Ben Alder

And Dornoch shed and water tank.

Dornoch.

Here is Plockton, all ready for its career as a display in Pop Up's new showroom.

Working on a ScR one at the moment, but as a camping car. Should have pics in a few days...Here is one I repainted as one of the restaurant cars some while back. Not an exact replica but more a place holder until and if I get round to doing a more accurate version.

Thanks, Clive. That's them all for now although I have bits for a BR 8F, an unnecessary beast, with the plethora of freight engines BR inherited, but what the....and perhaps another 2-8-2 with either 5' or 5'3" drivers, but this involves a lot of hacking away at the P2 chassis and I have several other projects screaming for attention, not least getting the last fixture and fittings on this lot and weathering them for the layout. However, I have enjoyed this ramble through a different standarisation, and it has given use to a lot of loco parts and fittings that have lain unused for two decades plus now.

And finally, a don't look too closely, LMS Class Four 4-6-0 as proposed for the Highland lines in 1933/4. I have done one already based around the Railroad Black Five with smaller drivers and a Fowler tender, but this one is shakings from the leftovers - a Standard Four chassis and boiler camouflaged as a Stanier one, GBL footplate and cab and Ivatt tender. I have decided that Ivatt had a go at this class after the war and fitted it with his tender and altered the access to the cab, which gives quite a different outline to it. By laziness I've numbered it in one of the post war Black Five sequences, presuming that the original build adopted these,then spare, numbers, and the tender actually fits a bit closer than in the picture, not being coupled up in it.

Last of the other Standards now - a Class Four 2-6-0 - a late addition after finding a Hornby Stanier tank chassis in a box and digging out a Mainline 75xxx body from the late seventies that had at least two chassis under it during its earlier working life.

Dornoch plonked and plinthed ready to head off to Pop Up. A lovely little thing, I must say; who could resist building a model of the station with this available...... And a couple of bench shots showing bits unseen in earlier pics.

Comparative shots of the Clan and its smaller cousin showing the difference in visual appearance from the smaller drivers.

Thanks, and to the others who have let me take the easier option of driving on the second axle. These are going to be layout locos and once they join the fleet all puzzling and fretting about details usually vanishes once away from the scrutiny of the workbench. I have always been a bit intrigued by this wheel arrangement and its minimal UK usage, and have surmised that between Gresleys large build of V4's and Coleman's design making it into production the arrangement became part of the alternative Standard range.... Here is a heavier version - cut down Clan boiler and 5'8" drivers.

The bodies of the 2-6-2's are Standard Fives and the chassis are Bachmann - what they are I've lost track of as I swapped bodies and chassis around during the ,extended in some cases, build, but there is a Class three tank and 76xxx body lying about so probably those. This all has evolved from a long time gathering of waifs and strays and I found enough bits for another couple of locos that were a bonus in a way. I started the high footplate one first but though it looked so ill proportioned with the small drivers that I did another, using the Bachmann Five boiler and a GBL Black Five footplate to see what it turned out like and gave it a smaller tender, resulting in a very different outline to the two.

That series has already been taken up........

The 2-8-2 is part of a batch build of putative Standards that I have spent years on and off getting not very far with, but I have more or less cleared the ever busy workbench to get it out of my system. Some are probably more viable than others but here are two of the same class - a small wheeled variation of the Clan; the proposed Class 5 Pacific? One is a repaint of my JE kit for the Clan that became surplus to requirement with Hornby's release and the other was a bonus - two seperate ebay gatherings of a chassis and body at snatch up prices. These pics are cruel looks at something in late progress and not a flattering angle, I'm afraid.....the difference a deflector makes to the overall look. I swithered over adding one or not and when the unexpected appearance of another option arrived I decided on one of each.

Newtonmore is now on Pop Up's site as a 4mm kit.

Thanks - I'll leave the experts to thrash out TE adhesion, speed etc of such a prototype - I'll be using it as an MT loco, basically as I liked the lined black livery - it started out planned as a plain black one but I succumbed...

The BR 2-8-2 is an itch I've tried to scratch several times, without ever getting it done, but here is the latest attempt, based on a Clan and P2 chassis with Br Standard Four drivers. Its been running successfully, but I haven't sorted out the valve gear yet. It's going to get Brit cylinders but haven't managed to find a driving rod long enough to drive on the third set of wheels - any suggestions gratefully received.....I have another P2 and Clan body in the stash with thoughts of either 5' or 5'3" drivers once I get this one done.

Here are shots of Plockton and Dornoch plonked on the layout to see what they looked like. Still some detailing to tidy up and then put on bases - these ones are for Pop Up's shop - and I left the wall detail as it came on the kit. The lack of relief battens aren't too obvious, I think, especially to the eye rather than the camera.

Quick history here- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Seafang The Sea Fury was a Hawker design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Sea_Fury

AFAIK, he tried to sell the business a few years ago but got no takers so decided to carry on. He is putting orders out as he can - I got a back order and a placed one a month or so ago but if he cannot get fresh stock from suppliers because of current times there is not much he can do about that. He does appear to be struggling but doing as best he can with what he has got, and electronic communication is not his preferred method. I know he said to me once that it could take him nearly all his working day to merely reply to emails. He is of an age where males were not taught to type as a rule and could find speed typing difficult or nigh impossible, especially with his eye problems. I am of a similar background and have never mastered the keyboard beyond one fingered stabbing, which makes communication slow and cumbersome and understand Jim's preference for aural methods, but the surge in orders thanks to the lockdown has overwhelmed him somewhat. Perhaps he should have done what High Level did and shut down for the duration because of supply problems but he felt he had to carry as best as possible. I am sure that in the fullness of time he will catch up with unfulfilled orders.

Just found this topic....; plenty to catch up on I see.....Here is the Rapido pannier at its home shed in the Far North.

I always use Jackson /Romford wheels and bearings and keep to the same make for all my carriage and wagon stock, but other makes are around and each has their following.

One of the Far North ones at its new home. Repainted to match the finish of the existing fleet and cab doors opened out.

After a bit of lobbying Iain, he is now doing windows in a thinner ply, which makes a big difference to these kits. The more recent releases have them and he may revisit some of the the earlier ones. They are supplied as a glue behind but can be trimmed to fit the apertures for a more flush finish. I never thought about the doors when suggesting this to him but I'll mention it.

Looking good. I'm at much the same stage with Plockton and Dornoch, but with less relief needed thankfully. Although I'm slightly non neutral in all this I do agree the basic kits are a very reasonable starting off point - your one less than the price of two Bachmann 12ton vans, for example. I think doors are something we will have to get Iain to look at, especially shed ones.

Well, Morley are still developing their ranges and the Hornby HM 6000 looks a promising innovation. You could say battery power is a DC system, and while it is a bit like cold fusion at the moment, always round the corner, its day will come. I don't think DC is a goner yet.