AJCT

You're welcome... I don't claim any great skill or expertise, but the saw-it-in-half idea just seemed like a pragmatic solution to the chassis-width problem. It might work for converting a kit-built 00 loco chassis to P4: I have a Kemilway etched one for the BR 4MT 2-6-0 built as 00 aeons ago, and that might be the way forward there. Anent spacers... the former Eastfield Models (now NB 4mm Developments) chassis kits for NBR locos like the J36 and J37 included 3 sets of spacers for 00, EM and P4 - so I might be able to redeploy the non-P4 ones I have left over, for the afore-mentioned BR 4MT. Alasdair

On the assumption that (as the thread title suggests) we're talking about South Eastern Finecast rather than Wills Finecast kits, my answer is... "built it". "It" in this case is the ex-LNER J38 which was not one of the original Wills range, but may have been derived from the similar J39 when that was upgraded around 30 years ago. As it happens, I did create a J38 from an original Wills J39 kit many years previously, but that was sold off when I migrated to P4 and felt that my earlier 00 handiwork wasn't worth trying to rebuild. That turned out to be a good decision: the original version was essentially a bodyline kit intended for a Tri-ang chassis, whereas the more recent kit No. F171 has an etched nickel-silver chassis with provision for the wider 4mm-scale gauges... or so I thought ! As I've said elsewhere, my MO with P4 tender locos (kit or conversion) is to tackle the tender first - the theory being that achieving success here will encourage progress with the engine. First issue though was to find that the top edges of the tender sides weren't exactly straight - - and this even shows on the kit-box photo. So I filed off the top-edge beading and replaced it with 0.3mm brass wire soldered on with lowmelt... another first for me. Here's the finished version - - which I'm much happier with, and I think I've also managed to get a better shape to the front and rear cut-outs. Next up was the tender chassis: for suspension I used Kean-Maygib sprung units which I'd had squirrelled away for decades, and simply used them glued on to the outside of the 00 subframes to allow for the wider gauge. Following the example of my friend Don Rowland, I fitted tender-only pickups, connected to the engine with a miniature plug-and-socket: this shot of the underside shows the socket over the front axle - Following a discussion with a fellow modeller on the subject of over-heavy cast-whitemetal tenders, something else I did was to replace the tender internal floor and coal-space parts with 40-thou plasticard, the whole thing being assembled with cyano. This reduced the overall tender weight by about 38grams, and partly shows here - The basis of the coal load is from an Airfix mineral wagon kit.... And so to the engine. Here's the soldered-up chassis frame, with Kean-Maygib horn-blocks and axleboxes, in my Poppy's jig - I dutifully used the EM/P4 frame spacers provided in the kit, but... when it came to offering up the motor/gearbox assembly (Mashima 1426 with HighLevel 60:1 Roadrunner) I found the frames were too close together - I considered using a narrower motor and a SlimLine gearbox, but the J38 is BR Power Class 6 and I really wanted the power of the planned 1426. So the radical solution I came up with was to saw the whole chassis in half lengthways, and then re-assemble it in my Poppy's jig to keep everything square. To hold the frames the right distance apart I used the tubular brass 00 spacers at each end, packed out with washers and one of those little brass knobbly bits you get on the ends of steel guitar strings (useful as they're 2mm ID) - I then soldered the otherwise-redundant 00 frame spacers to the stubs of the EM/P4 ones, viz - - and re-inforced the joints by drilling 1mm holes and soldering in wee "rivets" of 0.9mm brass wire. After all this, assembly of the motor/gearbox on to the rear driving axle along with Gibson wheels and crankpins was relatively straightforward, and after plenty running-in round the Newton Duns circuit she runs beautifully - right down to an almost imperceptible crawl. Construction of the loco body (cyano again) didn't cause any particular problems - apart from making sure that the running-boards were properly straight, so I built up the body on a small piece of plate glass and bits of packing to ensure that everything ended up square - - well, nearly ! In some ways, it's the finishing touches that take the time - handrails (especially the curved one over the front of the smokebox), lamp-irons, brake-gear, sand-pipes etc. Just a front vacuum-bag and some fine wire for the lubricator pipes to add, and then she'll be ready for the paint shop - Overall, quite a satisfying build, and I was able to practise some techniques new to me - as well as learning critical things like whether the chosen motor/gearbox will actually fit...! Alasdair

You're welcome.... As mentioned on another thread, as a memento of those holidays I've always had an eye out for a 4mm model of a 16XX and my patience was rewarded a few years ago when I picked up a pre-owned built-up Nu-Cast one from Hatton's for a very reasonable price - complete with P4 chassis and Portescap 1219, no less. It was sold as a "non-runner" but that was only because no-one had wired up the pickups ! So with a repaint and new number-plates it's now 1649, which IIRC gave me my first footplate trip way back when. Really a "display shelf model", but it's fun to make up a typical Dornoch branch train (albeit with a BR Mk1 BCK as I don't have an LMS one) and give it a wee run round the Newton Duns circuit. Not quite such a flight of fancy, though, as I believe 1646 and 1649 were hauled through Hawick on their way to the Highlands all those years ago. Alasdair

OK then... I've scanned the best of my dad's photos: they have some limitations as they're scans of the original 3"x5" prints and my negative scanner won't cope with 120 or 620 film. First up is 1646 leaving Dornoch in 1957 - Closing the gates at Skelbo, probably 1957: Dad's caption was "BR's hardest working guard". An unidentified 16XX (possibly 1646) arriving at Dornoch in July 1958 - Here's 1646 rounding the train at Dornoch in July 1958 - 1649 rounding in the branch platform at The Mound (1958 or 59) - 1649 arrived at Dornoch with mixed train, 1958 or 59 - Unidentified 16XX at Cambusavie Halt, 1958 or 59 (that's my late parents' Vauxhall Wyvern in the foreground...) 1649 ready to depart Dornoch, July 1959 - 1649 near Skelbo, July 1959 - 1649 on arrival at Dornoch, July 1959 - Hope these are of some interest for you. Most of the original pics are undated but I've done some guesstimation based on knowledge of family holiday dates, etc. Cheers - Alasdair

You're welcome. I hadn't noticed the angled hinge-posts... learn something new every day. I'll get on and scan the other pics for your "Dornoch Train" thread. Cheers - Alasdair

Hello - as I promised on your "Dornoch Train" thread, I've dug out my late father's Dornoch railway pics. Relevant to here, this shows Embo, and I'm confident it was taken in July 1959, and gives a good view of the level crossing gates. Some points to note... the platform was the more modern brick-built one by then, the ballast looks like ash rather than stone, the flangeway in the level crossing is formed by timbers rather than check-rails, and the sleepers at the rail-joint are closer together to give support - the PW Manual gives a dimension of 12" from the joint to the centres of the joint sleepers. HTH...! Alasdair

OK: all I have to do is find them.... Shall I post them on this thread or would you prefer me to start a separate topic under (say) "Railways of Scotland"? Alasdair

There was a feature on the Dornoch Light Railway in "Railway Bylines" Volume 23 Issue 6, for May 2018 - locos pictured were mostly the HR 0-4-4Ts 55051 and 55053, but there are a couple of pics of 0-6-0PT 1649 with the mixed train. As I mentioned to Ben Alder some years back, my parents took us on holiday to a farm near Skelbo in 1957/8/9/60 and I have my Dad's photos from back then (eg in my post of 27 March above) - could maybe dig them out and scan them if of interest. Alasdair

This is a Dornoch to The Mound train at Skelbo in (I believe) 1957, and you can just make out the goods brake van at the rear, beyond what look like mineral wagons behind the vans, some of which could easily have been unfitted. Alasdair

The fifth one was 60152 "Holyrood": there's a well-known pic of this one, in immaculate condition, pulling out of an East end platform at the Waverley - possibly an Eric Treacy image. I'll check. Alasdair

Where did you source the mesh from? Looks very convincing. Alasdair

I've got several of these wagons, which my Dad got second-hand circa 1960: as well as the steel mineral there were 5-plank and 7-plank opens and a covered van in the range - they're generic representations rather than replicas of actual wagons. I think they dated from the late 1940s or early 1950s: the bodies were moulded in a sort of clear plastic and the underframes were very rudimentary, being made from something like Mazak, with plastic wheels. They may have been known as "Masterpiece Models" or something similar: so far an internet search hasn't turned up anything relevant but I'll keep looking.... Alasdair

I don't have any of these myself, but I'd suggest the "solid" underframe trusses mark them out as Hachette ones rather than Hornby or Bachmann. Who were the Hachette ones actually made by ? Alasdair

Yes, this is my J38 chassis under construction and it has Kean-MayGib sprung hornblocks (not sure if they're still available, though). The aluminium clips are holding the plastic hornblocks in place while the glue sets. I subsequently drilled through to re-inforce them with tiny set screws - 16BA IIRC. HTH - Alasdair

The great thing is, if small parts get dropped during assembly, they are contained in the box so you don't lose them in the carpet.... HTH - Alasdair

Photographic evidence suggests that latterly most if not all 26s had the rubber surrounds - they presumably made replacement of broken windows easier and cheaper given the potentially short remaining service life. Alasdair

I've done that for the J38 I'm building in P4 from a SE Finecast kit - despite using the designated EM/P4 frame spacers from the kit I found the frames weren't far enough apart to fit the Mashima 1426 in between, so I cut them down the middle with a Dremel disc-cutter and soldered the 00 spacers to the stubs. Alasdair

Porridge ?

Hope your signalmen are fit... those steps look awfully steep.... All best for Christmas, and let's hope for a 2021 better than 2020.... Alasdair

This is a slightly different take on the uses for Independent Snow Ploughs, but there's plenty of room for P4 wheels between the side-frames, see - - fixed axle under the blade end and rudimentary compensation at the other. As for the centre axle, a 6-wheel ex-NBR van (D&S kit, I think) I got from a friend many years ago has a sort of floating axle carrier suspended on 2 brass wires: sounds much like Regularity's arrangement described above. HTH Alasdair

Yes indeed - see http://www.kitmaster.org.uk/SwissCroc.htm - I've got one on my display shelf - but I don't believe it was ever re-released by Airfix (or Dapol). HTH. Alasdair

More info here - - I've done the Ale Van conversion pictured in my friend Don Rowland's book: just needs transfers and weathering. Cheers ! Alasdair

I can identify with that... I'm a firm believer in the technique of "give it a good coat of looking-at", a phrase attributed (I think) to Alan Titchmarsh's Dad or Grandad. I also have ambitions to create an E&G Swindon set, but will probably have to live to age 175...! Cheers ! Alasdair

Yes: unfortunately I have no notes from the time (very remiss, I know) but the Type 2 would almost certainly have been one of the Edinburgh-based Pilot Scheme BRCW Type 2s of the D5300-5319 series. Neither do I recall what livery the train was in, but a BRCW in GSYP with a BSK/SK/CK/BSK set in maroon would probably recreate it appropriately.... Because my layout is set in the 1960s I tend to use 12-hour clock and pre-TOPS terminology, which is what we spotters knew back then ! Just found - possibly another pic of the 5.18pm, this time at Balgreen: see link - https://www.flickr.com/photos/holycorner/8097882877/in/photostream/ HTH - Alasdair

I've only tried plungers once, on the loco of a J36 (0-6-0 tender) - for a small loco there was too much braking effect. It was rebuilt with tender pickups only, and that's been my preferred MO ever since. See - I have several other tender locos (which were built for me) which have the "American" system: I found this works fine, although one of my fellow club members has no time for it. I believe it's a problem for DCC, but I can't confirm as I'm determinedly analogue DC ! HTH. Alasdair