RLWP

Please do explain! It’s a very interesting conversion.

Duncan

Your best bet for a simple story would be to start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNWR_Class_A

Basically, these engines originated when compounding was seen as the way forward for locomotive design. In some countries, this worked well (France, for instance). It never really caught on here - and it is a huge subject not suited to a short post

Webb built a class of three cylinder compounds, the class 'A'. Just prior to that, he built a single two cylinder simple engine with inside cylinders. Following the 'A' came a four cylinder compound - class 'B', then two cylinder simple engines - class 'C'

Some of the engines gained then lost a two wheel leading truck, most got rebuilt as two cylinder compounds, some gained a bigger superheated boiler with a longer firebox. Some of the rebuilt ones kept some of the features they had as compounds (rods and crankpins from memory). Finally some gained the Belpair boiler that the Bachmann kit has

If you consider all the features, you end up with a whole range of superficially similar locos. Backdating my loco ends up with a G1 - which Stephen has called by it's nickname ' Super D'. A superheated 'D' class two cylinder compound 0-8-0. A very successful design

Richard

What I really fancy is a 3-cylinder compound class A

You and me both

https://www.flickr.com/photos/31514768@N05/22113861248

Richard

Richard,

Tell them about G and piano G at the same time! 

(I saw this loco' in the flesh' at the LNWR Society open day and Christmas do at Kenilworth yesterday - it is beautifully done.)

And are partly responsible for it being here. Hi Tim

So this is a D?

This backdates her from a G2A to a G1

Your question deserves a better answer than that, but without revisiting the research I did on sandboxes and other esoteric bits that Crewe shuffled around the running boards, that's all I have at the moment

I'm tempted to dig out a book and tell you why she isn't a 'D'

Richard

A few more pictures

The Narrow Planet plates:

That tiny lamp has eight parts to it - madness!

So there she is, ready to haul massive trains of four wheel coal wagons. Hope you like her

Richard

The Bachmann G2A is a lovely model, and a ready to run L&NWR engine too! Only, it has that Belpair firebox which represents only some variants of the class. And being perverse, I wanted a round topped boilered one...

Most of the destructive work happens to the cab and firebox (of course)

Up the other end of the boiler is a nice representation of the chimney fitted by the LMS - so that has to go

that's the painful stuff out of the way

It just so happens, the boiler is the same diameter as a standard piece of styrene tube, so I bought a metre of that to provide this bit:

I have enough left to convert about twenty more G2s

The buffers and lamp irons are also LMS, so they had to go as well, along with the tender cab and the coal rails

I salvaged the buffer heads and turned up some new buffer stocks:

At the same time I turned a new chimney and a base for the safety valve cover:

With some styrene representing the LNWR lamp sockets, things are starting to look much more Crewe:

The Bachmann backhead provided the regulator handle, the rest I made from styrene sheets and rods:

Paint and Fox transfers make a big difference:

I swapped the coupling rods for some from - I can't remember where! They came on an etch together with a selection of numberplates

Final touch is a set of numberplates made for me by Narrow Planet

All in all, apart from taking the saw to a brand new loco, not to scary or hard. I'm sure that there are suitable after market buffers/chimneys/safety valves available for those without a lathe

And that round topped boiler loos so L&NWR

Richard