fit better into 1 bigger box than 5 would !! Then you would have 84 boxes of 6 in an even bigger box..

....but of a size that can fit into the back of a Peugeot.

[tmz06003]

Wow! Thanks yet again Tony!! I would definitely have yourself & Weathering Man on my list of friends on a certain defunct quiz show! I should have said nose end side panel in hindsight. That would explain my just-one -per -loco theory - back to checking photos again. Found a superb t/t green three-quarters view of D9014 in the "Looking Back At English Electric Locomotives" book incidentally. Thanks again and regards . Malcolm

 

You're welcome Malcolm.

 

As promised here are some pics of the cut out required to fit the bogie, and showing how a thin screwdriver can access the GBL screw. Apologies, I should have said it accessed through the bogie frame not the coupling.

 

Unfortunately when I made the cut out I originally cut away the GBL screw housing. Only after checking the Lima 37 bogie inside the GBL modified chassis it became apparent that I could actually use the original screw fixing, so I had to reattach it! Hopefully your own conversion will benefit from this experience and won't require the extra packing mine did.

 

Also hopefully you can use the picture as a guide. Note that my frame still needs a little bit of filing where the Lima gears still touch the GBL frame side, but now this is only slight on a second radius curve.

 

You will also need a curved piece of plastic under the chassis at the front and back to guide the bogie on curves, I used those from the Lima 37 chassis cut to suit. The GBL frame flexes enough to allow the bogie to free from this enclosure.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

[tmz06003]

I've managed to remove the numbers on the GBL Deltic so intend to represent 55002 with yellow ends.

 

I have most of the parts and paints I need for the conversion except the metal headcode blanking plate. In the past I have used a brass part which has the light rims but no holes for the lights for class 47 and 55s. Unfortunately it's been a while since I've done serious railway modelling, like many others I've started again with the release of the GBL series.

 

Could anyone advise if there are suitable headcode plates still available without light holes?

 

One of my GBL Deltics had a missing horn, I've managed to source a replacement from the Dapol class 04 kit, with a bit of modification it's a close match to the GBL Deltic horns.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

[Wolf27]

For the head code panel try Craftsman, either direct or look on the Howes website under detailing parts.

 

Cheers

 

Shane

[darrel]

For the headcode panel on mine I cut a bit of plasticard to the right size and glued it on. I then painted it and used the replica railways transfers for the marker lights 

[Astockfan101]

Is anyone going to make the Castle into The Great Bear?

[rowanj]

Here are 3 photos of an attempt to convert the GBL Scotsman using a boiler/smokebox from a Hornby tender -drive A3 which replaces the GBL 107 boiler with the more usual 94a. I learned a fair bit from this conversion, and I hope my next attempt will be better - I have a couple more donors to play with. I promise the photos do the model no favours - it's actually better in "real life" but actually I'm quite happy to have some of the excesses revealed on film, as it gives me the chance to see areas which could usefully be tidied up without having to go back to square-one.

The loco is paired to a Mallard tender - authentic for 60046.

As an aside, the V2 on the parcels is Graeme King's excellent resin body running on an early Bachmann chassis with a K3 derived coped Group standard tender. The transformation from the ugly Bachmann model is astonishing, The loco represents one shedded at Thornaby,

[emperordalek]

You're welcome Malcolm.

 

As promised here are some pics of the cut out required to fit the bogie, and showing how a thin screwdriver can access the GBL screw. Apologies, I should have said it accessed through the bogie frame not the coupling.

 

Unfortunately when I made the cut out I originally cut away the GBL screw housing. Only after checking the Lima 37 bogie inside the GBL modified chassis it became apparent that I could actually use the original screw fixing, so I had to reattach it! Hopefully your own conversion will benefit from this experience and won't require the extra packing mine did.

 

Also hopefully you can use the picture as a guide. Note that my frame still needs a little bit of filing where the Lima gears still touch the GBL frame side, but now this is only slight on a second radius curve.

 

You will also need a curved piece of plastic under the chassis at the front and back to guide the bogie on curves, I used those from the Lima 37 chassis cut to suit. The GBL frame flexes enough to allow the bogie to free from this enclosure.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Regards,

 

Tony.DSCF1943.JPGDSCF1944.JPGDSCF1948.JPGDSCF1952.JPG

A thousand thanks for the photos Tony - I've realised now that the the Lima "guides" sit underneath the GBL frame and you've carved out a shape really to accomodate the the motor and gear assembly, with the Lima curved sections supporting the the front and rear guides from underneath Did you use some sort of packing at each end to provide a channel for the guide to move within? Thanks also for the info. on the nose end panel - still haven't managed yet to pin down whcih side it should go on, trawling my photos again - amazing how many of 'em don't show the correct side! Thanks once more. regards Malcolm

[tmz06003]

A thousand thanks for the photos Tony - I've realised now that the the Lima "guides" sit underneath the GBL frame and you've carved out a shape really to accomodate the the motor and gear assembly, with the Lima curved sections supporting the the front and rear guides from underneath Did you use some sort of packing at each end to provide a channel for the guide to move within? Thanks also for the info. on the nose end panel - still haven't managed yet to pin down whcih side it should go on, trawling my photos again - amazing how many of 'em don't show the correct side! Thanks once more. regards Malcolm

When I cut the guides off the Lima model I included the vertical walls so the channel remained once attached to the GBL chassis, I had to pack it out at the edges.

 

I think this photo shows which end the panel is at- if you look next to the exhaust you can make out the matching roof ports that are only at one end on the GBL Deltic. The square nose panel is at the other end. Hopefully this link below works!!!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/898994745/in/photolist-acryk9-nbtczG-bjNwmY-e713wL-eUqSNt-auaMdc-dfmJp5-dfnHCL-dfmeQB-dfmkq2-dfnEVC-dfmhqa-dfnr8A-aiBWNM-n2MHkp-85xenw-n2MHsD-bjJGva-8Vs5MA-9UWZ6s-aiEMNE-9QdEXq-ajArCA-nDs5wi-7XVb1U-6ucUmf-nJFriT-4JScEQ-9FpeFS-auTg8E-dHqeDB-9sg2uy-nuJtwr-69ZqKw-awXWt6-aeppBB-9WDLhP-grBBhX-mmNmgx-2nrzPp-68dem5-avpkjH-avrZC9-7iVa5M-69END3-99hmGs-4Ps8bj-dendv8-avpkgx-eBZChM

[emperordalek]

When I cut the guides off the Lima model I included the vertical walls so the channel remained once attached to the GBL chassis, I had to pack it out at the edges.

 

I think this photo shows which end the panel is at- if you look next to the exhaust you can make out the matching roof ports that are only at one end on the GBL Deltic. The square nose panel is at the other end. Hopefully this link below works!!!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cookephotography/898994745/in/photolist-acryk9-nbtczG-bjNwmY-e713wL-eUqSNt-auaMdc-dfmJp5-dfnHCL-dfmeQB-dfmkq2-dfnEVC-dfmhqa-dfnr8A-aiBWNM-n2MHkp-85xenw-n2MHsD-bjJGva-8Vs5MA-9UWZ6s-aiEMNE-9QdEXq-ajArCA-nDs5wi-7XVb1U-6ucUmf-nJFriT-4JScEQ-9FpeFS-auTg8E-dHqeDB-9sg2uy-nuJtwr-69ZqKw-awXWt6-aeppBB-9WDLhP-grBBhX-mmNmgx-2nrzPp-68dem5-avpkjH-avrZC9-7iVa5M-69END3-99hmGs-4Ps8bj-dendv8-avpkgx-eBZChM

Hi tony. By vertical walls do you mean the lug either side of the centre axle? Did you remove 'em intentionally (or would it better to retain these?). Sorry I'm a bit slow this evening. Looking at the photo you attached and the drawing in Model Rail no. 18(April 2000) and the GBL bodyshell in front of me, there is a (crude) roof vent (almost oval shaped) less than a scale foot away from one exhaust port . So i presume it is this end on the secondman's side that the obscure panel is sited(?).. . Thanks once again

[tmz06003]

Hi tony. By vertical walls do you mean the lug either side of the centre axle? Did you remove 'em intentionally (or would it better to retain these?). Sorry I'm a bit slow this evening. Looking at the photo you attached and the drawing in Model Rail no. 18(April 2000) and the GBL bodyshell in front of me, there is a (crude) roof vent (almost oval shaped) less than a scale foot away from one exhaust port . So i presume it is this end on the secondman's side that the obscure panel is sited(?).. . Thanks once again

I'm referring to the curved guides front and back of the bogie. Form a channel which the power bogie fits into. If I understand your reference correctly, the lugs on the plastic bogie frame you mention should not be altered in any way.

 

Refer to the 55002 pic in the link, the oval port is at no2 end, nose side hatch clearly at the other no1 end. This corresponds with the GBL model. Does anyone have a Bachmann Deltic they can check this arrangement against?

[Steamport Southport]

The only Jinty drawing that I can recall being in any of the magazines was a 7mm O gauge drawing in Railway Modeller May 1980 - The Special Extra Issue. There was possibly also a 4mm one in the late 1960s although I think that may of been a Midland Railway version.

 

The only other 4mm one that I can think of is in LMSR Locomotives To Scale by Ian Beattie published by Bradford Barton. Quite often found for under £15 on Ebay or Amazon.

 

 

Regards Jason.

[Uries15]

Hello Everybody.

 

Just been on GBL website and noticed the next model after the Compound!!

 

It's a Standard 4 Tank model. Very interesting valve gear and what appears to be 'skipping' rope Speedo Cable.!!

 

Will look forward the 'Weatheringmans' write up on this one!! His details have been an excellent guide , infact invaluable for this Magazine Publication.

 

Way back in the 'mists ' of time I put an article on this forum about these models the Princess being the one, having now caught up with this forum I have had a very good read of all articles placed about these products.

 

I did say in my closing comments of my article I said I would not be getting anymore of these. Well how wrong I could have been!

 

I do in fact have them all now and some duplicates. Many were passed on to me as the models were indeed awful.!!

 

However the 28xx came from Oxford and the K3 Weybridge in Surrey. I do travel around a bit. These models I feel were the worst out of the batch so far,both now completely stripped down and the 28xx looks like the real thing.

 

K3 I am afraid will need very fine tuning.

 

I too have had serious issues with customer services at Ringwood, also a wild goose chase to and from Poland!! Gbl customer services were awful, and it was always the case of passing the 'buck' or they have never heard of problems with these products!!

 

"Wait a while I will speak to my supervisor and we will get back to you", cannot remember how many times I had that, also people phoning me back 'with no answers' at god knows what time of the night.!!

 

Anyway I will be continuing to try and see this publication out?

 

Bit worried about some of the choices though, why the 28xx baffles me!!!!???. No doubt the will be some comments here?

 

Has the National Railway Museum seen any of these products to compare to the real ones they have in York etc??(seeing their name on packaging)

 

Will try and load up in the future photos of my refurbed 28XX and K3 and explain how I have transformed these models.

 

Looking forward to reading the next parts of this forum.

[JohnMartin90125]

Thanks to The Weathering Man for an extremely good review of the Castle, both the prototypes and in model form.  Let's hope at least one of the magazines offers him a paid job as a reviewer.  It would be a refreshing change from some of the reviews that add as negative points as "nothing of note" as to avoid upsetting the companies who make the stuff.

 

Many thanks to Corbs who has offered to send me a replacement for the missing valve gear as he is motorising his 9F.  1970s blue 9F will be started soon - maybe I could add weight to it with all the tomatoes we lost in the storm, neither of us like chutney so have dozens of green tomatoes to try and think of something to do with.

 

 

Uries 15 sums up GBL's customer service rather well.  It is probably a good job I can't use the telephone, my blood boils with incandescent rage at their e-mail responses so I'd be turning the air blue with them, probably even embarrass Roy "Chubby" Brown with what I would be coming out with!  There are lies, damned lies and statistics customer services!

 

I wonder if we should give an appropriate award for their standard of customer service?  Am thinking of a used cat litter tray for them (sent to them without postage so they would have to pay extra to receive it, of course).

 

Direct Debit Idemnities me thinks.  Having told the plebs at GBL to cancel my subscription, they took no notice of this and have noticed another payment taken from our bank account on Monday.  Since GBL customer service is so bad, I think that those of us who have complained to this company should send a summary of problems to our banks/building societies, highlighting the rotten behaviour of customer services and get their money back that way as there seems to be no way in hell that GBL customer services are going to treat us fairly, competently or with any degree of common decency.  Then again, GBL are effectively bootleggers, pinching someone else's design work.

[Smiffy2]

I've had no replies to my emails yet.

 

But I'm not holding my breath.

[melmerby]

 

Direct Debit Idemnities me thinks.  Having told the plebs at GBL to cancel my subscription, they took no notice of this and have noticed another payment taken from our bank account on Monday. 

You should have told your bank as well, then "the plebs at GBL" wouldn't have been able to get any more money out of your account.

I believe there is some sort of guarantee that if after a cancellation more is taken it will be re-imbursed.

 

Keith

Edited August 14, 2014 by melmerby