cctransuk

Gap now filled with plasticard - 5.3 x 5.0 mm. seems about right. Painted matt black the model looks much better. I also took the opportunity to limit the sideplay of the outer driving wheel axles and the fly-crank axle. I cut slices from some biro ink tube with an ID of around 2 mm. The slices were around 1 mm. thick, but you can adjust this to suit your track radii. I cut a small sector out of each ring - just enough to allow me to spring them over the axle between the wheel / fly-crank and the frame. The result is most gratifying - 'hunting' or 'waddle' is virtually eliminated and the tendency to 'knock' or hesitate slightly on each wheel revolution has also pretty much gone. As I suspected, there is just too much 'slop' in the mechanism as supplied. I can think of no further running improvements, short of sleeving the crankpins to eliminate excess clearance. All in all, an easy, cheap and successful bit of work. Regards, John Isherwood.

You're right - and I've been studying no end of photos and not noticed that !! That explains why it is so evident that the back of the bufferbeams are painted yellow. Ah well - out with the plasticard! Regards, John Isherwood.

Well, the cosmetics are completed - apart from weathering. I found that Humbrol matt yellow is an exact match for the bufferbeams, and my matching of the cab grey / green appears correct to my eyes. New markings all round make a huge difference, as does black paint over all of the headcode glazing except the front and back of the actual code. (According to my copy of the ABC "British Railways Headcodes", 3B87 is a Class 3 train from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea)! I looked at swapping the red and white marker lights, as well as shifting the bufferbeam back, but came to the conclusion that these were 'no go' areas, for me anyway! Hope you like the photos. Regards, John Isherwood.

I have recently completed a Dave Alexander 4mm. scale kit of 10800. The kit is designed to take two Tenshedo SPUDS which have a slightly inaccurate wheelbase. I elected to fit two powered Black Beetles with the correct wheelbase and wheeel diameter, though this required considerable modifications to the designed bogie mounts. You will see that one BB is pivoted in a fabricated brass cab floor, which is only very slightly above scale level. The other BB pivots in a brass strip cantilevered forward from the central crossbar in the footplate casting. I added a driving desk in plastic card with some nice lost wax controllers, and an etched hand brake wheel on the cab back, both kindly supplied by Dave Alexander. I produced transfers for both of the works plates - North British and BTH / GE - together with the BR symbol, loco number, power classification and fuel and radiator gauges. Just a bit of weathering needed now when I can use the airbrush outdoors again. Regards, John Isherwood.

Much earlier in this thread I cast doubt upon another poster's suggestion that there is far too much of a footplate overhang in front of the bonnets. I take it all back !! Having seen the large broadside photo in the feature on the D9500s in the March issue of the Hornby Magazine, it is clear that the front of the bonnets, the marker lights, and the bufferbeam should all line up. What proves the point is that the 'box' below the footplate behind the long bonnet end bufferbeam is very noticeably too wide on the model. Some surgery required, methinks! I've a feeling that the operating marker lights will have to be sacrificed as they are backed by the PCB. Regards, John Isherwood.

A word of warning to those who are proposing to renumber D9500 using the traditional method of rubbing off the old number with isopropyl alcohol and a wooden cocktail stick. It would appear that Heljan's body paint is more suscepible to the alcohol than their lettering paint. I found that the paint around the numbers disappeared before the numbers - much cursing ensued! Suffice to say that the cab sides, front and ends required an overall coat of a concoction based on SR Light Olive, Rail Grey, with a dab of BR Yellow Green and a touch of Humbrol Matt Bright Green. Colour matching consisted of a dab of the mixture onto the cabside, which was quickly assessed for shade and then wiped of immediately. This way you can check, adjust and clean off until you're satisfied. All a real PITA !! Oh - and another word to the wise - the windscreen wipers ping off into oblivion at the touch of an adjacent paintbrush. Not a relaxing session !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Go steady on the humble pie! The model is still not moulded correctly. I can't decide if it's a mis-moulded attempt to incorporate the smaller diameter pipe or just an intentional cop-out. Anyway, I can now correct mine with a couple of bits of brass tube and some Milliput. Regards, John Isherwood.

Just a word for Hattons - after a little initial reluctance, they got the missing parts out to me within two days. Regards, John Isherwood.

Well, I have to say - (and I saw the prototype brand new at Swindon) - Heljan have got it spot-on. This colour is not to be confused with Sherwood Green, as used on the bottom half of Brush Type 4s, amongst other things. It was much more of a grey / green, as is the Heljan rendition. As to the darker BR green on D9500, I'd say it's a bit on the blue side - but not much. I'll see how it responds to a little gloss varnish as I want my model ex-works. Regards, John Isherwood.

Having had a bit of time this afternoon to tinker with my D9500, I've come to the conclusion that any mechanical deficiencies with this model can be summed up in one word - slop !! (AKA excessive clearances). The amount of sideplay on the wheels has been discussed already, but it doesn't stop there. Don't get me wrong; my model is almost silent and runs very smoothly - except ... it has just the hint of hesitation or surge on each wheel revolution. I'm sure that many of us who built our first steam loco chassis found that it had a bit of a tight spot. So we opened up the coupling rod holes - just a bit too much! The more we sought to remedy the problem with increased clearances, the worse it got. That's the problem with the Heljan D9500, I'm sure. The chassis / axle clearances are so large that you can twist the axle in the horizontal plane quite significantly. The crankpin holes in the coupling rods are *much* larger than the pin itself. Try holding one wheel and then rotating the adjacent wheel - there's no end of backlash! Too much slop is worse than not enough - you can always ease a tight spot but, short of bushing the axles and crankpins, there's nothing to be done with D9500. Fortunately, it's only the merest suggestion of hesitation with my model - it amazes me that it can be so smooth with all that excess clearance. Anyway, I can live with it. Oh - and droopy couplings are going to be a problem with this model, too. The NEM pockets on mine flapped about - the pivot hole is way too large for the screw. I bushed the pivot hole with 2.5 mm. OD brass tube, but I still needed to shim between the underside of the pocket and the chassis baseplate to keep the pocket horizontal. Regards, John Isherwood.

Thanks for drawing that to my attention - mine has one missing, too !! I can't see anything on the parts list that resembles the door catch - I think that I shall admit defeat on that one and bend up a bit of fine wire. It has to be said - the quality control on this one is abysmal !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Full marks to Hattons - I've just received an e-mail to say that the Part 49 will be sent out this evening with the three Parts 50 that my model was also missing. Regards, John Isherwood.

Mine's got it on one side - but not the other, (though the fixing hole for it is there)! Another e-mail to Hatton's !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Just had a call from Hattons - the missing brake hangers will be in the post tonight. Common sense has prevailed - thank you Hattons! Regards, John Isherwood.

A useful photo - thanks. I had a quick try at dismantling this morning. The cab came off quite readily and I took care to put the loose horn cowls on one side. Out came the two screws from under the cowls. The short bonnet was now loose at the end but wouldn't slide up at the cab end - is there a trick to this? Do you have to splay the bonnet sides at all? The long bonnet was still firmly attached - are there any other fixings or some technique required to release the long bonnet? Regards, John Isherwood.

Chris, Thanks for that - it seems that I am just missing 3 x Part 50 - RH brake hanger. Hattons are 'looking into it' and will telephone me later today. It seems pretty simple to me - just remove a complete accessory pack from a stock model and send it to me in exchange for my (still sealed) deficient pack! Regards, John Isherwood.

Could someone who believes that their model has the full complementof detail fittings please list what they have? Many thanks, John Isherwood.

Parts 49? Are they on your detail parts sprue? My still sealed bag contains :- 0 x Part 50 - RH brake hanger (acknowledged as missing by Hattons) 3 x Part 51 - LH brake hanger 1 x Part 89 - brake rodding 1 x Part 98 - LH sandbox 1 x Part 99 - RH sandbox There is also a separate back containing 2 x auto-couplers I have no other fittings - am I missing something else? Regards, John Isherwood.

I wonder if the headcode glazing can be 'pinged out' from the exterior by prizing it carefully with the point of a scalpel blade? Regards, John Isherwood.

Mine has now had an hour on the Bachrus rollers and running is much improved. Still just a suggestion of 'knock' or 'surge' as the heels rotate - I'd guess excessive clearance in the bearing holes in the rods - there's an amazing amount of backlash rotation in the flycrank and the drivers under the short bonnet. Is it just me, or are the coupling rodds a bit 'undernourished'? They certainly look rather 'spindlier' than in photos of the prototype. Perhaps a coat of 'greasy steel' paint will help to remedy this? Niggles apart, though - basically a nice model. I'll just defer replacing the insignia until after Hattons supply the missing and replacement parts, in case I ultimately need to send the whole thing back for replacment. Regards, John Isherwood.

Mine too - underfilled mould. I can attend to that, though. Unfortunately, my accessory pack didn't include any RH brake shoes - just three loose LH ones. Hattons say they are seeking to get spares from Heljan but, if they're not forthcoming quickly, mine's going back for replacement. Regards, John Isherwood.

Perfick !! I had already printed a complete set of new insignia for D9500 - (and I've not yet received my model!) - and then got to thinking that perhaps that particular prototype went nowhere near Bristol and its surroundings. I can now proceed with confidence !! Regards, John Isherwood.

I appreciate your point. However, I primarily produce 4mm. scale transfer sheets and the smallest practical sheet for printing is A6 - ie. one quarter of an A4 sheet. I can get numbers for all 56 locos on an A6 sheet and, at ??6.00, most 4mm. scale modellers find my transfers to be affordable. I have, over the years, been asked to rescale my transfers to other scales; (most recently to Gauge 3)! Clearly, increasing the scale of a transfer sheet increases its size. Larger sheets cost more money - they use more material. In the case of 7mm. scale the rescaled A6 sheet is actually printed on an A4 sheet of paper - ie. four times the area. However, as the printed area is only approximately three times that of the 4mm. scale sheet I only charge three times the price. You get a quarter of an A4 sheet of blank waterslide paper free! At the end of the day I don't produce transfers sheets to make money - I have a full-time career for that. I produce transfers that I need and make them available to the widest possible group of modellers - though doing so takes up most of my own modelling time. I'm sorry if the price asked is too high - at least my transfers are available to those who feel differently. Final thought - if you only need one set of D95xx transfers, that leaves 55 sets to sell on to other 7mm. scale modellers. Regards, John Isherwood.

I was looking for allocations from new in the Bath / Bristol region. This might not be unconnected with my 'parallel universe' theory that at least one D95xx was tried out on the S&D Highbridge Branch. (In that universe, the S&D was NOT closed as it was in our unfortunate reality)! Regards, John Isherwood.

Can anyone point me at a list of the allocations of the D95xx class from new, please? Many thanks in anticipation. Regards, John Isherwood.