Blandford1969

Does anyone have a set of instructions for an Alan Gibson O2 kit please. I got one with a load of parts and just want to be sure it is what I believe it to be. Thanks Duncan

View Advert Keyser 8f Here we have a Keyser LMS 8F 2-8-0 which is un started. the castings are mainly very clean and crisp. The etchings have some tarnishing on them which will not affect the build. The only things missing are the instructions and box, although an RM member will probably have instructions somewhere. Advertiser Blandford1969 Date 10/08/22 Price £40 Category OO / 4mm scale  

Sadly from bitter experience some will go on a very long time, one went on with me for 3 years till the day I left.

Just take your time in getting back into things. If you know they are toxic and blimey there are some of them around be if they are playing games and some of them do just think about not saying or doing anything they can latch onto. Really easy to say, but harder to do. You have always got us on here you can anonymously let off a bit of steam.

Hi Mark Before I take a look is it a Bachmann or kit you are after? - Not saying yet that I have one by the way. Kind regards Duncan

Hi Neil, Just dropping you a PM Duncan

Looking at the parts the SEFs look to be in the SEF period due to the parts. The Lord Nelson is a Craftsman one and is seriously dirty and needing new parts to replace broken etches. I've worked through the 1 1/2 Westward Granges and have one full kit, a chassis kit for another and 2 3500 gallon tender chassis at the end of it all. The Keyser 8F and Alan Gibson ones are where I have not yet found instructions on line. The O2 will certainly go, but not sure about the G6. Its amazing what people put as junk lots!

Thanks, something to look forwards to. I will just have to start with turnouts .

Hi Neil, I may be able to help you. I just need to check the kit is complete

The load of parts arrived today, theoretically just bag of white metal parts, but in the end it turned out to be specific to different kits. A quick sort revealed it to be : 2x SEF 4fs - one missing a chassis 1 Alan Gibson G6 1 Alan Gibson O2 2x SEF King Arthurs - with 3 tenders 1 Ks 8F 1 Ks MR 3f 0-6-0T 1 Craftsman Lord Nelson I Chivers Finelines 0-6-4 J class tank 1 Westward GWR Grange kit with 3 tender chassis and 2 loco chassis. Next comes the more detailed cleaning and working out what if anything is missing and then as Hayfield says finding instructions on some of them. The thing is the seller could have done all this and probably got more, but is all a time thing of course.

Hi Wayne, I am getting ready to make an order, I'd rather use OO SF - do you have any idea when the diamond crossing and A5 turnout will be available in OO SF ? Best wishes Duncan

Simply put 'if' something were in use, were not documented and there were an incident, the ORR would be looking for all the documentation. Maybe in some places things are not documented, however change is in the air and the failure to have safety critical things properly documented would weigh heavily against any operator where ever they are. In terms of spares this is similar to conversations that took place in the 70s, 80s, 90s about steam spares and what will happen when part x,y,z needs replacing. I do not work on diesels, however colleagues that do have talked about how they are now getting spares made.

Cheers, However once I have them there is going to be quite a bit of work in getting all the bits sorted. Probably just as well I have some time on my hands for a bit.

Cheers, I am banking on being able to get a few locos out of them. The lost wax brass parts and romfo0rd wheels may also help. I will let you know what the etches are as it looked like there was some GW and SR amongst it.

I may have done well, time will tell. A massive lot of white metal and brass parts for £85 - there looks to be a G6, S15 tender, a vLord Nelson, at least 2 4Fs (why they were listed as 7fs is a mystersy) lots of etches which you can't really work out. Most of it will end up being sold on but looks to be a good result.

Wow that tender is incredible, I'm sure if you offered it you might find others would want one off you.

If not then PDK are currently building the test build of their etched brass version which will also be available soon.

So sad to hear, his photo works were a work of art and always enhanced any model.

Going slightly off topic again, does this photo of the West Moors frame taken from the Crossing Wheel end help with identifying the frame. I'm amazed by the block detail (I have sought permission to post this - it is in a non commercial form and comes from the Castleman's Corkscrew by the late Brian Jackson, a two volume series on this history of the line) Best wishes Duncan

Opps, An 8f will move on about 40psi, but don't expect it to stop. LMS steam brakes don't work at that pressure and the tender handbrakes are won't stop you, unlike a GW one (please don't tell Martin Wood I said something positive about the GW he will think he has won (but I still don't like oiling 66xxs)

Not sure if this is any help Tim, but here is 30052 with a van that looks very similar. The only thing is that from the loco allocation it would be 1963 or 64. From one of my negatives. Best wishes Duncan

Think I've done ok a Craftsman class 27 for £69 to be built as quickly as possible and then sold on and Brassmasters Patriot and tender for £165 - less than the cost of the engine alone at over £230 -

Is this out dated , dismissive and divisive comment really needed?

Ok, so lets look at this from both sides. 1) Feasibility - There would be a number of challenges with the re-instatement Bridge north of the station- the road was lifted after closure, however most heavy traffic now bypasses the town. Any bridge would be longer Beyond the tunnel - Bramble Ridge - the trackbed has houses on a little way past the station. However there is room to slew off the trackbed round the back of the houses and along the part The golf club - It would be possible to slew at the end of the park hard up against the road to minimise impact on the golf club and then back onto the trackbed Jackfield - millions was poured into the ground to stabilise it, but a new trackbed would be needed. Additionally to get part of the trackbed back would need demolition of some houses. Ironbridge - the station site is used as a car part Buildwas junction - the developer has proposed building houses over part of the trackbed. With the right amount of money it would be possible ..... but.... Rail a couple of years ago was 250K per half mile before sleepers, ballast, laying etc, turnouts are at least 50K each - So you would have to make an assumption of 3 to 4 million pounds per mile taking all costs into account. Now you come to the other considerations Coal has moved from about £100 per ton last year to over £400 now and its still going up. Our locos already do BR mileages between shopping - extending would cause more wear and tear to those and mean more were needed for a service so increasing costs (overhauls are around the 750K mark presently) You would need at least one or two extra sets of coaches to support a service - again this would cause more wear and tear and increase costs Staffing - You would need additional signalboxes, although logic would say to automate everything even if it looked like semaphores (again more cost) You need station staff and lets assume you reopen Coalport and Ironbridge. There is at least one level crossing at Ironbridge and Jackfield plus all the other small ones. Passengers - the cost of a through ticket would probably be at least £50 to £60 , and who can afford that? I would love to drive north out of Bridgnorth, however realistically I can never see it happening. and certainly not by the SVR. If a separate company wanted to do it (and one exists) then you would still have to work out access to the SVR at Bridgnorth. Any operation would probably be more like a light railway. H

Most fires tend to come out of ashpans.