thegreenhowards

OK, so it’s these? https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/transfers/lner-later-lettering-numbering-for-black-locos-61486 If so that is very confusing and I can’t be the only one to make that mistake! Regards Andy

I recognise that HMRS are better value but I don’t really get in with pressfix/ methfix. I much prefer being able to juggle things around with waterslide decals. Thanks for the comments on the lettering. I’m going to stick with gold for this one but will order some different transfers fir next time. Are these the correct ones to use? https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/lner-earlier-lettering-numbering-for-black-locos-61249 Andy

They were indeed very good value for a while. I bought three green ones at £69 each (I think) for my OO layout which is GN based set in the late fifties. At that time they worked out of Hornsey on KX suburban trains.

Will do. My o gauge is on the garden so it will probably be on the rolling road unless the weather is exceptionally good! I like your MacRats. I have a 27 on order for when they’re released next year. I’d love a 26 as well but I don’t think I can justify one at Gelnfinnan! What’s your excuse?! Andy

Jonathan, I’d have said the H2 in that picture looks similar to my transfers while the D11 behind looks more yellow. Fox sell a later LNER black sheet https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/transfers/lner-later-lettering-numbering-for-black-locos-61486 which is yellow. So I thought mine were correct for 1920s with the yellow for after the economy drive of 1928…when my J69 would have been unlined anyway. I may well be wrong and if you’re sure I’ll have to change my numbering. But that might wait for the next loco as I don’t fancy ripping all the numbering off! Thanks for the comments. Andy

Yes, a sort of goldy yellow colour. They are from Fox sheet 7302/3 https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/transfers/lner-loco-earlier-lettering-numbering-61562 which is described as early LNER loco lettering-numbering. They are more gold than the later yellow numbers. Have I got it wrong (for c.1925) ? Andy

Progress on the J69 over the last few days with it now nearing completion. I found it hard to work out what the lining should look like as Yeadon says they were lined red until 1928 but all the photos are B&W where the red doesn’t show up! So I thought I’d show some pictures on here before I seal the transfers in with matt lacquer to see if anyone spots any glaring errors. Please excuse the Halloween background! I also used this as a guinea pig for my new bow pen. So I lined the left side with transfers and the right side with the bow pen. I clearly need more practice but I’m quite pleased for a first attempt and it’s certainly quicker than the transfers. Any comments welcome. Andy

Great video Andy, it’s good to hear what the legomanbiffo chip sounds like. I received my XL (O gauge ) 37 chip from him on Saturday and I’m now looking forward to fitting it even more than before! Andy

Two happy! My question about spare 2s on the Gauge O Guild website yielded results from the great man himself, Ian Kirk! He had plenty left over from his commission building days and sent me enough for the four sides.

I didn’t know I was missing one! But if I am then yes please. I only seemed to have one vac pipe. Is that correct?

Not really migrated, just a foot in both camps!

Thanks Tony, but this is 7mm and I imagine yours is 4mm?

Away from the quads, I’ve been making progress on the J69. I’ve now added all the detail although some of it broke in my clumsy hands and needed glueing back together. I went for brass for the handrails rather than the 3D printed ones. Here she is ready for final priming. The white is where I had to fill the deeper diagonal lines. And here she is ready for the top coat.

Good idea John, I thought Railtec were mainly modern image but might be worth trying. I’ll see if I have any joy on the O gauge guild forum first. Andy

Thanks, I’ll try the Gauge 0 guild forum. Probably more chance of success there!

Back to the quad arts. I’ve been teaking and ‘decalling’ the sides for the second four vehicles. This is the progress to date. I’m pleased with the way the teak has come out but I have hit a couple of snags. The first is that I’ve run out of 1s and 3s for the doors. That is easily rectified. However the other problem is more difficult. As built, the quad arts were unusual in having second class as well as first and third. So for this second set, the two shorter coaches were second class with the other two being 1st/ 3rd composites. The trouble is that I can’t find any ‘2’ transfers for the doors. Fox don’t do them and told me it wasn’t worth their while doing a special order. HMRS pressfix have six ‘2’s on one sheet but I need 24, so that would work out prohibitively expensive at over £20 per sheet in 7mm! The closest match I can find is using 4mm loco numbers as shown in the picture above 6th side down). I’ve put this on the wrong coach to illustrate the idea as I didn’t want to muck up the finish on the right coach in case I have to leave them blank. I’d be grateful for people’s thoughts on whether this ‘2’ would pass muster at normal viewing distances and whether there are any other sources of ‘2’s I could consider. Thanks Andy

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I love the look of those Rob. Will these be for the new printer? As I’ve said before some of the detail looks very fragile (for a clumsy oaf like me!). How robust will this lower running/ foot boards be? Andy

I’ve also been building a layout with working point rodding. This is the new, as yet nameless, O gauge layout of the East Surrey MRC which is based on a ‘Minories’ type track plan. The cranks are from DCC concepts, the stools are 3D printed by club member @woko, it’s 0.7mm wire and the levers are Gem which will be situated in the base of the signal box. A video of it working is here.

My latest project is an O gauge J69. I didn’t know that I wanted one of these, but fellow club member, Rob (@Woko) decided to 3D print a body and was asking me about chassis options. I suggested following the example in 00 gauge if putting a 3D printed J69 body on a terrier chassis as the wheelbase and diameter is more or less identical. My hand then ‘slipped’ on ebay and I ended up with a O gauge Dapol Terrier for £155 which was a bit of a bargain! I loaned Rob the chassis to help him sort out the print to fit. In return for the suggestion and loan of my chassis, Rob very kindly printed me a body which I started on today. Here is the box of bits. I gave the body a sand down and then Halfords grey followed by filler primer. There were some diagonal lines after the grey primer but they seem to have reduced after the filler primer and I’m confident that after a sand down tomorrow it will be pretty smooth. Then I have the job of trying to work out where all the bits fit on!

They look great Rob. I didn’t pay enough attention to the one you brought along last night as I was stressing about why my stock was misbehaving! But it’s a great start if what I hope will be many 7mm prints. Can’t wait for the GNR ones to give my C12 something prototypical to haul.

I’ve now managed to find time to watch the video. Superb stuff as others have said. Those observation cars look the business…I’m going to have to model at least one! The rest of the train formation seems to be 2*TSO, 1*BSO and 1 * BSOT. Interesting that there was no First Class. Other trains I have seen from this era seem to convey 1st so I’m wondering whether the observation cars were regard as 1st. Does anyone know?

Andy, I’ve just finished reading through your thread. It’s all inspiring stuff, so thanks for posting. As I’ve explained on Rob’s thread, I am currently a OO modeller of 1950s ER steam and diesel but I’m starting up in 0 gauge and am basing my 0 gauge layout on Glenfinnan. I’m starting in the 1980s as that is the era in which I fell in love with the line spending far too much of my university days in Scotland (which considering I was at Southampton uni was a long journey!) My idea is that it will be eventually be a ‘through the ages’ type of layout with trains from the 1930s until the day before sprinterisation as I don’t think much changed on the line over this period. As such your thread is very useful for me in filling in prototype details from my rusty memory. Like others have commented I don’t remember the observation saloons despite a lot of journeys in that period. Do we know which trains they worked? As for modelling them, they look similar in basic outline to the steel/ ply 1930s LNER tourist stock. So I would be tempted to use Ian Kirk kits and cut and shut them to suit. The kits are no longer available but often appear on ebay. I will try this in O gauge where, luckily, Ian’s kits are still available. Does anyone know of a coach drawing for either of these vehicles? You also mention class 20s working on FTW-MLG services. This is something I never experienced on the WHL (apart from 20045 paired with 37051 on the sleeper) but there are plenty of photos around. Do we know how frequently this happened and which service it tended to be on? Regards (another) Andy

I hesitate to re-enter the fray on the old motor / gearbox debate but everyone else is so why not! My own feeling is that the motor gearbox is the easy bit of getting a sweet running chassis. It’s all the setting up of the chassis, coupling rods, pick ups and valve gear which seems to create problems. I’ve built many kits over the years and none of the kit built chassis run as well as a modern RTR loco to my intense frustration. They are just about good enough to use but not as sweet and smooth as I would like. I know it can be done as Tony shows week in week out, but I think that needs a lot of experience and/ or skill which I’m still learning. It is not a problem with the motor gearbox where I’ve tried DJH ready made boxes as well as many alternatives such as high level. That bit always seems to work fine. so I’m reluctant to spend the money on a new DJH box when I know that is the easy bit and I may waste it all on the difficult bits to come. For me, if I can find a RTR chassis which is close enough, I’ll always use that rather than try to make my own. Then I can enjoy building the body sure in the knowledge that it will work. I know that some might regard that as ‘cheating’ but surely it’s only one step on from using a ‘RTR’ motor gearbox?! I’d also say that it’s generally cheaper than buying a chassis, wheels and motor to kit build a chassis, especially if you can sell the body on ebay. Sorry to lower the tone! Andy

Thanks Rob, That was so far back in my read through that I’d obviously forgotten about it! I did follow the links at the time which were well worth a read. I look forward to the ‘Earth Mover’ video. Andy