Worsdell forever

Ok, back to what I should be doing... After I finished J27 1010 for Scottiedog I started on his J39 (I had finished the basic frames at the same time as the J27). This is also an Alexander Models kit and although it is a good kit it has turned out to be not quite up to the same standard as the J27 or G5 kits. What makes things more fiddly is the footplate is in 4 parts, front, rear and two sides. These went together fairly well but took a bit of 'juggling' to get square and straight. The cab took a bit of adjusting to get it to fit but all seems to be ok now. The cab floor is a separate unit and I decided to fit the backhead, seats and reverser to this and keep it seperate for painting. The tender was pretty straight forward, it just needed some of the front of the sides removing to turn it into the correct type, there are two options for the tender front.

Making great progress there Ray, love the technique for painting the girders. B)

And what a fright they will get when they see the operators behind there...

Nice chassis. Is it an NER class A, LNER F8? The frames round the radial trucks look the same and the sandbox and pipes look right for it.

Thanks Jonathan, it would be nice to take a look at that sometime. The photo I have doesn't show where the brake lever/wheel is, there is a photo of a bolster version in the original LNER wagons book and it has a wheel but the one in the photo I have doesn't have one, at least in the same position. I believe the photo I have is in the latest LNER (Scottish) wagons book. Here is the (almost) finished article,

A very wise decision there by the directors, it should give many years of useful and reliable service...

Next in line for completion is an ex NBR Boplate. It is built from a Parkside NER bogie bolster with a plasticard body, It's built from a photograph and isn't necessarily accurate but it is a 'representation'. The plastic buffers have since been replaced with some modified whitemetal ones spare from a David Geen 13t hopper kit.

Lovely stuff Mikkel, but could you tell me what the odd looking (to very non GWR eyes) loco in the last photo is please.

Ok, mind made up - I'm collecting it tomorrow... :D I'll email.

Wow, quite a bit of activity there Jonathan, I can understand why the CCT has been lifted, there's not much clearance for the bogies to swing. I hope somewhere in amongst that lot is something interesting and rare in a dark green box for me...

The last photo just needs a station pilot simmering away in the platform on the right... Superb B)

Hi Jonathan, it went together very well although it's a good idea to paint the trusses before you fit them as they are all but impossible to do after, the plastic is grey. It's also a good idea to replace the buffers with Dave Frank's LMS ones, they are very good (usual disclaimer - satisfied customer). Forgot to mention, there is a privet hedge at work that is a little thinner than it was last week, it makes very good scale logs.

Continuing with the backlog of unfinished kits, here is the Cambrian LNER bogie bolster D that I started on the royal wedding bank holiday. It's now completed with the buffers replaced with 'LMS' whitemetal ones and it has been loaded with logs, they are not chained down correctly (the chains are glued on underneath) so the load can be removed.

Pete, there's only so far we need them to go with the detailing...

This just gets better

If you empty that glass first, goodness knows... (Like the glass, not too keen of the contents)

Spot the difference... Both these vans are built from the Parkside kit for the LNER planked van. The one on the left is built as intended with the addition of 'LMS' whitemetal buffers, the one on the right is built as one of 250 vans built by the LNER for the LMS in 1942. They were unfitted with LNER axleboxes and Morton brakes (they were LNER unfitted vans in LMS livery). I have used Bill Bedford brakes (which took a bit of folding up correctly), 'Craigwelsh' brake levers and 'LMS' whitemetal buffers.

So, you would say this kit is a bit better than the 20...

Looking the business Gordon, that's the gearbox choice I would go for, you shouldn't have any problems there. Edit:- you shouldn't need a flywheel with it anyway.

Milk van now pretty much completed, lettered and weathered, still needs glazing and couplings. Thanks to BillB for the 'XM' telegraph code info. Used Combine ZP for the photo, as recommended by Andy Y. I used three shots, it took just short of forever to process but the results are rather good.