Tony Wright

Seeing the couple of panned shots I posted earlier, prompted me to take some more this afternoon.............

Last year I bought this SE Finecast A4 off Geoff West, to whom I'd originally sold it some years earlier from the estate of the late Geoff Brewin.

I renumbered/renamed it from 60007 to 60032 (one of the last pair of A4s to retain a single chimney). 

Today, I panned her going south.

Views such as this can be 'highly-critical'; note the wrong angle of the slidebars on this side (correct on the other side), rather like 'Hornby's with the rear end higher than the front. 

Such views also 'invite' comparisons...........

With the likes of a Golden Age A4. 

Despite this being superior to the old white metal A4 (it should be, considering it cost nearly ten times as much! Why I bought it I'll never know), I hold it in almost no affection. There's nothing of me in it (it's a real example of 'chequebook modelling'), whereas GANNET is a tangible memory of a late friend, with a little of me in it. 60032 gets used, while 60027 lives in its (rather swanky) box. 

More panned comparisons..........

60847 (Crownline/DJH/Bachmann/Wright/Rathbone).

60885 (Nu-Cast/Comet/Wright/Rathbone). 

60948 (Nu-Cast/Comet/Wright). 

Observers can pick out the differences.

And, some B1 comparisons..............

61002 (Bachmann/Comet/Smallshire/Wright), complete with leaning-back cab. 61139 (Pro-Scale/Comet/Wright/Haynes weathering). 

It leans forwards slightly.

And 61213 (Bachmann/Wright). A wreck of a thing, bought for a fiver just over a week ago. 

Now, after a fair bit of work, a more-than-useful Bytham loco - a spilt chassis which works! 

It needs the tender-to-loco gap narrowing, and a fall plate. 

Then a further selection of panned shots. 

61846 (builder/painter unknown); one I got running recently.

It leans forward a lot!

Power and speed epitomised; Tony Geary's superb DJH A1. 

And, something of a contrast, 61553 (Coopercraft/Wright - one of only three Coopercraft B12/3s known to have been made to work, and all having run on Little Bytham). 

These images show that (in some cases) I still have work to do.

Yesterday, I took some pictures for the CM of Ian Wilson's American HO layout...........

The layout contains much in the way of scratch-built structures. 

5 hours ago, MikeParkin65 said:

Dare I say that whilst the bogie wheels have the correct Stanier bevel that same bevel is noticeably missing from the drivers? Strangely Hornby did the same with the recent 2MT 

Good afternoon Mike,

I used 'standard' Romford/Markits drivers I had in stock of the correct (scale) 5' 8" diameter (actually, 5' 6", but that's more than made up for by the over-scale flanges). 

I assume Markits makes the correct pattern wheel type (with the bevel) for all the BR Standards.

They're certainly available for the Brits (and Clans and 71000)............

I fitted them when I made this previously tender-drive Hornby Britannia into a loco-drive one using Comet frames.

The bevel is certainly there.

It's now the property of Graham Nicholas and works on Shap. 

Later Hornby loco-drive Brits have the correct pattern wheels now...........

Though why Hornby's rendition of BR green varies so much is anyone's guess. 

However, under weathering any 'oddity' is hidden (the work of Tom Wright). 

The bogie wheels have been changed. 

When 'I' took its picture on Little Bytham, it was hard to tell it was green!

A recent DJH Brit build of mine, certainly has the 'correct' wheels...........

Now painted/weathered by Geoff Haynes.

But, that was not always the case.............

This one has the 'generic' drivers supplied by DJH in the kit, though I changed the bogie wheels (painted by Ian Rathbone).

When Mick Peabody built this DJH Brit, he used the driving wheels supplied as well (though not the bogie wheels). 

I painted it and Mick weathered it. 

For years and years and years, Model Loco/DJH 9Fs I've built have run on the drivers supplied in the kits..........

With too many spokes!

Until Markits made the correct-type 9F driving wheel. 

Still..............

At speed, counting spokes is difficult!

Regards,

Tony. 

The replacement Comet frames for the Mainline 75XXX..............

Fitted perfectly.

9 hours ago, maico said:

Tony, how do the wheels under the cab work on your DJH City of London. Do they pivot inside the fixed outer frame or move side to side?

What would be the minimum radius a large DJH model like that could negotiate?

Good morning,

The absolute minimum radius this big engine will negotiate is 3'.

The rear frames are fixed to the main chassis.

With a swivelling inner truck carrying the pony wheels (there is precious little side-to-side movement, but enough for 3'). Anything less, then it's a ghastly RTR-style whole-swivelling unit or flangeless pony wheels (the later pair of Ivatt 'Princess Coronations', with the 'Delta' truck beneath the cab is better in this respect).

This 'Semi' was travelling so fast on Little Bytham that this was the best I could do to 'freeze' it! 

The weight of Geoff Haynes' lovely painting obviously slowed it down a bit..............

Regards,

Tony. 

Mo and I have spent a splendid day at the Colne Valley HQ of the Braintree (I think) MRC, my photographing 'Little Colne'. 

It's really rather nice.................

The group was kind enough.................

To let me take a picture of a couple of my (appropriate) locos on it.

Thanks chaps, and look out for it in BRM in the future. 

6 hours ago, Coach bogie said:

I do have to defend the 60 year old Triang chassis. I am still using them.

 

Coach building is my thing but I do need locomotives to pull them and rtr, as good as they are, struggle with the heavy coaches I make. I still use the indestructible B12 chassis in Wills/SEF Hall, Saint and Star kits-  they were designed to take them and with the heavy Wills body, will haul 15 kit builds without slipping. My Gem 56XX is still running on a bushed Triang Jinty chassis 55 years after it was converted by my father.

 

I have also used Comet, Proscale and Perseverance chassis  but I can have a Triang chassis running in far less time. of greatest importance - they work, especially if they have new Neodymium magnets and/or received a Scalespeed overhaul. When running I defy anyone to identify which has which chassis (apart from the RG4 whiner). 

 

This one has the special Markits axles to fit without using bearings. Mainly trains connecting rods and brake gear.

 

I still have another Wills Saint to build. I was going to use a Comet Hall chassis but recently picked up a Triang B12 with Green wheels with a very clean X04 for £20. I already have the Triang/Romford axles and Neodymium magnet in stock.

 

Mike Wiltshire

 

Good morning Mike,

What isn't widely known is the fact that the Tri-ang B12/Hall chassis was the same block as used underneath Tri-ang's A3, but turned round and with larger drivers.

It's the one in the foreground, with block for the glowing firebox at the rear and extension for the cylinders at the front. 

From the same 'duds' drawer, I bought enough parts to 'make' a Tri-ang/Hornby A3.

The bogie and the later valve gear needed modifying to suit this earlier (1960s) FLYING SCOTSMAN. 

Someone had gone to great lengths to remove the moulded-on handrails, presumably intending to replace them with wire ones. I certainly won't, but will hand it over to an 'inexperienced' modeller (I have a 15 year-old in mind) to practise on. 

Total cost? Little more than a fiver.

With still some bits left over! Including that other chassis/motion seen in the earlier shot.

Is that 'scale' seagull faecal matter? 

Regards,

Tony. 

11 hours ago, ROY@34F said:

I did exactly the same Tony with my Happy Knight , a Grantham engine in my early railway days . A Triang chassis with bushes ( I thought 9/64' O.D. ) , filed down Romford wheels using a Black and Decker drill clamped in a vice . Then fabricating bits for the multiple valve regulator , painting and lining with HMRS transfers . The valve gear I think was Alan Gibson parts built in forward gear , which I like to do , though I know you think I'm mad Tony  !  ha ha  .  Mine too still runs ok after 40 plus years .

  Regards , Roy .

Fantastic stuff, Roy..........

Thanks for showing us.

My BLUE PETER (from much the same source as your HAPPY KNIGHT) still gets used.........

She has no problem in hauling heavy trains. 

Granted, it's not in the same league as Bytham's other Peppercorn A2s; the likes of.............

TUDOR MINSTREL (DJH/Wright/Rathbone) on a Donny running-in turn.

OR BRONZINO (DJH/Wright/Rathbone).

Or SUGAR PALM (DJH/Wright/Haynes). Actually, 60526 isn't on Bytham at the moment; riding on her EM frames, she currently sees service on Retford.

Or my own HAPPY KNIGHT (Crownline/Kinsey/Wright/Rathbone).

Or even my detailed/renumbered/renamed Bachmann RTR VELOCITY (weathered by Tom Foster). 

However,

Who knows? She might well be running in another 50 years' time!

Regards,

Tony.

19 minutes ago, Captain Kernow said:

Oh, that's interesting, my memory is playing tricks with me. I could have sworn that I just fitted Romford 1/8" axles when I fettled my old Hornby pannier (although that is nearly 50 years ago now...)

 

Good evening Captain,

I had to fit Romford bushes to a Hornby Jinty chassis (over) 50 years ago to get Romford axles to fit (bushing the gear wheel as well). I then put a BEC J11 cast metal kit body on top of it, instantly becoming a 'scale' modeller. Where that dismal creation is now, I have no idea, though flushed with success...................

A year later, I did the same thing to a Tri-ang Britannia chassis, turning down the Romford wheels so that I could get all-flanged drivers, and made Jamieson valve gear for it. I latterly even fitted brakes!

What did it go underneath?

A modified Wills A2 kit, towing a DJH tender some years later. 

A shot taken in Bytham's early days.

And one from last year.

Now in her 51st year (or thereabouts), I still keep her. The old XO4 still goes well, though not with the finesse of much more-modern motors. 

If nothing else, with the whole thing being my own work, it shows how much (or how little?) I've progressed with my model-making in the last half century. 

Regards,

Tony. 

I've just completed the latest pair in my series on 'budget modelling' for BRM.

I picked this up from the Grantham Model Shop after rummaging through the 'dud' drawers. 

This Bachmann B1 was a bit dusty, and the split-chassis mechanism was in a bit of a mess! The centre drivers had slipped on their axle, effectively locking everything up solid - a not-unknown state of affairs. The previous owner's weathering of the motion with scale 'mud' didn't help, either. There was no tender. 'How much, please?'. 'A fiver!''. 'Done'. 

On investigation, I released the wheels, twisted them back into quarter and pushed them back into their muffs, with a bead of superglue applied. I was amazed; it ran really sweetly! I've never seen an original split-chassis B1 run so well. 

So, worth taking it a bit further? But, not as a St. Margaret's-allocated B1.

How about this one? 

One day, I'll appear in a steam-age picture standing on Retford's Up platform.

Fortunately, thanks to readers' generosities of late, I had a spare Bachmann B1 tender.

Thus...............

With a change of identity, some detailing, the mud removed from the motion (new weathering applied), a crew on board and lamps fitted, I was astonished how well this previously-wretched runner bowled round Bytham. 

Not bad for a fiver............

Will I keep it? I'm not sure, though if I do I'll make a Comet set of frames for it. 

As I did.................

With this other Bachmann B1; detailed and weathered body by Geoff West. 

What next?

This old Tri-ang Jinty was even less - just four quid (it might have been a fiver had it still got all its steps). 

No buffers, a replacement step required and in need of new brushes for its ancient (though still-working) XO4. 

And, after a few hours' 'fiddling' and a repaint..........

This what it looks like now - Crewe South's unique Darlington-shopped 47482.

This is obviously a 'staged' shot because not only do the gross flanges ride on the chairs, they're on the sleepers as well!

And, no, it's not on a Class 1 job, but is acting as station pilot. 

Worth it for a bit of fun? I think so, and I'll probably give it away to a (worthy) young modeller (as long as he/she has Tri-ang track or its equivalent). 

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

I thought I must have stumbled into the wrong thread. Lots of lovely 4Fs and now film adaptations of books. Where have the ugly big Pacifics gone? 

Good evening Stephen,

Will this do?

It's certainly big and (very) ugly, in the form of Thompson A2/2 60504 MONS MEG (Crownline/Wright/Rathbone) hauling a train made by Ken Wilson.

Ken and his (real railway) driver mate, Andy Swan, popped down from Newcastle today for one of their twice-yearly visits to operate Little Bytham. They always bring things with them they've made; things of great interest, and today was no exception. 

Interesting things such as.........

This Buffet Car built by Andy.

And this scratch-built M&GNR wagon; Andy's work, and a gift!

Some of the vehicles made by Ken included............

His BR version of the same Buffet Car.

This 12-wheeled Kitchen Car.

A steel-panelled Gresley BG.

And this suburban pair. 

Thank you gentlemen, for your tolerance of my operating incompetence, your hospitality at lunchtime, the gift and for your donation to CRUK. 

I'll leave it up to Ken to describe the models above.

Regards,

Tony.