The Nth Degree

Thank you so much, but David has come up trumps with PDFs for all 3 kits, which I'm very grateful for. Now, which to start first?...

Hello Torsten, good to finally meet you at Telford. Yes, as Paul says, just over 10cm over buffers. I used a biscuit tin I got last Christmas – it's 32cm diameter! Steve

I will probably file some flats on my drive axles to hold the gear wheel and pulley sprocket in position. There'll be less reliance on a firm nip from the grub screw, especially in the aluminium of the pulley.

The cheapest option would be to G-clamp on a metal rule where the fold is to go and score it like billio with a Stanley knife. Move the rule a fraction of a mm away and score again to make a slightly wider score channel (you'll need at least 0.6mm). Clamp the 3-5mm part in a vice with a couple metal rules and bend into the score line. You can use a mallet or tap gently with a hammer to achieve a nice sharp corner. Run a solder bead inside the fold to keep it stable.

Ray, did you find you had to file back the outside of the bearings to get the wheels to fit comfortably on the axles? I'm currently playing with an old RJH Class 40 kit but the back-to-backs are very tight. Currently suffering from a bout of manflu so I'll post a couple pics of my drive chassis when I'm feeling up to it.

I like the M&M wagon chassis. It looks a lot like the one I designed about 4 years ago. I never got around to finishing it and putting it into production though – something I must do one day. This is it all held together with an elastic band ready for soldering, and like the M&M chassis, it's all slot and tab –plus you can change solebar bolt/rivet patterns with slide-in etches.

Thanks John, very kind, but they are the 08, 31 and 47! Waaay bigger...

Ha! My dastardly plan worked! Actually, entirely innocent. I was rooting around the loft earlier this week in preparation for making a larger test track when I came across a few kits I'd put aside. One of them was an old RJH Class 40 kit, so thought I'd look on here to see if anyone had built one and what they'd done to it. As what normally happens, once you start looking, you keep getting deeper and deeper into completely irrelevant things, and I came across Boris's old thread of his 25. Not exactly a 40, but it's from the same designer so thought I'd get some clues. I'm pretty sure Mr Daniels has built one of these 40s, so I'll go through his massive thread again one day. I also found three MMP kits, all of them with no instructions! I must have put them somewhere to read and now I have no idea where they are. I've moved house a couple times since I bought them, so they are lost forever it seems.

Ha! All I can say is that we've drawn up our detailed production plan until December next year...

There are a few balls in the air, but they are being managed. For example, from the prototypes we found that we could reposition the speaker for better performance, and similarly we could make the geartrain more efficient - very important in such a small model. Tooling is being modified to account for these and a few assembly challenges we faced. Our target delivery date is mid-November.

Trust me, I'm desperate to show you all what we're up to, but the Ruston has to appear and then the website is being upgraded after months of neglect. Then I'm dropping the bombshell!

We were hidden behind the substantial yellow mass of Precision Paints. A few people were looking for us and didn't spot us. A shame you didn't - you may have been able to prise a secret or two out of me!

Thanks Andrew! I didn't manage to take any photos at all... Excuse the mess under the bonnet, the production versions will be secured, but this was rushed out without all the components fixed in place, but you can see where everything goes and how much we've jammed in there. To answer your question, Hesperus, Dave is correct – all models are DCC, so you only get o choose between sound and no sound. Both will run on DC.

Sorry, missed this question. Very soon is the answer. As soon as the Rustons are out I'll announce it. I didn't want to be in the position of effectively having two announcements open, with the Rustons not yet released, so decided to wait. I am very, very excited about it!

And there lies the challenge - and it's one that LLC is very keen to pick up. I'm very much looking forward to it and I have developed a strategy that will work (at least on paper). On the subject of the ROD, one of LLCs partners is very keen for us to produce it, but I must admit it is some years off, if at all.

What started as a GWR thread has moved east - and that's when my ears pricked up! Little Loco Company has several GE, GN and GC tank and tender engines on its radar. The first set of these will go into development early next year.

A preview of our Ruston box. Just a mock-up at the moment, but see if you can spot some differences to other boxes.

Absolutely! I had a test a couple days ago - the loco and a couple wagons fit on a biscuit tin!

I should mention before it's picked up that the Ruston badge on the radiator cowling was moulded into the tooling for reasons known only to the factory... This has now been corrected so the open cab variant will have a printed Ruston logo and the later closed cab will have a painted etched badge. The same goes for the cabside emblems – open cabs have a printed crest, while the closed cab has a printed etched badge. All etched badges are of nickel-silver and the very fine radiator grill is etched stainless steel painted in the body colour.

It's been a busy few weeks, and having a holiday in between hasn't helped with logistics. The first working sample is now on its way to be programmed for sound and lighting functions, with the remainder due soon for life-cycle, electrical continuity, accuracy, colour, haulage & traction, and a host of other tests before release – which I'm hoping will be in limited quantities at Guildex on the 2nd September. The factory upgrade during the project has certainly not helped sticking to schedules, but this does bode well for future models, and being almost literally down the road certainly helps nipping in to approve (or reject) new samples as they appear. I've managed to assemble a few parts that I have at home into something so you now it's all still in progress, but I not fixed the small parts to it as I've not had much time since returning from holiday – that washing pile is not getting any smaller! Steve

A small picture update, as promised. The mouldings from the first tool set. These are the small parts. The larger parts of the cabs and bonnet plus the die-cast chassis will follow shortly. Also, the very fine, accurate scale roof profile. The machined parts (wheels, axles, etc) are produced in Somerset. These are all solid steel wheels, which will be blackened in production. They are insulated from the axle with acetal bushes. Moving away from the Ruston, we will be using some very special speakers in our larger models (Type 2 upwards). These are without doubt the finest speakers used in any model, or available from aftermarket suppliers. At 50mm square and capable of hi-fi quality sound, these are used in professional audio line arrays, so are more than adequate for models. This is our test enclosure with a secret design of internal baffling that we are testing on Thursday. These units may in future be available as standalone parts for aftermarket fitting in your models. The frequency response is unmatched by any speaker system currently available.

I really do not like contributing on another manufacturer's product thread, so please do excuse me, but I simply wanted to point out a couple things. Little Loco Company will be producing the 'as-built' loco AND the refurbished loco. The additional tooling costs are pretty negligible over the entire run, so it make sense to me. We're also producing all of the liveries carried by both types – there's no 'upto' or 'maybe' in our line-up. As is the normal procedure for LLC, we are working with preservation groups, owners and specific charities to give something back to the railway community. None of the groups we are working with have knowingly been approached by any other manufacturers recently. Finally, to clarify the crowdfunding position, these early funders are paying a good proportion of the development and production costs of the model. In return for that they will receive a significant discount on the RRP. After all the early funder's orders have been satisfied the models will be available directly from us and from our small band of valued and faithful retailers – most of which are family owned. I personally welcome competition to us in the same way that LLC will provide competition – and we all benefit. Keener prices and better quality models are the result, and being a modeller myself I'm very interested in that. LLC is committed to two things: that we produce the most accurate models we can afford; and we give anything we don't need back to the people and organisations that preserve our industrial heritage. A part of that ethos is that we now produce as much of our models in the UK as possible. I don't want anyone to read this as any sort of detriment or critique of Heljan or any other manufacturer, I'm simply pointing out there is a choice and everyone is free to make it.

It's been an age since I last updated this thread – it's been incredibly busy, and still is. A quick summary of what's been happening. Class 15 A retailer has commissioned a Special Edition (to be announced shortly) of 3 liveries of the Liverpool Street Pilot. These are fully decorated models, with all transfers, shed plates and buffer tread plates pre-applied. The liveries are all green, small yellow panel and full yellow end with black buffer beams. Prices to be announced by the retailer, but I'll update here when they are announced. I realise I am way behind on getting replacement transfers out, but this week looks a little easier, so hang tight a few more days – apologies. For any serious collectors out there a very special Class 15 model is being auctioned on ebay at the moment. The very first model to roll off the production line decorated in D8233 colours. This was given to the Class 15 Preservation Society by LLC for them to auction off to raise funds. This is certificate No.1 and includes a note on the back from me. Not only do you get a unique model bound to appreciate in value over time, but you also help out the Society raise much-needed funds. Here is the auction lot, bid well: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222575792485 Ruston 48DS Last Friday I visited the factory and brought home some parts. Very crisp moulding and I'm very excited about seeing them all joined together. The factory underwent a merger of two of its groups and a relocation for part of it, plus a major investment in capital machinery (£1 million!!!) – partly due to LLC! The resultant delay means we are about two months behind schedule for the Rustons, but this will eventually mean much faster and efficient turnaround of following models. I'm disappointed by the delay, but on the other hand I'm delighted that they are making this massive investment in the project. Samples are due at the end of this month and finished models are expected in time for Guildex on 2nd September. Type 2 This is going to be an amazing model. It's not only going to look like the prototype but it will have an almost exact replica of the driveline too. This has never been done before and I'm very excited. We're just now adapting it to enable it to navigate a 1 meter radius curve. We've got the sample speakers and motor in to test recently. Anyone who is a member of LLCs Facebook group will have seen them, but when I have the opportunity I'll post them up here too. This is booked into the factory for the end of September. Release date is possibly before the end of the year, but I'm not guaranteeing that. Class 50 crowdfunded Also progressing well. This will use the same speakers but a bigger motor. This is booked into the factory for January latest and will be ready for the summer. For this and the Type 2 we are working on a revolutionary implementation of DCC and PluX22 with Paul Chetter. Some loose plans for next year include our first steam loco models, a couple more diesels and spanning over into 2019, a DMU in 2, 4 and 8 car units. Thanks very much for your support. Steve

Ah! Too late. Yes, Paul has described the way in. It was much simpler on the original prototype, so I don't know what happened between then and the subsequent samples. I think it was the factory's way of reducing vibration buzz from the speakers.

If you'd both like to PM me or send a request to sales@littleloco.co.uk I can prioritise them for you. I'm slowly going through the list of direct customers, but it is taking quite a while, and then waiting for responses. Please feel free! Steve