Woodcock29

A2/3 Andrew

Sorry Tony I meant to say it is the Gibson kit. It came boxed. Andrew

Tony I haven't built a County tank but I did purchase a second-hand one for about £45 purely for the old quiet large Portescap that was in it. It was purchased second-hand unseen from a deceased estate in NSW by one of our SA members but he found it wouldn't run on his layout because of the inflexibility in the chassis. I've since used the motor in something else and have installed a spare Buhler motor with Ultrascale gears in the County tank but it needs some work on the chassis to get it running properly and then it might return to the mate I got it from. Andrew

Rebuilt Scot for me. Had a ride behind both preserved examples in 2017. Scots Guardsman, in particular made a fine assault on Shap. Andrew

Graham I want to reach for certain boxes with a B3, B7 and also a Louth Howlden Quad..... .... but I have higher priorities this year as we're hosting our national BRMA Convention here in Adelaide and there is other modelling to be done before that! Aaarghhh....

Ivatt's 4MT for me.

Dreadnoughts - I've built two one for myself and one for a mate which I've now got back when he started selling up. Both are from the Millholme kit which I discovered was a bit of a hybrid. Its somewhere between the last 20 and the previous batch in loco length. The last 20 had longer front frames and a longer wheelbase bogie. I can't remember which bogie was actually in the kit. The w/m cab roof suited the last 20 as it was more angular at the sides. The boiler was too short and also too small in diameter so I substituted a piece of PVC water pipe which was closer to the correct diameter - this meant widening the firebox to match. I built mine as the earlier version with shorter front frames and short bogie and made a plasticard cab roof and new cab front - an interesting exercise as I had to form and maintain the sharpish arc at the sides the. Both needed new front frame sections. I hope the following two unpainted models show the differences. Romford didn't make 25mm diameter drivers so I used 24mm. I didn't have enough clearance to fit the front guard irons on the longer frame loco. Now painted versions - on my short frame version I ran in to trouble with the HMRS transfers - much of which was written about recently on here l think. I ended up 'sticking' them on with varnish - a very old method. They were Methfix but which failed to adhere. Not as neat as I would have liked. Note the different livery styles (lettering) between the two models. I also built a DJH Claughton for the same friend- which I've also now got back. Seen below on his layout. Its a good thing I've got an LMS section on my layout - even if that part is just a tail chaser! Andrew

J6 for me

Cardean for me.

Stirling Single for me. Andrew

John at London Road Models will sell spare parts. I bought 4 lost wax brass sprues from his C12 kit with whistles included. An alternative is to turn one from a piece of brass rod held in the chuck of a drill, using files. They are not too bad. Andrew

Hi Frank I've done a bit of research on 3009. According to the late Malcolm Crawley's GN Tender book 3009 was paired with tender 345 when it came out from its general on 22 Feb 1930. Tender 345 is a Type A 3170 gallon tender (Horseshoe) not fitted with water pick up. This accords with the photo in Yeadon of 3009 which is post the 1930 general and shows such a tender with the later position of the front coal plate. I presume the photo you posted part of is actually of 3009? Please excuse my love of getting into the detail. Locally here in Adelaide I'm described as pedantic and of course a lot of my earlier modelling is not as a accurate as the more recent stuff - actually not all of the more recent stuff is either depending on what you start with! The joys of trying to get it right! Whenever I can get to the UK again (???) I look forward to seeing the progress on Clayton since my visit back in 2017. I'll also send you an email. Regards Andrew

Hi Frank The J1 looks very nice. I'm curious about it being painted in lined black with post 1928 number position on the cab. Do you have a photo of 3009 in lined black with the number on the cab rather than on the tender as it was in pre-1928 paint scheme? An easy way to tell is evidence of the black white lining around the edge of the front buffer beam which was a characteristic of lined black engines. Yeadon's Register indicates 3009's first shopping after beginning of 1928 was a general at Doncaster early in 1930 so I imagine at that time it would have been painted plain black and prior to that would have had the number on the tender. There is actually a photo of 3009 in Yeadon Vol 37A on page 18 and it appears to be plain black. Although the caption in Yeadon actually states that red lining was discontinued from about 1930 as an economy measure. In the photo it is plain black. I see you have used the LRM Horseshoe tender. GN tenders are a minefield as has been explored previously on Wright Writes. I would think the tender should have the front coal plate forward of the tool boxes as described previously in Graham Nicholas' description of the building of his D2 seen on the previous page. I'm shortly to build one of these tenders for a D3. I'm also curious about the red lining on the driving wheels - I've only seen this on certain J72s painted at Darlington. Does anybody know if this was a practice undertaken on black engines painted at Doncaster? I hope this J1 becomes an LRM kit? Andrew

D11/1 for me as well.

J37 for me as well.

Tony Each has its merits but I think overall the Craftsman is better. However, the LRM square tank/bunker C12 is probably the best of the C12 kits (I think ACE do one as well but I have no idea what that is like) On the Craftsman C12 the cab roof has a bit too much curve in it and I've never tried to correct that. Also the smoke box door is rather large. The kit does go together very well (with solder of course! In fact my 1979 build was my first attempt at soldering a brass kit and even then it wasn't until about 1992 that I started to solder whitemetal!). The right hand rear bunker top always seems to be a bit short and needs to be lenthened as well. Although I've not built a SE Finecast C12 a friend has and he sold it to another friend of ours (the same friend I built a Craftsman C12 for in about 2000) so I get to see both of those every 6 weeks or so when we operate Nottingham Victoria. In my view on the SEF C12 the cab is too chunky which is exacerbated by the too low cab doorways. The smokebox door although better in diameter is very chunky and the smokebox dart makes it look worse. Anything I build now I generally make my own darts from a piece of wire and two shoulderless handrail knobs cut to length. On the models I've built, other than my first one I couldn't say what chimneys and domes I've fitted as I've gathered a range from various sources and always fitted what I had that looks best. The range of chimneys includes the Craftsman w/m, Gibson last wax brass, short LRM lost wax and possibly others. I also purchased four LRM w/m C12 smokebox fronts and four sets of LRM lost wax safety valves and whistles when I was in UK in 2017, which I picked up from John at Railex after we'd visited you. So the rebuild I have to do at some stage will be upgraded with some of these fittings. I've seen the LRM C12 that Frank Davies built for the Clayton project at Shipley MRS. Its very nice but I think I would have found a different chimney for it and I do believe that LRM may be bringing out a round tank/bunker version at some stage? In answer to your question on bunker side steps there should be one step on the left hand side and also an angled handrail on the back of the cab side sheet level with the top of the opening - note these appear to be only on the round tank/bunker C12s not the early square tank /bunker builds. The two I currently have for my layout and operating on Spirsby are: Craftsman kit obtained part built. It came with this lovely bogie and trailing pony wheels - possibly Ultrascale? The drivers are Markits. It has LRM whistle, safety valves and smokebox front and front tapered sprung buffers from goodness knows where! Chimney is either Gibson or LRM? My original 1979 build with some extra detailing fitted a year ago and also lined a year ago and renumbered. LRM whistle fitted, vacuum and steam heat pipes along the valances. Tapered instead of parallel buffers to suit 4508 rather than the previous number 4507. Andrew

Chas the C12 is the Craftsman kit. I built my first one way back in about 1979! Then a second one for a friend about 2000 and then this one just over a year ago which was purchased second hand and had been started. I have fourth to build, a built one I was given which has now been dismantled for a full rebuild (as have also a Craftsman A5 and a Kingdom Kits Robinson L1) - it had been glued together. In regard to the D&S triplet there was a series of 3 articles in Railway Modeller Jan- March 2007 by Chris Gwilliam on building a 7mm D&S triplet which was also of some use, particularly his photos on the D&S articulation. But beware there are some errors in his final product, particularly the way the roof lights have been positioned. Also of great assistance was the GNRS series of ring bound books on the Howlden stock not the least of because of the enormous range of variations in these sets. Andrew

Hi Chas I have not written this up anywhere. Basically I've followed most of the guidance provided in instructions from Dan Pinnock and from experience having built four of his 6 wheelers and a bogie Dia 189 BC previously. I didn't buy a triplet set but did start with 3 individual 6 wheelers - two Dia 281 BTs and Dia 156 C for the Dia 218T triplet shown above in the photos, which incidentally was Lincoln Set 3. Apart from using Frank Davies etches for the duckets, I also followed Steve Bank's advice and narrowed the chassis so the bodies overhang the chassis marginally rather than the opposite. However, I have attached a range of photos taken either during or after construction showing relevant aspects such as Dan's articulation method. Hope these are of some interest? The teak finish by the way is simply done using Humbrol enamels - basically a coat of yellow - don't be too fussy about this as long as most of the panels are covered, then mix a mid-brown and paint all window and door edges and then work the panels with a range of browns with varying amounts of orange using an old brush. I think it does the trick for layout coaches. The interiors are basic - partitions and seats (not sure whose these were) glued onto a plastic card floor secured to the top of the bottom side flanges. I made the roofs removable by the method recommended by Dan - which is make false ceiling secure two nuts above two holes in appropriate positions and make access available through the floor for a long screwdriver once the body has been removed from the underframe. For the first time I used good double sided tape to secure the glazing - far simpler than using expoy which I've always done before. If any come loose well the roofs are removable. I also make up plastic roof lights rather than using Dan's etched versions as the angle is a bit too acute on those - mind you I'm not sure my angles on these are much better - should have remade them but was too lazy and keen to finish it! I also added gas pipes to the roof from styrene rod. The distance between the coaches is quite close but will negotiate 2ft radius as an exhibition layout they'll run on has 2ft leading into the fiddle yard. Andrew

Hi Jesse That looks to be a Dia 198 twin brake composite (based on my reading of the GNRS volume on Howlden Articulated Twin and Triplet Sets). I'm curious about the end of the brake coach as I would have thought it should have end windows - two narrow windows each side of the end. I presume these are built from D&S kits? In which case the end with windows should have been on the etches. One pitfall to look out for is that the cast guard's duckets do not fit flush at the bottom so they need a lot of filing back to get them so and then restoration of the beading on the lower half of the duckets - probably too late for your twin as I presume they are soldered in place? Here are two photos of the triplet I built early last year from D&S 6 wheelers. On the two brake ends I used etched duckets from a sheet of extra parts for GN Howlden coaches produced by Frank Davies (Chuffer Davies on RMWeb). In the unpainted view you can clearly see the end windows. Andrew

Tony its probably the McGowan GN fitted van. Four end posts and single offset V hanger indicating this is the side that has the vacuum cylinder fitted. There should be two V hangers on the other side. Andrew

Swanage to Wareham - lovely part of the country Andrew

I like this one best. Andrew

Here's my J3 built a couple of years ago and seen before on here. Its a Ks loco body with new boiler fittings, buffers and a Mainly Trains J52 chassis plus a LRM Stirling D Type tender with which most J3s were fitted in the 1930s. Its fitted with a Portescap 1219 motor/gearbox.Despite the slightly undersize boiler I think it looks the part, even if the splashers are a bit oversize. I did originally intend to fit one of Graeme King's J6 boilers but the difference in diameter was only marginal so I opted for the heavier whitemetal boiler with Graeme's smoke box front (the K's smokebox door was much too small in diameter and looked awful). The NEM pocket behind the screw coupling is so I can fit it with a Kadee at the front for working on our new exhibition layout, Spirsby, here in Adelaide. Andrew

Tony - loved the recent video of LB. Andrew

Love the lower shot in this Gilbert Andrew