JaymzHatstand

Maybe, but it's better than them releasing one when you're mid way through and causing a halt to proceedings! I'm on the go with his J71 at the moment, another wonderful kit, and I'm more than a little aware that there aren't too many differences between the 71 and the 72, soon to come from Bachmann, I won't be surprised at all for one to be announced! As to the topic at hand, imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the topic heading, I thought I'd missed some sort of big announcement, not just a wishlisty type thing on Hattons' website. I'd be surprised, but not shocked if this was to come as a shop comission, or actual product, as the small fleet number lends itself to such production, let the bigger boys do the J21 and J25, where they can get the batch numbers and repeat sales in more easily. I can go back to calming myself with Wordsell brake gear now that I know I don't need to find any funds just yet! Cheers J

I recieved my LYD on Saturday, and finallyhad chance to test run her yesterday. I was pleased to se she sailed through my large radius Peco points without need for adjustment to the pony springs or pickups. I have two from the second batch and have had to remove the springs and pickups from the pony trucksto make them behave, so I'm not sure exactly what alterations Heljan have made, but they do seem to be taking comments on board and acting on them which is good to see. I could of course, have just got lucky. I do think the front and back ends are a little over engineered, and they run fun with just driving wheel pickups so may alter it in the future if prolonged use show signs of issues. The green is maybe a touch light and yellowy when viewed next to the SR locos, but on her own, LYD looks pretty close to a scale approximation of the right colour, depending on what light the prototype and model are viewed in. Of course, the roof profile isn't correct for LYD as running on the FfR, but I suspect that was a tooling cost too far, and is understandable. The nameplates being in the extra details bag is a nice touch. Easy enough to fit yourself, but equally easy to replace with etched examples without ruining the finish of the model. Mine is currently at work with a representation of the 2015 Superpower train she hauled, minus Welsh Pony's boiler and frames on the bogie wagon, and for some reason, I've forgotten the brake van too! Cheers J

That is lovely! I've got one in the process of being built, very slowly! But it'll get there! Mine is an older version of the kit I think, without the raised frames or long smokebox, so I've had to produce those myself. You've certainly made the proverbial silk purse from a sow's ear! Cheers J

I've already kit built the full set of preserved boxes, but could well be tempted by a couple of these. Especially the Victorian liveried vehicles, as that isn't a livery I fancy doing very often! Cheers J

It'll certainly be interesting to see how many detail variations are to be included in the toolings, hopefully they won't go down the 'one size fits all' route, as there are lot of differences between the Englands some of which would be very noticeable to a lot of potential purchasers. The rule-onners, and casual modellers might not mind too much, and it'd be good for the FfR shop to be able to sell a model of the locos as a souvenir of a trip, albeit a rather expensive one! Those of us who are planning on, or actually modelling some of the FfR/WHR would most probably want them to be mostly (a few tweaks to bring a loco to a more specific era are acceptable) right. Looking forward to seeing how this develops, but for now, I'll be waiting to see what is actually being produced before committing. Cheers J

Oh stop dangling carrots! I've just started my E (J71) and it's wonderful! And I've got my name on the J25 list, and now you dangle D20s around! If only I had the pennies at my disposal, I'd snap one up straight away! Hopefully there'll be another batch in the future! Looking forward to the J25! Cheers J

It was good to finally see the layout in person, there's certainly plenty of scope for development and it'll be fascinating to see that happen. Eventually there'll be a fully lined and numbered G5 available for service on it (complete with couplings), but it was nice to see it able to actually run on the layout yesterday in its base coat. Looking forward to seeing more developments as they happen. Cheers J

This weekend is Whitby MRC's annual exhibition at Goathland village hall, so yesterday (Saturday) I popped up to have a browse and provide a progress update to my dad (he's a member of the club). As I wanted my progress to be a suprise, I haven't posted anything on here. Now however, I can update you all! First things first. The remainder of the detail has been added, including the vacuum and Westinghouse pipes below the running plate which were bent from a single piece of brass wire for each side (that took a bit of trial and error). Once all that was done, and the whole thing give a good clean, it received a coat of red oxide and, to be honest, looked pretty good! Have no fear, no Crimson Lake was going on! The buffer beams were painted Signal Red and once dry masked off before the initial coat of Matt black. The smokebox was then masked off and the whole thing got it's top coat of semi gloss black. Fortunately nothing had gone wrong when the masking was removed and I could go about doing some of the finer painting. Brass on the safety valve bonnet (which would have been easier if I'd not already fitted it!) and the whistles, and then bare and varnished wood on most surfaces in the cab, and black elsewhere. The loco is still awaiting lining and numbers, but it had a run out on the under construction club layout 'Spital Bridge', there's a thread for it under the layouts section on here ( https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/132288-spital-bridge-whitby-mrcs-7mm-urban-blt/ ) The loco rolled nicely through the pointwork, though the wheels could do with a clean, but the nose weight kept the driving wheels doing their job. I hadn't fitted couplings, so it couldn't be tested under load. Eventually it'll be fitted with Dinghams, but I don't have any to hand. To get to Goathland, I incorporated a trip on the NYMR. So, for the first time in a good few years, a G5 has traversed the Pickering to Grosmont route! Hopefully the new build one will do it properly once it's complete! So now, I need to practice my lining before attacking further! I forgot to take any photos of the completed cab, so shall update with those in due course. Cheers J

Good morning! I was wondering if there was any update on the instructions for the P7 hour etch. I've got a few kits ready to go, and they aren't far off arriving on the workbench! I've got plenty of other projects to be getting on with, so there isn't a rush, more an enquiry with an eye on future planning! Cheers J

That is absolutely gorgeous! Did you think about printing your own 3s, or would that have meant too many specialist printer cartridges? Cheers J

Yes, that's the chassis I used originally, with a bit of a service it ran very nicely, though the large flanges on the wheels made it wobble a bit through point frogs. If caught at the wrong speed, it could easily tip over! Mine now runs on an N-Drive chassis which is a vast improvement, with better sized wheels and prototypical valve gear. Cheers J

Would it have been a better idea to assemble it prior to painting? I built one of these some time ago, and it still gets regular use despite me having added the Bachmann Thomas range Rheneas to my fleet Have you got a chassis for your loco? As that is certainly something to sort before getting too far with a build. 009 is definitely a fun and interesting scale to model in, and there's a vast amount of knowledge and information out there to be tapped! Looking forward to seeing this build as it progresses Cheers J

I've used the Greenwich NEM couplings on my pair, which give a good amount of vertical adjustment, as they are made from brass. I've also bent a kink into the coupling shaft for the front end, enabling them to work with the cowcatchers in place, and the coupling loop. I've not had chance to test their auto uncoupling abilities yet, but this video will show that they can be double headed reliably enough. Hope this helps Cheers J

That's starting to look excellent (in fairness, it was front the first construction photos!) What do you use for cutting brass sheet? The several methods I've tried have ended up with very raggy or inaccurate edges, though that could just be me being ham fisted! Cheers J

Absolutely brilliant service, I ordered some custom prints on Thursday (23rd), and they arrived today (25th). The quality is spot on, I'm definitely recognisable! Can't fault that at all, thanks very much indeed! Cheers J

Thanks for the update, I'll keep the funds for my J25 available for whenever it lands! Then I'll have to clear some space on my workbench! I'm seriously impressed with the J71, so this should be another treat! Looking forward to it! Cheers J

I personally am not interested in GT3, but am interested in how the model develops and comes to market as one of the possible future projects does interest me. I wish this project well, and hope those who have been brave enough to pay a deposit in good faith are rewarded with a top notch model. If this proves to be a success (and from the regular update, it is certainly promising) then that will absolutely instill confidence in future endeavours (as well as being a thumbed nose at the nay-sayers) Good luck, and I hope to deal with you in the future! Cheers J

I thought the 47 had already been released? Unless I'm just thinking of the pre fitted loco? The diesels are often better with different speakers, I've not tried changing them on the steam decoders, but I dare say many others have! Cheers J

I had thought this about the steam decoders. In fact, as they all seem to have a 2 cylinder rhythm to them, which would probably be better suited to either a B12 or Q6, though the whistle might not be quite right (although similar) I have both a B12 and a Q6, the latter suitably modified to be a pre-war LNER machine, and would happily add more if funds permitted! Definitely models worth owning in my opinion, regardless of TTS offerings! Cheers J

Well, as it was the York show a couple of weeks ago, I finally managed to get a nice big sheet of lead, and after a couple of experiments have rolled a nose weight to pretty much fill the forward section of the boiler. Weighing in at 8oz, it certainly keeps the front end down when running in both directions! I've added a bit under the running boards ahead of the front wheels too. The bogie was a bit light, so that's got a couple of bits in to aid road holding, but as that's separate from the main assembly, it doesn't affect the balance. Out of interest, I had the whole loco on the scales too, and it tipped them at just over 2lb so should be more than capable of handling a typical load for the class. I've finally got the balance weights onto the wheels, and the remaining boiler washout plugs fitted, so hopefully it should be about ready for final cleaning and then some paint can go on! It's still a bit growly when running, but hopefully that'll ease with time, and maybe some adjustment of the motor/gear spacing. I have been pottering around with some other bits and bobs too, but I'll get to those on here once the G5 has advanced a bit more! As always, comments and advice are always welcome! Cheers J

It's been the same length wait for all of us, unless they announced it to a select few first?! (Please note, this is very much tongue in cheek and not intended to offend!) I imagine it'll still be a way off, I'm not sure if they're likely to show the CADs (I know Bachmann do usually, but as this is a commission, it'll be up to TMC) Still it leaves us time to put the occasional pennies aside so that when they do arrive, at least the bank won't get cross! I'm very much looking forward to them, I was on the verge of going down the kit route when they were announced. Those funds instead have gone to a J21, which is gradually limping toward completion! Cheers J

Very smart. I too have one in my box of delights, somewhere in my model room! Mine will end up in is original form to go with my other Kirk Teaks. I need to wait until I've got somewhere to run it though, so I can make sure it'll get round whatever curves I end up with! Very inspiring non the less! Cheers J

I'm fortunate to still have a local shop, Monk Bar Models in York, and most of my RTR purchases have come from there. As others have said the cost is comparable to online when postage is factored in, and they'll test the loco for you which is a big plus. It is worthbits weight in gold too when it comes to the sundry items like glue and paint too, which really aren't economical to order by post so I'd much rather pay the odd quid extra here and there and help to keep such a useful emporium going. Specialist bits and bobs are either an internet or show , or sometimes still a letter and a cheque purchas, but as this is a Hornby thread then most of that is locally sourced! Cheers J

There's a lot of laughing reactions to this incredibly useful and serious product! Of course, a 'proper' modeller wouldn't need one as they can spot such errors from a scale mile away! Hopefully there will be an armchair adjustment tool coming soon too, but make sure there are errors in there so there's something to complain about! Cheers J

I wasn't aware that we were reserving them, but yes please, one for me please! Cheers J