Kenton

The footplate of most loco builds is the platform for the rest of the locomotive and needs to be a substantial structure - I have seen (and built) several kits where the footplate is so flimsy that an inevitable curve is later introduced by the addition of the superstructure. I am not expecting such problems with this kit, however I am aware that there are parts in the design that may cause me some challenges - not least the use of some serious overlays (buffer beams) and the nuts and bolts (literally). Once again we start by identifying the parts on the frets. The footplate is made up of an overlay [7] which has very fine detail of the chequer-pattern floor on it and the footplate itself [6]. These need to be carefully removed from the fret, setting aside the sub-frets from the cab and engine cut-out areas. Pay particular care to removing the half-etched overlay as it is very easy to distort it. Don't be fooled into thinking that the footplate has shrunk, it is deliberately designed that way, being slightly narrower and quite a bit shorter. (Not so noticeable in the photograph). Carefully file off the fret tags and tidy up the edges before cleaning all the greasy fingerprints off. The footplate, and ultimately the whole body, will be bolted to the frames using two 12BA nuts and bolts. Use the two holes in the footplate and overlay to align them - rather obviously the chequerplate half-etch is on the outside. I used the bolts themselves but you do need to ensure that they are coated in solder mask to prevent them being soldered into their holes. Do note that the footplate is "handed", there is an extra hole on the left-hand side that needs to be matched. While being held together, and ensuring that the footplate is flat, run solder along the inside edges of the cab and engine cut-outs. There is no need to apply heat to the outside edges at this stage, though I found that the fluxing of the solder was more than adequate for it to spread though the entire overlay. The most important thing is to try not to ruin the chequer-plate etching with stray solder. The 12BA nuts were then soldered to the upper surface of the footplate - I used a toothpick to keep them aligned to the holes. Use the minimum amount of solder here as the cab and engine casing base plate has to be fitted later around these nuts. Sounds easy and looks it too - but behind that is hours of grief. Sometimes you just have to walk away from something and come back another day - well after several days actually. It took no less than nine nuts and bolts to finally get there. A combination of soldering nuts off centre, getting solder inside the threads, cross threading the bolts, snapping the heads off el cheapo bolts, having to re-tap nuts .... All that and I just know that there is a lot more of this to come. The footplate was bolted to the frames checking that the half-etch on the ends lined up with ends of the frames. They did, but all that rough handling had introduced a very slight bend across the footplate. Something I hope will straighten once the buffer beams are soldered on. .

Congratulations on becoming a grandad Doesn't that make you feel really old

Another very good choice ... and I must say I was/will be tempted ... but hardly S&DJR running ... in fact very difficult prototype with only 3 built. A much older kit though so probably the swing arm compensation is a new addition to these new NBL-MAN kits.

Michael thank you very much for your comments - very much appreciated. I did indicate my addition of bearings was a personal deviation from your instructions, the outcome being "on my own head" whilst giving my reasons. But it is a point well worth repeating. Nice to know that alternatives were looked at. My suggestion with using screws was more intended at getting around the problem I had with using pivots and not soldering them solid. I had not thought through the additional problem which they would introduce of wear or working loose. :D you got me on that one

So the indecision is silenced and off we go... I guess most of those who know me guessed which way was most likely but the discussion on what is the best suspension for an 0-4-0 will no doubt continue well after this kit is complete. The best place to start with any loco kit build is with the the chassis (sorry frames). Getting these straight and true is essential and if not made as such will ruin the rest of the kit build. First identify the parts required using the instructions and the parts list then find them on the fret ??“ easy, as they are clearly numbered. Using fine tin snips, I then removed the parts from the fret - I may have mentioned before that some care has gone into the location of the fret tags in this kit so that they do not interfere too much - though there are a few very small parts where this has been beyond any amount of design. Once removed from the fret, tidy up the edges with a fine flat file. The first thing to note is that there are 7 frame spacers. (three different sized, folded: 3a rear upper, 3b middle lower, 3c front upper; two identical straight: 3d and 3e rear and front lower; one with an etched centre line: 3f this takes the knife edge 5 above the rear axle; and finally an odd shaped spacer 3g, with two hooked corners, and the location of which I was unable to deduce from the drawings.) There are also EM spacers supplied on the fret for those who desire to build this for that gauge. With the exception of one other component, discussed later, that is the only difference between the builds as far as I can see. Starting with the frames [1] the merest whisper of a 5-sided broach is all that is required to enable the bearings to be inserted into the front and jackshaft axle holes. Remember, these should be a tight fit, and it was likely only the etching cusp that prevented them sliding in without further work. They were soldered in place with the bearing flange facing the back of the wheels. Starting with the middle lower spacer [3b] fold along the half-etched line. Do not strengthen these folds with solder at this stage. Solder the spacer in the half-etched recess on one of the frames. Then inserting 1/8" rods (the axles will do - but longer rods would be better) through the bearings just soldered, align the frames and solder the other frame side to this spacer. I would normally suggest at this stage placing the frames on a flat glass surface to check alignment, however the frames do not have a flat side so the next best thing is to place the wheels on the axles and then test the alignment. The frames will tilt back slightly on the jackshaft axle but this doesn't matter as long as all 4 wheels are touching the glass. Gently twist the frames until they are all touching and check that the axles are parallel (this is where long rods helps) and that they rotate freely. This use of glass is easier to see live than in a photo. When satisfied, the wheels were removed. Do not forget to do this at each stage, they are plastic spokes and I didn't want any accidents with all the heat. Fold-up and push the upper rear [3a] and upper front [3c] spacers into their half-etched slots in the frames and then solder in place. Checking each time the squareness of the construction as above. The following little gadget is quite useful for removing wheels, a wheel puller: Now insert the flat lower rear [3d] and lower front [3e] plain spacers. These are quite difficult to force between the frames and care should be taken not to twist the frame or to buckle the spacers. Again check the squareness and re-adjust before soldering in place. The frames are now quite a rigid structure. Next, add the horizontal compensation beam spacer [3f], it has a centre half-etch line which should face towards the axle. Then solder the knife edge [5] into the half-etch so that the arrow points either up or down. A thought raced across my mind as I wondered what state this would look following many 100 hours of pressure against a rotating axle. Sorry about the mess in there - photo taken before cleaning. This was possibly the most difficult step in this stage of construction. Keeping the knife edge vertical in the middle of the spacer was challenging. I can see it would have been even worse if I had not had the zapping power of the RSU and at least 3 hands. I can only suggest possibly adding this to the spacer before inserting the spacer using higher melt solder. But even then there is a good chance of it falling off during soldering. At least doing it the way I did, there is no risk of the spacer falling out as it is sprung into the frame half-etch. I have a soldering iron with a fairly long 2mm tip but that would not have reached the join. Check the height of the knife edge by placing an axle through the rear axle holes. It should rock on the edge in the upward direction by about 2mm. The decision having been made to use the compensation system as supplied, I did decide to add an axle bearing to each swing arm. This is not suggested in the kit and may prove to make the compensation slightly stiffer - be that on my head only. The swing arms are made up with pairs of part [2] overlaid. Use a well greased axle (in my case following reaming of the axle hole, the clean bearing) through the axle holes and a short scrap length of brass wire through the pivot hole to keep the pair aligned as they are soldered together. Be aware that they do become "handed" if adding bearings and I would suggest that the bearing flanges face the frames. The swing arms are attached to the rear of the frames and need to be inserted between the spacers to do so and are arranged with the flatter side uppermost. Using a pin (a Peco track pin seemed appropriate - so they have a use after all ) solder each pin as a pivot through the arm to the frame. Some solder mask and care is required to solder this pivot pin to the frame as the arm should still rotate freely on the pin. The arm should run parallel to the frame or the bearing will bind on the axle. Tidy up the face of the frames with a file to remove any pin protruding. Finally, we are left with spacer [3g]. There is no identification of this part or specific instruction on its placement or use in the text. I believe it is used as a motor support. If this is indeed the case I am leaving it off for the present as it is likely to be surplus or will interfere with the High Level gearbox/motor. That completes the frames for now and I am very happy with the way it all went together without any additional fettling. But I mustn't forget to give it a thorough wash to remove any residual flux. .

A distinct wobble ... sorry shouldn't be so flippant The front axle is fixed but as you can see on the latest blog page the swing arms give an amazing amount of transverse movement. Far more than I envisaged, but that could be my construction at fault. I cannot see it being any other way. The coupling rods are not going to do anything to help or they will be so tight that no movement will be possible. There is no doubt that the suspension does work with about 2mm in either direction about that knife edge. I first tried a wire across the frame for the rear pivot points as previously discussed. (going against the instructions) This was even worse, so I reverted to the instructions. The pin could perhaps be a bit tighter to the frames, but having soldered one solid... Perhaps a crankpin/16BA nut+bolt might have been better and to some extent adjustable. I think the lack of a bearing face outside the frame only helps to exaggerate the transverse movement - hopefully this will be corrected by packing with washers - something that would also have been required with hornblocks - but I don't really like to do that.

Did that improve matters? The one thing I have found with using hornblocks is that lack of a bearing face/rim in contact with the wheels. The inevitable solution being addition of washers as spacers to prevent slop.

Yes Miss Prism, Having battered this one about in my head and on here, I think I agree with you - the principle is just that. Made more complicated somewhat by the way that the swing arms operate. I hope I have not confused things by describing the jackshaft axles. They are most definitely NOT part of the suspension system they are in fixed bearings in the frame and are only connected to it by the rods articulated on the rear axle crankpin. The problem with the drawings is not so much understanding them as their total practical absence in terms of construction detail. The beam in your diagram is in the kit as a flat "knife edge" and is not horizontal across the chassis but in the longitudinal plane. It is, however, fixed to the frames by being soldered on the underside of one of the frame spacers. The "pin point" in the description is left up to the kitbuilder to interpret and may mean the addition of an actual pin soldered to this "knife edge" to correspond to the actual longitudinal axis of the knife, thereby minimizing the contact area with the axle. But I would have thought that the knife could have been designed to the exact dimension (height) to be sufficient. We shall see, if I take the decision to follow this mode of suspension. I probably will defer my decision until Monday as modelling time is restricted over the next few days.

Miss Prism - thanks for your interest. constructed as separate overlays - will be mounted on same rear wheel crank pin. No, from what I can make out from the scale CAD drawing (with a strong magnifying glass) the "knife edge" rests on the frame spacer above the rear axle and a "pivot pin" presumably central to the "knife edge"/frame (but here a diagram would help the kitbuilder Sorry thought i had stated that it is front axle driven - though that is only deduced from the drawings - I have not yet decided on the gearbox/motor combination - but do not expect it will change that fact. Correct two (made up of 2 overlays each to give bearing purchase) pivot on a bar across the back of the frames. if there were no cut outs to freely clear the jackshaft axle the would interfere with the axle. The following image should give you the idea of the jackshaft cranks/weights (note - probably not the correct term) that are made up from 4 overlays each and are push fit on the stepped end of the jackshaft axle. (correct quartering will be needed)

From the way I am reading the instructions and observing the parts (so I may be wrong) The jackshaft is a supplied as a separate turned 1/8" axle with 2.65mm steps at each end. The axle is mounted in its own fixed bearings in the frames and eventually the cranks (made up of layered etches) are a inference push fit on the steps. Their rods being connected to the wheel crank pins in the usual way (16BA screws and nuts). The jackshaft itself is therefore fixed in its own vertical and longitudinal axis but the rods enable some potential semi-vertical movement through the rods. The compensation design is such that the swinging arms of the compensation have large cut-outs to clear the jackshaft axle. These arms are designed to take bearings for the rear axle and the rear axle frame bearings are left out. In this way the compensation is provided by the swinging arms that are pivoted on a rod at the back of the frame (2 points) and on the "knife edge" (third point) I hope that is a bit clearer :shrug:

Still very much "suspended" My normal approach to kitbuilding is to build as the kit maker intended - not generally wishing to add what wasn't designed in. But I'll wait a day or so to gauge forum opinion ... now where is that option to add a forum poll ? I'm fairly comfortable building it any way.

Instructions read and re-read, yet I cannot get over the fact that they remain incomplete as a whole, making too many assumptions of the kitbuilder's knowledge of the prototype, kit locomotives and building this type of kit. A good description of the process in text referring to numbered parts in a list and on the fret does not give the builder any real idea where a part happens to be used on the prototype or on the model. Not all parts are clearly identifiable as a locomotive part. The drawings are detailed but suffer from reproduction on paper and at being to scale. This is where a larger diagram with annotated parts would help immensely, even more so if it was an exploded view. For example, it is quite difficult to identify which parts have rivet requirements. Nevertheless, the instructions are of a much better standard that some I have seen, often having no parts list and obscure, unnumbered parts on the fret. In terms of possible problem areas for the kit builder I have identified: 1. This is an 0-4-0 with a coupled jackshaft, therefore must be treated as a 0-6-0. The instructions give clarification on how to proceed with this. 2. The suspension system description is vague to the point of not of any help. 3. There are many parts that require overlays - nothing wrong with that in design terms but they can present a problem for some. 4. There are a number of parts (e.g. bonnet, cab roof, ) that require bending. Sometimes more than once. 5. A few parts will present alignment difficulties (engine doors) as visually it can be very obvious if they are even slightly out of alignment/spacing. 6. There are quite a number of screws and nuts used in the construction - so alignment of these may present issues. Other than that most of the parts look quite straightforward once you have figured out where and which way round they go. So there is a big decision to be made before we make a start: Suspension: (if any, and if so what type?) This web article on the subject is very technical, written from a P4 perspective and not IMO that helpful with the basics, but is worth a read anyway. I have to repeat here that the model is for OO and so will not in this case have to endure the rigours and tolerances of fine scale track. I would with most kits happily go ahead with a rigid chassis construction. But with an 0-4-0 this is generally frowned upon. Firstly, the kit instructions on building the frames rigid are very clear and the axle bearings are among the parts supplied with the kit. But there are alternatives suggested. The second option is the use of springing (hornblocks) is only just hinted at in the instructions with no more advice than the fact that the frames have "cut outs" half-etched on them. There is no advice given on fully independent, complete or single rigid single axle convention, or indeed on the impact that the rigid jackshaft would have on this arrangement. I should add, that I have attended a lecture given by Mike Edge and am aware of his opinions expressed there on springing. Which will inevitably influence his kit designs. Thirdly there is the option for a type of beam compensation on the rear (non-driving) axle. The components to do this again are in the kit and are clearly the way this kit was intended to be built. However, we are back to the thorny issue of understanding how the parts go together and how it actually works. So which is it to be ? ... perhaps a question for wider forum discussion .

Darren the footplate looks straight at the moment so it is looking good. But be aware that it is very easy to introduce a twist in them due to the rather feeble brass used and that big open space in the middle.. Falcon kits were never known for their comprehensive instructions (very few kit makers are IMO) and at one point there was a lot of talk about them being updated and re-written. It is very easy to forget that these kits were nearly all designed many years ago and from hand drawings - none of this new fangled CAD stuff. The odd missing rivet point is the least of the kitbuilder's problems ... anyway who's counting them ?

Thanks. The kit is very good and the instructions supplied, very similar to those above, are complete with drawings. You don't have to use an RSU, a soldering iron will do. The only thing I would emphasize is the use of lots of solder mask on and around the adjuster and on the inside of the guide. I wiped much of it off for that last photo. This is to prevent soldering the whole assembly solid when soldering into the frames. The instruction to solder the hornguide into the frames before assembly is worth considering, but I find it even more fiddly to assemble that way. It is a personal preference - others may wish to add their experience?

A shame about the PDK kit being off the "fast track" but then find me a kitbuilder other than Metropolitan that doesn't have some unfinished kit lying around. Interesting choice, the Barclay, and in 7mm as well - that's another scale you're working on (I forgot the 5") but a part built one is adventurous - taking on another builder's bag of nails.

Ah I see you are using big boy's tools - well beyond the scope and space limitations of the average kitbuilder - and with that, even using superior quality parts to supplement the build .... isn't that cheating just a tiny bit Hardly a case of built as intended in the instructions.

A short diversion from the kit to produce some Alan Gibson hornblocks (one of the packs shown on the previous page). The pack (4M60) is supplied with parts to make up 6 hornblocks for 4mm loco/tender springing. The parts are small - very small - and you need to be aware that small parts - especially springs - have a habit of finding their way off the workbench and into the carpet or between the floor boards. So start by emptying the contents of the pack into a suitable tray and sorting them out (a brass fret - the hornguides, 6 hornblocks, 3 lengths of 0.4mm brass wire, 6 turned steel beveled nuts, 6 steel screws and those 6 springs). 1. Start with the hornguide etch (DO NOT remove the individual guides from the fret - yet) and the bevelled steel nuts. Both sides of the brass fret were cleaned with a glass fibre brush and run the tip of a scratch-aide pointer around the lip of the steel nuts - this is quite fiddly due to the size but the nuts will solder in with greater ease if you can manage it. I used my trusty RSU for this work (very handy if you have one), holding the brass fret onto one of my steel plates (RSU ground) with a magnet (giving electrical contact), I slid an insulating sleeve (card) under the rest of the fret. I then applied the merest hint of Carr's 179'C solder cream to the edge of the larger holes mid-way along each hornguide. I then placed the small diameter of the turned steel nut into the hole with the lip facing downwards and the plain side of the hornguide facing upwards. Having a magnet nearby is very useful as if you slip in placing these nuts they are pulled onto the magnet rather than rolling on to the floor. Next a tiny drop of Carr's Green Flux (for steel) was added (this is not absolutely necessary as the cream is self fluxing but the cream flux is not ideal for steel). The other electrode of the RSU was then placed on each nut to hold it in the hole and the unit powered up to form the join. While the fret remained intact I filed a flat on one side of each of these steel nuts, on the side corresponding to the frame front, so that they will not foul the frame when soldered in place. Clean any residues away thoroughly before continuing. 2. The threads of each screw were dipped in Carr's solder mask and carefully threaded into the nuts, again working from the plain side of the guides. The solder mask should prevent you accidentally soldering the screw/nut during the rest of assembly and also acts as a lubricant. 3. The guides were then cut from the fret, taking care not to twist the guides or to shorten their length. The tags holding them in the fret are non-existent, being simple half-etched lines, and so I found that they were best removed with a piercing saw. Tidy up and square the ends with file. Now using one of the hornblocks as a former bend the hornguide to a 'U' shape along the half etched fold lines either side of the screw/nut. 4. The three lengths of 0.4mm brass wire were each cut in half and then bent into a 'U' shape around a hornblock. It is important that the bends are sharp and that the 'U' sits snugly in the grooves of the hornblock. Be aware that the grooves are not engineered square and are in fact round - but this distorted 'U' presents no real problem. Howver, the brass is very soft, probably to facilitate easy bending, which will not withstand double bending. So get it right first time or carry some spare. I lost 1 out of 6 due to this. The staples were then slid into the guides checking that they pass easily through the small holes at the top corners of the guides. It was necessary to slightly open out these holes to accomplish this using a broach or drill. These must remain a close fit. 5. The bearings were threaded on a spare 1/8??? axle and clamped in the jaws of a smooth faced vice. A small land was filled in the middle of what will become the top edge of the bearings. This will help in location and retention of the spring. At this point you may take the decision to solder the hornguides into the loco/tender frames. However, as I use plenty of solder mask during the assembly, I find it slightly less fiddly to continue to assemble the units and then to solder them into the frames afterwards. 6. Now for the really fiddly bit. Small amount of Vaseline was placed on the spring ??“ this helps to keep the spring where you place it and also minimizes the ???bounce to oblivion??? when you drop it. Assemble the unit upside-down. The spring was placed over the screw projecting into the guide-way. The sides of the bearing that will be in contact with the guide were coated in solder mask and then the bearing placed into the guide with the notch facing the spring. The 'U' staple was then pushed in along the grooves until the ends came through the small holes in the hornguide. When the spring was just being compressed the ends of the wire were bent over. The screws were then retracted so that they just protruded through into the guide-way yet still holding the springs in place. Check that the hornblock moves freely in the guide compressing the spring. This movement should be no more than 2-3mm. To safely store these for future use I wrap a length of cotton around them. When used, these hornblocks are adjustable using the screw as a end stop for vertical travel of the bearing. In theory even a slightly twisted chassis can be made to run with all wheels touching the track by the adjustment of each hornblock. The idea is that the model's weight compresses the springs but the amount of compression is limited by the screw. The model rides on the bearing butting against the adjustment screw. .

I want to be the first to wish you all the good luck in the world - you will need it Post plenty of pics of the build please as I think I have a crushed one somewhere in a scrap metal box. When I finally lose my rag with a kit - it usually lends itself to a temper tantrum IIRC this was one of them. Though having said that I also recall having seen one built on a layout - so it is possible with skillful metal work ... but am not sure about that time frame and your sanity

Excellent service from Alan Gibson. I ordered the wheels, buffers and bits for this kit by telephone on Tuesday. Colin answered the phone on the first ring and took my order signing off with "it will be in the post tonight". It was, and was delivered this morning (first class) despite the current postal industrial action. Here are the bits: So now I have everything to start this kit. The gearbox can wait as it is not required until a long way into the build and should give me time to work out which one will fit. The postman also delivered parts from another supplier that were ordered for another suspended kitbuild back at the beginning of September - though I had received regular updates by email on the order status. So in theory I could re-start that one as well However, not all suppliers are the same - as I am still awaiting parts that were missing from a kit purchased way back at the EM Show in Bracknell - and email appears to be an alien thing (lost in the post - maybe) but at least tell me it was sent, or keep me updated on why not. One of the things that annoys me about the model railway cottage industry of suppliers is their apparent inability to operate in the real world of customer service. I understand that many are part time businesses and if that is made clear on their web sites/brochures/adverts then a fortnight for order processing and communication is pretty fair. But six months is just not acceptable by any standard of business and really they should be out of business. The problem is, there is not always any alternative. Just how many of us have half completed kits gathering dust because a part was not supplied? Anyway - AG is not one of those and I continue to be a happy customer, being thankful that Colin took over the business and is continuing it with the same professionalism. .

Wonderful - all that space to swing a cat in ' Nowhere enough unfinished kits - shows signs of determination to complete something started. Do you find dusting a problem ?

Hi Phil, I'll bother to look at it - if you keep it updated Wasn't there a certain brass kit started on the old forum? ... and posts of your 1:1 scale work? Mikel

I guess it would come down to timing. If the branch platform and the "parcels" were there in steam then the crossover would most likely be the other was - despite the "parcels" being unfavoured - as this would be just short closed vans rather than "parcels" stock and would probably be shunted into the track. Later - or even as a late track re-alignment - the reverse may apply as you say DMU branch use would not require the run round but parcels would. Then there is a third option with no cross-over ... parcels arrive at station platform and the leading loco released by a station pilot / local shunter and the parcels backed into the parcels bay. As always it is your layout and your requirements should take priority.

I may have been at the table when he first asked about it. I felt like discouraging him by giving him a warning when he said it was his first kit. As much as I love these kits from Judith Edge - I maintain they are not for the beginner and your teeth should be cut on a more typical construction - preferably a cheap wagon you can afford to experiment on and ultimately bin or glory. Nearly all - all that I have done - come with the same design principles: loads of overlays - (there are as many as 5 for one part in this kit); not a slot or tab insight (very few folded lips and nearly all butt soldered joins); invariably some bendy bits that get you in contortions and possibly the biggest problem tend to remain very flexible and remain so until almost the build is complete. On the positive side they do tend to go together from the etch without a degree in metalwork.

OK - Perhaps it is time to expose the prototype The prototype is the North British MAN 225hp 0-4-0DH Specifically the third batch D2745-D2780 that were introduced from January 1960. Yes. It is another kit from the Judith Edge range. Michael Edge has previously started a thread on RMWeb discussing the early development of the kit. This has now been released as two kits one for the second batch (D2720-D2744, June 58 - April 1959) and one for the third batch (D2745-D2780, January 1960 - March 1961). The differences between the first batch (11708-11719, D2708-D2719, August 1957 - November 1957) and the later two batches were fairly significant (weight, height, length, wheel base, wheel size, tractive effort, max speed, brake force and fuel tank capacity) so it is understandable why the kits cover the second two batches. Sticking to information about D2745-D2780: They were ordered by BR specifically for the Scottish Region being delivered in sequence as sub-batches to the sheds: St. Margrets, East field, Parkhead, Dawlston, Grangemouth, Polmont and Bathgate. D2745, D2746 and D2750 strayed as far as Dundee in 1966; D2750 was in Kittybrewster in 1963; D2776 and D2778 were transferred to Grangemouth in 1966 to replace D2774 which had been sent to Eastfield; but otherwise they remained and were withdrawn pretty well where they were first allocated. An excellent source of information, drawings and photographs, as always on shunters, is The Diesel Shunter by Colin J Marsden (OPC/Ian Allen) ISBN 0 86093 579 5 pp120-123. In there, are good photographs of D2754, D2755, D2758 and D2760. There are also photographs of D2709, D2711 & D2718 from the first batch and D2723 from the second batch which illustrate the differences in appearance between the batches. The fate for most of these was the cutters torch, however, a few were sold off for use in industry (eg. NCB South Wales). Unfortunately I have no details of which ones and can find no photographs of them during this period. D2767 and D2774 have survived. Initially preserved at the East Lancashire Railway both have since returned to Scotland; D2767 at Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway and D2774 on the Strathspey Railway. Web searches for photographs has turned up only a few in pre-preservation era. This one of D2745 at Edinburgh Haymarket, 7th July 1960 by Alan Curtis, is possibly the most interesting as it confirms that this loco took part in the wasp stripe experimentation. Note the stripes here are inverted and probably the white/black type. This is surprising, as I thought that this experimentation had concluded in the adopted form by the end of 1957. It is noted in the above reference that 3 other members of the first batch (D2709 photo) took part in this experiment. The first batch were all delivered in BR black livery with the number below the cab window and the Lion over Wheel logo on the engine compartment side. The following two batches (and first batch on renumbering) were all delivered in BR Standard Green with the Lion over Crown above the number on the cab sides. It is also reported that when delivered in the green livery they all supported the adopted wasp stripes. Though we see, above, that this was initially not the case at least with D2745. Photographic Source References: (Book and Internet) 1. D2754 at St Margarets on 11th June 1960 (J P Cornish) in The Diesel Shunter by Colin J Marsden (OPC/Ian Allen) ISBN 0 86093 579 5 p122. 2. D2755 at Dalry Road on 11th May 1960 (Norman E Preedy) in The Diesel Shunter by Colin J Marsden (OPC/Ian Allen) ISBN 0 86093 579 5 p123. 3. D2758 at Glasgow Eastfield on 19 June 1960 (Gavin Morrison) in The Diesel Shunter by Colin J Marsden (OPC/Ian Allen) ISBN 0 86093 579 5 p123. 4. D2760 unspecified location and date (CJM collection) in The Diesel Shunter by Colin J Marsden (OPC/Ian Allen) ISBN 0 86093 579 5 p122. 5. D2745 at Edinburgh Haymarket on 7th July 1960 (Alan Curtis). 6. D2771 at Parkhead on 15th July 1965 (Bill Wright). 7. D2774 at Celynen South Colliery, S. Wales in Industrial Railways in Colour: South Wales by Adrian Booth (Irwell Press) ISBN 1 90326 651 3 p54. 8. D2774 at Celynen South Colliery, S. Wales on 12th June 1983 in Industrial Railways in Colour: South Wales: Vol 2 by Michael Poulter (Irwell Press) ISBN 1 90326 663 7 p46. 9. D2749 at Granton on 10 May 1965 (Castlerahan) Allocation History: The build and withdrawal dates along with the shed allocations are given on this web page. Any further information on these locos, especially photographic or of their industrial use, would be most welcome. I will try to keep the references on this page updated. .

I couldn't wait any longer, I just had to unwrap it all and check that everything was there. The parts list is included with the 6 sheets of A4 that make up the instructions. Not for one moment did I even think that there would be anything missing, but I did need to get a feel of that brass. Three very clean frets - not that my photography in this room helped show them to their full glory but you get the impression of them being well laid out with nice fine fret tabs and just about enough to hold everything in place. I'm excited already Most, if not all the parts are numbered on the frets (though was caught out by a couple of numbers being skipped. Then to my surprise - another fret in a separate bag - is that a bonus? Other parts included: a bag of assorted nuts, bolts and pins. a bag of resin bits. some short lengths of various gauge wire. Yes, I know I hate mixed media kits. so what am I doing with this one .... I would have preferred white metal or cast parts ... but if that is all that is wrong with this kit I suppose I forgive. The instructions are continuous text rather than stepped and there is no exploded diagram of parts. I am aware of the opinion of the kit maker and others that this is not required and that a scale CAD diagram will suffice with some picture research. But I just prefer to have everything, having made a few clumsy errors in the past on building things the wrong way round. We do not all have access to piles of reference books or photographs of the prototype. Anyway little I can do until the post arrives - other than read the instructions again ... and again ... looking for catch-outs. So it is back to try and make sence of the instructions. .