Michael Edge

Time for another test track photo On the back row the Barry 0-8-2T is now complete ready for the paintshop. The EM1 production line at the front, the second part etched one is now ready for lining and glazing, further on yet another LBSC D1 (Albion kit), another Hecate and the Sentinel 0-8-0. The NER 0-4-4t is in for conversion to S4 - if possible! The B17 at the back hasn't moved this year.

It's a bit late to put this on here but we will be at the GOG show in Kettering tomorrow, this is a one day show despite what I managed to put on our website just now.

I do put little pads in if something goes wrong but I usually solder in thin shims of metal. The old fashioned "battleship" frames do behave more like bar frames (which don't twist) than plate frames. The difference with bar frames is one reason why American loco practice went to compensation much earlier and much more than European builders did (the other reason was very poor track of course).

Which is exactly why I don't do this, I build the frames with cylinders/motion bracket/footplate supports and put the wheels on, then leave that until the body is complete. I also leave the bottom edges of the buffer beams clear and easily available as reference surfaces until the boiler (or engine casing for diesel locos) is fixed in place - then I know the body is square and won't distort the frames. Our kits are all designed with this sequence in mind although I do accept that springing or compensation does make this less necessary.

At the risk of repeating myself, there is no point at all in trying to assemble a plate frame exactly square. Almost all the torsional stiffness in a steam loco is in the boiler and this will easily pull your exactly square frame out of true when it is bolted up. All plate frames, including full size ones, are able to twist a bit, if your assembled frame isn't true just get hold of each end and twist it. For good running the only things that matter are wheel quartering and an exact match between the rod centres and axle centres - any of the jigs will enable the latter to be checked, springing or compensation are irrelevant in this context.

I have had to repair locos where the crankpins had broken off, if I couldn’t get them out that was a scrap wheel. It’s more or less impossible to drill brass out if Mazak.

It might be heat resistant paint, I remember some 1960s F1 cars had white exhausts

The frame etch isn't normally available separately since everything is on one sheet but I think I may have an unused test etch which might suit your needs, I'll have a look through and PM you about it. This is what the Cotswold kit can look like. I didn't build or paint this one but it runs on Herculaneum Dock.

The Cotswold kit is fairly accurate, from memory I think it's a bot short at the front end but that's all. This is the GA drawing from our etch for this loco, based on original LMS drawings I am confident this is accurate.

I always lock Romford crankpins in with Loctite threadlock. They would still be removable from Markits/Romford wheels with the application of a little heat, if you use superglue they will be there forever. I use them in Gibson wheels as well after drilling and tapping them 10BA. Locking them in the wheels is essential, it can make a real mess of the motion work if they come unscrewed at speed.

It looks tidier than mine...

I've had that most of my life - you work out ways to get round it all the time. My son and grandson both have this as well but it doesn't seem to have affected any of the girls.

We have them in stock and the limousine cab conversion etch.

Much as Phil said above, we do get rubber and resin from Sylmasta (actually Sylcreate now), the rubber is 380, the resin is G27LV. Almost everything I mould has one flat surface, this is stuck down on the bench with double sided tape with a Lego brick box around it. When moulding the flat surface is uppermost and after pouring a small piece of waxed perspex is put on top and weighted down. It is possible to mould items with very large undercuts by this method, the rubber is very flexible and we can do tapered chimneys - even buffers although these need a split making in the mould (only partly split, not completely separated so they spring back together). Chimneys and domes are set on an appropriate diameter bar to pour the mould (usually a Blu-Tack box in this case), the same diameter bar is used in place of the flat perspex to mould the base.

Separate rods were just following LNW practice, jointed rods on the 0-8-0s came later, the originals were overlapped on the crankpins. This is much more common than is generally realised, if the model din't work it was for some other reason, not the separate rods.

Just making the etches (preferably with a drawing but not essential) available would be good enough - we do very well out of this sort of offering although we do supply detailed drawings with them.

It's difficult enough doing two sets of Stephenson gear between the frames in 00 (I did it with a Finney kit despite hearing Martin telling another customer that it was impossible...) but three sets and a crankshaft - I wouldn't even think about it!

My 94xx used the Lima cab/boiler/tanks with the rest scratchbuilt. Seen here on a visit to Liverpool for its photo.

This was seriously suggested in Sheffield when the new tram system was being planned - dig up West Street and use the existing buried track. The trams do run there now but this suggestion was not taken up....

I did a pattern for a resin moulded 37 for Maurice Pilsworth about 30 years ago - no idea what happened to this but I still have the cab pattern here. I used to make one cab, mould it and add then to the body. Others included LMS 10000, class 56 and Deltic.

Looks fine to me, glad you didn't have too much difficulty building it.

Is that one of our pantographs? Looks good anyway.

Its not really practical to include wheels in 4mm kits because of different preferences and gauge/wheel standards. We do supply wheels in a few kits but these are only wagon/coach wheels for chain drive locos - even these have to be for 00/EM or P4. 7mm is different, Slater’s wheels are all but universal now - although again there would have be an S7 option.

There's another sad stage after that - the buyer passes the kit on to a professional builder (me) who then has the frustration of finding that it's not complete. Happens all the time.

Fulgurex produced Castles and Kings, they were reasonably accurate although from memory the firebox shape wasn't quite right. They ran reasonably well by the standards of the time but might not seem so now. The small Prairies were by a Korean firm, they also produced 57xx Panniers. These did run very well they had very nice cast brass wheels and can motors, I still have three of these and another Prairie which I intended to convert to a 44xx. Seen here on Heculaneum Dock, I painted 5517 and it was expertly weathered by the late Paul Fletcher. One of the Panniers, also seen posing in Liverpool.