hayfield

This wagon arrived with 3 others at the weekend, the paint job is very thick and it has plastic wheels that are not free running, so its ready for a rebuild. I mixed up my favorite paint stripper which is 1 pint of water (in an old Carte Dor 1 litre icecrean tub) with a heaped table spoon of caustic soda. I popped it in along with a K's single bolster and LMS guards van. I do not know what the metalic paint is but it started fizzing straight away. So the whole lot is now in the garage just in case there are any accidents. I looked in after half an hour and the tank wagon is now a brownish red. I will check on it later but it will stay in the mixture fot 24 hours, by which time hopefully the paint will have desolved off the wagons and the glue softened. I have a couple of photos in my GWR wagon book but with few photos of the pipework at both ends, and have seen a couple on the webb as well. All the photos I have seen in my books seem to have the grey livery, however I have seen a model in black?

Ozzy Sorry I miss read your reply, and miss quoted the wrong axle size. As I said its the older style axles that are larger.

The older ones which need bushing are 9/64ths

Richard, give Mark a call he is very helpfull and sorted me out with some axles for the older type of chassis. I have 3 or 4 re-wheeled Hornby chassis (done by others)and they seem to have had their chassis bushed to fit 1/8th standard Romford axles. I guess its easier and cheaper to use the correct size axles now they are available. I guess if someone has a lathe they could use 3mm rod and turn the ends down to 1/8th to fit Alan Gibson / Kean Maygib wheels

Look on the Markits website they do 2 different axle sizes for Hornby locos, also you will need to buy 1 plain axle and one knarled for the gear wheel

Frames, coupling rods, spacers and wheels arrived from Alan Gibson earlier in the week, I decided to use Romford/Markit wheels as I have them in my wheel box, I also have some Gibson plastic brake shoes. Ready for a start once I finish off a couple of locos which are on the workbench, I chose a ridgid chassis for ease also I could not understand the diagram for a 2-4-2 flexichassis in my Sharman book (taking it down the club tomorrow so someone can explain it to me)

Simon Thanks for the photos, they have told me more than the photos in my Russells GWR locos book. Could you please tell me what the items are each side of the loco footplate just behind the smoke box, they are not on the plans in my book but are on the photos. I can use your photos to assist me in placing things like boiler bands etc in the correct place. Thanks again a great help

Nick Thanks for the info, I emailed Alan Gibson workshop and got a couple of replies from Colin. I have decided to go for the rigid frames (cant quite get to grips with the compensation for a 2-4-2 chassis)and will order the parts I need tomorrow

Bertidog, that was quick. I have just had some Hamblings 24mm drivers arrive in the post, I have at least 1 if not more locos with these wheels and have some in my wheel box for future use. Is it worth drilling out the K's wheels to take standard 1/8th axle rods?

I got this loco body off Ebay last thursday and it arrived today, it was advertised as a whitemetal loco body, but I had my doubts. Also no mention of what loco it was Its a scratch built from nickle silver and just waiting to be finished, at the club we looked at the photo on my camera and one of the chaps thought it might be from one of the Welsh companies, however on checkinh its an original boiler verson. I have found in the spares box a smoke door box, tank filler caps and some tool boxes which may be a bit short, also I brought a brass whistle this afternoon. Alan Gibson does a set of milled frames, so having not either made or brought one of these before I will send an email asking what I need to buy. I have had a quick look at my flexi chassis book but at a slight loss at the 2-4-2 arrangement, I have only ever have made an 0-6-0 flexi chassis before. I have some photos of the loco in my Russells book and yes the fire box / boiler height differential is that much will have a look on the web for some rear shots

Stephen, I need to replace some and I was told last weekend that Markits may now do one that would fit in brass.

Jamie I have a couple that are part built and stopped at the solebar fitting, the one I finished is the SR brake van and I cheated by cutting off the 2 bits that are filded. Is the etched (thinner) part of the solebar wide enough so that when you fold in the 2 thicker outer bits, the solebar is still wide enough? Am I right in thinking you clamp the thicker part (top) in the vice level, then bend. turn around 180' then clamp the middle part of the solebar with a square metal spacer and fold the bottom part over ? Sorry for being thick

I should have said 3 variations (though there may be more) not varients. 3 different Smoke box wrappers, 2 Cab front spectacle plates, 4 saftey valves 2 smoke box doors etc. Sorry for the error Must give it a dust and finish the painting.

Les no problem with the posting, or asking questions that how we all learn South Eastern Finecast have taken over the range http://www.sefinecast.co.uk/Locomotives/New%20and%20Revised%20Loco%20Kits%20Page%206.htm page 6, they have up graded the kit with an etched chassis, 2 sheets of etched brass details and have included cab interior fittings, and can be made into 1 of 3 variants. Thats the bad news, with the kit approaching £100 plus wheels motor and gears its quite expensive. Your kit is desigmed to fit on the Hornby 0-6-0 chassis, Wills and SEF have also produced etched brass chassis for this loco. They come up quite regularly on Ebay and do sell well. I fall into the group that likes rebuilding badly made models, unmade kits are more expensive and well made ones fetch a premium. Having the box and instructions etc helps Like all things a good clear description along with a good picture of all the parts will increase the price. May be worth just watching a few items on Ebay to get a feel of how much similar items fetch. Remember with your kit the updated item has an etched chassis and additional etched and cast parts. Still has a value which could be more than you paid for it if you have had it some time.

Just found the thread, very impressive great bit of modelling. We have Wipers coming to the Watford Finescale show at the weekend, even more looking forward to seeing it.

Stephen, I will be watching this thread with interest, I have an unmade kit like yours which is missing the chassis and a built up one that needs refurbishing, no motor but has a set of Romfords. If you have a problem with the drivers I have 4 wheels that are still shrink wrapped but no axles, I guess I will buy a Comet chassis for the unmade one and will use either Romfords or Gibson wheels. I never had any luck with the HPM motors, where as the Mk 2's have been fine.

Matt A great bit of modelling, thanks for shareing it.

The more who buy these items (especially those who do not know too much) the better as far as I am concerned. I have had some great buys. One chap openly admitted when I thanked him for the item, that he had brought a job lot for £4k and sold it on for £5k. I cannot remember what the item was other than I got a great bargin, could have been sold for 2 or 3 times the price if it had been described correctly. I am as interested in finding these cheap items as I am in finishing off my collection. I brought an item described as City of Truto, well it had an Airfix C of T box, a whitemetal loco (not a C of T) with a RTR chassis and another chassis all for £17.30 inc postage. This is what arrived, Airfix City of Truro un built kit, K's Grange missing the motor and front of the footplate and a Hornby Hall chassis (no bogie). Well I needed the motor for the A3 chassis in a Langley Baltic tank I have. I resold the Airfix kit and the chassis for over a tenner. Given the price Hornby motors sell for the K,s loco was for free. The chap who brought the chassis I think is a dealer, but the original seller was happy, I am, as is the person with the Airfix kit and no doubt the dealer will sell it. I cannot see a problem.

Super bit of modelling, you have a very rare tallent of getting the propotions just right. Thanks for shareing its looking very good. Just as an aside, I was reading the latest Railway Modeller last night about an EM gauge layout which also used card and brickpaper for the buildings.

At least you can get a very good pint whilst waiting for the loo.

When I was allowed to have a modeling room it was bliss, either not having to pack away everything each time or having the dineing table cluttered. Another benefit is not having to go into the loft to search in my bits boxes. Look forward to your posts and I hope all goes well in your new house.

Holidays, DIY on the house, a couple of turnouts and finishing off a couple of other locos have got in the way of the Atlantic lately but I have done a bit more on it over the weekend. The tender needs a bit more filler where the top plate fits the body, I need to make a new air vent and find some buffers. I have fitted the cylinder block casting, as its a butt joint I not too certain how well it has stuck, the cylinders need filling and I need to replace the cross heads / rods as they are soft whitemetal castings and I broke one. Also the front bogie fouls the chassis, I will try and alter the hole in the bogie and move it 2 or 3 mm forward. Still it runs well on the straight track, and its a lot better than I thought it would be a few weeks ago. The other locos I repaired are 2 Wills 1864 Pannier tanks, one which I painted some months ago and needed the chassis building, and another which came off Ebay with the pickups mangled, both now work and I also fitted some pickups to a K's Terrier another Ebay buy, this now needs some footsteps and the side air compresser.

I thought these pictures of the CCW Syphon G might be of interest, the sides seem similar to the Ratio one a few replies earlier. The Ratio coaches I have all have wooden roofs though that does not mean they used other types. This is as I brought it off Ebay, one day I may get arround to finishing it off.

Nick thanks for putting me right, its a cylinder I just thought (wrongly) it was a Westinghouse. The Southeastern kits do not have the pipes that come out of the boiler sides that are on the Hornby Dublo version. I think Markits may do a posh version, I might just try and coble some up with some wire and brass

A quiet 2 weeks plus as I have been on my hols, walking in the peaks and a quiet week in Kent. Visited both the Peak rail centre which for me was good for photos of a few wagons and the coach preservation shed and The Midland Railway centre at Swawick. loved the Midland museum the shed with the Duchess and Princess along with the replica buildings being constructed. I have a couple of K's 6 wheelers to rebuild and seeing how the straps and rods fit together will assist Inside of the Royal carrage Someone out there is copying my modelling skills The second week we visited the KESR misses again that P class only got a view from the elevated viewing area at Rolvenden. And also the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway. At onetime if it were not full scale and GWR I would turn my nose up at it. But seeing they run over the past 2 yeard at Dungerness, New Romney and Hythe was very enyoyable, in fact they put some of the preserved railways to shame. I used to think of them as models, but am realising they are engins in their own right