DougN

I recall reading some where if you have no Flux, use coca cola as the concentration is about the same. OK I have stopped consuming Coke after reading that. As a total aside I also head why it is added to soft drinks is to increase the volume of sugar in the solution. Dont know how true that is... I will continue to use the 10% red label I have as I would rather not have to clean off the sugar/ caramel left from Coke. Then again your probably more likely to be hit by a car than any condition from soldering our trains together...

Alan Gibson workshop has NER loco buffers you may end up replacing all 4 but they are a nice substitute.

Jesse, I have a part built version and a heap of research if your interested.... it's one of my projects that stalled as I haven't done a order for wheels in donkeys ages...

Just building a NER BTP / LNER G6 Kit and looking at the variations that are possible with that class which was the precursor to the G5. I can understand that the G5's ended up carrying so many different variations for a "standard" class. It is the one thing I have realized current manufacturing and tolerances etc have standardized alot of heavy industry let alone cars etc where The G5 and any locos built in the NER period and then maintained into the LNER period through BR had a habit of being modified due to boilers wearing out etc , and work shop practices so a standard class shows lots of variation due to maintenance and running requirements. I commend TMC for stating the reason they can't do "at manufacture" more variants. I can also see the family resemblance with the BTP's but they had so many variants that I am positive that no manufacturer would take them on. Wheel sizes x4, sandboxes that moved on the foot plate, Splasher with integral sand boxes, Splashers which were plated over, different holes to the splashers or plain, different boilers, different rivet layouts, hand rails of different lengths and heights... I Cant seem to rotate the photos!

Tony, your dead right. I am amazed at the amount that needs to be modified from "tight" to running nicely. I have ended up pulling apart chassis, rods, etc.... chasing down tight spots... my last J26 went back to frames at one stage when it was running badly only to find one of the hornblocks/ guides needed moving about... now she runs nicely. My latest the G6, has had her rods on for the first time and I think it will need the wheels stripped off the bearings opened up and then the rods... and a re assemble afterwards! It is one thing to build a loco tight, then it is another to open every thing out slowly to get it running smoothly. The amount of running clearance is amazing. This is totally different to slop! I converted a beautifully built Churchward kit EM 45xx to P4 for a mate. He said it is his best running locomotive. This had a large amount of play in the loco in EM... and worked perfectly with new wheels in P4.... My thoughts are the running clearances where already there and the one change of the wheels once the quartering was resolved showed that the running was equal even though totally fiddled with!

Tony you need to look after those fingers. I have found an off cut of icy pole stick can be helpful to avoid losing ones finger prints! Not a total avoidance of small burns from soldering irons but helps! One of my other "tools" is an off cut of soft wood about 100mm long x42x19 which I have been known to roll the brass onto when soldering over lays. It doesnt matter if the wood gets scorched, drilled every so often, burnt, or dinted once it is too damaged it goes in the bin! I still havn't figured out why solder will remain liquid until just after the pain threshold has been passed! i'm building a LNER G6 at the moment and it is nearing the end of the parts to be installed. They are a curious beasty finding photos and figuring out the detailing has been very interesting. The kit was started by another modeler which has resulted in a bit of "guess this part" as it was a etched kit from Steven Barnfield (now LRM). Has any one else had a go at a representation of the valve gear and cylinders as under the boiler it is very open.

I find it interesting how often things come up here in Australia. I have picked up some highly sort after things for very little. Then again, dealing as I have been with an estate, people do put alot of things aside for later. It is just a question of time before sort after items turn up. I must dig out the blacksmith kit I started years ago... being a GWR 4 wheeled paper van, I think, how it got into my interest I really cant remember!... Any how to all RMweb members, dont forget that the AMRA exhibition is comming up in Melbourne on the weekend of 20th/21st August. John will I see you that weekend?

Jesse, have you managed to secure a Yeadons register for the B16's they are extremely useful for the detail. Oh and whos the manufacturer of the kit? Sing out if you need me to scan a page for you if you need!

I am doing well with the floor god at the moment. Last night I sat down with a LNER G6 I am building... (why I just cant get enthused with the V2's I have no idea.) I sat down at the work table and promptly knocked the safety valve casting on to the floor with my sleeve, any how the desk lamp moved to the floor.... broom out to try and see where the floor god had placed it... no luck... Time to kneel to the floor god... other than a lot of dog hair, off cuts of white metal I knocked over on Friday night... no sign. So I went on with some more of the kit... Time reveals all I was thinking. Dinner was called, so I thought I'll try one more trick, moving my stock draw (on casters of course, Ikea Alex units) Only to have a buffer housing which I lost to the floor god about 3 years ago appear! Winner! As Sunday nights, we usually as a family, watch some TV together, as others will know having 2 kids in the final years of school, (one final yr12, one yr11) we don't see every one together too much! I left the loco looking bereft of castings on a shelf, not wanting to provide more offerings moving from the modelling room to the living room. Then, as it was time to go to bed, I thought it would be worth asking the floor god if they would be generous last thing. The sneeky little so and so had pushed over some books, which I picked up, and the casting promptly dropped out of the top of the book! So out of all the goings on I am up one buffer housing and I can complete the castings on the G6! Why as modellers we have to work on only the from 150mm of the work table and provide at least one offering to the floor god per session I have no idea! Once the G6 is further advanced I'll pop up a couple of photos!

This discussion about the colour is so subjective as the colours can change as the pigments, mixes, carriers and techniques have changed so much over time. Even with modern paints the tins can vary... (Just ask me as I have finished a 50 apartment block and the paint left to touch up matches about 15 apartments!) With out a photo with the same camera (these even vary!) on the same paper, film, time of day, location etc... it is unlikely that we have an exact match. I believe TMC have demonstrated that these are as close as we are likely to achieve. I commend any one who has done the research and managed to find paint scrapings to match as close as possible the same colour. Then there is the next problem Models are painted with modern paints which have to have a certain environmental characteristics EG - acrylic and I have heard it said about modern paints not achieving the lustre and depth of colour compared to the older style paints. These generally have a lot of very nasty chemicals such as Lead, Xylene and others which makes the use very environmentally unfriendly now. So we are only ever going to get as close as possible to the original colours. TMC As I have said before should be commended! There is also another factor that needs to be added as I think the models paint also changes a little over time too. I have noticed the lustre from fresh out of the box models to ones that have been on the layout for a week or 2!

Oh didn't realise that. Though I am building a BTP (G6) at the moment. However as most of these were gone by 1928 I would have expected some of the G5's to have had them at some time. We can but wish that we receive some of the lovely coaches from Rapido. I doubt all of the clerestories were condemned before 1923 which I would have expected them all to be gone by 1940 as they were getting long in the tooth by that stage. I am looking at 951 or 950 for the G6 as per the photos in the Yeadons record.

I would say order from TMC they should be supported for the project of the G5. Why? it encourages them to do more NER locos and region specific stock. I love my plate wagons which they did a number of years ago for the same reason. I would suggest to TMC is talk to Rapido about doing the NER clerestories as Rapido have some of the research already in the form of the dynamometer car! But this might have barriers due to other agreements. If the auto cars could be done with the G5 I think our NER train's cup would runeth over!

Unfortunately I have just dismantled a reprentation of Exeter in scale length with full signalling. My mate Brian built it over 20 years and ran it along with fiddle yards for about the last 20 years. This was in a room of 40ft x 20 ft. under Exeter was a scale version of Wadebridge which he had finished in last 8 years. A massive undertaking fully signal interlocked. On a shelf behind Exeter was a representation of Waterloo. It was the latest and last addition. Massive layouts of this size and complexity unfortunately don't have a life after their builders demise. There are things I would have loved to see happen with this layout but unfortunately there was no other option but to dispose of it. It is one one thing we as modellers need to be aware of on our demise our layouts good bad indifferent may only be worthy of the skip. We, and I am thankful to everyone that has helped with the clear out, have recovered and sold on as much as we can and continue to do so. But sometimes how do you sell 50 maunsell coaches. It becomes as Tony no doubt is aware when the volume is so high the time and space to store these things as they are sold off is problematic.

Tony your lucky to have people who might be interested in the track. Here in Australia I am struggling to sell a lot of the estate I have become responsible for! Track I have been told has almost no value.... I have a auction house looking at the collection of Hornby dublo 2 and 3 rail, along with Hornby O gauge. so that might get a lot of my garage back. I have about 600kgs of books on the Southern to dispose of and I have done well so far selling a lot off. But I am finding people here are not interested in the books. I would like to say to SAC Martin, you have demonstrated that Thompson has been unfairly treated in Modellers history. I don't have any view on either way but you have been very calm in your responses and you should be proud of exposing the rigorous research you have done and the book you produced. I have enjoyed reading the responses. Regards Doug

I have a hope that the price is "reasonable" . OK this is a very subjective point of view. One person will have a view of a 200quid price being too high where as others might say it is fine. I have had a look at the recommended retail of some equivalent locos. I am confident that the price won't be discounted to 100quid! but the RRP of similar locos is about 180quid. Personally I hope this is about the price we see as I will be happy to pay that for a non sound or DCC fitted loco. I will point out that this is not to criticise TMC if it is higher or lower (all of our wishes, but in the current economic environment I doubt it!) the reality of commissioning the loco and the risk that TMC has taken on is large. I do hope that it works well for them and is profitable so they can end up producing more RTR NER type locos. B16 any one? D20? I think if they did manage this our collective cups of NER designed locos will run over! As a modeller that has liked the look of these for so long and purchased kits (and built them!) now to have these so relatively close is wonderful!

I have to say i will be purchasing a LNER black version. I am keen to see the samples when they appear. This year has been rather quiet for me on the loco purchase front, so this will be a bright spot. I have one in P4 which I purchased and it is a beautiful thing, though in a dirty BR state. I would love to repaint it into LNER but it is too nice. I hope TMC or any one else will think of doing the NER auto cars to match the G5.... I'm looking at you Rapido! 😃

I have a hankering for a G5 like every one else. From what I have read, almost all of the 6 wheel coaches were gone before grouping. The NER had a massive push late 1890's to 1910 to remove them. This is why so many of the clerestories and bow roofed stock lasted through grouping. My understanding is the life span of all the timber framed coaches was about 30 years. The 6 wheelers were removed as they didnt ride very well either.

Glad to hear that you are on the mend Tony. I hope Mo can cope with your care for a bit! Keep safe! Like every one here I am on the V2 band wagon (though I fell off for 19 months) Back to the Pair i am building. The comparison of the Nucast to Finney is quite unfair really but the speed at which whitemetal locos can be assembled is quite amazing. I have a Nucast kit somewhere but I am going to concentrate on the 2 on the work bench at the moment. I have reached, I think, the point that I take the bodies of the supporting trusses! I have been also looking at the D49's in both the hunt and shire formats. I Am not sure what is the best route to achieve the best looking version of the class. I have a Hornby body and comet chassis with a Bachmann tender. Is this the best route to a highly useful smaller loco? any how look after yourself regards Doug

On the metric vs Imperial on timber sizing. I never have had to deal with a "super foot" of timber (I cant even remember why that hides in my brain on this subject) I find the UK timber sizing curious. Here in Australia things like 4"x 2" is converted to 100x 50mm as the rough sawn size. This allows the "planing" or Dressing of the timber to bring it down in size to 90x 45mm. More related to model trains is the framing size we generally have is 42x 19mm in Pine which is 50x 25 rough sawn. My understanding was the rough sawn or OB (off Bench) was in the imperial and the dressed (DAR, dressed all round). So generally the size of timber of Dressed and OB is the same through out history of building and timber milling here in Australia. When reading all the magazines over the years from the UK I have read framing made from 50x 25 metric... I have always raised suspicions... due to only having to do things here in Australia. Even the 8ft x 4ft boards, yes most of our sheet products are 2420x 1210 which allows for out of square and is a direct match to the imperial... Though the sheet is sold as 1200x 2400! As a left field item Australia is moving to more of a 600 increment on the sale of timber EG 600,1200,1800,2400,3000,3600,4200,4800,5400,6000. Though most timber is not 6000 long any more due to shipping! Australia moved to metric from 1971. Though in buildings as I tend to work I needed the knowledge of imperial measurements as older buildings tend to use these and it is convenient to be able to convert in ones head. As a total aside My parents house in Mount Waverley architecturally designed in 1968 was a metric house (bricks 290x90x80mm high and room sizes) but the architect had done the entire thing in imperial measurements! Interesting subject really and the reasons behind it... One thing though for Mike... yes Australia does measure distance in hours travelled... eg Melbourne to Canberra 7hrs... Melbourne to Sydney 10hours, and watch out for the description that "Oh its just up the road" This can mean 10minutes or 18 hours!

Jumping back a number of posts... alright 2 days which is probably 5 pages ago. I am surprised by you Tony, having kits sitting unfinished in the maturing cupboard. I am glad there are other people out there that get to a point and have to put things away... only for them to be forgotten and lay in their boxes awaiting the day where enthusiasm and time collide allowing them to be finished! My current project is a J26 started and advanced quickly only to stall and hide in its box, from August 2015, until December last year when I was casting around for a model to finish...out the box came and now the tender and loco body are finished and painted (by the end of Jan as i have a monthly target to have something finished each month) ... Now this month I am on to the Loco chassis. It was wheeled up, but I have to finish the majority of the detailing, Ok it was mostly finished last night , I was watching other TV (avoiding watching Australian Survivor) when i realized I just didn't enjoy it then went back to the modeling table and proceeded to do most of the brake gear! My aim is to finish this and then get back to the 2 Finney V2's I have been building but not touched in about 18 months! As mentioned earlier it is sometimes easier to batch build some of these complex kits as there is a lot less "Where's Wally? " Finding the smallest parts and then assembling them takes so much less time once the first kits has been found.. the second only takes an extra minute or 3 to install as the location is known and end location known... the iron is hot and everything you did on the first one allows the second to be completed a lot quicker. Any one who has built a Dave Bradwell, Martin Finney or Brassmasters knows that it can take some time to find any specific small etch! The body in front is the kit and the one at the rear is a oxford railways version

This is great news Rob, I will keep a look out to see if they make it over the ditch in the short term! I do find the shipping curious at times as Australia and New Zealand can both receive things faster than the UK.... it usually takes longer going up hill to us!

Interesting Tony that you are learning a new word. "NO" usually the first a 2 year old learns but we all seem to suffer from memory loss as we get older. Just ask any one with a trailer, truck, any good with hand tools. (or in my case good with heavy tools!!!) We all try to "help" others. Personally my other half reminds me I can not do things for too many others as I run out of time. At work in my professional nature requires me to answer "no" to clients as they don't want to pay for the change etc. I agree with you Tony to say "no" as it is your hobby. Little Bytham gives you the enjoyment of entertaining people which you clearly enjoy! Time for you and Mo' is the important thing. You can pick and choose your interest in modelling so do so. The kit pile may reduce over time when the mood strikes! Though watch out for that Jesse bloke he seems to be able to convince you to do things for him!

Up, I'm on holidays reading this... wondering why as it is 9.50am on Monday and still no announcement.... ok I am in Australia... should I mention the cricket..

Oi, not all of us are that old..... I am positive I will be around when this hits the number.... though when it hits BR number -Sir Ronald Mathews- there may have been a few changes....

Careful with that.... I had a meeting with my contract admin (a female) and a subcontractor... and as is my usual thing I end up doing a quick sketch of a detail to solve a problem. So in the middle of the conversation about insitu formwork. I said hang on I'll do a quick sketch... to which my CA exclaims " I Love a good doodle".... silence... the subcontractor and I looked at each other.... then at the CA who had gone a brilliant shade of red..... at which point we all burst out laughing....