Miss Prism

The key to modelling a 517 is to choose a number for which there is no known photograph.

I can't recall seeing a pic on an Insixfish in service. Did they move only at night?

NPCCS in brown or crimson is always a smart move.

Have discovered (or rediscovered?) this thread. Excellent.

Is Rapido feeling guilty or envious?

4 hours ago, Mikkel said:

If Nick is correct here, brown is an option from 1905 to the mid-20s, which surprises me a little.

Me too a bit. It would seem logical that crimson 517s would start to appear from 1912, to match the new carriage colour, but apparently that didn't happen, and crimson 517s didn't start to appear until '1919'. There was a bunch of stock in the 1908-12 brown with plenty of time left on the paintwork, so in that sense continuing with brown 517s makes some sense.

Here's narrow-tank 1157 on a Banbury-Kingham auto in 1922. The 70' trailer (looks like a diagram U) is probably in crimson lake. The loco, which is known to have appeared previously in brown, shows no signs of the cream back panel in the cab, unless it's just got grubby. So it could be in green, or brown, or crimson. Hmmm!

Mechanically, the loco is very typical of an early '20s 517.

3 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Further to discussion of the brown 517s, I dug out this old post by Nick (much missed) from an archived thread: 

Mikkel - do you have a thread url for that?  (The 'member activity' search function seems not to be able to access archived threads.)

1 hour ago, nightstar.train said:

Is the 1401 version that Dapol are producing correct for its film appearance in the Titfield Thunderbolt?

Could be. Dapol's description of its 1401 is, err,"1401 B.R. Black G W R " 

1 minute ago, Steamport Southport said:

Would be much improved with proper frames and outside cylinders. 

I fink that's wot you might call a Churchward Mogul.

A notgreat pic of 830, with I think an autotrailer (note the large oval buffers), c 1912-14. Location unknown (I don't think it is Bath or Radley). The dome is painted over, but the safety valve bonnet is shiny. The ends of the coupling rods are burnished. No cover for the lubricator pipe. It is lined, but the unknown is the body colour - green or brown. I'm inclined towards the latter, because of the light colour of the inside rear of the cab, or is the sunshine confusing me? (I don't have my RCTS to hand, I really should get round to order the electronic version, does it list the 517 browns and crimsons?)

Looking rather dainty, 534 is on shunting duties at Worcester in 1923. No lining of course, and no insignia. Insignia didn't become fashionable for the 517s until a few years' later. Dome and safety valve cover look like they are painted over.

Here's the real 832, at Addison Road I think. The date is problematic, because the boiler fittings are still polished, but the loco has aquired a riveted smokebox wrapper. I can't detect any lining. I guess 1912-18.

(I was sure I had posted this pic previously in another thread, which discussed the date, but I can't find it after a brief look through my attachments.)

Henley, Pembroke Dock, Windsor, Uxbridge.
 

26 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

Reading http://www.gwr.org.uk/no4-coup-tanks.html, I learn that in the period 1894-1915, all but 50 engines arrived at the long-wheelbase state, if they were not already in it, i.e. 94; I take it the long wheelbase is what Dapol are doing?

Yes. Also, Dapol is doing the narrow tanks (i.e. not the later wide tanks, which hang off the side of the footplate).

It's a bit 'ansome, innit?

How long small passenger tanks received indian red wheels and hanging bars is not recorded, but I doubt it extended much beyond 1902, and black may have been used on the outer faces of the frames before that time. It was only the prestigious passenger locos that retained indian red on the outer faces of frames until mid-1906. Everything was changing rapidly as soon as Churchward got into his stride.

I strongly doubt any 517 would still have had red frames after the 1912 introduction of crimson lake for passenger stock. Crimson 517s appeared in 1919.

7 minutes ago, Paul.Uni said:

I'm temped to get a 517. What one would be most suitable to go with the Autocoach in Crimson Lake livery?

One that has been repainted in crimson lake.

20 minutes ago, papagolfjuliet said:

It will be nice to have a decent RTR 14XX

I think that's been said a few times.

There's a couple of Coopercraft W1/5 on ebay at the moment.

Another vote for Zenith. The designer was a Jack Hefford iirc, and shows characteristics of a precursor to the XT60.

http://www.gwr.org.uk/kits4rtrwagons.html#:~:text=GWR diagram W12.-,Body length%2C wheelbase and roof profile (too flat) not correct for W12.,-Cattle wagon (Mex

1 hour ago, Hal Nail said:

I could have sworn I read somewhere (I thought on the GWR.org Toad guide) that not all AA15 had J hangers and that either the earliest or latest lot had the usual type, but I cant now find that anywhere.

It's still there. http://www.gwr.org.uk/nobrakes.html#:~:text=earlier lot (853)%2C which had swing-link spring hangers

I thought Kohler had retired.

Lovely work, Tom. You need a photoplank to show them off, in the style of Adrian Marks.

Oh dear, 1369 has re-aquired green tank fronts!