grob1234

This is all hugely helpful. Very nice to see the bare bones of the locos so to speak. I shall heed the warnings with regard to the Gibson wheels, they sound a trifle fiddly for my liking. However, try as I might the closest I can find in the Markits catalogue on their website is LNER 10 spoke 3' 9" wheels (15mm) code BRe 3-9. 4' ones would be 16mm, not wanting to sound too pedantic, I would like to at least try and fit what is correct! Unless of course I am missing the obvious in which case I stand to be corrected! The great news in all of this is that I have managed to persuade Mrs Tom that such a kit and accessories would be a great Christmas present, using negotiation skills Kofi Annan would be proud of. Jumping on this wave of progress I shall order my J69 and see what I can fit in it in terms of motor gear box combos. I envisage that it will be used as some sort of station pilot, and so should be reasonably powerful at slow speeds. I have a video which I recall filming of the J69 that you mention. I'm just uploading it to YouTube now.

Noted - but sadly I'm unable to find LNER 4' 15 spoke wheels in their catalogue.

Tony et al, thank you so much for the advice and tips. That's what is great about this forum, people willing to help other modellers. The J6 from London Road looks lovely, maybe it would be good as my second model. I'm beginning to think what I want is a J69, from London Road, with Gibson wheels, a mashima motor and high level gear box. This would make a nice xmas present from my other half, and she will be delighted to see me spend more time on the hobby.... A brief search shows that choosing a gear box may be slightly tricky, I will have to do more research and report back. The main problem is that I want to order everything in one go, because I live abroad, postage is tricky, and so I can't order the kit and then see what motor/gearbox combo I want to go with it. Anyhow, I shall do some research, and post my thoughts for your perusal! If you like I can post a few basic tips which really helped me with my soldering? I'm no expert by any stretch, so probably not qualified to advise, but my soldering has come on leaps and bounds of late.

Hi Tony, How are you? I hope you're well? Very interesting to see LB as it was compared to how it looks now. When were these pictures taken? Also, what is the white/grey underlay that I see beneath the tracks? I don't know if you remember the LNER Coronation kit I brought along to show you when I visited? Well, I have finally mastered the art of white metal soldering.... Turns out its very easy if you have the right kit, which my new soldering station seems to be. In fact I'd go as far as to say white metal is easier to solder than brass! Anyhow, this was a vital skill to ensure a good quality build, and means I can hopefully make some more progress after the project stalled for a couple of months. Why do I mention this? Well, I'm completely self taught in terms of soldering, but I read about it watched videos, persevered, made plenty of cock-ups, but now I feel pretty confident with my technique. Actually, I find it easy, without meaning to sound like I am boasting, its just such a great way of sticking metal together! The great thing is that once you have the hang of it, the possibilities are endless. With my new found confidence I am determined that my next project will be a locomotive. So, which one? I'd like an LNER freight engine (something without lining in black will be much easier for me to finish!) and maybe one that isn't available in RTR format. Any suggestions? Sorry for the thread hijack, but hopefully it fits within the general theme of discussion! Cheers!

Super photos, great layout. One day I hope to see it. Well done to all involved.

Not much that I can add to whats already been said about these fine models. I finally got my hands on them, and I have to say it would be almost impossible to improve upon them. I have acquired 8 to make a strengthened QoS service for my proposed LNER layout. A little light weathering, and they will look resplendent. I especially like the internal lights, just tested them on my little test track, and the orange glow is perfect. Very happy customer, well done Hornby.

Those teak coach sets a few pages back look just spot on!

For regular colours in enamel, I have taken to using Tamiya. They spray beautifully when thinned correctly. I tend to avoid humbrol except in acrylic for brush painting. Tamiya acrylics are not easily brush painted but I get superb results with them through my trusty H&S evolution 2. I suppose paints and painting are mainly to do with personal preference and experience. I have messed up many a paint job in the past and will continue to do so. The difference between now and when I started is that I have the confidence/skill (debatable) to fix my errors. No doubt I'll make a few mistakes when I come to painting the coronation set I'm making as there are quite a few challenging processes to get right!

Yes and the small relative size of them leaves little in the way of flex... I'll keep on thinking! As this is going to be a mask fest of a paint job, I'll do the door handles etc after painting, should make it easier. Bits will just get knocked off if I try and do them before hand.

Yes, they will go behind the buffer beam, which should make them nice and close. They'll be calibrated to radius 3 set track as a minimum which should give them a reasonably prototypical look, although I may even go for radius 4 if I feel they are still too far apart. WRT to the inter-coach fairings, yes I have thought about them, but not really come up with anything that would be suitable! Do you have any ideas? My initial problem with the press studs was c**p soldering on my part. I was tinning the base plate with solder, then applying heat to the press stud to attach it. But it didn't work. My new technique gives a really nice ring of solder all around the press stud, and secures it in place very firmly. It's very easy now, I just had to figure it out! It meant that I trashed a couple of the studs, hence the bolts. But they seem to work very nicely anyway. The kit comes with small brass door handles. I was wondering if I should attach these (along with the door grab handles) before or after painting?

Hi everyone. Again, sorry for the lack of recent updates, work, planning a wedding and other stuff has got in the way of modelling a little, but not too much that I haven't been able to make some progress. First of all, last week this lot arrived from http://www.dartcastings.co.uk/index.html and also a few 8BA nuts, bolts and washers from the excellent http://www.ajreeves.com/ on line shop. Nice service from Dart, but they don't like responding to emails. However, when I phoned them, they were most helpful. The main progress, which I am most pleased about is the fact we have a rolling chassis at last! After making a couple of the MJT bogies, I am able to assemble them with ease, and I am really impressed with the smoothness of the running. I had trouble soldering the first couple of press studs onto the bolsters, so the first two bogies are fitted with bolts. I have subsequently got the hang of soldering the press studs, so all the rest of the rake will be fitted accordingly. As you may notice, the ride height is not quite right at the moment. I will wait until all the coaches are built, and then adjust the ride height as required. Also, the gap between the coaches is wrong, ie too far apart. I will attach the couplings to the drawbars, which brings the coaches in much tighter. They are being designed to negotiate set track radius 3 as a minimum. We can still bring them about 4-5mm (300-380mm in scale) closer together based on this pic: My final 'triumph' if you will allow me is the flooring system. Its nothing new or revolutionary, but I am very pleased with it. The requirement was for a removable floor, but the problem was the fairings on the side of the coach. I have found that a strip of aluminium, with the plasticard floor epoxied onto the top provides a strong and lightweight basis for the chassis of the coach. It is affixed by 4 8BA screws, which screw into captive nuts, which in turn are soldered onto a brass strip that is epoxied into the coach ends. I am able to achieve a very small gap either side of the floor, as the fairings flex, allowing a good size well fitting floor to be slid in. Here you can see the floor in place, the bogie loosely positioned, the screws, and also the small gap between the coach side and the floor. I will be using http://www.southernpridemodels.co.uk/ for the various seats and tables within the coaches. I have now got just 4 remaining bogies to assemble. Fortunately I am able to use the white metal bogie castings, with a little modification, so that is really pleasing. I will assemble the rest of the coaches, with the exception of 'the tail', and soon, we should be ready for the fun part. Painting! TTFN

Thank you sir! Just the man I was hoping would reply. The more I think about it, the easier it would be for me to use the press stud method as supplied. In fact, I'd probably be making my life harder by not using them. I've got the articulation system from MJT too, as you suggested, and it looks like it'll all go together quite nicely. Also, the white metal kit bogie sides that I have should fit with a little fettling, so all is good. I'll have a go at getting a bogie done tomorrow, and see how it looks. Thanks for the continued support, and source of knowledge, it's greatly appreciated.

Hello, got my MJT components today, and I have a couple of questions WRT the bogies, I was hoping some of the experts may be able to help me. 1. As I see it, the press stud fixing method does not allow me to adjust the ride height of the coaches should I need to, in order to compensate for inaccuracies in fitting of the mounting plate to the coach sides. In order to get round this, I was thinking of using a small bolt, like the picture below, which would be soldered into the bogie. The coach could then literally sit on the bolt without actually being secured to it. Is this a viable way of fitting the bogies to the coaches? Do any members have any success stories using the press studs as supplied? 2. There are two bearing positions, dropped and normal. The instructions mention using the top holes for 'dropped frames' for Gresley coaches. Would this apply to this set? (Probably a daft question, but I am bound to get it wrong, so apologies for asking this!!) Image of what I was thinking of doing WRT fixing the bogies to the coach underside: http://s170.photobucket.com/user/level5models/media/DSCF4810.jpg.html

Lovely, lovely work all round. May I ask, where do you get the information regarding what was actually shedded at Grantham in the late 1930's? I've tried google searches, and books I have mention one or two locos based there, but is there such a thing as a complete list? Sorry if this has been asked or answered before.

Hi Folks, sorry on lack of recent updates, I was in need of some bits and pieces, and that involves a 9000 mile round trip to my local model shop! There are of course some very good ones here in Hong Kong, but not all of them sell the bits I need. Fortunately, my work provides me with the transport to go to such places as Sydney (HobbyCo) to enable me to get 'stuff'! First of all, an admission - sadly the foil method will not be totally viable (I can hear the sniggers in the cheap seats at the back!). Couple of reasons for this: firstly, it is exceptionally time consuming - I estimate 5 hours per coach x 9 = a lot of man hours, not to mention tedium, which can sometimes halt projects. Secondly, as the foil is so thin, when you place one layer on top of another, it stands out like a sore thumb, and I would not be happy with the finish. So, we revert to plan B. Paint the trim with chrome paint, mask (much easier) with thin strips, and use the foil for the lettering. Why use foil for the lettering? Well, the paint I'm using will have a top coat of about one micron, and so when I rub through the overlying paint, it'll be incredibly easy to rub through the chrome paint too, ruining the finish. The foil will be much more durable, and looks good too, as it conforms perfectly to the raised lettering. I have used the metal paint before (Alclad 2), and its excellent, but I hadn't tried one of their high shine finishes so I needed to experiment. The key to a really good shine is preparation. Make sure the surface is totally smooth, then prime. Sand again, 1200 wet n dry, and even 2000 or 4000 if you want to go to town. Then a gloss black enamel, looking for a thin even coat. This shows the sort of thing I mean. I have been lazy, and dust has contaminated the sample, but you get the idea: (all of this has to go through an airbrush BTW) Once the enamel has hardened you can spray the Alclad 2 chrome. Spray at about 15psi, in light mists to build up the colour. The drying time of the enamel will depend on how well the paint has been thinned, the temperature and the type of thinner used. I used Tamiya gloss black enamel, and their enamel thinner. I believe just using white spirit or similar can lead to long drying times. Not a bad result: Finally, I made a test sample of the colours that will be used on the model, which also allowed me to check how well the chrome took masking tape. LNER Garter blue and marlborough blue from Phoenix precision paints. These need thinning quite considerably for use in an airbrush, but if done correctly, they spray beautifully and cover the chrome with no issues whatsoever. As the paints are dull, I just sprayed a coat of Alclad light sheen over the top. On the left, the chrome that has been varnished has lost its shine. On the right, the chrome was masked and has kept its shine. I think the light sheen is too glossy for a model of this scale, even though the coaches were kept very clean, so I will probably tone it down with a little flat varnish in the mix too. The blues look a little off, but in real life they look spot on. Also spoke to the people at Dart castings and my bits for the replacement bogies are on the way I hope to get a little more done over the next couple of days, including soldering white metal....

That house looks great, Tony. I have to admit that for my N Gauge layout, I have used textured plasticard, brick, slate etc, but have struggled to make the bricks, in particular, the mortar look right. I can see that even in 4mm, the effect of the printed card is excellent. I'm reluctant to switch to printed card now, as I don't want any new buildings to look too different. However, in future, I will definitely make use of the card, and it's probably easier to work with too. On a completely separate note, I was wondering what is your opinion on attaching white metal detail parts (buffers etc) to white metal? I'm building the coronation set I brought with me to show you when I visited LB, and need to attach some of the detail parts, and want the finish to be durable. I have an antex 660TC and white metal solder and flux, so was considering soldering the parts. What's your take? PS, sorry to hear about the bookazine... I suppose I will just have to keep on buying BRM. Maybe a cunning plan by the editor to get more regular subscribers?!

Hi Folks, Started the long process today of applying the foil lining to the coaches. Taken an hour or so to do this: Hopefully you can see where I'm going with it! Also, all the brass sides are now nicely primed.

Thanks Mike, sounds pretty horrendous... how times change eh?! I have to say personally I actually quite like the shades of blue, retro, without being over the top. PS, a quick google search for 1930's colour schemes brings this: Quite a few of the colours you mention... Bottom left in particular.

So matching the exterior colours to the interior is not as daft as it might seem?!

Hello folks continuing on... got all the sides fully cleaned in some coke (other fizzy drinks are available!) and gave them a scrub with Jif. Now fully sprayed in Etch Primer, I will leave them to dry overnight. Currently enjoying a typhoon here this evening, so managed to get quite a bit done. With regards to the interior colours, I was thinking of something like this: What do you reckon?

Jonathan, looks like I might be on to something then. Like I say will think about it for a couple of days before things get permanent. I have internal partitions supplied, so will give them a go, making sure I engineer in enough internal clearance for it all. Couldn't resist mocking up B as well:

Thank you John, I am really enjoying this build so far, its certainly getting the grey matter working. Also very much enjoying hearing a bit about the history of the company behind the coaches. Kind of adds to the provenance of it all

Hello folks, todays update. Firstly, all the wheels and tyres are painted. I couldn't be bothered to hand paint 56 'rims' so I made a little cork/wood printing block, which seems to have done a nice job of getting the white on the wheels. I'll not assemble the wheels until I begin constructing the bogies (order placed with Dart, but I think they may be on their summer break ). Look a bit rough blown up this size, but I promise in real life they look good. Taking them apart prior to painting definitely helped to avoid paint in places I didn't want it! I actually began on construction today as well. Sets A-D and G/H. Due to the bent roof of F, that set will wait until a replacement arrives. Anyhow 6 coaches gives me plenty to work on in a 'batch'; fashion. In order to increase the surface area at the coach ends, you'll notice I epoxied tabs of 2mm angle plasticard to the top of the casting. This really helps to improve the strength of the bond, as I don't want any tears. OTT maybe, but better safe than sorry! All connected. I'll give it a full 24hrs to go off properly, then I'll add a bead of epoxy over the top as extra insurance. This will be out of sight anyway so no bother... Throughout the very quick initial drying time (3-4mins) I was very pedantic to check for squareness with my mini set squares: The rapid cure time of the glue meant I had to mix small amounts and work quickly to make sure the end is square in all dimensions. The fixed end point allowed me to make up a more accurate mock up of how the coach will look. As you may know from this thread, I am really keen to hide any seams, and if at all possible, build the coach as a box. I want to avoid unfilled seams if possible, and these coaches need to be visually perfect (as near as I can anyway), so the finish is really important to me. Previously, we discussed leaving the articulated end of the coach loose, so that the floor could be fitted, and removed if necessary. I think I have come up with a way to avoid this, and still be able to remove the floor. 'A' indicates the location of the bogie mounting plate. 'B' is where I intend to place a frame spacer, for strength as well as a mounting point for the floor. To the right of A, a plastic floor will be epoxied in. This is only about 32/33mm long, and at this end of the coaches are either kitchen facilities or vestibules. This means that the windows are opaque or just small top lights, so it'll be almost impossible to see in, meaning that internal detail can be sacrificed in this area. I will make the floor shorter than slightly more than the width of the spacer at B, meaning I can slide the floor in. Then it will be slid back to sit directly over B. The plasticard at the other end of the coach will be the floor at that end of the coach where detail is less important. Small screws will secure the floor in. I'll make the floors slightly narrower than I initially thought, so they clear the side skirts (narrowest point). Any gaps can be filled with a small sausage of Blu Tac! Hope this all makes sense? I'll sleep in it for a couple of nights before I go ahead. Cheers.

Thats the view I take Steve. Different experiences are always useful, and often apply to more than one sphere of the overall hobby of modelling. Forums like this are a great way for people to share things like this in a way which wouldn't really have been possible prior to the internet.

Lead wire is very workable. Usually used in model aircraft making for the hydraulic lines etc. I get mine from here: http://www.modellingtools.co.uk/detailing-wire-lead-10787-p.asp