Paul Cram

I remember a time when Hornby was irrelavent to scale modellers. Doesn't seem that long ago either.

It still is

According to the RCTS book 6a both had 7'6" and  8'9".

Looking at the bushes position probably Gresley.

Looking good as usual. What are you using to represent the tarmac?

It looks like he is too idle to properly list or list individually. Looks mostly tat anyway.

I've used brake fluid "baths" in the past for stripping paint. Some older DOT types of fluid can react BADLY with some plastics - a Replica Railways coach comes to mind - it turned into almost molten plastic leaving perfect finger print impressions on the sides Modern fluids tend to be synthetic based so test a small area first. A safer option would be to use Precision Paints "Super Strip"

HTH

tractor_37260

This doesn't work on older enamels. It is also very expensive compared to brake fluid which does work on all paints I have tried it with.

How?Post office don't accept paint and local model shop just has the same batch.

Just taken delivery of a Branchlines V2 chassis, detailing parts 2 tender under frames with castings all for £23 includin postage.

I've not had a problem with drying or a non matt finish. They do seem to need a lot of stirring though and the density of pigment does not seem as good needing more coats. In fact I have been disappointed with a lot of recent paints. Revell seem to be the best at the moment although rail match aren't to bad. Precision and Humbrol seem very hit and miss.

Dart castings do the MJT ones and Bill Bedford does etched sides.

Following on from the do you ever finish your kits thread here is an update on some of items. The BTP now has a coat of paint and is awaiting lining.A couple of midland wagons have also been painted  and lettered. still need couplings.

For me it was Benfieldside. Wonderfully atmospheric.

The photos are great and the light on the first gives the impression  of a rainy day except for the sky.

I think the problem for Bachmann is (commissions apart) they don't do less than 3,000 for items they're producing themselves. They do commisions for just over 500 (512?) but then the commissioner has to carry the financial risk.

 

Although the SECR has flown off the shelves can they sell another 3000 at the factory? Is the demand almost satisfied, making 3000 risky?

 

They could try a stunt like they did when the LT Pannier L89 flew off the shelves and issue another one in a set, BUT they (or at least retailers) seem to have caught a cold with the Midnight Metropiltan set, and retailers have been breaking this set into component parts.

 

Yes the SECR C is a lovely model, but another 3000?

Does a subsequent run have to be 3000? The tooling is already there and it is just set up costs. A smaller run would be feasible as a price increase would be possible and still cheaper than an ebay purchase.

This one looks like the left overs from a kit rather than a kit

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kemil-Way-LNER-Gresley-4-mm-Scale-Coach-KIT-/271088168203?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item3f1e1d2d0b

Actually another source of information and photos is the dalesman. They usually have regular articles featurung men who have worked on the line.

The ballst at Hawes was limestone and I suspect that the rest of the S&C was the same.

The locals won't mind a sheep or two! They breed them hard up here, you know (the people and the cattle!!).

 

Looking at the plans of the station in the period when a cattle dock was operational, the dock was further to the end of the platform - I don't have the space to do this. The rear sidings were also much longer. Twiddling the plan (see below), this is about the best I can come up with. But it doesn't matter as KL isn't Kirkby Stephen - just a prototypical "copy"!!

 

Jeff

In Peter Baughan's North of Leeds there is a photo of sheep being unloaded directly on to the passenger platform dated 1935. A couple of shepherds and dogs supervising.

Quick update. I have now soldered the hornguides into the chassis. A bit of a three act drama as they are Exactoscale and come in many pieces all of which require a pet octupus to hold in place whilst trying to get them aligned in the frames with the coupling rods. I don't know why some of the more superior hornblocks were not supplied. I do not like the Exactoscale ones as they are overly complicated for what they are and require the wheels to hold the hornblocks in the guides and therefore slop about.

I don't know what the final price was but there was some MJT RCH comensations units for 2 wagons at £9.36 plus postage. You can get them from Dart castings for £6.50 which is enough for 4 wagons!

Hi Doug

All ok on the bearings front. They fit easily, if anything they may be a liitle too easy but I think it will be ok when soldered. Not made as much progress as I had intended due to having to decorate the daughters bedroom and then spent a day working on the layout. Hopefully I may get the bearings sorted this afternoon.

Yesterday I made a prearranged visit to TW, expecting a nice quiet day watching trains go by and discussing all things ECML. Instead I was at once ushered to his workbench, and faced with bits of chassis kit and a hot soldering iron. I hadn't realised he would move so swiftly to start my tutorials. So, a start has been made. TW took some photos of work in progress, which will be posted in due course, but in the meantime here are some thoughts on my first excursion into kit building in over 30 years. With someone as experienced as Tony sitting next to me, this was not a stressful or particularly difficult session, and it ended with a positive result.

 

 

 

Rather rushed shots I'm afraid, apologies for the quality. Tony is a very calm and supportive teacher, and he even showed me how to solder without holding the parts with fingers, thus enabling a real wimp to avoid pain and the smell of burning flesh. The fumes caused by dipping a hot soldering iron in a jar of phosphoric acid however were a new and unpleasant experience. I would need to wear a mask if I did this regularly. I didn't actually do all of the work, as Tony did things first to show me how, but I did manage enough to be quite happy about soldering(so far).

 

Sadly though, I also had a very clear illustration as to why a very high percentage of kits are never completed. My first job was to solder in the bearings, which wasn't difficult. The next thing that Tony told me though was that the middle bearings needed to be reduced to half their size. OK, he showed me how to do it, and even broke a couple of saw blades in the process, which made me feel somewhat less ham fisted, but there is nothing in the kit instructions which would have told me to do this at this early stage, or in fact at all. TW told me it would be " much more difficult" to do it later when the frames had been completely assembled. Well, I can't help thinking that if it would be difficult for him, it might be impossible for a beginner. It is all about getting the gearbox in between the frames of course, and it is quite clear when demonstrated, but I don't think it would have occurred to me. The other thing that struck me was the number of specialist tools TW has, which he has acquired over the years. Reamers, broaches, files and all in different sizes, which make the job much simpler when one is shown how to use them, and why. I have a very basic set of tools, and little practical knowledge.

 

I can now see why TW's chassis run so sweetly. It is because he takes so much trouble at the outset to make sure that all is completely freed up. He spotted a slight misalignment in the chassis when it had been soldered up. I could see it, just, when he pointed it out, but I doubt I would have spotted it myself. He is also unhappy with the noise of the motor/gearbox assembly when test run, so a DJH one will be acquired and fitted in due course.

 

My conclusion? With Tony's help, I shall finish this kit, and have a reliable and free running loco when it is finished. Had I been doing it all by myself? Well, I don't have the experience, or the knowledge, and I don't have a lot of the essential tools. I can see that even if I had succeeded in getting the chassis completed it would have been very unlikely to have run well. It all looks very Catch 22 really. To get to where TW is one needs to have built hundreds or even thousands of kits, and to have made a mess of a fair few in th early stages. For me, without help and supervision, my first effort might well have been my last, and this 4F would have joined that host of half built locos that lie neglected in cupboards all over the country. It is sad really, as most people will never have the opportunity I am so fortunate to have now. My other reflection is that life really is very difficult for kit manufacturers these days. The cost of kit and parts is going to exceed the present cost of a Hornby 4F, and when the Bachmann one arrives it will no doubt be cheaper still, and better too. Not much incentive then for a beginner to attempt this kit, and let's face it, they don't come much simpler than this.

 

I shall reflect further on all of this, but I would also welcome your views. Am I being too pessimistic, or just harshly realistic?

If you are talking OO BR then you may well be right. However if you model periods prior to 1948 then quite often the only solution to a particular locomotive is to build a kit or scratchbuild. If you are modelling P4 then a chassis of some description is needed even if the RTR body is available. Kit manufacturers just need to be selective in the prototypes they pick to ensure they have a market and not be competing with the RTR manufacturers.

Hi James, obviiously a man of taste. Quick update as I have not got as far as I had hoped, due to daughter requiring a trip to B & Q and the hedge needing trimmiong. Ah well best laid plans and all that. I have got as far as fitting the firebox and test fitting the frames to the body. Time to make tea now so hopefully a little more progress later.

Whilst looking through my Kit drawer I discovered some 5'2" wheels that I had purchased 20+ years ago from Ultrascale. What they were for now escapes me but I have recently acquired a Bachmann J39 and a Dave Bradwell chassis kit. As the weather is looking a little overcast I thought I would make a start on buidling the chassis. Here is a picture of the main parts before we start.

Having read through the instruction a couple of times I am still not sure how it goes together. Hopefully all will become clear as I progress the build. Probably will take longer than a week though.

I got a nice little jig from Eileens.