Michael Edge

That's why we give you steel screws and brass nuts.

There's even less room in the fuel tank end and more open space in the cab so I can't see what would be gained there.

No, compensation/springing won't work with fixed rods but you can articulate them on the centre crankpin by cutting one layer behind the middle and the other layer in front of it. It's not mentioned in the instructions because this early kit was only designed to be built rigid. All our more recent ones are designed with compensation in mind. This is what it looks like from the top. More than one axle on a knife edge is unstable as you suspect.

Both rack and adhesion, possibly like the Nilgiri one (see nicktoix on here) the upper rack drive runs in the opposite direction to the wheel drive.

Can’t you swing the bottom part of the gearbox round so that it’s underneath the motor? Then turn it round so that the motor fits towards the radiator end. Alternatively drive on the centre axle and if the gearbox is too high it can hide under the control desk.

I liked mine until it suddenly started to rust from the inside out - typical Longbridge product of the time when bodyshells were left out in a field before painting.

The weather looks good but it was cold and windy, I’ve got another layer on under that red jersey.

Triang axles are 9/64in

Today in Jersey Not one but two almost identical Claud Butlers. My son found the red one on Ebay and restored it - both of these (and this rider!) well over 70 years old. Mid way round a very nice 25 mile ride, St Catherines breakwater in the background.

I did this myself with a Kitmaster J94 and after some years it did an impression of a boiler explosion. More recently a loco I had built came back to me with its bunker sides and ends forced apart after being filled with lead shot an PVA, this after less than a year - was very difficult to get it out to tepair it as well. I don’t know exactly what happens but there’s definitely a chemical reaction of some sort.

A razor saw will do it but maybe you haven't got one of those either. It saws a slot in the gearwheel as well but that doesn't matter.

Thanks Dave, very useful.

The way to deal with the stupidly long grubscrews is to tighten them, cut them off flush and saw a new slot in with a piercing saw. If the griubscrew was entirely in the hole as it should be it wouldn't shear off (as I'm sure you know).

C6341 shows a Brush 200hp 0-4-0DE, possibly ex Parkgate judging by the shape of the back windows - do you have any more photos of this? I wasn't aware of one these working at Derwnthaugh.

As he said, only with the gearbox - but they are then incredibly powerful.