LNWR lives on

A locomotive with a Men in Black little Red Button...... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nu-Cast-Keyser-15xx-Pannier-Tank-only-lightly-used-/231218905198?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item35d5b8806e#ht_82wt_1275

Baring two vents on the right hand side of the 1st/3rd coach which need to come from spares in another kit, DIa 373 and Dia 214 are now complete bar couplings Transfer attaching needs to be improved, expecially numbering as they are not quite square, but as it was my first go on a coach I am not too unhappy with it

Hi Ric, I have fitted the clasp brakes already so I will finish it off by fitting the brake handle to the one side only now, then its application of livery and job done Thank you for the information David

A much better picture of the 3 wagon kits And just because I could.....

LNWR Dia 373 50FT Full Brake as substantially completed over the weekend, just needs the door vents and insignia to complete her as well as a couple of minor touch ups to paintwork. End handrails have been one of the biggest nuisance’s to learn how to do, In the end I went down the soldering route which then meant having to trim the bottom aluminium supports a touch which is not ideal. Faster setting epoxy required possibly. While waiting for 10am to be able to drill walls and the like on a bank holiday I started on a Wills Tar Wagon kit picked up from a show long ago. It went together fairly easily with a minimum amount of fettling. Alongside it I also did two Keyser 3 plank wagons which were a little harder to build as they required more fettling to get them to fit but other than that nice easy kits as well. Finally after diy but before tea David Geen 1 plank LNWR Dia 103 was begun. (Tar wagon and 3 planks can be seen in the background just about) The metal is much softer/quicker to melt under the iron which made it a little more challenging, especially as there is not a lot to get at to solder the wagon together. The major lesson learnt from yesterday is that choosing of bearings has to be done carefully as using shouldered bearings on white metal kits seems to push the axle boxes out whereas they work great on plastic kits. Non shouldered well drilled into white metal axle boxes seem much better. Progress will be slow this week as track planning steps to the front of the queue

Hi Ric No I did not manage to sort out the fruit van query as yet, I did make an attempt on the roof but made a complete hash of the toilet tissue method so its still in the queue awaiting another go I would be grateful if you could have a look and help me out Cheers David

Scrub that, have found that it is 2ft 6in from the FAQ section on the website

Ok thank you, final question while i think about it, whats the minimum radius these couplings will work around?

Thank you paul, any idea how much the electromagnets are as I was after one of those as well Cheers Dave

Hi Does anybody know If Dinghams is still in business? My wife has emailed to confirm prices (The website states several prices for the same thing) before ordering but has not heard back from him in over a week Anybody help me out please? Cheers David

I have stepped away from the locomotive over the weekend while I have had my mini man around and started work on the Dia 373 properly. The floor was cut to length and the sides attached, followed by the underframe details and the gas Cylinders. The holes for the bogies have been drilled and bolts inserted. The glue work is appalling, it holds but this is something I must improve upon. The roof has been drilled and gas cylinders and torpedo vents installed and glued. Skylights have been added in the position I think they should be in, the instructions say in line with the vents and from the picture in Jenkinson’s LNWR book I think they are about right. The vents and Gas cylinders are not in perfect lines which is a combination of not marking out from one end only, and also not drilling them perfectly, more lessons learnt. The one major change is the bogies, I have substituted Stevenson Coaches white metal ones for the PC units as just looking at them scares me, they are beautifully detailed but at the same time I think beyond my current skill set. Mansell wheels have been installed into the bogies. End’s have been constructed and just need the handrail wires adding before the entire lot can visit the shed to be primed and then painted before being glued together and the sides adding

I do need to have a dig around in my transfers folder and see what I have, I think there are a couple of sheets of LNWR in there but it has been a while since i went in it. Last nights progress was the front of the tender before the football, (The dia373 was started during the game) so that leaves the other splasher as the main remaining missing piece on the loco. The tender frames have been tack soldered for now as if I fully solder them I am not sure that I can then remove the wheels from the tender, so i am debating the order of progression, I think it should be application of filler to joints where needed and clean them up before then giving it a good wash in AJAX which i think would be appropriatte, etch primer the whole tender, insert wheels and solder the frames up properly, then hand paint the frames matt black, mask them and spray the remainder of the body Blackberry Black Any comment is welcome as to a possible better solution/order as I am on a learning curve with loco building at the moment

The lining was part of the pre-printed sides, part of the beauty of the PC kits in that you can have lined coaches without being a painting expert. When I do come to having to tackle painting and lining coaches I will be having a go at lining using a bow pen which will be a very interesting experience I am sure!!

It is the diagram 214 50FT Corridor Brake Tricomposite, it came in batch of sides only I bought from a gentleman on this site, of which I also have the early LMS (Period 1?) painted version which will also be built in a similar manner, though I will be looking to get the roof profile right on the next one I have started a PC dia 373 50FT full brake tonight and have so far sorted the floor out with the bottom sides, and also folded out the ends. I have had a look at the bogies and think for now I will revert to cast white metal units because as beautiful as they look I don't have the skill currently to make them up.

Waiting for 5 minutes here and there for finishing off is this coach, which is a 1st/3rd centre luggage. It is PC sides put onto a ratio underframe and sides, where the detail was filed off the sides, but utilised the existing roof and ends, which was actually an error as I misread that it should have been a cove roof and not an arc roof as built. Bits to complete are touching up of the ends, the buffers need painting black, possibly Dingham couplers as I like the look of those and I need to detach coaches in the station at platforms. Otherwise the roof needs a further coat of white spray paint. Two issues remain What colour to paint the inside compartments and walls as its currently dark grey primer and looks horrible Can I use methfix transfers on the sides or do I need to use waterslide?

So after another evening session the buffers and cab roof are now attached, the safety valve has also been soldered to the boiler and she is really beginning to look like a locomotive. The tender has also been started, coupling block for the loco and buffer block have been soldered to the frame section before the two tender sides were attached. The next stage is to attach the tender back plate and then file and fit the internal plate with the section for the coal and the under-frames. After this the other small various pieces can be attached which should hopefully complete the tender bar painting and inserting of wheels. Some major filling is required where pieces have not joined well to each other, this to me is most notable around the spectacle plate and cab roof. I think this will be done with either milliput or green putty as I just don’t have the skill or confidence as yet to fill gaps with solder, one thing I have not yet mastered is getting the heat in and out quickly with making the join’s quickly neat and tidy.

So I have not posted on here for a long time, certain things such as family life and getting married have got in the way but modelling has now been granted some good time again thankfully J So, LNWR George the Fifth class locomotive, which loco as yet to be determined but to be built badsically as per the kit for my first loco build. This is also ,my first attempt at soldering white metal which in itself has been a challenge but I think I am finally getting my head around it. The first problem that has been encountered was that the footplate was not square having been mashed around in the box. This has been flattened and squared as much as possible but a small twist remains at the front end which refuses to flatten due to the metal cast underneath for the bogie wheels. The second piece of metal which was twisted was the lower half of the boiler and no manner of attempting to warm and twist could bend it all the way back, so the two boiler halves have been joined for a best fit, filler applied, soldered to the footplate and we have ended up with this: It does not look too bad at the minute and seems surprisingly square. The next challenges are to fit the splasher plates which do not want to fit between the footplate and boiler, so I think these will need cutting to fit. Cab roof, safety valve, holes need drilling for the hand rail knobs, buffers and back cab handrails are all amongst items which need fitting in the next couple of sessions, and then of course the tender needs doing as well……….

I have no idea on current irons as I am using my dads old copper tipped iron which is not tempreature variable etc The best advice i got which I will give to you is to get a copper tipped iron reasonable cost within your budget, use plenty of flux and have a go, start with a kit that if you make a mess of it your not going to be too upset and start by assembling the heavier parts first to get a feel of it and then you can move onto the thinner parts where you are more liable to melt the thin castings Just get stuck into it, look at other techniques by all means but develop your own method. Mine most people would have a kitten at but for now its working for me, even though it needs refining Aside from the iron a block of wood with some softwood nailed to it to form a 90 degree corner can be a very helpful 3rd hand David

Anthony, Loving the progress on the layout, the Castle is really beginning to look amazing Question, Bangor Turntable looks to be in a lot of open ground where everything in that area was crammed in to the small space in the valley, is this deliberate or a possible drawing error? David

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-HST-BODYS-IN-LMS-MARRO0N-BIT-OF-FUN-/251444035759?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276#ht_77wt_1190 Not madness but felt I had to share this item, i wonder if it will become mad........

Having trialed with airfix coaches at break neck speeds I got 10 behind a Patriot go around a second radius with no issues at all. It just doesnt look at all right, but my second and third radius curves are to bring trains around to the fiddle yard area

From Railway Bylines, Vol 14, Issue 10, September 09 Early 1950's 4 remained at the works, numbered in the carriage Department fleet as CD3, CD6 and CD7, the fourth was named Earlestown as she had once resided at Earlestown Wagon works. CD6 was Westinghouse fitted, and CD7 was the only one to receive British Railway Lettering, the others got the insignia. It states all 4 survived until 1959, with the age range being between 79 and 89 years Its an interesting couple of pages as it contrasts with the GWR at Swindon, where they used whatever was withdrawn until it was scrapped, some being a few weeks to a few months, against the LNWR who seem to have assigned locos to the works and left them there for long periods of time

There was 4 at Wolverton in later years, 3 numbered ones and a named one which I think Was Earlstown, ironically I read it in a magazine last night which when I get home I will try and divulge the rest of the information if anyone is interested

Utterly gorgeous model, now how do I justify it running on North Wales Metals in the pre grouping period when it was LNWR territory? May just have to be modellers licence!!

Mikes Models have anything suitable for the water crane? I think he does a 4MM LNWR one