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Given the guy who owns Heaton Lodge has one as his shop logo I wonder if he knows if Heljan are planning one. I had read somewhere that KMS were partnering with Cavalex but this may just be a rumour. All attempts by me to elicit a response from KMS have met with complete silence and like you they have an advanced payment from me. Paul R

HI Andy Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Are you icing your knee - might help; just a thought? Its very frustrating when you can't get on like you want hopefully the short term rest will restore your long term mobility. By the way every time I see your Grainflow wagon it reminds me that I would love to have one of these in O gauge. Shapeways have a 3D print on their site from BR Blue but the price is quite high so I need to bide my time! Paul R

Next on the list is the brake gear. These are the Connoisseur brake shoes after having been sweated together. They still need cleaning up at this point. These will now be fitted to the chassis although I will leave off the pull rods until the gearbox is in place as it interferes with the rods and Jim advises this in his instructions. Of any brake gear in the Ravenscale kit - there is none. There are holes in the chassis where the brake supports are supposed to go but nothing. So I need to get some from Ragstone Models who do the appropriate bits for this loco. Thats another £30 on top of the £20 I spent on springs. I have some to the conclusion the Ravenscale kit is not much than a scratch builders aid! As Ragstone don't have an online ordering system I have sent an e-mail order so it may be a few days yet (post strike permitting) before these turn up. Once the Connoisseur brakes are on I will go back to the bodies. All for now Paul R

Ok so I have fitted the wheels to the Connoisseur N7 and like the Ravenscale its straight and true so all good there. I also refitted the wheels to the Ravenscale as a comparator. They are not pushed rilght down to the axles as they need to come off for painting once the brake gear and details are fitted. So far very pleased with progress. Paul R

Ok so I have now soldered the springs to the Ravenscale N7 kit. These came from Laurie Griffin Minitures as they are not included in the kit. I have had the wheels in the bearings and the chassis is true and straight and the wheels revolve freely enough. Now need to start thinking about the brake gear some bits of which are in the kit and also wheeling the Connoisseur chassis. Paul R

I must say that looks pretty impressive. I am glad I ordered one. Paul R

Sorry to hear that Andy. As you may recall I am still recovering from a knee replacement so I feel your pain! Paul R

These are the Slaters wheels for the Connoisseur N7 and have just been through the metal blacking process using Caseys Super Gun Blue. They are now sitting in the sun in the conservatory to dry off and will later be placed for a few hours in the airing cupboard. Now to clean up the coupling rods Paul R

Looking forward to you starting the scenery Andy. Paul R

Started on the Connoisseur coupling rods. These are laminated together from three separate etches. I first tinned the inside surfaces with a conventional 188 degree solder. Then using the drills as a fix they were put together as a sandwich with solder paste between the layers and then sweated together with the RSU. They now just need cleaning up and a rod inserted in the joint. The Ravenscale in that respect is easier because it has milled rods. These have been drilled out to the diameter of the crankpins on the cast wheels. I have also sourced some springs for the Ravenscale N7 as these are not included in the kit and the frames are milled brass. These will be soldered behind the wheels. They are in fact better than the etches in Jim's kit as they have some substance. The main problem with the Ravenscale is the absence of any firebox detail and the hole in the frames that is on the Connoisseur kit is absent. I have thought about drilling it out but this will weaken the frames so I am pondering what to do. In the photo you can see the made up trailing bogie for the Connoisseur kit to allow the loco to go round sharper curves. It just needs soldering. This option not available on the Ravenscale which has a rigid chassis. I don't think this will be a problem on Notley where the only curves of any substance are the points. Paul R

Sobering thought but if this was a Heljan model it would be twice the price or more Paul R

Thanks for that I'll have a look Paul

Nice. I have a rail freight brown version. I bought one but I really need a couple more. Hopefully I may get lucky at the forthcoming Uckfield exhibition. They are lovely models and hopefully will go to a second batch. Paul R

Coming along nicely Andy Paul R

So this is where we are with the frames for the N7's I've got the bearings soldered in and the milled frames of the Ravenscale screwed together. I need to cut out the slot for the rear truck on Jim's kit as I am going to be using his pony truck solution rather than fixed wheels. This will in theory go round tighter corners - not that there are any on Black Notley! Noably absent are the springs on the Ravenscale model and I don't think these are in the kit so will need to be sourced. No guard irons either or firebox detail! So on we go Paul R

Well not much to report. Still recovering from the knee op and doing my exercises religiously. Been trying to get to grips with the wheels for the Ravenscale N7 which I have struggled to get apart. Colleagues on the 7mm group have identified these as Les Hoffman wheels which are made from two axles - one slots in the other and the pin keeps them tight. However over the years they have seized up and although I could get the pins out OK all attempts to get the inner axle from the outer have failed. I have now managed to get one of the wheels off each axle but in doing so the quartering has gone so will need careful fitting back. Also there seems to be no real way of getting the coupling rods mounted and secured. I have been sorely tempted to order up a set of Slaters wheels until I saw the price. They were £13 per axle last time I bought any! So moving on to soldering the bearings to the respective frames. The Connoisseur being the easier of the two as the Ravenscale has milled brass frames. Anyhow here is the latest of the wheels Paul R

Was down in Eastbourne last week and visited Train Times Model Shop. Picked up this Morris Commercial in Royal Mail livery for a bargain price second hand. sorry about the poor quality photo Paul R

Rule 1!

I think so but its in an RJH box. I took it out to have a look yesterday and its pretty well detailed - or will be when its built. Its a 31/4 so a it different from her Heljan 31's I have Paul R

I've got one of these Parkin 31's to build and it predates the resin cab. Mine have white metal castings. Paul R

I am sad to say I agree with you. However I think if some manufacturers continue to charge mouth watering prices this may backfire. I am glad I put aside some kits for my retirement. Also I saw some sad news this week in that the only model shop here for miles has now permanently closed due to retirement and an inability to sell the business as a going concern. I am afraid we are going to see more and more of this. Very sad. Paul R

That looks great. I am all for a bargain and this looks the bees knees Paul R

I know prices have gone up but the PMV is overpriced compared to Dapol's MK1 coaches. Paul R

With Heljan's announcement of the Southern PMV I thought I would share a photo of mine which I built from a Slaters kit 29 years ago. It's fully functional, the sprung buffers still work as does the suspension. I will not be buying the Heljan version which appears to be priced higher than Dapol's MK1 coaches. Paul R

Thank you