Woodcock29

A lot of NuCast kits got brass chassis in their later days. Half of the NuCast kits I've got came with brass chassis. The w/m chassis with my Q6 purchased in the late 70s was a piece of rubbish. I actually mounted it on a modified Ks O4 chassis, which were available as spares for 2 quid at the time. The wheel base wasn't perfect but didn't look too bad. It ran quite well with a Portescap 4C in it. Andrew

Agree. You can tell its NuCast by the crossheads that lack any form of detail. I built one in the early 80s which I still have but I never run it now. So as Pebbles indicates its undersize for a Q6. Andrew

I recall Portescaps being associated somehow with the name Kean but not sure how? I understand the motor was a Swiss Falhaber (not sure of spelling) and as stated above the gearbox was British. The first were the quietest in my experience and I understand that the noise of later versions was due to the gearbox and possibly because the gears were not so well refined. I've heard they can be refined by running the gearbox with toothpaste in it after removing all the oil although I've not tried it. I may do one day when using one of the number I have in stock. The first photo below is the original type of Box and they were called Escap. On the back the company's name is Portescap - there were two different addresses on the early boxes. The later packaging was in a bubble wrap sleeve in the box below: and after that they just came in bubble wrap packs but maybe because they were bought in bulk? Andrew

I seem to recall buying my first one in late 1981, so sometime before that. I fitted it into a Ks O4 and it's performed well ever since. Not that she gets to run as often now that I have 4 Bachmann O4s on the layout with more waiting to be upgraded. That one purchase set me on the road to using Portescaps in most locos I built for a long time. I still have quite a few to use in future builds. I expect I'll just have to free them up! Andrew

I first read of these in MRJ 25 many years ago. Now I have one of these etches myself, acquired second-hand with a Comet Black 5 chassis from a deceased estate in Canberra a year or so ago. It actually provides rod options for Scots, Jubilee and Patriot as well as Black 5. The instructions say they were available as either steel or nickel silver. Mine are steel. As I have an unbuilt Model Loco Black 5 to build one day they'll probably get used on that. Andrew

Oh dear this is a bit of a worry - I could go broke! 1,2,3,4,5 for me. C12 - I have 2 running and another I was given in the rebuilding stage. There is also one I built for a mate which is expected to return one day. Given some of my fictitious 1930s layout is in Lincolnshire and the rest possibly in Nottinghamshire I could not have too many C12s! I also supply the stock for a new exhibition layout we have in Adelaide based on Spilsby in East Lincolnshire. Such a pretty loco in my view. N1 - I have the main parts from a w/m kit found in a job lot bought 8 years ago and a chassis but I would buy one RTR model. N2 - I have a couple but a more detailed version to current standards would be useful. N4/5 - I have a Millholme kit built about 20 years ago, but it is one of the 5 without rivets on the tanks. A nice RTR model to current standards wouldn't go amiss. A5 - I have the Craftsman kit I built in the mid 80s and another partly rebuilt from the same lot as the N1. But a decent accurate model would be nice. Andrew

Could someone please tell me which RM had a drawing of the J27 in? Andrew

Ron and Doug For your info I've just completed my review of the J27 for Sept TCH. Andrew

Graeme It's worth noting that where NE 0-6-0s had sandwich buffer beams they appear to be bolted together. This certainly applies to a lot of the J27s that I've been studying and also where J21s had these. Andrew

Arthur K has answered my question on Wright Writes and advises its highly unlikely they had visible rivets pre WW2. Andrew

Thanks Arthur I'm also thinking that the rivets along the edge of the footplate are incorrect for all periods as I can't find any photos showing them. Andrew

Brian my votes are for: 2 - I've long thought we'd get a J69 given the member in the National Collection, their longevity and wide useage. 3 - definitely the missing ex GN loco. Although I have one running and two more to build I would buy a RTR version 8 - a missing ex NE loco which I think would be quite popular. . However, I wouldn't buy a P1 as there were only 2 and I've already got one Crownline conversion I built almost 30 years ago - definitely one of my favourites. Andrew

The photo above of the preserved J27 shows the later more bulbous smokebox door. The LNER model has the earlier flatter NE smokebox door. Will be interesting to see what the BR models are fitted with? My LNER model arrived last week and runs really well. Generally it looks pretty good. However, it did have a slightly bent drawbar which was easily fixed. One issue is the cab windows which are slightly under scale size which makes then slightly too far apart. Looking through Yeadon the chimney's appear to have capuchons early on which eventually disappeared. The height of the top rim on the later chimneys seems quite variable from photos. One matter I'm currently seeking further advice on is the rivets on the smokebox. I don't believe they should be present on an LNER pre war model - but they can easily be removed and its understandable if they've only made one boiler/smokebox moulding. Andrew

Another question in relation to the LNER version No 1010. I'm presuming for a pre war version it wouldn't have the rivetted smokebox that the model has? Andrew

That might be the case for locos fresh from overhaul as shown in the photo you reference but I can't imagine they stayed very red for long on mineral train duty. I'm quite happy with my black cab interior for a loco that's going to be weathered in due course Andrew

John I sincerely hope the NSW Govt can get things under control by mid August to give us a chance of letting you guys into SA by late Sept. We're certainly very strong on our border control. Andrew

Side glazing came out easily. Spectacle glazing is one piece but I was able to just push in the front glazing so I could carefully paint around the edges. I've painted the inside of the cab black as I remain to be convinced the interior of the cab of a mineral engine would be any other colour. The body disassembled easily - a screw under the smokebox and a screw beneath the piece of insulating tape under the front of the cab. Just need to be careful with the reverser and sandbox operating rods. Andrew

My J27 arrived yesterday. Had the loco tender coupling issue but easily bent to relieve the pressure. Seems to run very well so far. The cab windows look worse because of the way Oxford has painted the edges of the windows cream as this higlights the fact the windows are slightly too small and spaced a fraction too wide. First job will be to remove the glazing and paint all the edges black. Andrew

1 and 2 for me in this poll thanks Brian Andrew

Jesse I'll email you a drawing of the GC 10 ton Fish Van to show you what the brake gear should look like. Andrew

Tony I understand that the Caledonian only built one of these bogie ore wagons. Andrew

If the bogie wagons you have are Ratio kits they would be the Caledonian ore wagon, of which only one was ever built by the CR. Andrew

I can see the same effect in these models and it looks more accentuated at a more oblique angle. Andrew

Tony G If you look at the pictures of Valour on ps 47-48 at an oblique angle the effect appears to be the same on both tender and cab (p47, July 1920) but more side on they look equally spaced in the photo (p48) in full GC livery at Kings Cross in her early days on the GN. Valour was shopped in 1922 so whether she was repainted and lined differently at that time? Also shopped later in 1923 but Yeadon indicates only a touch up on the full GC livery. Andrew

Hi again Andy In regards the valence (yes that is correct name) it should be lined. I have photos taken on my last 3 visits to UK (2008, 2013 and 2017) of the J52, No 1, C1 and C2 all in their GN livery and all have the valence lined out in red lines top and bottom and joined at the ends. I've not seen the N2 in recent times so can't comment on the accuracy of its current livery, even though I'm a member of the owning society. Below is a photo of the C1 at Shildon in 2017 which shows this clearly. Andrew