Blue Max

The Kemilway manual is still available on their web site for download. I printed it off a while back and spiral bound it. It is quite some weight and as stated does have a feel of a Haynes style manual.

Gresley 8'6'' would be good, presumably sprung or compensated?

Been on the Touchcab web site today and it looks as if this software is likely to disappear in the not to distant future. Is there any other similar software that can be used on Apple devices with the Lenz DCC system?

No photo of BS17 yet, problems in casting?

Jamie, Do you still have any plans to release these coaches in 4mm scale? SteveT

The latest information on Brassmasters web site (25th) indicates they are now getting whitemetal castings (at least for GWR Locos) of their new moulds/casters for the Finney loco kits. Hopefully the LNER castings won't be far behind.

It has been reported/dicussed on a number of web sites and blogs that Adrian Swain may well be selling the ABS Business in the not to distant future so this could be a blind alley if any potential new owner of the business is not interested in contract work.

Who's to say that the ABS machine spins in the right direction and is able to use the existing moulds? Brassmasters blog does not state the moulds are ' too expensive to replace' where has this come from? Todays blog suggests that Brassmasters are actually delivering some of the masters to manufacturers with the intention of getting some new moulds made for the whitemetal components.

The Directors were indeed John Sammans, Barrie Stevenson and B.D.Badger.

I still have the original sales literature for the Sydnope Scale Models 'Coronation' set. These were a limited edition release of 75 sets, 50 sets sold as kits and 25 sets pre built. At the time Sydnope had a shop in Crich, Derbyshire (just down the road from the tramway museum). They had these built and painted coaches on display on their stand at the Derby Model Railway exhibition in 1984, the price for a built set of 9 coaches was £720.00 ex vat and £172.50 inc vat in kit form. I purchased one of the 9 coach kits, but later sold it when Dan Pinnock released them in nickel silver as these were far better dimensionally and the castings for the bogies etc were again far superior. The D&S kit sold at £250.00 at the time of the limited edition release albeit without the Beaver Tail Observation coach. Fortunately I kept mine from the Sydnope set. The original Sydnope kits had cut to size and formed brass sheet for the roof on the models (certainly in the kit I had and as stated in the sales info.) so I suspect that the aluminium extrusions stated in this thread are probably non standard to the kit. A year later (1985) Sydnope also released the 7 coach Silver Jubilee Set and the LNER Tourist Stock coaches. A few years later Sydnope seemed to dissapear, certainly the shop in Crich closed and I no longer saw them at the exhibitions they had attended. As I am sure most will know, there was also a Silver Jubilee set (designed by Rupert Everett Brown) and originally released by D&S, now available from Wizard Models (in Nickel Silver). They are also available in 7 or 8 coach variants from MARC Models in etched brass. The tourist stock again designed by RDEB were available from D&S but can now be purchased from Wizard (in etched brass). It is unlikley there will be any further production of the D&S Coronation sets, but I have seen 2 sets crop up on that 'renowned' auction site in the last couple of years where they sold for high prices. There was one other supplier/manufacturer of etches for the Silver Jubilee Rake that were discussed on Model Rail Forum a few years back but I forget the concern responsible. Then of course there is Coopercraft but I won't go there.

Paul, What you need to go behind the Stainmore cab J24 is a rake of NER S1 Ironstone hoppers for the Rosedale branch. Many years back a E.J Arthur of Pickering placed an article in MRJ indicating he could supply etches for this wagon, unfortunately I responded to late to acquire any of these. Then more recently Bill Bedford has proposed to make these wagons, this has been on his web site for a few years now and I still hope they may come to fruition eventually? I had thought of asking Gladiator Models if they could reduce their 7mm artwork to produce the wagon etches, but as that business is in the process of being sold it would seem unlikely at present. I have a 1001 and a J24 that are just crying out for a rake of these hoppers, perhaps one day. I like the tender cab a very neat job, I assume this was scratch built rather than being a part of Arthur Kimbers tender etch.

It looks to me that Megapoints offer one of the most cost effective ready built solutions. Their Megapoints Controller is £50 for 12 channels (no separate setter board required and includes signal bounce option). SG90 servos can be had of the well known auction site for as little as £1.28 if bought in packs of 10, servo mounting brackets are available for between £0.35 and £0.50 dependant on material and source with lever arm microswitches at £0.50. This is not that far off going the MERG route and you do not have to build the PCBA's yourself. If you want DCC, Megapoints do a 12 way DCC module that will add £2.08 to the cost per servo channel. This is certainly the way I will be going as the cost comes in well under all the other options (possibly with the exception of MERG). I have no connection with this manufacturer and the products seem to have excellent after sales technical back up.

Would love a Stumpf Uniflow almost as much as an LNER C9 (well it was based on a NER Atlantic).

Horse, Same here, I think there are a good few dozen of us waiting for this one

There's a Paddlebox for sale on Ebay at the moment - ( 171752257421 ) description suggests its built from the Falcon etched kit, looks to be quite a good build. Would certainly like a T14 myself, just hope that Falcon get round to bringing this back to production in time.

I'm not sure about the idea of new LNER types. We're well provided with the next most common types (B1 Dave Bradwell Dave Bradwell only does a chassis kit not a full B1 kit.

And the LNER Milk tanks

Craftsman No Nonsense Kits Churchward Models DMR Models Sharman Wheels Impetus Coopercraft Slaters (4mm only) Blacksmith Models Probably more accurate to say they "exist" (in the widest possible sense of the word), but can hardly be said to be trading. One business in particular has accounted for the limbo of four names in the list. And one other business accounts for the dissapearance or in limbo of 3 other ranges, so between two businesses we have potentially lost 7 ranges! Anyway I am very pleased that Brassmasters have taken over the Finney range and I think from todays posts there is already a pattern emerging as to what will be the best sellers of a gradually re-introduced range of loco's. One other range that seems to have gone to a safe pair of hands is the Southwark Bridge range now with Roxey Mouldings. The two other 4mm ranges that have sadly dissapeared in the last year or so have been North Eastern Design with their range of LNER and constituent coach etches, some 30 odd different diagram numbers. The other being Zenith Models with their loco kits for the H&B Q10, J23, H1, G3 the GNR Q1,R1 and the GCR Q4, admittedly only a couple of these reached full production but the others I believe were close to being launched as test builds had been completed for all of those not in production. Useful ranges for the LNER modeller.

Were the Essendine and Horncastle twins run as a part of a longer rake of coaches or just as the twinned pair with loco auto train style? I have most of the books on LNER coaching stock and have never come across these two pairs of coaches and service, could you point me in the direction of any published material with details of these coaches and method of operating. Thanks, SteveT

Was surprised today to see the imminent launch of a new magazine 'Return to Grantham' mentioned on the LNER Encyclopedia web site. Looks to be interesting reading, both the web site and the new magazine.