Devo63

I think you'll find that the lettering on the bottom is a monogram reading GA. As far as I can remember this kit was issued by a George Alan and the date seems about right. I think I bought one in about 1974 for approx. £5 - £6 but never made it. I wasn't even in my teens at the time and I realised it was beyond my skills to build. If I recall correctly I swapped it for a couple of K's wagon kits. Dave R.

Hi Johnster, Are these the style you are looking to get for the model? I think they are vintage PC Models castings. Sorry about the size but I just plonked them on the scanner when I dug them out of my spare bogie box. They look a lot better in real life and the rivets are quite neat in appearance. I have two pairs of these and I could always spare a pair if you are interested. You can always drop me a PM about them. Dave R.

Have you checked out 247 Developments for the bogies? I don't know if they have the type you are after but they do have a large selection. Dave R.

My father remembers that most of the various stations around Cardiff had bike racks when he rode his bike back in the mid 40's to early 50's. He said that at some stations there was never enough capacity and you could see large numbers of bikes chained to the station fences. He can't recall where he came across them but he mentions that some larger locations had lock-up sheds which the porter or booking office clerk controlled the access. Dave R.

I use a similar method to the one above with a home made fall plate. For some of my locos I make a false cab floor and glue the crew to that. It can be held in place with a very small blob of Blu-Tak which allows you to transfer from one loco to another. Dave R.

Answer is yes/no/maybe! I started construction of the loco body at about the same time as my original post. Shortly after that I sold my house and moved to look after my elderly parents. Most of the projects that I had on the go at that time have been packed away in my storage unit. Needless to say that this ex Barry loco is way down on the list of items to be completed. I'm one of those modellers who always have at least ten projects happening at a time. I've started more than that since the move and only completed about half of them. Currently have 5 Bulldogs, 2 Dukes and an Earl in various stages of construction plus about half a dozen old GEM LNWR kits under way as well. Dave R

Hi Connor, They are a bit chunky but have you thought about the deflectors from the old Kitmaster/Airfix/Dapol Schools kit? I may even have a spare pair around in my bits boxes. If your avatar pic of a Barwell Bull is any hint I'm assuming you live in my neck of the woods so it should only cost me local postage to send them to you. Dave R.

Hi Alan, Loved the loco crew figures and GWR whistles I purchased last year. I will have to do another order sometime in the next couple of months. Do you have any amateur dramatic societies in your area who may pose for you in period Victorian or Edwardian costume? A free copy of a figure of themselves could be provided as payment - I've never heard of an actor who would refuse their own likeness. Dave R.

Somebody is always watching you!

I like the description of the cylinders in the original brochure. 3/4 in. bore, 1¼ in. stroke or thereabouts. Do you happen to know what the actual dimensions are or have they worn or been re-bored over the years? Dave R. P.S. - Love the sound of it running.

Carter (1952) describes the wagon livery as follows: 1905 "Goods stock was painted a dark grey, with "M & C" in large white letters on the left-hand side, and the number of the vehicle on the right-hand side in the same size as the figures and letters on the left side. A rectangular number-plate on the sole-bar bore the initials "M & CR"above the number in raised white letters. All ironwork was black, and the roofs of covered vans were white." The description for 1916 was similar except for "Goods stock was painted dark grey, and was lettered "M.&C." (with full stops)". Dave R.

I still live in hope that one of the 3D experts may take an interest in the Armstrong class. A print without the dome or safety valve would be OK as you can still source those items as spares either from the Hornby Lord of the Isles or castings from the likes of Gibson etc. Unfortunately my computing skills are not up to the task. I have tried to learn how to use the various 3D software programs available but since a couple of breakdowns a few years ago I have found it very hard to retain anything new in my noggin. I do like the various curved framed GWR 4-4-0's. I have two of the K's Duke class to build/rebuild (one to the earlier narrow cab), a curved frame Bulldog that just needs to be re-motored and a dummy Badminton conversion from an old Kitmaster City of Truro with a K's tender drive that I picked up on eBay. Any of these classes in a 3D print would also be welcome. Dave R.

G'day Neil, Glad the scan I sent by PM worked OK. In reference to your list above the April 1971 drawings in RM of the 0-6-0 locos 29 & 30 are also by W.Hardin Osborne in 4mm scale. This drawing shows the right hand side and the frontal view of the loco and a split view of the tender. Drop me a PM if you want any more info. The September 1976 issue of RM has a 4mm scale drawing of the left hand side of no. 29 by W. D. Stewart as well as two photos of both locomotives - 29 in Yorkshire Engine Co. works grey and 30 in M&CR green livery. The same article has a drawing of the very similar H&BR locos 157 to 161 on which they were based. Dave R.

I have built a number of BSL/Phoenix kits over the years (but not a J12) and usually used 2 part epoxy glues for assembly. For the door scribing I used an old school compass with the steel tip filed to a very small wedge shape. The thickness of the scribed lines must be sufficient that they don't disappear completely after painting. Hinges are usually made of short sections of thin wire super glued at the appropriate places. The J12 only has three doors so it is easier than most of the range. The last BSL kit I built was a ten compartment 70' 3rd and getting all the doors accurately inscribed was a challenge. My personal preference for glazing is to use various sizes of microscope cover slips as I've always thought that nothing looks better for glass than glass itself. The clear plastic strip supplied with the kits tends to scratch if not handled carefully. The J12 was fitted with 12'6" six wheeled bogies. 247 Developments list this type - item C488 - but last time I looked they were marked as "Available for Pre Order". Others may be available from other makers. Dave R.

Hi Mikkel, I'm glad to see you up and running after the big move. I've been following your ups and downs on the blog and have always been amazed at the detail of your work (and being able to contribute in a small way with my tea chest suggestion). I went through a change of residence about two years ago to move in with and look after my elderly parents. I have gone the other way from just having a small shunting plank to being able to start construction on a 13' x 6'6" twin track 'roundy' with a separate GWR branch line terminus above the main line on one side. Hope to see more of your wonderful and skillful modelling in the years to come. Dave R.

I don't know if this is available in the UK but for damaged, old or thin water-slide decals I've used the Testors decal bonder spray which comes in a 3 oz. can. It is part of their decal system which includes clear and white finish deal paper for use in inkjet printers. I've had success with old and cracked 1950's & 1960's model kit decals and for spraying on to decals made with an ALPS printer which can be a bit thin as well as my own home made decals. Dave R.

G'day Gary, I've built one of these "Lion" kits in the past and had no serious problems. One small problem I did find was that the rear wheel fouled the bottom of the driving footplate and raised the rear pair of driving wheels off the track. I don't know if was a design fault or, more likely, my poor assembly methods. It did take a while to correct but I eventually got it running quite well. It was still going OK when I packed it for moving house two years ago and haven't pulled it out since then. I do have another one of these to build (as the Titfield Thunderbolt) and plan to take more care in assembly with that one. As sold originally these Milestones range of models did not come with a motor or gears. I ended up using a small Mashima motor and gearbox. I have used the K's motor in a few other models previously and it was very hit and miss whether they would burn out the first time any load was applied. That said, I have some of the same motors still going strong 30 years later. Dave R.

Thank you Jonathan and Simon for the shipping info to Australia. I may have to wait to order as the good ol' Aussie Peso has not been that strong lately against the GB Pound. Currently A$1.00 = £0.547. Dave R.

Yes please ! I mainly model GWR & LNWR prototypes but I'll be wanting to add some of your models for variety. Any estimate on the cost of postage to the Great Southern Land of Oz? Dave R.

Russell's loco GWR loco book vol.2 has a copy of the official Diag. A of no. 11 at the bottom of page 2. Dave R.

A very nice piece of scratch building sir. I remember when you first started this project and thought it was an ambitious project at the time. I am suitably impressed with the level of detail you have captured on the model and the great finish to the various items of trim on the structure. Dave R.

Hi Andy, My "Member's Total Reputation" is sitting at zero. Is this something that will self correct as the new software settles down or have I lost all my previous feedback? Also what are the "Warning Points"? Other than that the update doesn't look too bad. Dave R.

Any estimate for postage to Oz? I've been waiting for this one to be released. Dave R.

Have you thought about using glass microscope slide cover slips. I used them to glaze a few BSL coach kits back in the 80's and they are still very clear. They are available in a selection of different sizes from 10mm x 10mm upwards to about 30mm x 25mm in boxes of about 100. For cutting I just draw my dear old mothers diamond ring across the surface and snap off the bits that I don't require. Speaking from experience you have to watch your fingers as the thin glass has VERY sharp edges. It goes without saying that you should also wear some form of eye protection when snapping the glass.

Model Yard previously produced a card kit for a NER signal box with production later being transferred to Freestone Model Accessories. A check on the Freestone site shows it is currently out of production but you may find one second hand somewhere. Dave R.