rowanj

Thanks. I may well be in touch. John

This is where I'm up to so far. The cylinder block slides into the chassis via a pair of locating slots which is a neat way to accurately locate it, But for some reason the block would no locate at the correct depth. It was easily remedied by deepening the slot in the cylinder block. I was then faced by the piece of metal forming with the cylinder block sides which include reverse curve. I don't have bending bars, but got a reasonable result by soldering the top joint and then bending and soldering to get the finished article.It will need a bit of tidying at some point. The wheels are Markits , which I already had ,one reason for risking the kit purchase.. I'm hoping to use a DJH motor/gearbox which I also have, driving on the rear axle The footplate bends were made by hand using the former which becomes the valances, It was just a case of trial ad error, and I suspect some additional filling will be needed later. The instructions suggest leaving this intact until much later in the body construction, but I wanted to check clearance of wheels and cylinder so removed the front part and bent up the splasher fronts. I also fitted the cab as the etch was loose in the box, it helps to check straightness of the footplate and I wanted to see it in place. It fitted easily using the etched tabs and slots. Next step is the valve gear and brakes. Really looking forward to that... John

I started with the chassis. This can be made either rigid or compensated and I'll build it rigid. It folds up and then has 3 additional spacers to keep it rigid. I found it very straightforward and when I subsequently fitted wheels, it was all perfectly square. The cylinder block is likewise a fold up, which needs a couple of bushes soldered in to support the crosshead. As seems to be normal, the holes needed opening with a broach but otherwise was simple enough. I understand the PDK etches are on the thick side, and while this may cause problems down the line, it helps at this stage as bends can be made by hand without distorting the metal .The scores in the metal where the bends need to be made are very clean

After taking a deep breath and a stiff whisky, I have decided to bite the bullet and attempt my first etched loco kit. Previous experience has been limited to fitting replacement coach sides to RTR donors and building whitemetal kits. I have also attempted a few chassis kits - some worked and some didn't. !!! Starting with a B16 might not have been the most sensible choice, but I wanted a loco which suited my area of interest and which seemed unlikely to appear as RTR in the near future. I also noted Mike Edge's wonderful B16/2 build and Tony Wright's superb B16/1. Though I'll never get anywhere near those standards, I hope to have some fun doing the work. The reputation of the PDK kits persuaded me that it gave me confidence that any major c-ups would be as a result of my ham-fistedness rather than any defects in the kit itself. I also thought I'd share how I'm getting on in the hope that it might inspire others to have a go, point out where I went wrong or sorted out a problem, and get help if needed from the accomplished modellers who post here. Over on Tony's thread, there are regular debates about kit-building v RTR. The common argument goes that kits are expensive and a real degree of skill is needed to build them and then the final result doesn't look as good or run as well as RTR. All of these points are often true. The B16 costs £115 or so and a set of Markits wheels and a motor/gearbox combo will add another £100 . Paint, lining and numbering add a bit more and these too are skills which won't get me into any Hall of Modelling Fame, But if all goes well, I'll be able to say "I made that" as I watch from a suitable viewing distance as it trundles round the layout. Below is the basis of the kit, which seems excellent quality, The instructions seem clear and comprehensive, so off we go...

The 5 A2,s you refer to are the double chimney with multiple valve regulators like Blue Peter. When I started spotting, Pearl Diver was illustrated in my ABC book so I always hoped to see it, but A2,s from Haymarket were relatively rare birds even in Newcastle. I finally saw her in Heston yards from a passing electric train on my way to Central.

Here, as requested by Gary (Kingfisher24) are photos of the GBL A2 on a Hornby Brit chassis. The cylinders and valve gear are Hornby A1. They are both a nearly straight replacement with some irritating bits to fiddle with. Mainly it's just a case of removing plastic, but if I remember, I tried to keep theA1 valve gear in 1 piece, ie with the metal join between the 2 sides retained. This means somehow removing the weight on the chassis, and I couldn't see an easy way to do it. In the end I just separated the valve gear. The rear bogie wheels need re-siting. If you need a working flanged Cartazzi bogie, This may be a pain. I'm happy with flangeless so just cut the axle and re-sited the bogie. It looks crude, and it is, but I hope the finished photos show it's not so bad on the finished loco. The Cartazzi sides were taken from the GBL chassis and stuck in place. My last A2 will become an A2/3 , again on a Brit chassis. Ugh

It would be nice to think another series would be produced. The list of additional planned releases contained some interesting stuff but I'm afraid I didn't keep it Weatheringman published it on his site and I don't have access anymore.

Funnily enough, trainspotting at the time didn't reveal to me the issue of how dirty Gateshead, and to a lesser extent, Heaton,s pacifics were. We were more concerned that they weren't cops!!! I found that lots of plastic needs removing from J39 and K3 locos, ant to a lesser extent A3 to get the GBzl body onto my chosen RTR chassis. This is a particular issue if using Bachmann split chassis. I suspect the V2 would be the same.

I'm not sure how much interest there is around this thread, but here anyway is my second-last Mallard morphed into Gateshead's 60005. I tried to get her in "used but not yet 52A filthy" condition. It is one of the easiest GBL conversions as the body shell is hollow already and the loco/tender has separate handrails, replaced here with wire. I used an early Chinese loco-drive chassis and Hornby tender chassis, as both were available. Paint is Halfords Rover Brooklands Green, weathered using Modelmates Soot and Oil Brown dyes from aerosol cans, and Fox Transfers.

Yes its a loco drive chassis. I must confess for some reason I have always struggled to get a modern Hornby chassis back together after dropping out the bottom and releasing the wheels. No doubt there is a simple trick and I'm just being a hamfisted dork....John

This is my stab at a "Tyne Dock" 9F using Dave Alexander's conversion kit. The loco is the GBL Evening Star, running on a Railroad chassis. The tender is the BR1b from the GBL B 4MT mogul. It still needs real coal. Pipework is 30 Amp fuse wire which has the advantage of being easy to bend but less easy to straighten. I fitted AWS equipment as well as the usual handrails, lamp irons etc. The loco numbers look large but this was standard Darlington practice. I'll add overhead warning flashes in due course, and at some stage will tackle the cast steps on the leading bogie. I carefully put away the pipework under the fireman's cab, which had become dislodged. I put it away so carefully that I now can't find it so have ordered a replacement Genesis pewter casting. I'll number that side once I'm sure the casting is firmly attached. Then it's just weathering and into the loft.

One very scruffy D49/1 _Hornby Railroad Hunt with a GBL D11 tender body. I based the colour on a photo of 62730 Berkshire in Darlington just after withdrawal in 1958. If anything, at that stage it was even scruffier. Just waiting nameplates and smokebox door plate.

Here is a pic of a very shiny D49 made worse by the overhead light. However I'm happy that, after lining, satin varnish and light weathering should tone things down, As always photos show things needing adjustment which the eye misses - the draincocks and upper lamp bracket need straightening for a start - but we're getting there.

Re using the Hornby tender-drive Cheshire body it will actually be an easier job as it doesn't have the Lentz valve gear rodding and outside cylinder pipes to remove. On my copy, there are 2 "boxes" on the footplate which just unclip -were they cylinder lubricating access points? - and this leaves a simple filling-in job on the footplate. "Cheshire" 's body will fit on the newer Railroad chassis - it looks like it should just go straight on, but mine would need a very small piece of filling to clear the motor. The other advantage is the brake lever is already present on Cheshire. I prefer loco -drive all things being equal, and would not have fancied all the metal work on a tender containing the motor. I also suspect the GBL tender body would not have fitted a tender with the tall Hornby motor. But I imagine it could be done by the usual bodge of cutting out the tender top where it fouls the motor top and "over-coaling" the loco tender to conceal it - much as Hornby did on the A3/4 tender-drives. John

Photos show progress on the Tony Wright inspired conversion of a Hornby Railroad D49 to a more prototypically correct Shire from a Hunt. For those without the article who fancy a go a this, I've shown a before/after of the loco sides to illustrate the major changes. The tender chassis is white metal and a lot needs removing, to both narrow and shorten it to allow the GBL D11 to fit.(its a force fit). I wouldn't have fancied doing this without a Dremel and even then its a long job and needs care, There is still some white metal visible but I've decided to quit while I'm ahead and resort to black paint. The tender will be BR Black anyway so it should be reasonably concealed. The smokebox door is a NE one on the model and this was replaced by a GN one by BR days. If I can find a replacement in the spares box I'll use that. But otherwise I'll stick with the original. Edit Thanks Sarahagain. I can't tell my Shire from my Huntsbow. In the meantime I tracked down a smokebox door.TW used a Jamieson washer behind his replacement and though I've had several in the past, they have all vanished. With care, the Dremel cut out the Hornby door leaving the outer ring, into which the new door has been glued.

In the latest BRM, Tony Wright does a lovely conversion of the Hornby D49, which has the body of a Shire on the chassis of a Hunt. Tony replaced the LNER GS tender as supplied with a Great Central from Bachmann,s D11. I have had a D49 in the pat but was always put off by the tender-drive and incorrect tender/body combo. The Railroad model solves the running issues but retains the other problems of identity which Tony resolved in his usual excellent manner. I didn't fancy indulging in the cost of a whole D11 but wondered if the GBL tender from Butler-Henderson might be made to fit the Hornby tender chassis. The pictures show that it can, albeit with a compromise to the wheelebase and some very extensive work with the Dremel. There is still a bit more metal to be removed, where the silver shows, and I'll take another picture when I complete it. It will still require some black paint to hide spots which I suspect I wont be able to remove. But it should look ok from normal viewing distance.

Here are my 2 GBL J39's posed. The modified loco and short tender is now a J38 on a modern Hornby chassis and the J39 is the on a Bachmann J39 split chassis.

I use Games Workshop Purity seal. 99% of the time its fine though it can lift lining transfers if they have not "cured". I avoid Humbrol which seems to have a tendency to bloom. Never thought of using Halfords so that was a good tip.

Here is the GBL J39 on Bachmann chassis, renumbered to a Heaton 52B loco which I must have seen a hundred times and after the first "cop" ceased to make any impression on me. If I knew then what I know now...... The LNER branding was removed with fine wet n dry sandpaper, the loco then sprayed with grey primer then Halfords Satin Black.

I think it's fair to say that most modellers find the Mainline/Bachmann split chassis the worst choice when other alternatives are available. I've had a Mainline 4MT and early Bachmann B1 fail with split axles and found the Ivatt a sticky runner from time to time. The suggestion to use a J11 chassis is a good one if you can lay your hands on one. I've never heard of a modern Bachmann chassis sold as spares other than very occasionally and expensively on Ebay. The older split level types are there all the time, presumably as folks find better options. Hornby chassis are more common, of course. A decent split chassis will run well enough if given TLC. Modelling should be a broad church and I hate it when people criticise what other folk choose to spend their money on. Personally, I wouldn't buy a complete J11 just to obtain a chassis for a GBL J39. The J39 just isn't good enough, in my opinion. Of course, I suppose you could either use or sell on the body and tender and recoup some of the cost. My models don't get high mileage so a cheap Bachmann chassis which runs well suits my purpose for a layout loco. If I were to follow the suggestion of using the J11 chassis, I'd invest in a Bachmann body and tender rather than use the GBL version, But that's just my view and others may well disagree. And I really do value it when folk like 34B....D offer constructive suggestions on how to take things forward.

Hroth posted a photo of the J39 on a modern Hornby chassis. This is my version on the Bachmann split-chassis which I picked up cheaply on Ebay. When I first ran it, I understood why it was cheap as it ran very poorly. However some judicial oiling and tweaking has produced a smooth and quiet runner, at least as long as the plastic axles don't split. It is a very tight fit to get past the bulbous lumps inherent to these chassis, but it is do-able with care. The inside of the smokebox door also needs filing flat. I removed the moulded handrails and steampipe to replace them in my usual fashion. I also lightly sanded the very prominent boiler bands which had the added advantage of losing the garish lining. Compared to Hroth's work, there is no doubt that he has a better mechanism, which I used on my J38 conversion. Bachmann has the advantage of scale wheels ( which can be fitted to the Hornby mechanism, of course) and a correct wheelbase which is a help on a loco with moulded splashers.

[qu Some of the results are abominations (as some of my early efforts were) and some are rather better but the good thing is they are obviously learning how to do modelling the hard way and some of them may well graduate onto other things. The age of people having a go is not yet dead and this is, I think, a good thing. As one of the hackers referred to above,with no illusions about my skill level, I'm not sure that referring to peoples efforts as "abominations" is likely to encourage many to share their work in public. At the ripe old age of 66 my capacity to improve is probably limited, but I do have a life outside model railways and want whatever I model to be fun. So however abominable my efforts are, I enjoyed doing them and, as has often been posted here, I can watch them going round and say " I made that "

Almost completed 84009, which for a reason I have not been able to discover, was the sole loco based in either the ER or NER . being at Hull from June 59 to Dec 62.

Though not a candidate for an Emmy, the link will show the last lot of GBL conversions. They include 2 "Mallards", one with the tender as supplied and the other from the GBL Scotsman An A3 modified with a Hornby tender-drive body and Mallard tender, correct for "Diamond Jubilee" A2/2 Lord President - A3 base with resin parts O4/8 - Bachmann O4 with Replica B1 cab/boiler K5 - Meld of K3 and B1 parts on Bachmann V1/3 chassis Black 5 on Hornby Railroad chassis D11 on Glen etched chassis D10 - D11 boiler. Bachmann O4 cab, on Hornby Schools chassis A2 on modified Hornby Brit chassis K3 converted to RH drive, SEF cab and resin GN tender https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V74bHR5cNEo

I'm in the process of converting the Ivatt to the BR Standard 84xxx series, The photo shows slow progress to date, I,m using a Comet detailing kit with excellent lost wax castings, and am waiting for a BR chimney from 247 Developments, who also supply the missing motion bracket. I,ll be posting the conversion on my thread as it develops. I made a start on the cab roof which needs to be a smooth transition into the cab sides and have removed the LMS clack valves. Although there are a few conversions of this prototype around, I'm struggling to get a definitive view of the pipework on the firebox top, so if anyone can point me to a reliable source. The PDK drawing is no help.