Barclay

Paint? I'll be finishing it at this rate! This is Precision post-1928 GWR green, applied through the Expo airbrush. Next weekend will hopefully see the other colours added, plus final details in due course - there is still a list to complete - handrails, reversing rod, tank balance pipe, guard irons, glazing, drain cocks, whistles. Then there's lamps - I mostly build industrials, but have heard that 'proper' engines had things called lamps that some people get very worked up about! Will I need red ones for GWR? I'll be stopping at some point as I struggle with fine detail so in my case less is more... Then lettering, and after at least another week, weathering. I do hope that I can get it finished before it is 12 months in the making, this has been on my workbench too long, and I'm already thinking ahead to the next project.

Oh, dear - does that mean I've affected the re-sale value of this Hornby Caley Pug?! Seriously, in my view do whatever you need to do to improve the look of your models. As others have said, mint boxed, unopened, will always attract the best values anyway.

Hi I tend to only use 1 bit - it has a flat end similar in size and shape to that of an electrical screwdriver.

Looks like a good project. That small segment of boiler that shows forward of the tanks could perhaps be sawn off the chassis/weight block, and glued into place, with the gaps smoothed out with filler. Alternatively a piece of plasticard or brass can be shaped to the right size and installed. I have never used lead-free solder, and those who have don't seem to recommend it. However temperature wise I find that to solder effectively you need to go well over the melting point. For example working with 145 and 188 solder I always use 400 degrees. 300 just doesn't cut it. It will melt the solder but joints are much harder to make. I suppose the extra temp. helps bring the workpiece up to temperature that much more quickly. For the cab roof, and anything else really, making an item finer always helps. I replaced the roof on my current project because the cast white metal roof looked a little clumsy. The rain strips are very fine L-section brass, and I can't remember where I got it but Hobby Holidays sell brass in all kinds of sizes and shapes. Hard to bend to shape, but worth it for a more delicate look, at least in my opinion. Edit - the safety valve on my loco is from Alan Gibson, and, checking their website, they do one for a GWR coned boiler, which might be suitable, but I'm far from an expert on these things. Brassmasters will also sell fittings from their kits and may be able to sell you one from a GWR Prairie tank that looks similar to me, but, again, not an expert!

Wow if you're not already doing that then I can't imagine how many you are going to build this year! I agree with other comments and am quite sure those kits aren't beyond you, but do understand the economics of the matter. As to the 'stash', or 'cupboard of shame' as I have heard it called, well I am not ashamed of mine - that promise of enjoyment to be had in the future is actually most satisfying, indeed even re-assuring, and an item will regularly be pulled from the drawer and built. The trouble is, of course, in the time it takes to build it I will probably have acquired 2 more!

If the coupling rods are fully functional then you might get away with swapping the front and rear drivers over and not having gear drive to the front. Alternatively I have had good service from a Norfolk company called 'Bearing Boys' that makes oodles of Delrin spur gears. You would have to know the size but this can be worked out if you know the diameter and number of teeth, guides are available on the net. Regards

For me it's the usual 6" square of useable space and the rest full of junk. It does get an occasional tidy up. The drawer underneath is the 'cupboard of shame' (full of unbuilt kits). I can heartily recommend the metal cabinet to the left of the bench, it is great for storage of tools and materials. I got this from a closed down office where it was due to be skipped and it has pretty much revolutionised my modelling. You think the workbench is untidy? You should have seen it before!

Absolutely amazing how good it looked before you started cutting into it. Reminds me of my first car!

OK I couldn't see the reversing lever on photo's but it's there on the RHS on the Heljan loco, so that's it then!

Can I ask a really daft question? In my defence I don't know a great deal about the GWR... Right or Left hand drive? It's all about where the driver goes you see!

Treasured possessions!

The trouble I find is that whenever I do this, and it does feel good, it inevitably returns to its natural state in a matter of weeks!

I've been labouring on this 1361 0-6-0ST for months now, and it is finally coming together - CSP chassis & chimney, Gibson safety valve, buffers, injectors, smokebox door handle. Unlike the Coal Tank I can't really recommend this one - too many faults!

With the receipt of an order from Alan Gibson, I was able to add handrail knobs and a smokebox door handle, and, finally, a safety valve bonnet. The one with the kit was poor, and a better one I had in my bits tin was too tall (as was the original). I opted for a Gibson casting , I think it was for the 850 saddle tank, and it's very nice, and the right height. Maybe not the exactly correct profile, but better than the alternatives. Other odds and ends have been added and I think the body is ready for paint. Well I did until I checked the photo of 1364 and discovered it didn't have a horizontal handrail on the bunker, so those new holes will have to be filled! The front of the tank has also been improved since these photo's were taken, so it looks like more work before I fire up the airbrush. The chassis is nearly ready - I made up the brakes, but they vanished from my workbench when my back was turned so I'll have to find some others. All rather poor excuses for why a tarted up K's kit has taken me 10 months and counting - I've scratchbuilt loco's in less time than this!

CSP are very helpful with selling parts such as castings from their kits, so when you build the Lobitos loco you can probably obtain all the useful bits without having to buy a whole kit.

I'd go for no.3 - if you are imagining that MOR acquired a fireless loco in 1968 then why not imagine they got it from somewhere else? Perhaps they got this one instead of it being scrapped? AB 2326 of 1952 British Enka Ltd, Aintree; scrapped there 1968.

A concerted effort over the recent break from work has seen the trackwork completed. It has ended up very messy as some of the sleepers I stuck down in advance have turned out to not be in quite the right place! This of course is entirely the result of me adjusting it this way and that, and even now, looking at this picture, I see a slight lack of 'flow' to the track at the entrance to the run-round loop that might need yet another tweak! Luckily all of the sleepering will be covered up, and I have ordered some ivory coloured 1250 micron card to represent the concrete surface. This is the same thickness as the sleepers so I should be able to slip the first layer under the rails and then have a top surface that is slightly lower (about 3/4 mm) than the rail head. As I discovered many years ago with my British EM layout, a totally flush surface looks good until the first time you clean the track... Detailing and colouring the concrete surface will need a lot of practice and testing of techniques before I commit to doing it for real. For point control the simple option seems best so some DPDT switches will be ordered and once they are installed I can conduct some extensive testing before finally getting onto the scenics, and the carfloat of course - looking forward to that.

I keep feeling that I should have a go at it, probably shamed by those same few protagonists on the S4 Forum, who make you feel like a 1970's throwback for using compensation. However I still fail to understand how I can set up a chassis for a loco. that I haven't yet built, but the weight, and weight distribution of which, I must presumably have to know in advance - my modelling doesn't work like that I'm afraid!

At Mistley Quay in Essex these lines are still visible. I don't know when the connection was removed but it was certainly still in use in the early 80's.

I tend to leave the flange on the wheel bearing as it keeps the tyre away from the frame, and minimises risk of shorting. I just make sure the chassis is thin enough that there is a little sideplay and then remove it from front and rear with axle washers. You really don't need much though. Below is my own coal tank in EM. You can see there isn't a lot of sideplay, just a little on the centre axle is enough, though the rear part of the chassis was narrowed by a couple of mm to help the trailing wheels negotiate a 3' curve.

Close enough ? A little more austere inside than the Wolseley version!

Personally I would use the smallest possible motor and fill the spaces with lead. My own Pug, built with a Bristol Models chassis kit nearly 40 years ago has a tiny Tenshodo motor, but one of the small High Level ones would be a better bet now.

With apologies for the blurry shot:

And very lovely it looks. I wonder if the change in colour scheme is just for no.300 or a hint of things to come?

Years of life left in that! - I have a Casio scientific calculator that I had in 1981 when I started 'O' Level maths, and it's still running on the original AA batteries. Totally agree though that under normal conditions a burst battery can destroy your appliance. As to meters - I have an inexpensive Maplins analogue version that does the job nicely. I do feel that a meter with a pointer is more suitable for our needs than a digital one because it is so easy to spot the quiver of the needle if your new chassis has a slight tight spot.