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I meant to post this some time ago: 45735 Comet ready for weathering, lamps, coal and crew. Like about 20 others tbh. But I have an airbrush issue, or more specifically a compressor issue. 1.5-2 seconds depressing the trigger (dual action Premi Air) and it loses pressure from 40psi to about 3. Comet will pull 14 which is absolutely plenty on test having had a little extra weight added. While I prefer Comet or similar mechanisms underneath, this Bachmann chassis and those of the 9Fs are very capable and have good representations of the correct drivers. Indeed I don’t think any manufacturer has produced a more accurate 9F driver. Iain

Yep I think the Bachmann new version Jubilee, the Hornby Black 5 and Rebuilt Patriot cabs, all match up closely enough to the drawings I have. Jub definitely has lower sides I will measure when I get a chance. Iain

If you start with a Hornby Rebuilt Patriot body and graft a new style Bachmann Jubilee cab to it, you will be close enough. The smokebox saddle needs no alterations, is almost invisible and it’s a lot easier. Or find a Brassmasters Jubilee cab. Not all that likely tbh If you do what I did and start with the Bachmann Jubilee it’s marginally (some would say imperceptibly) closer to reality but a bit harder. I only realised after I bought and built one that it was too shallow to represent a Jubilee cab Baz. But I think it’s good for a Pat? As visible in these two posts where I tried to make a rebuilt Jub from the old Bachmann model. Iain

Thinking further, I seem to remember I also had to file down the lower half of the mount for the worm and shaft very slightly, just to lower the worm towards the gear wheel. Iain Lovely models. 46127 is a Comet kit, I’m guessing? Not sure about 46137. Heavily modified Comet kit? Sorry if I’m missing something - what is the spanner in the works? Iain

Hi Brian, The fix for the new style Hornby Scot and Patriot chassis (they are identical I think except for the driving wheels) was a little while ago, but as I recall it was easy enough. The worm on the motor disengages from the gear wheel because a huge lump of black tack raises the motor too high. Once I removed some of the black tack and cobbled together some sort of fairly basic (insulation tape?) method of securing the motor, it was fine because the worm and gear engaged properly. At least I think that was what I did.... I’ll try to post a photo or two if I can even find which one it was. 45735 Comet done - except I forgot the vacuum standpipe - ready for weathering, lamps, coal and crew. Iain

Hi Brian, I honestly hesitate to say it but if my research is right (it might not be), the front end of a Scot is quite a bit different to the Jubilee, as are the buffers, footplate drop, driving wheels and balance weights. Sandboxes too but they are more obvious. I thought you might graft the Jubilee cab onto a rebuilt Patriot which is much more similar. I always enjoy your work. Sorry to appear to pick fault but I know you like to get things right. best wishes, Iain

not totally obvious, John, but the Patriot cab is quite a bit shallower than the Jubilee one. Even less obvious is the smokebox saddle. There will no doubt be other minor differences between a rebuilt Pat and a rebuilt Jub but I chose to build 45735 basically as they did in real life. Start with a Jubilee and graft a 2A boiler to it. I think the windows are broadly similar but the side sheets are lower. Iain

Morning, I look forward to seeing how you get on. a couple of thoughts: the cab on the old rebuilt Jubilee is definitely too high. Should be (from memory, Mike Edge said) 51.9mm from rail head to the top of the roof. If you check back through my thread I got somewhere near with the old one. Comet frames on the Hornby Scot don’t fit the rear all that well and need a fair bit of filing to sit low enough. if you build it with the gearbox on the middle driver and the motor to the rear of that, it gets nose-heavy, so maybe worth considering an alternative arrangement. I will on my next one. Which may be quite soon! 45735 almost there: Iain

Thanks Mike. Interesting that the Ultrascales are slippier. I have a new set for a Duchess that came together with a kit - they do look very nice. Will consider what to do with them, ie which one they will grace. I use the same bogie and trailing truck arrangements as you, which is encouraging! Iain

I remember you said that, Mike. I know weight makes a difference but I guess different wheel materials, rigid versus sprung or compensated, bogie/trailing truck arrangements etc all make a difference too. Not experienced enough to know, to be honest. 46256 is 725g and thankfully can still spin its wheels. I’ve not tested it for max haulage and I don’t know whether I will do so, but it was completely untroubled by the rake of 19. The two Hornby/Comet/lead treated ones (46245/46248) are 570g and 490g respectively and will be OK for me. Carlisle is a different beast though, I know. Your help and interest are always valued, thank you. Hi Alan, Good question. I went for this option for a few reasons: 1. It was how the real ones were built - ie Jub footplate, cylinders, frames, wheels bogie and cab, and 2A boiler. Admittedly I didn’t think which firebox was used, but I assumed the 2A boiler had a bespoke firebox and the rebuilt Pat one was definitely closer than the SFB Jub. The front end of the Jub was barely different to the rebuilt Pat so that could have been used ok. 2. The Bachmann Jub underpinnings fit the Jub footplate and have the fixings in place. Maybe I could have chosen the Pat chassis and used the Pat footplate as you suggest but the Bachmann Jub driving wheels are a lot better than the Hornby Pat ones, plus the Hornby Pat mech is notoriously fragile. Bottom line I suppose was that I had these bits and thought why not? Maybe grafting the Jub cab onto the back end of the Pat everything else would have given the impression of a rear frame extension. But anyway, it’s done now! hope that helps, Iain

Thanks Baz. I think they are the correct Stanier bevel rim bogie wheels....... I do think the Hornby Coronations could be made to work well enough with a Comet chassis even for Carlisle, although I’m a definitely happy to accept that if Mike can’t get enough weight in, nobody can! The one I’ve just built (well, when I say “just”, it did take a while with the move halting progress midway) weighs about 550g and will stroll away with 19 on including 6 full kits. So while it takes a lot of faffing to get lead packed in, it could work. If you do OO them, I would imagine the frames could be reused with OO spacers if reassembled in a jig. But I’ve never tried anything like that. Thank you, very kind. Skills, such as they are, only developed through having a go and making a lot of mess and mistakes. If I’m honest, perhaps I just really enjoy trying to make things, and it’s particularly fun to make something good out of something not so good. Or seeing where one component can provide the basis of a new model. Iain

hi Terry, Yes the old nameplate will be history! Haven’t yet removed it as it may be a good support for the replacement. well spotted, Scott - hope all well with you? Good spot. The washout plugs didn’t quite align from the Pat firebox because, as detailed above, I had to shorten the firebox rather than do what they did in the works which was to lengthen the frames. So yes, 6.8 plugs roughly on this side, which is annoying but this is an RTR bash in 3 evenings. The tender is the bigger problem, yet more easily solved. I simply forgot which one was which. Comet towed a rivetted tender and Phoenix a welded one. I just went ahead and numbered it without checking. So this is now 45735 Comet, which is a decent fit being a Camden loco at times even if I can’t recall when without going back to my books, and certainly a regular. 45736 Phoenix was also photographed there and who knows, maybe I’ll do that one too. This is a fairly fun conversion. hi Farren, No, the recent Bachmann SFB Jub and a newish Hornby Rebuilt Pat boiler smokebox and firebox. I think it’s close, at least. hope all well with you? Iain

And the eagle-eyed will know why this was wrong: Iain

OK so I did say to myself that I wouldn’t start any new loco projects until I’d completely cleared the bench of part-finished ones. But this was too tempting. You will know immediately what this is, I suspect. A new-type Bachmann Jubilee, secondhand and not well cared for, and a damaged Hornby rebuilt Patriot body, will be mated to produce a decent Rebuilt Jubilee. There are issues with the wheel spacing on the Bachmann Jubilee but it’s barely noticeable to my eye if I’m honest, and as what Tony would describe as a layout loco, I think it will be ok. Both bodies are to an extent modular The difference in the cab side sheets which is the most obvious difference between a Jubilee and a Patriot. First mating: careful measurement to enable removal of the splashers from the Pat and filing to clear the metal Jubilee splashers: The smokebox saddle on a Jubilee is different enough to a Pat that I wanted to try to recreate it. The normal Jubilee has a narrower diameter smokebox than a rebuilt one. Obviously. But the saddle is closer to the right appearance. Separating the components was a challenge and then careful filing was required. now getting closer. But on the real thing, the rear frames were extended a little so, not having done that, the whole 2A boiler is a bit long. Best solution is to trim about 1.5mm from the firebox Joining firebox and cab having measured, filed, measured, filed and checked: Tidying up the splasher area with a sliver of plasticard inside which allows a tiny bit of filler to be applied accurately and then filed and sanded back. Masking for painting and then lining - all this with all of the fittings etc separated makes the job so much easier. And.... Should finish this by the time the Fox plates arrive. Iain

Thanks, very kind. The paint is gloss from the can and it does, mainly, settle smoothly and well with a real depth rather than a superficial gloss. I use Johnson’s Klear to seal transfers and then weather over the top. I know there is a lot of debate about finish - whether paint or varnish is gloss, satin or matt for example, but I think you can get to the end result in different ways. I am happy with the gloss base which enables the transfers to stick, and that gloss then gets covered with matt weathering. This Brassmastered Hornby Scot was Kleared so very glossy, and then weathered: Your work is simply excellent and yet half the size of mine! Iain

I remember from a couple of years or more ago, you mentioning that. One of my favourites too, and apparently it was one of the very best of the class. It was always going to be part of the stable but it made sense to do so earlier rather than later. Now it is ready for weathering, coal, crew etc: I’ve also got quite a lot further with the Comet Scot: The Scot on test pulled away with 13 on and no extra lead yet so it should be fine. The mechanicals are so much better than a Hornby one, although the body, painting and lining are not as neat. 46145 wasn’t a regular at Camden but it has great significance for me and I have a photo from 1959 so I’m pleased to be able to include it. The Fox lining on both locos is a bit garish and thick but I hope will tone down somewhat with weathering. Overall I am quite happy with them both. Iain

Dear Tony, You are far too kind. I think, if my 46245 was the subject of one of your excellent photos, you might see a much bigger difference between my work and Geoff’s. The surprise might be how I actually got to this point, which might confound the purists. I think it is ready for weathering, but sometimes the camera shows up something I’ve forgotten: First step from here was aerosol red primer and then the entire body was sprayed with more Halfords paint: In the background you can see the developing progress on a Comet Scot too. Then brush painted satin black and transfers. Fox transfer set includes yellow lines that are a trifle wide if I’m honest, but it was the best option at the time. They will tone down with weathering, and I used BR Maroon yellow and black carriage lining for the buffer beams which was much finer. Finally, I used a very fine sable to touch in all the black lines at the panel edges. Almost there on 46145 too. You kindly hosted this one at LB a couple of years ago but with the move etc, it hasn’t been completed until now. I used a custom can of deep bronze green made up in the shop, which seems ok. 46145 was not a regular at Camden but I have a photo of it there in 1959 and it has great significance for me. As you know, my loco building owes much to you: thank you very much indeed. Many thanks too for your offer of help with the control panel, which I will gratefully accept. Best wishes as always, Iain

Continuing...... I just have the tender totems to add, then weathering etc. It runs well, and with plenty of lead on board, easily strolls away with 19 on (6 of which were full metal kits) in the storage yard. Originally I was thinking of asking Geoff to paint it, but with the lockdown I thought I’d better become a bit more self-sufficient. A few carriages progressed with, some full kits (some of which were part completed by persons unknown when I bought them), some Comet sides on donors, and some plastic bashing. Iain

Good morning Tony, I hope that you and Mo are really well. Responding to your post about what modelling has been done during these last few weeks, here is an update from me. I’ve been able to make a bit of progress on Camden Shed. I may have to spilt this into a couple of posts depending on photo size permission. I’ve completed the storage yard and all the approach trackwork except for the kickback sidings, which will be installed later. Graham Nicholas really helped me to kickstart this with a couple of long and productive days working on the north end just before the lockdown, for which I’m very grateful. 3 workbenches, the idea of which is to be able to keep progressing with different projects using different media. I didn’t want to be soldering in the same place I’m welding plastic together for a building, for example. It is all wired and tested under the boards to the board edges, but now I have to build the control panel and wire the board edge terminals to that. Your panels on LB are the sort of thing I had in mind, so I might ask for some advice if it’s ok? I’ve also built, or part-completed, a few items of coaching stock and locos. First up, a DJH Black 5. This was a bit of a pain to put together compared to the first DJH Black 5 I built, which I will put down to lack of practice over the past couple of years, but the front bogie arrangement required endless fettling to stop shorts, which I don’t recall from the first one at all. I became so frustrated with it at one point that I removed the correct Markits bevel rim 6’ drivers to save them for another Black 5, and substituted the older Romford generic ones. It is now almost ready for a thorough clean and then painting. I just have to add the bearing cover (?) for the expansion link, which I forgot to do before taking the photo. This is now almost complete: Iain

Thanks Baz. You are a star as usual. I did get the 8 ton loading right for the BG thankfully! Iain

Hi Baz, Hope you’re well. Sorry to pollute your thread but please can I ask some advice re LMR coaches? Should these have chalk panels and/or “Load x tons distributed” on them before I complete and weather them? If so, what weight and where? P I BG Dia 1715 P III Stanier shallow ventilator BCK Dia 1850 P II BT possibly Dia 1735 Thanks for any help you can give. Best wishes, Iain

Having to break up the post into two Just the final touches to go. It is pretty surefooted. This is with 19 on, 6 of which are full metal kits, and no slipping. It’s by no means a representative train, just hanging a load of carriages off the back of it to see what happened. I’ll never run anything this long - 15 would be an absolute max I think. Iain

Nearly finished the long-running build and paint of this one: Step by step 46244 has become Late change of identity for a couple of reasons. Firstly 46245 is more crucial to Camden than 46244, being a long time resident whereas the King was only an occasional visitor after 1958. Secondly, when you make ex LMS locos in BR, livery, you don’t have an oversupply of 4s on the HMRS sheets! So London it is Iain

I definitely think I need to add the 1 on the first class doors of the BCK Any guidance on the chalk panels for that one, and also on the BT and BG would be much appreciated. I found a nice photo of some unlined crimson (or was it carmine - you’ve started me off now Terry!) P II non-corridors in 1959 so I’m happy with that livery. Weathering beckons soon. Iain

Thanks Mark. You too. I agree about a whole fleet of Black 5s. This one has been a bit of a swine tbh. It’s still not all that smooth and despite careful measuring and trimming, plus films of araldite, it still seems to short the front bogie occasionally, so it’s not gone for painting yet. Comet frames under a modified and detailed Hornby body makes for a very decent Black 5 I think. But I’m all red right now! Iain