31A

I've got one like that (the red one); I seem to recall it had an 'M' prefixed number until I gave it a proper S xxxxx S number. I think the markings on some of them are a figment of Dapol's imagination!

I've got a cast crest off the side of a coach under the stairs!

Quite an improvement, Rob!

And Monk Bar Models in York.

I must say I haven't come across it before either, although it seems others have! You won't be the only one disappointed if it turns out to be true; I have one on order from my local shop, but tend to use Hatton's web site as a guide as to when to expect things to arrive. I would be surprised if they've cancelled this particular version as I would have thought it would be the most popular of the D16 varieties so far announced, unless there were unknown 'technical / organisational' reasons!

Assuming this is R3234, it says 'expected 14/08/15' on Hornby's web site at the moment. (edited to correct typo in date!)

From a quick look at the pictures on the M&GNJRS Gallery pages, http://www.mandgn.co.uk/page.php?pid=28 it looks as though unfortunately you'd need the loco from R3231 (BR late crest) for the Westinghouse pump, and the tender from R3230 (BR early crest) for the D-shaped frame cutouts. I think the preserved loco has the smaller cab side cut outs, as per R3231. Perhaps cheaper to wait and see whether Hornby release that combination at some future date?

Actually I think it was the other way round - the majority of BR 'brown' brake vans were just 'piped'. I also think the Hornby model is slightly better than the Bachmann version, although there's not much in it. I think the handrails are slightly finer, for one thing.

Looks like the livery that was applied from the earliest days of BR up to 1964 (I think, of the top of my head) when the 'boxed in' lettering style was introduced. I think the regional branding was abandoned fairly early on in the BR period? Having said that, obviously they weren't all repainted overnight. Good to see a re-run of this steam / transition era staple in a useful livery!

Thanks to the information and inspiration provided by others in this thread, in particular Orford for his description and photos of the tender tarpaulin support, here's my 65445 after I've played around with it: The tarpaulin support uprights are from 0.8mm nickel silver strip which I happened to have by me, with the cross piece from 0.45mm brass wire. Drilling holes in the uprights for the cross piece was a bit hairy (and I think one of the holes may have broken through the edge of the strip) but once soldered together it's quite strong. The uprights then (as Orford described) pass through holes drilled in the top of the tender; I bent them over underneath and glued them to the underside of the tender top. Height judged by eye. The driver is from the Peter Goss range, and the seated fireman is from Replica. I made a set of fire irons from brass wire and etch scrap, and added a load of coal. I've not gone mad with the weathering; perhaps the inside of the tender would benefit from some more attention - it looks a bit 'wishy washy' at the moment!

Nice picture of an elevated disc (J1645). Don't think I've seen a picture of Hougham signal box before, either.

Hi John, re. drawbar on the short setting, see posts 284 and 344 for solutions.

Some of the real ones do seem to have had a pronounced ridge where the straight sides met the curved roof..... http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brgraincgo/h27a6d2c7#h9a07278

I found it quite difficult to fit the tension lock coupling to the pony truck (a pity to have to really, but the loco will have to pull trains tender first sometimes); in fact I took the pony truck off rather than risk damaging the loco, and had to use some force to get the coupling far enough into the NEM pocket to lock into place, but it did fit eventually - it was just a tight fit.

Very neat, Don - thanks! I must admit I was pondering whether (for robustness) to make a sheet rail from a solid piece of plastikard (or metal), entirely hidden by the tarpaulin draped over it - some pictures seem to show this. For the sheet itself I was considering masking tape, or tissue soaked in pva.

Looks good, Don - could I ask what you attached the uprights to on the tender - glued onto the front coal plate?

J15s were common at Huntingdon but were usually Cambridge locos working on the Cambridge-Kettering route, and it appears Cambridge depot supplied one to act as pilot at Huntingdon in the '50s. However a picture by Eric Sawford in 'Last Days of Steam in Cambridgeshire' shows 65420 coupled to an unidentified WD "heading back to New England depot for servicing. The J15 was employed on lifting track on the St. Ives-Huntingdon section at the time". Picture dated 21.9.61.

The model of 65445 carries a 30A shed plate. According to the MGNJRS publication, it arrived there from Parkeston Quay in January 1961. A picture in Locomotives Illustrated 162 shows it at Haverhill in August 1958, when it was allocated to Colchester, and the caption states it wen from there to Parkeston in November 1959. I found it would couple on the close setting although with almost no clearance between the drawbar and the wiring emanating from the plug. As I was afraid the motion of the drawbar might damage the insulation on the wires (or short circuit with the bare ends of the connectors in the plug), I cut off the outer 'loop' of the drawbar. However for the engine to pass my test for close coupling on the 'short' setting (to be able to get round the a crossover formed by two Peco double slips back to back), I had to remove a very small amount of metal from the loco 'fall plate' (in fact a rearward extension of the running plate casting) so that it would clear the hand brake standard on the tender. The amount was smaller than I could really measure, and I achieved it by gross misuse of a pair of Xuron track cutters, used as a side cutter small amounts at a time!

Hi Jonathan, sorry but I beg to differ! The vacuum ejector pipe appears to have only been fitted to the steam brake only engines which were fitted with vacuum train brakes by the LNER. 65445 was indeed dual fitted and several published photos of the real engine (e.g. in the MGNJRS publication 'J15s Remembered' and 'Locomotives Illustrated 142') show that it didn't have the pipe seen on 65390 in post 263. To my mind, Hornby have modelled the steam and vacuum pipes running along the running plate on this loco. The RCTS Green Book lists the engines which were vacuum fitted by the LNER, of which there were 7, 5 of which had side window cabs.

7' 7" + 8' 6"

Hi all, Having just visited Monk Bar Models myself to collect my early crest K1, I find I must correct my earlier statement! To my surprise, the rear coal division plate is actually in the 'forward' position. I'm actually very pleased about this, as this is more suited to the period of my layout. I think the 'Green Book' just says the coal plates were moved forward during the 1950s, or words to that effect, and I was looking at some pictures last night of K1s with the coal plate moved forward but retaining early crests. Not sure whether I incorrectly assumed the coal plate would be in the earlier position based on the B1 models, although I've an idea the samples displayed at Warley did exhibit this difference. As Jaymz pointed out, it does have the raised plate on the firebox, and as expected, lacks AWS fittings. It seems to have all the bits in the right places and the running plates are straight on both sides, so on first inspection (and having seen it test run in the shop), I'd echo what others have said that this is an excellent model from Hornby!

Now occupied by another kind of 'track'.....

Hi Jaymz, sorry if that came across a bit brusque, typed on a mobile during a bout of insomnia last night! But I think regardless of the plate on the firebox (which seems to have varied as boilers were exchanged between locos, as well as over time), there are other differences to be taken into account if you wish to model the preserved loco. The rear coal division plate on the tender is in the forward position on the late crest models while the early condition model will probably have it in the rearward position (not seen one yet, but this is the case with the B1 models), and the late version models have AWS fittings which I would assume the preserved loco also has. Cheers, Steve

Hi Jaymz, not sure which part you're referring to as a 'top feed' (this is not visible on LNER engines with boilers of this type), but if you mean the reinforcing plate on top of the firebox you might be interested in the posts by myself and The Black Hat on 14th December - page 11 of this thread. Cheers, Steve.

And useful for those who want to add a crew....