jrg1

Back to the future-the LNER rides again, I wonder what that tells us about all that followed after nationalisation.

Personally, I would build more locomotives with P4 chassis if I could source bodies-I used to be able to purchase them as spares, but nowadays they seem as rare as hen's teeth.

If you still want to consider compensation, a fixed rear driver and beams for the first and second axle-as PDK supplies-are a relatively simple addition. If you have built the chassis and it rolls OK, why bother?

Guy Williams book had ideas on simple compensation-slotting the middle axle and allowing the axle to move vertically in a sprung tube was the simplest.

Interesting class with a unique history. You could try piercing out the springs in brass or nickel silver-stick a copy of the spring onto the metal as a pattern to saw out. A lot easier than it seems. I would do the same for the coil springs, although if you wanted a 3D effect, build up with brass BA screw threads for the springs. Good Luck with the build-very entertaining.

A built and working Jidenco kit-be grateful!

When my local town went from 15,000 jobs to around 1000, with the remaining factories owned by the Germans (Siemens) and Italians(Bifrangi), and is an indicator of the UK generally-I prefer to say trashed.

Add to that the trashing of the manufacturing industries and the creation of rustbelts. Seeing coal being IMPORTED into Cardiff Docks in the early seventies was a pointer of the things to come.

Discussing layouts versus accuracy versus operation, I think the best example of reconciling these factors is Rev. Denney's Buckingham. Pure Great Central, complex operation, totally believeable, and it never existed in real life.

Coul;d we have a description of the Porte-Cochere construction-very impressive!

Large WM components are heat sinks, and this needs to be borne in mind; conversely, if the components get too hot, they will dissolve into a blob. That is why I use a temperature controlled iron-for large areas, a large spade bit can be better-more heat at the tip ie less dissipated by the WM. I meant to say Carr's 70 WM solder with Red Label flux works best for me.

Whitemetal soldering is easy. If you have a temperature controlled iron, set it to around 150 degrees and see how it melts WM solder (Carr's 90 degree with red flux). Remember the metal acts as a heat sink, and you need to consider the temperature at the iron tip-not what the read out says. Practice on some scrap to get a feel for it. On whitemetal components, clean the joint area well-it tarnishes quickly, and after fluxing, wipe solder the joint. Easy, wasn't it?

I found that DJH footplates cast in whitemetal are difficult to set straight, and look clunky. They usually need a lot of attention to be passable. After cleaning up, then checking and correcting for flatness, clamp the footplate to a flat surface and build it up-it should stay flat. I have scrapped a Pacific 3-piece whitemetal footplate. After much adjustment and fettling, it was still unacceptable, and I had etches produced for replacement. If you use brass strip for reinforcement, tin the brass with Carr's 180 or 145 solder or equivalent, and then solder the brass to the whitemetal with Carr's 90 solder or equivalent-remembering to turn down the iron temperature! ( And also have separate bits for different solders).

The gas cylinders on this Cordon were made from brass tube, with an inner tube to locate the ends. The entire topsides were scrapped, apart from the etched ends, and the hardest part was accurately drilling out the frames. Good Luck with the N15X-a class that has always interested me, due to their history.

The photograph you refer to seems to have shorter length and radiused ended tanks. I find it easy to make these from brass tube, with soldeed ends a detailing.

The finished Arthur looks like it is a Hornby product striaght out of the box-well done!

Dan Pinnock's kits are excellent and relatively easy to build-that's why I wish they were more easily available.

It is a pity that Dan does not have a web page or internet-he would reach a larger market and sell far more kits.

The buildings on the Fen line-Bardney, Woodhall Junction, Tattershall, Southrey, were of Italianate design and unique on the GNR. I think one of Bardney's structures was dismantled and re-erected on a preserved railway. It was unfortunate that the GNR built the New Line-although the original idea was to provide a quick connection to the coast, the line ran through sparse countryside, and was inevitably closed. Going from Bardney to Horncastle would have been expensive, as the Wolds had to be crossed, but the line would have served greater population areas. I agree that anti-railway sentiment was a problem-the execrable Lincolnshire Echo of the sixties comes to mind, but remembering the outcry when the East Lincolnshire Railway was closed, I think the Wolds line would still have been there, and increasingly important as East Lincolnshire's population grows. I have a large file of information on Firsby, if you are inteerested.

I think the opening scenes of the ECML are excellent-Carter's hit man nemesis is in the same compartment, reading a newspaper (Did you spot that?). However, I could not place one of the stations that the train went through before Newcastle-can anyone list all the film locations on the line?

In the days of ECML sleepers, Deltics would haul the train to Waverley, and hand over to twin Sulzers. The roar of the Deltic under the station roof as it accelerated away to haymarket would wake everyone up-at around 1 a.m.

A good read-I was interested in the fact that you had wheel wobble, despite using a wheel press. Any reason for this? Does the plastic centre distort? Do you use Cyano to fix the wheels? I agree that wheels should be mounted once only. I would like to see something such as the Romford arrangement, with square axle ends, and the wheels simply set BTB and quartered. If you are drilling out the chimney, it may be easier to drill undersize and taper ream out, avoiding any damage.

Perhaps it depended on the diagram they were working. I haver records of Compounds working through to Grimsby on service trains, and there was a regular B1 working to Swindon down the GC. K2s, Directors and Clauds were used for Lincoln St Marks-Derby passenger workings on the Midland line. GER engines were seen at Spalding, LMS Garratts at Scunthorpe.

I recollect seeing complete fish trains returning to Grimsby through Lincoln hauled by Brits the following morning-perhaps the dropped off vans were collected after unloading

I don't know either-just as I don't know why there was a summer excursion train from Cleethorpes to Bournemouth and return. Or for that matter, a boat train from Rosslare to Cork and return. Perhaps we should be told.