Poggy1165

I have used Gibson's for years and particularly like their blackened state, which saves a job. I have had one tyre come off in service over the years, but I just glued it back on. However, last two orders I have sent for, nothing has arrived and I have had no reply to emails or to an enquiry via the GOG. So maybe I have been blacklisted!

Anyway, I have given up and bought Slater's which are my second choice. The main hassle is they have to be chemically blackened as it's many years now since I tolerated bright tyres on wagons. Another source is Haywood Models. These can certainly be had from Invertrain and I may order a batch as an experiment. I use wagon wheels much as some folk use teabags, as I seem to be addicted to wagon kits. (I bought five more at a bargain price only yesterday - I can't help myself!)

Looks outstanding. 

The medium van is very similar to the large, just shorter. The NRM York have a drawing for the LDEC van, which is where I got mine from. Wish I could lay my hands on it!

If you want a bit of variety, the GC also had medium cattle vans and ex-LDEC ones. I have a drawing of the latter (somewhere) but photos of either are like hen's teeth.

The steampipe is an interesting issue with GC locos. I used to think it meant a superheated engine. However, it is present on many saturated ones too! Originally these were run under the boiler cladding. But at some point, they started running them outside instead. The only way to be sure is to have a dated photo of the loco in question. I discovered this when researching Q4s, and found it applied to J11s too.

I suspect this may be an early case of the utilitarian instincts of Mr R. A Thom, the man who gave us flowerpot chimneys, Robinson's right-hand man from 1907 onwards.

I admire your attitude. You don't sit around waiting for Dapol or Hornby to deliver, you just do it. Power to your elbow.

Keep an eye out for very old D&S plastic kits of these Robinson coaches - you may just find a few.

I don't think the 12 wheelers were converted from steam railcars. I am 99% sure they were built as trailer cars, originally to run with Sacre 2-4-0ts modified to act as push-pull engines. I believe this initially ran just like that, then had a six wheeler added (for use in the Manchester area and probably with a change of motive power to an F1) and finally a bogie coach was added instead of the 6 wheeler, as per your model. Which is lovely, by the way.

GC liveries are a nightmare. It isn't quite true to say that no two classes were painted exactly alike, but it isn't far off. And there were all sorts of variations over time. John Quick's book is, however, the best guide there is.

I hate to tell you this, but I think City of Lincoln was one of the three that was black. IIRC the other two were City of Liverpool and City of Chester. The GCR lined black livery was, of course, very handsome indeed, but it's probably easier for you to decide to model Sir Sam Fay, City of Manchester or City of London which were green. I don't know why some were put into black but possibly because they were used (mainly) on fast goods and fish trains. (The GCR didn't actually need that many top link passenger engines, and up until 1917ish (when loads shot up) a 4-4-0 was fine for many of the trains.)

I have an idea that very late in GC days circa 1922 the black engines (or some of them) were put into green but it was a simplified version with green splashers.

You need John Quick's book on GC liveries. (If you haven't got it.) I think it will confirm or deny the above.

Be warned - O Gauge is addictive and can seriously damage your bank account. (And make your 4mm stuff disappear.)

I think they were lettered 'NE' the wartime utility style. Saved the cost of painting the 'L' and 'R'.

Looks a lot better - surprising what a coat of paint can do. By the way, don't believe all the bad press about these engines. They could work a heavy train from Manchester to Marylebone without running out of coal. GC drivers knew how to handle them.

I love your professional approach. Probably because mine is amateur and haphazard.

ABS kits are a good choice. I don't say you can't do things to improve them, but as a basis they are among the best. A GW iron mink was among the first few wagons I built in 7mm scale and it's still one of my favourites.

By the way, superglue does the job perfectly well. I have some white metal 7mm scale wagons built circa 1991 with this method and up to now only one has failed in service. Solder is better, but not essential.

The easy way to solve a problem like this is to buy a set of brass compensated W irons (assuming such things are still available in 4mm) and set them up using a simple jig - which can either be bought in or made. I find that if a wagon is not square, and cannot be made so, it can at least be made to run properly by following this method. This is not my idea originally - it was Iain Rice who pointed me in this direction. It is often simpler to do this than assemble the wagon as designed - white metal often distorts and even plastic kits are not always perfect.

Very nice work indeed. I find Slater's buffers a pain to install when the vehicle is finished, so I chemically blacken them (and the couplings) before I start and fit them in the ends as the first task of assembly. If I am spray painting, I then mask the blackened bits at that stage. Isn't it interesting how we all tackle the same job in differing ways?

Excellent work.

I think it's an F1, though it's hard to tell from the photo. The F2s have a slightly dumpy look to my eyes. The drivers are certainly way too small. When numbering, be careful, as there were several versions of the bunker, including an extended version. The coal rails may also need attention - I strongly suggest checking with a photo of a particular prototype if you can. Good luck with it!

I think it's an extraordinarily good finish, for a brush paint especially.

The AVR was a very special railway. I remember that the way you built the locos was quite ingenious - a bit too ingenious for me to copy at the time, though I did try.

The RSU is an expensive purchase, but so are etched kits if you end up throwing them away in frustration. The alternative is to go on a soldering course, and unless you belong to the right club, that usually costs money anyway. I'd start with a relatively simple wagon kit to be honest. The D&S GC 4 wheel brake is a good example, if you can find one in your scale. This should build confidence to go onto something harder.

The trick with etched kits (IMHO) is to lash out on a resistance soldering kit and then use solder paste. Before I discovered this way of doing things, I never completed an etched kit in my life.

Proper engine!

Heck of an impressive engine! And a fine model.