sjp23480

Thanks for your comments Malcolm. There is a lot of cutting involved on the footplate moulding and I was concerned about the integrity, but once the loco is reassembled and everything glued in place it seems okay. TBH the hardest part if "hollowing out the cylinder mouldings to fit the chassis. There is a lot of material to remove and they are quite small. Making it very fiddly and very painful when the Dremel router bit slips off the moulding! Another suggestion; if you are going to be handling components extensively and you don't plan to keep the GBL livery, it is worth using masking tape to protect the existing paint finish. I am not sure about the 2p chassis, I have a couple of Airfix tender drive originals, so can take a look if that would be useful? Steve

GBL Compound project part 2! The Hornby loco and tender chassis are permanently coupled and I didn't fancy messing around with the wiring so resolved to keep them together. The plastic moulding holding the wheels is mounted in a metal casting and the wiring to the loco runs through a hole in the casting. The only way to separate the plastic from the casting is to cut a slot in the casting as marked and slide the wiring out. On the plastic moulding holding the wheels, there are two raised mouldings at the front. These need to be trimmed off to enable the tender to sit at the right height. The tender chassis carries the DCC socket so once the GBL tender has been taken apart the underframe/base plate moulding needs to be adapted to accommodate the socket. Remove the pin at the front of the tender (forms part of the connection to the loco). Cut of the mounting lugs, retain and repositioned to support the Hornby wheel moulding - or you can use those retained from the loco. There is some filing needed to get the tender to the correct height. Use one of the holes in the Hornby chassis moulding and tap a hole for a new mounting screw towards the rear of the tender. The draw bar can be fitted to existing mounting on the Hornby chassis moulding and a hole tapped in the tender top to fit to a bolt to retain the tender and draw bar. Finally the finished product! Obviously it is not as good as the Bachmann version, but it is a significant improvement over the Hornby Railroad offering. Happy to elaborate on this process if anything is not very clear? Steve

Okay, I have never done this before so it may go awry? Here are my notes on motorising the GBL Compound using a Hornby Railroad chassis. Before I start I make no excuse for the fact that this is a compromise. The loco and tender chassis wheelbases are slightly out dimensionally and the GBL body also has issues but this intended as a layout loco and so I can live with these. In fact, this is the most scrutiny it will receive! Starting with the loco, it breaks down into a number of components already well documented previously, the footplate needs extensive modification below. This shows the view from above and below and a before and after. There are a number of mounting lugs on the GBL footplate! these need to be sawn off and retained for later. The side frame extensions above the front bogie also need to be gapped to accommodate the cylinder stretcher on the chassis. The slot in the footplate will need to be wide enough to enable the stretcher to sit flush with the underside of the footplate. At the other end of things under the cab, there needs to be a slot cut to accommodate the mounting tab on the Hornby chassis. The boiler needs to be adapted to accommodate the can motor. As shown. There is also plenty of space to add some extra weight in the smoke box for adhesion. Once the superstructure has been re assembled the mounting lug under the GBL boiler does not line up with the mounting hole in the chassis! This will require a new hole to be tapped into the boiler to enable a new mounting screw to be fitted. Probably the most awkward task is to craft new cylinders from the GBL originals. They need to be trimmed to length and a large amount of plastic removed from the back to enable them to be mounted on the Chassis mouldings without fouling the piston rods. Tender to follow! Steve

I have motorised my compound using the Hornby Railroad chassis, would there be any interest in me posting a description and pictures of this project? Steve

Cheers Siffy! That's what I was afraid of, right in the middle of my vacation. Will have to have a hunt around once I get back! :-(

Can anyone confirm when the Compound is expected to hit the shops? I would love to get a couple but the series seems increasingly difficult to find these days? SJP

Hi Coach, Thus is what I found on the RMWeb archive: "1949-1956 carmine: Ford rosso red, Vauxhall carmine red, Alfa Romeo HR530" Can't vouch for these myself, but a search will reveal relevant stories. SJP

Jack, Keep watching this space, but it is my understanding that the financial side of this project is shaping up. Steve

If you want to learn more, I understand Cliff will be attending The North Kent Group expo at Tenterden next week, March 1st-2nd. I am sure he will be very happy to answer any questions and may have more of a progress update on the whole project. SJP

Ron, I have had extensive conversations with Cliff Parsons (of Gresley Beat fame) and this will be no Miniatur Wunderland. It will be a centre of excellence and the exhibits will be of an extremely high standard, serving as an inspiration for visitors. They are not yet in a position to publicise the exhibits, but keep watching this space for future announcements. I don't think you will be disappointed. SJP

TheQ, The nearest shows to this part of Kent include those at Tenterden, Folkestone, Tonbridge, Canterbury and Chatham. The centre will compliment (and promote) local exhibitions and help them thrive. Having two attractions in close proximity will make it more attractive for modellers to attend from further afield and "kill two birds with one stone". Furthermore, the centre will be adjacent to the local designer outlet, which is planned to double in size and projects over 7m visitors a year. If the centre attracts only 1% of those people - a good proportion will not be active modellers but may be inspired (or encouraged by their children) to take up our hobby? Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg attracted over 1.5m visits last year, by comparison. All round, this is an incredibly positive development for our hobby. Sjp23480

Looking forward to meeting Cliff at Tonbridge tomorrow. Sjp23480

Certainly a very worthy cause and I for one will be watching with interest as it is my backyard.

The nearest I am aware of is in Ashford (lots of rtr) or Woodchurch (good for spares and related bits and pieces).

sounds good - whereabouts in Sidcup is it? Thanks, Steve

Jeff, Been lurking a whole and only tend to comment when I can contribute - trying to do my bit to keep the thread length down! About 300-400 yards to the south of the entrance to Blea Moor tunnel there is an aquaduct that carries Force Gill over the line. The only published picture I am aware of is on p37 of "The Settle and Carolisle Railway by OS Nock, from 1992. Good luck Steve

Geoff You would be correct in saying that WD 2-8-0s were not common visitors. I have a record of 3 in my inventory of published pics: 90012 on a regular freight at Ais Gill in May 1961 90335 on a southbound freight date unknown 90635 at Dent station on a down anhydride working again in May 1961 Steve

There are plenty of colour shots of the S&C during the steam and early diesel era. The best (among my collection) are: The Settle-Carlisle in Colour David Joy Dalesman, 1984 Portrait of the Settle-Carlisle David Joy Dalesman, 1984 The Long Drag: Settle to Carlisle Portfolio Gavin Morrison Ian Allen, 1990 Settle and Carlisle: Steam Finale Michael S Welch Runpast 1999 If I were to recommend one of the above, the Welch book has the most comprehensive collection of colour shots. ISBNs on request! Steve

Just taken a quick look in my index of published photos of the S&C (yes I do possess such a resource!). It was an ex LNWR Super D 49025 running through Dent station. It does not appear to have a tender cab, it is dated 8 July 1958 - so the crew won't have been too frozen! The picture is credited to JE Porter and on page 37 in: The Scenic Settle and Carlisle Railway: Hellifield-Ribblehead-Ais Gill-Carlisle Donald Binns Wyvern Publications, Skipton 1982 ISBN: 0 907941 02 8 ....and yes, if you couldn't have guessed....I am a librarian! Steve

Jeff, I can confirm that there has been a picture published of a G2 on the S&C in BR days. I will try to research it but I do recall it was pictured in Dent station. Steve

The original Dapol release was supplied with two underframes one with cut outs for tight radius curves and one without. Steve

Oh Lord! I have 4 of these already most special editions, including Gilbert and Ellice, Windward Islands and Bahamas. As well as 2 Brassmaster kits to build! Tempted though I am, I simply can't justify another even at this price. :-( Steve

This looks very interesting - I will be following this thread as its very similar to my own project. Steve

I do agree, your brass version is a significant improvement over the resin one. Good luck with the assembly of the other 19! Steve

The under frame etches are available from Judith Edge, their etch includes 8 underframes for £43 (price at November 2010): http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/catalogue/judithedge BTW nice looking models. I would love for one of the commercial providers to make a kit or RTR version. I have spoke to Parkside but they have not been interested, to date! Steve