Il Grifone

The real thing (three car sets) went past our back garden in Bristol when I was a boy. I can remember them being repainted into BR livery around 1954.

Hornby did indeed buy Lima and Rivarossi. IIRC Rivarossi bought Lima when they went bust (or maybe it was the other way round*) so Hornby got them both in one go. *It was a fair time ago. They had both priced themselves out of the market.

The same chassis as the Tri-ang L1 AFAIK. The RHS is conventionally the insulated/pick up side. Watch that pick-up spring. It has a tendency to jump across the room and lose itself. (No prizes for guessing how I know!)

I tend to remove hooks/loops from locomotives to make them easier to uncouple and it looks better. I don't have many locos with tension locks (they get Peco/HD), but Eurasian European stock still uses the standard centre buffer/loop coupling. That rear mounting looks considerably more reliable than the original.

Looks like it to me. Pity about the rusty motion and lack of a tender. (It should be a beefy twelve wheel job.)

Yes a pickup on the centre flangeless wheel is rather useless. The general setting for the coupling dropper seems to be 1/32" above the railheads. The trailing pony wheels should be larger than the leading set, but you can't expect too much from a model of that age. Perhaps to actually have piston rods wouldn't be too much however. The body shares much with the version from ten years before, including the awful safety valve cover, but the chassis now has a motor that works.

For once the tender wheels are the right diameter (prototype 4' 1½"). http://www.gwr.org.uk/no-tenders.html The centre axle requires some play (sideways and up and down) to avoid derailment. The tender I fitted to my Kitmaster 'City of Bristol 3712' has a K's tender drive and the centre wheels run on a Peco Insulaxle (for slop and essential anti-magnetic properties). She is on the to-do list for rebuilding!

We are looking at around 1950 for the introduction of the King model. It was also available in the then current blue livery*. The models with proper motors started with the Formo 0-6-0 (1953 IIRC) and I think some at least of the Hudsons had them too - not sure of this as I have never seen one - they are very rare. The 0-6-0s seem pest free, but the Hudson is not. I had noticed the zinc pest cracking on the King tender. Another reason to fit a motor in the locomotive! *Mine (King George II - they have various names but all are no.6000) is blue, but lacks her tender body. I suspect due to acetate warp, but luckily I have a spare Dublo Castle body!

I don't know how similar the latest ones are to the original Tri-ang ones, but on these the tender axleguards can be levered out (gently) to release the wheels and allow their replacement. Obvviously the new axles have to be the same length. ,

As stated she's a Graham Farish King. They have an eccentric 2 pole motor, which almost invariably fails to start. There is a clutch and magnet arrangement which (in theory) ensures that the armature stops in a position which permits the beast to start. The switches, which control the polarity of the windings, require very precise adjustment. The instructions are available on line (or were), but IMHO a proper motor is the way to go. The King requires 2 foot radius curves as the rear bogie wheels are too close to the leading drivers. There were two series of Farish 00 locomotives: 1st c1950. GP5 (BR9M) Black 5), BR9W) 81xx 2-6-2T, & King, SR Bulleid 4-6-2 (sold as both Light and Heavy Pacifics!) and a (very rare) NYC 4-6-4. (All are prone to zinc pest and acetate warp!) Also a 3 rail 0-6-0 (SR Q?) with a proper motor appeared as 'Formo'. 2nd c1960. A 2nd version of the 81xx and a new 94xx, both with proper motors. I can remember seeing a Farish King in Gamages many years ago*. I was very impressed that she was pulling 2 Farish Pullman Cars. My HD Atholl could just manage one! More info on the 'Collectible/Vintage' section of RMweb. *This must have been when we visited London for the Festival of Britain - I also recall travelling on a tram and on the Festival railway (behind 'Neptune'). 😀.

The Dublo N2s have a different chassis - the shorter vertical armature with the worm gear as part of the shaft. The Wrenn version (at least the later ones?) uses the same chassis as the R1 0-6-0. Gear stripping is not a problem I've had (excluding my Airfix 14xx!). This sounds like the wheels have seized (?). These might be useful: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3143541 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2251398 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3047089 Complete reconditioned armatures are available (at a price). Inspection of the gear should reveal any damage; replacements are available.

The company failed in the nineties and eventually became part of the Hornby empire. More information is available here: http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/ http://www.rivarossi-memory.it/riva_loco_americane/riva_big_boy.htm There is also a 'cure' for zinc pest involving nasty chemicals. A knowledge of Italian is advisable however. Google translate is useful or, if in doubt, just ask here. EDIT Looking at the site I found a video of a Rivarossi Big-Boy hauling 110 (I didn't count them - just took their word for it!) Rivarossi freight cars. These are not the champions in free running either!

Another vote for 'Scalescenes'!

Has extra weight been added? Metal wheels (or at least axles) are essential. The 6B pencil is my usual cure, though extreme cases may need the fitting of brass bearing cups.

The missing hub cap is always a sign....

Duke used to share his bed with the cats too. We are rather worried about Midnight. Several days ago, I was all set for a repeat of the above performance (I think/hope I've managed to block Arran's escape route now!) Midnight came down the lane with Lewis and I again, I grabbed Arran and off we set. However Midnight didn't follow us this time. I thought nothing of it, thinking he had just decided not to come on the walk - nothing unusual there - but he has not been seen since. We hope he's merely shut in somewhere, but this is the fifth day. He disappeared like this once before and four days later just came in through the kitchen window as if nothing had happened!

£120 is not bad, seeing the Replica bits are £28.10 + at present.

Yes the Airfix/Dapol kit is my first choice for a 'standard' 1/108 mineral*. The various pips and recesses inside need to go (the sides are a bit thick) and the brake gear needs serious revision - It should be Morton brake with one set of brake shoes only. As modelled, pressing the brake lever down would take the brakes off! Those door hinges could do with attention too, though this means loss of the opening side door feature. The detachable load is handy but needs covering with the real thing for the best effect. It would have been better if they had moulded it with even humps - it needs a bit of cut and shut I'll try and post some pics of mine. *Other diagrams are covered by Parkside and Comet and R-T-R, though I did make a 1/106 by removing the top door many years ago. (IIRC wagon no. 136 in my catalogue which has now got to 455! - each vehicle has its own catalogue number in various lists to keep track of them all.)

Thanks! I wasn't aware the kits were still available. I also forgot some. IIRC the APOC twin oil tank was the first one. Mine is due for a refit.... They seem to have followed my 1/- = £1 inflation rule* and then some. IIRC the gas cylinder wagon was 9/6d when I bought mine (see above - this applies to most of my early efforts). Wills kits were always dearer than K's (justified by better quality IMHO). The Bullion Van would have been a bargain at £5! * Now updated from 50s to 60s!

Unfortunately ours have found my train stuff. Walking all over the baseboard and knocking things over is great fun - I was just in time to rescue my ATSF Mogul from a fall off the baseboard onto the tiled floor the other day.... The guilty party was Rowena IIRC.

It is (allegedly) my fault because I don't repair the fence properly! (Too cold and wet at present!) Arran escaped again this morning. Lewis, Midnight, and I set off to retrieve him. Midnight less than cleverly blocked the gap in the fence, but had the good sense to move before Arran arrived at full speed. I wasn't able to grab him this morning, so we set off in pursuit, though Midnight soon gave up and went about his business*. Arran didn't go far away and we were able to complete the walk with him charging about, left, right, and centre. The extra exercise probably did him good, but he is now collapsed on his bed. I was joined by Chloë for my coffee, but Whiskers came to intervene, "This is my human!" *There's a semi-stray cat (he's quite hefty so he must be getting food elsewhere), whom we have christened 'Blanco' (for obvious reasons - Spanish because it seemed better than 'Bianco' and 'White' was a non-starter.) He comes for food sometimes, but Midnight disapproves and drives him off. I'll put pictures of our menagerie ASAP. For a start this is our first dog - Tri-colour Rough Collie 'Duke/Shantora Black Prince' (RIP). He was my first anniversary present to my wife in 1974.

Just writing on RMweb and thinking, "Nice to be inside!"*, when Daughter arrives, "Arran has gone again!" Expletive, remove Whiskers from lap, stagger to feet, add thick coat, dress Lewis in his lead, grab Arran's and out into the cold. Round the back (muddy lane) and, "Meow! Purr!" it's Midnight! Call, "Arran!" Grab large brown Thunderbolt as it attempts to run past (this usually then results in a chase around the village! - great fun for him! - less for me! Attach Arran's lead and off we go on the morning walk - Me, large white dog, even larger brown dog, and black cat! On our return, all three animals expected a treat for good behaviour and mine was coffee number two! *There's a light frost. The TV gives 1°C for for Western Sardinia this morning. Luckily there's no wind! Whiskers has returned to my lap! The dogs, worn out by their efforts, have retired to their beds!

AFAIK the only ERG wagons were the kits referred to above and the printed card parts - best described as a scratch building aid! Whitemetal kits were initially available from K's and Will's*. Later on some other superior makes arrived on the scene to disappear again before the end of the century (?). * The latter had a range of about four models. IIRC a gas tank wagon of unspecified origins (The box showed M&GN lettering), rail cleaning wagon (later available assembled) - the prototypes were adapted from SECR ballast wagons*, a LTSR 4 wheel bullion van (very much a niche model*) and a GWR shunter's truck (the most useful though Trix produced an R-T-R version - in acetate.... 9/6d IIRC) *I bought one of these many years ago assembled and painted as a 3 plank open in SECR livery, but AFAIK they were service vehicles. I missed out on a bullion van kit at the Rayleigh fair a few years ago. Stupidly I didn'ta snap it up when I saw it and when I went back it had gone! :( (I suppose it was it's home territory - the prototype would have passed the site of our house - long before it was built of course (1976).

I used balsa cement and Durofix without success. I then tried Woolworth's cold solder which lasted a bit longer. Soldering turned out to be the answer. Later kits were plastic which still seems reluctant to stay together (unless you need/want to dismantle of course).

None of the various K's kits I've acquired over the years (some I even bought new!) had instructions or floors. Squareness of the completed vehicle often left something to be desired - in particular the GWR 20T mineral wagon. Those instructions look like they belong to something else. There were some K's narrow gauge kits, but IIRC they were fo 3 foot gauge prototypes (Southwold? I have/had an open wagon somewhere). I don't recall anything 009 from them. Their range was quite extensive and I might be wrong on this. The GF wagons sometimes have that crude brake lever, but I don't think they all had it. In any case, it's usually missing on the survivors. They did that steel mineral, a wooden one. a goods van, brake van, bolster and low sided wagons in zinc alloy and later switched to plastic for the bodies. The earlier ones often suffer from zinc pest. Early coaches (especially the Pullmans) invariably suffer from from the plastic warping and the diecast floors and bogies frequently expand/warp/crack as well. The wagons can be found in grey, bauxite, and dark brown, though AFAIK the brake van only came in bauxite. All of the above suffer from reluctance for the wheels to revolve and benefit from fitting pin-point bearings. I think the Farish coupling should have the loop piece straight, but they are frequently bent down as in the above example, probably in an attempt to get them to couple to other makes. The few I had in my youth got Peco couplings to couple with my Hornby Dublo stock. I recall paying 4/6d each for 2 of the Formo version of the Farish van. The addition of 1/6d for the Peco couplings and 9d for the K's coupling adapter made for expensive wagons. Disappointingly their running left a lot to be desired due to the awful wheels. The one piece tinplate coupling/internal wheel bearing unit was not really a brilliant idea. Sorry for eventual typing errors. A black cat (Chloë) curled up asleep on my right arm does not help! EDIT: Whiskers (large size long hair tabby) came* and plonked himself on my left arm as soon as I shut the laptop down! *As in launched himself from the armchair opposite - a leap of a couple of metres!