sandra

It’s still got a feeling of unsquareness (is that a word) about it. I did completely dismantle the loco and rebuild it but I think some of the casting have been permanently damaged possibly by the loco being dropped before I bought it. However I don’t think it looks too bad and as a layout loco passing through Retford at a scale 65 mph it’s fine. If it was subjected to close-up photography its faults would be more apparent.

Tony, Its very difficult to answer this question simply. Generally unbuilt kits are more desirable than kit built locomotives unless the locomotives have been very well built, particularly if the builder was a ‘name’ in the hobby. Also models of locomotives that do not have an RTR equivalent command a higher price than those for which an RTR model is available. It also depends on the desirability of the model, for example any model of a Raven Pacific will command a high price whether it has been built or not but a not very desirable model, say a Tilbury Tank, will not. On eBay it is possible to find very cheap DJH kits of locos such as A1s or A2s because there are RTR equivalents and lots of these kits were made. Similarly it’s possible to buy cheap locomotives which have been very badly built but which will require lots of work.This is an A1 I bought for £40, rather remarkably in spite of its appearance it did run and whilst it looks awful it is complete with motor and wheels so it is a very cheap way of acquiring a complete kit. However the amount of work required to turn this ugly duckling into a swan is enormous.This is the same locomotive today as running on Retford. I’m not entirely happy with it but I think it does look better. It is actually a very old kit dating back to DJH’s days in Banbury. The amount of work involved to produce this locomotive in this condition was enormous. In fact I think it would have been much easier to start with an unbuilt kit. I did ditch the open frame motor in the loco and substituted a Mashima motor and High Level gearbox but apart from that no other parts were changed. Sandra

Worting Junction and Battledown flyover. Always pleases me that there is a similar flyover on the nearby road system where the A303 leaves the M3 and heads for the west while the M3 goes down to Southampton and Bournemouth.

Dear Tony, Thanks to you and Mo for your very kind hospitality yesterday. It was great to see LB again and all the new locomotives you’ve built since the first Lockdown. It was also nice to meet Ray and Keith again. It was immensely kind of you to let me have B17 61620 “Clumber” on loan. I tried it today on the boat train and it worked beautifully.Here’s a photo of her crossing the flat crossing with the Liverpool/Harwich boat train. Here’s another photo of her with the boat train. The locomotive runs very well and the weathered finish is wonderful. At present the boat train only runs in the up direction but I would also like to have the boat train running in the down direction. To do this I would have to slightly rebuild the GC fiddle yard but I’m not sure I can face doing it. Sandra

I model in EM because I didn’t think I would have the time or indeed the skill to build the type of layout I like in P4. My interest is in modelling a real main line location with scale length express trains which are themselves models of the actual trains which worked n the line. It is possible to convert RTR locomotives to EM relatively easily, even using the original driving wheels of the RTR loco.Here is a Hornby A4 which I converted to EM gauge using the existing driving wheels but I did change the bogie wheels and the trailing wheels. The driving wheels were simply pulled out on their axles to the EM gauge. I used super glue to secure them to the axles and used washers to reduce the movement of the axles in the chassis. This loco also has the chassis widened by the use of lead sheet to overlay the frames and weight added to the inside of the boiler. She will quite happily pull 12 coaches but I do feel that RTR locos are rather fragile and I do wonder if she will last in the long term.

I went on a school trip from Chester to Birmingham Snow Hill in the spring of 1962 and the open second we travelled in had the GWR roundel etched in the glass panels between the seating bays.

Ratio EM (and P4) track is under gauge. This doesn’t matter on straight track but I wouldn’t use it on curves. I have used quite a lot of it in the storage sidings without problem. Similarly I have used P4 track in the storage sidings of my EM layout and now have long forgotten which sidings were laid with it. As I said this does work on straights but on curved track, particularly tightly curved track, you should make sure it’s not less than 18.2 mm. Gauge widening is not usually necessary in EM gauge.

I hadn’t noticed that it had to be on the right hand side but of course it’s on the right hand side when you’re going the other way!

I like the view of Alexandra Palace on the left as you head north before Alexandra Palace station.

1. A4 2. V2 3. B1

I think the Black Five. This must be the best mixed traffic loco and there were 842 of them.

I don’t think the Bullied Pacific’s could be regarded as the most successful design, at least not until they were rebuilt. So I’m going to vote for the Schools class 4-4-0.

If we have to choose one, then the Highland River class. If we need the top three then 1. Highland River. 2. Reid NB Atlantic 3. Caley Dunalastair V

Difficult to know what was actually designed in Scotland so I’ll confine my choice to locomotives originating from Scottish railway companies. 1. Highland River class 4-6-0. 2. Reid North British Atlantic’s 3. Caledonian Dunalastair V 4-4-0.

Got to be the Gresley Pacific 1470.

L class 4-4-0. 4-4-0s were the principal express locos of the SECR and these were probably the best of them.

The C2X 0-6-0 locos for me. Powerful, long lived engines that were the backbone of the LBSCRs freight operations.

Tony, Thanks for your comments. The gap above the cylinders is because I was just testing the loco and the body was just plonked on the underframe without being screwed in place. It does actually fit. I must admit I just used the pony truck wheels provided in the kit. I will replace them. As for the guard irons the photo of the loco I was using to guide the build did have them but the photo was undated. I will try and find a suitable in period photo of the intended loco which is 61743. Once again thanks for all your help. Sandra

D10 director.

Tony, I’m glad you like this kit for coincidentally I’m building one of the original Nucast kits which is probably over forty years old. I’m building it using the original white metal chassis and the Romford wheels provided in the kit. Here is a photo of the loco on the 9-50 Grantham/Doncaster at Retford. It’s still very much work in progress and I’m far from happy with some aspects of the model but I think building this kit or the London Road Models kit will long remain the only way of obtaining a model of one of these locomotives for I can’t see an RTR manufacturer providing one any time soon.This is the other side of the engine, isn’t it amazing how taking photographs emphasises all the faults but whatever, at least I can say it’s all my own work and I do think building a loco makes you have a special relationship with it. It’s so satisfying when you actually get the thing to work and haul a train. Sandra

Lots to choose from today. I’ll go for the Claughton 4-6-0s. They could be brilliant but were expensive to maintain and they were mostly withdrawn during the scrap and build policy of the 1930s. Number 6004 lasted to 1949.

Robert, For me the worst feature is the colour of the grey, in the photograph the colour looks to be very pale green. Obviously I don’t know if the actual model is this colour but if it is then I don’t remember the prototype being that colour. Sandra

I think I’ll choose the 3F 0-6-0 goods engines.

I don’t think so as I saw 50050 about 1990 give or take a year or so. I think it may have been after it was withdrawn. The two 33s would certainly have taken 50050 through Hither Green but I don’t know where they were ultimately bound. At that time I lived in a flat which had a distant view of Lewisham station but with binoculars I could see the numbers of locos passing through the station.

I saw several at Croes Newydd in the early to middle 1960s but most of the examples I saw were so dirty they appeared to be black. The only exception I remember was 6604 which I saw at Chester General not long before she was withdrawn but she was in immaculate lined green livery. I presume she was shedded at Croes Newydd.