rowanj

Here are a few photos of some of my motorised GBL bodies. The K3 is running on a modified Bachmann V1/3 chassis. These split chassis are sometimes problematic, and I have found it almost impossible to repair a dud. However many/most do run perfectly well if lubricated VERY lightly, and I think the photos show the big improvement of the scale wheels over the Bachmann K3. The A4 is Mallard, de-valenced, then paired to a Scotsman tender, both on Hornby chassis .Repainted and lined using Railmatch aerosol and Fox Transfers/nameplates. The 9f is running on a Hornby tender-drive. Like the Bachmann split chassis, if you get a decent one, then it runs ok, but there are a few duds around. It's repainted and weathered to represent a loco transferred from the SR to York in the 60's.Other than handrails, I did not do much to the loco. I had an ex-Brit tender so used that in place of the GBL one. The hardest part was removing the awful moulded lamps from the loco body.

This is a list of GBL locos I have managed to motorise. Three A4, s with valences removed and repainted in BR lined green.Two are original Mallards and the 3rd is 60011 with the Scotsman tender. Two A3,s again in BR green. I replaced 1 with the A4 tender and a replacement boiler from a Hornby tender drive A3. Deltic with a few added details on a Bachmann chassis, lightly weathered to tone down overspay and fitted with etched nameplate. Two 9f,s repainted black.One is on Hornby tender drive to represent loco transfered to York from SR.The other is on Bachmann chassis and will be paired to a golden Arrow tender.Not much was done to the bodies other than cab change, wire handrails and removal of the horrible moulded lamps,plus repaint and weathering. K3 as already photographed. To do - K3 to K4 and K5, another Deltic Black5 and Truro when I can find a cheap chassis, Jinty onto London Road Models chassis, and still a 9f plus a couple of Mallards and Scotsmen in their packages.

Thanks, Simon. I assumed yours were sprung buffers, but have read over on the Lner Forum of the quality of the Franks castings, so must try them.I still have plenty A3 and K3 models to play with. John.

Here are a few photo's of "work in progress" on the GBL Scotsman. 2 show the pretty extensive cuts needed in the footplate and boiler needed to clear the A3 chassis- the area round the motor is particularly tight. Neither cuts are difficult but it took me a while to make sure I only removed the absolute minimum to leave a force fit back onto the chassis. The tender is my first attempt at lowering by 1mm and narrowing by 4mm a Hornby GNR tender drive shell. Having made all the cuts, I looked at the remaining mess with my heart in my mouth, but managed with Miliput and plasticard to finish with something reasonable. It still could do with some filing to narrow some edges, and I found filling with coal hid a multitude of sins. The loco will finish up as Prince Palatine, which I believe ended life with the correct 107 boiler as on the GBL Scotsman, and deflectors .Other than handrails, and a new whistle, missing from the GBL body, only repaint and lining, etc have been done If I can find some sprung LNER buffers in the spares, I may fit those having seen the effect on Simon Martin's locos. As I've just run out of BR Green Railmatch paint, I have time to hunt around. One plus of taking photos is to spot issues which look ok in the flesh. One handrail knob has become detached, and a couple of handrails need trimmed. I also see the loco is nose up, but this was just my carelessness when taking the photo.

Following my earlier post, here are 3 photos of my work in progress K3. One shows the cut needed under the boiler and another the cut at the rear of the V1/3 chassis The third is the loco as of today, still needing boiler band completed, and cruelly, showing a misaligned band and drooping handrail at the smokebox.end.Both of these are easily remedied though I'm waiting for Fox transfers to complete the boiler bands. The red/grey are Modelmaster which match the original Bachmann on the tender, and the loco numbers are HMRS. I was surprised how large the cabside numbers were when I studied the prototype photo taken at Filey. I know this won't pass the test of some of the purists, but it's been enjoyable to put together, and I would certainly encourage those too nervous to take a knife or airbrush to expensive Hornby/Bachmann locos to use the GBL models as test beds, especially if you want what Tony Wright calls "layout locos" rather than display models. Though I hasten to add that I don't aspire to Tony' s standard- well I aspire to it but don't achieve it - For those who saw his article on converting Bachmann's K3 to a short cab RH drive version, I don't see why the GBL bodied cannot be used with a V1/3 chassis for the same purpose. Just one caveat - unless you have a decent spares box and/or access to an inexpensive RTR chassis, the cost of wheels, motors and etched chassis kits really does mount up, so the "cheap" GBL body becomes far from a cheap project. Next project is the Thompson K5 when I can track down a B1 body for the footplate and B1 cylinders. p.s I've also noticed from the photo how awful the reversing lever looks. It honestly seems ok "in the flesh" but clearly needs replacing.

I'll try to work out how to post photos of my K3,but in summary... I removed all the moulded handrails, steam pipe and reversing lever, and replaced them. I also adjusted the front buffer block to put in the notches designed to clear platform edges.I removed the LNER cabside numbers as mine will be in BR lined black. The chassis used is a Bachmann V1 which I picked up for a tenner.The valve gear is not accurate, but the wheels are a better diameter than the Bachmann K3. You need to carve out a fair bit of plastic from the loco footplate,almost back to the cab front and out as far as the moulded lines on the running plate. I also had to cut the chassis block behind the motor where the redundant rear pony truck was located. This was easy enough with a new metal hacksaw blade, but watch for metal getting into the split chassis and causing a short.The body is a tight force fit.I painted the wheels to hide the awful silver rims. The tender is Bachmann coping version, currently available on EBay for£9.99. So the whole thing has cost me under £30 plus bits from the spares box , tender underframe, handrail knobs,transfers. Next stop K5. I have also motorised a Deltic and 9F and will try to describe these if anyone is interested.

It,s because I already have a spare Bachmann Deltic chassis. And I think that is part of the point with motorising the GBL models. They are usually not good enough to be worth spending lots of cash to motorise but if you have a spare chassis or detailing parts,usually accumulated over time, they can form a basis for decent models on a working layout. All this IMHO, of course.

Re. Weatheringman,s cryptic comments on the upcoming Deltic, have you seen one or have inside info you can share. Personally, for £8.99 I am not expecting more than something with the potential to do so modelling with and which hopefully can be made to fit a Bachmann chassis.

I managed to pick up at decent prices a Bachmann chassis and complete Hornby tender drive setup, so will have a go at motorising them in BR black. Some time ago Tony Wright modified a Railroad 9f with the same double chimney tender combination to suit his ER setting. Can anyone advise suitable no,s I can use on late fifties/sixties ER mainline layout? If I recall correctly, Tony said his loco was a transfer from Western Region in 1964. Thanks John

Sorry Simon, no pictures, and as I,m currently in France, no chance of getting them. But the cuts were straightforward, just inside the splashers, back to the cab rear. The front was cut to fit the casting on the chassis block, by good old trial and error to make a tight fit. Slightly trickier was cutting the donor Hornby body, Removing the cab is easy - it's a straight cut - but removing the footplate round the splashers and especially the saddle takes care. But its not difficult and Milliput is wonderful stuff!!. Incidenttally, was it you who was narrowing GNR tenders on the other forum? Any tips. if so? I made a start before coming away, but I'm unsure if I will get away with modifying the coal rail. As a final point, I did cut the original GBL 107 boiler to check if it would clear the Hornby motor, and it did, just!

I found the 4472 easy enough to play around with, if not as straightforward as Mallard. Having to carve a great piece from both the boiler and footplate was necessary before fitting to a Hornby A3 s/d chassis.I wanted to fit the more usual 94a boiler,so used a Hornby tender drive as the source, fitted onto the GBL footplate.It took care and filler, and I had to reinstate the saddle from filler and plasticard.Handrails on loco and tender, and some wire on the smokebox to represent pipework completed the work. Painted BR green, d/chimney without deflectors, I numbered it 60046 and could then link it to the A4 n/corridor tender which came with Mallard. The next GBL 4472 will use the 107 boiler supplied, and I hope to link to a slimmed down Hornby GNR tender if I can make a neat enough job. I must say ,as a modeller of average skills,I am getting lots of pleasure from carving up these models. The notion that we would get a perfect representation for £8.99 seems laughable to me when, for example, an A3 or A4 will cost well over £100 for a Hornby s/d version. My locos are for running, not for sitting in a cabinet, and while I want them as accurate as possible for the money, most of all I want to have fun with my hobby.

Not quite. Coster's excellent "Book of the A3's" has 60046,60058,60068,60095 and 60103 with the A4 style tender. As there were 5 of them, no doubt they moved about. The problem is I can't find a photo of oneI behind an A3 with the 107 boiler fitted to the GBL Scotsman. For my A3,Im going to add the beading and cut back the front of the Mallard tender to make a non-streamlined version. I've also added a Hornby A3 tender drive boiler to the GBL cab and footplate to give more options for A3's. Current favourite is 60100 Spearmint, for no better reason than I have the nameplates.

I posted on the "Help" pages some time ago with this very query, as I assumed Thompson's followed MK1 practice and only whitenened out the toilet window. The response, including the excellent Coachmann, was that Thompson's were "whitened" on both sides - i.e all 4 oval windows. Back to lurking, and enjoying all the posts here ( and beginning coach 5 of my Bachmann/Southern Pride Elizabethan)