Scorpio7uk

I think Jim Harris was more of an artist then an expert at technical drawing - he had the attitude that if it 'looks right it is right' - well that's partly true but it doesn't make his kits go together any better! We've added some bits, and modifications etc and completely re-written instructions so that they could be understood - but I admit it is still not a good kit unfortunately......... The Seven Models range started when my Brother brought the other BR Standards that Jim designed and he found that it was better to re-draw all of them (apart from the Standard 5) - perhaps we should have taken the same direction with the Standard 3 tank.. Jeff Ennis Scorpio Models

Just to confirm - the 9' American bogie for £20 is an etched kit, not the original cast ones supplied with the Siphon kits. Thanks Jeff Ennis Scorpio Models

Yes I checked your pictures and they seemed fine - the mould must be getting old. I'll have a look for the filler - I'll see if any other suggestions come a along as well. It's a while since I've properly done any plastic kits - usually if there's something that need filling, I use solder - not really suitable for this! Jeff

I must get some work done on my own - this is as far as I got..... 11 Years ago!! Jeff

I know of Steve Banks' site - inspirational (for this kind of project) Thanks Ray. I'm afraid after a week I have made a little progress, but I've only been able to put any time into the Brake Van today so I don't have much to show. I've started then stopped again! I started with the underframe (as per instructions then came to the headstocks - see below:- Lots of plastic dust! The brackets for the handrails on the headstocks are not equidistant, the right one is about 1mm further in than the left one, and these don't line up with the brackets on the veranda end (which are biased slightly the other way. I will probably re-make these out of Brass, so I started looking to find out what the correct width is and also on https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brwagons to find a decent picture, he mentions a book and magazine I wasn't aware of 'BR Brakevans and ballast ploughs - HMRS 1999 - Eric Gent' and 'Model Rail February 2002' - which I've now purchased - I think I should wait for them to arrive before going too far - some of my research might be completely wrong. Noticing the large sink marks on the veranda part above (top corners) can anyone recommend a suitable filler for plastic that would work well for this? When I'm doing these kits, my mind tends to race ahead to later stages that would easier to sort early - like considering what to do about the footsteps / running boards - plastic boards are provided which attach to lost wax Brass castings with pegs that fit into holes in solebars. I think it would be better if I used some Brass angle of some sort and soldered them to the castings - but these should be soldered off the job as doing this attached to the solebar would be awkward and dodgy! This is therefore the ideal time to make a very simple jig for later. Nothing to it - just drill the holes into a piece of wood, then later insert the brackets and solder the footsteps to them - then attach the assembly to the solebar. The pieces of wire are simply there to keep the solebar in place whilst a drill the other holes (and I remembered to drill the centre 4 holes twice as they are offset). Looking at the photo, it seems that top holes are a bit variable in height - I drilled as indicated on the back and didn't notice till I cropped the photo - (both solebars are the same) - something I'll have to sort later. Sorry if any of this is too simplistic - I tend to include anything that 'might' be useful to anyone - some of the more experienced modellers can safely ignore some of this! Promise I'll have a lot more on my next update. Jeff

....on to the Brake Van.. I've spent a while doing as much research as I can without being able to get any 'proper' drawings from HMRS at the moment (for the obvious reason), I've put my sources at the bottom of this post. Here's the diagrams and major variations of the LNER/BR 'Toad D' 20 Ton brake van - as far as I can see. LNER Dia. 61 1930-39 Automatic Vacuum Brake, boarded door, short steps, sanding gear (removed 1936), 11’ 6 5/8” roof height, tall torpedo vents Dia. CLC10/5910 1936 built for Cheshire Lines Committee, same as above but unfitted & no sanding gear Dia. 158 1940-49 Same as above but Automatic Vacuum Brake, 2 pane glass door, concrete weights on end platforms, internal floor raised 1 ¾” + underframe truss rods, short torpedo vents. BR Dia. 1/500 1949 Same as above Dia. 1/504 1950-55 Same as above but through piped only, ‘double’ brake blocks, 4 pane glass door, long steps, handrails on end platforms, roof height raised 1 ¾” to 11’ 8 3/8” Dia. 1/506 1950-58 Same as above but most unfitted. Dia. 1/507 1959-61 Same as above, through piped, Roller bearings, Hydraulic buffers. I confused myself several times which one was which so I hope I've got it right - let me know if I've got something completely wrong! ....The Slater's kit... All looks very nice but which diagram is it meant to represent? The instructions talk about the LNER version and the BR versions up to 1/506 - the confusion I had was that if it was to be the LNER version then it needed a vacuum cylinder - but this isn't supplied - but only LNER transfers are included? Not to mention LNER W-irons? As shown by the research above, all the LNER versions (including 1/500 built by BR) had a 1 3/4" lower roof height then the BR ones (1mm) - so I measured the height - then I measured it again once I remembered to include the thickness of the roof! So the Slaters kit seems to represent the BR height which makes it slightly too tall for the LNER version (depends how exact you want to be). I think I'll have a go at making the 1/504 then! Unless I've got this entirely wrong? Jeff Research Sources:- British Railways Wagons - The first half million - Don Rowland Wagons of the early British Railways era - David Larkin LNER wagons - volume 4B - Peter Tatlow https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brwagons https://hmrs.org.uk/drawings.html http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/Prototype.html

'.....WM is unsuitable for dangly bits like step hangers and vac pipes.....' agreed - accepted if it's a kit from 20-30 years ago, but not from a 'modern' kit that now sell for £110! The ex-WEP kit is £66! Jeff

Ray, I'm not too keen on the JLTRT/MM1 Whitemetal W-irons V hangers etc - but it might be worth a go..... I now realise that I know almost nothing about the SR bogie vans - please enlighten me! My reason for including a Van B in the train is purely because of my childhood memories of the 00 Triang one - which I now realise is probably meant to be the diagram 3100 corridor one available from CRT - is this a 'Van C'? Please excuse my ignorance - I'm a humble GWR man - honest! Jeff

Thanks Mike that's good to know - I'll keep an eye out for them. Jeff

I was referring to your previous post on the Slaters one.. But the Dapol one needs looking into in the future (not that keen on RTR). Jeff

John - I think I've seen your posts on the above kits - and very nicely done they are too! I assumed that the SR CCT stayed in Green - that shows how little I know. I've also seen your progress on the Slaters Brake van which was very useful - I'll be tackling this first. Jeff

Yes I saw the ebay listing - wasn't sure if it was worth it or not... I saw the post on the 3 planker - According to the Gauge O Guild product directory Haywood don't do any vans with corrugated ends - and that would be the sticking point - scratchbuilding corrugated ends for 5 vans doesn't appeal - so if I end up designing my own kit and doing the ends by pressing / 3D printing and or casting then so be it. Jeff

I'll be interested to see sight of the Haywood list thanks Hal - I've looked at the J&M Hughes site - no kits of the LMS vans, but they do RTR of several - including a D1814 which is close but not quite - needs looking into. I have looked through the various sections on the forum - mainly to do with the brake van - some of which made me more confused! The roller bearings version appears to be 1/507 - the Slaters kit (as it is) doesn't do any particular diagram accurately, but is only really suitable for the LNER and early BR versions. I haven't found that Haywood Vans discussion yet - I'll keep looking. Jeff

Here's the list again with the kits that I've decided on that I could work with. Rebuilt Crosti 9F 2-10-0 (Seven Models) LNER Dia. 94 Fitted 12 ton van (Parkside – PS45) LMS Dia. 2039 van (?) LMS Dia. 1897 van (?) SR PLV (SECR designed) (Slaters 7C020) GWR van (later doors) – V36 (Parkside PS28) BR MK1 BG (MMP / David Parkins) SR 50’ bogie guards van – Van B (Slaters 7C021E) LMS Dia. 2039 van. (?) LNER Gresley Non corridor 51’ full brake (Ian Kirk) GWR Fruit D – Y11 BR Brake van – Dia. 1/504 (Slaters 7033) SR 4 wheel BY van (Slaters 7C022) BR Mk 1 58’ GUV (MMP / David Parkins) GWR van (later doors) – V23 (Parkside PS26) BR Plywood van – Dia. 1/213 (Slaters 7064) BR Planked van – Dia. 1/208 (Slaters 7063) LMS D2000 ‘Stove R’ (Sidelines) LNER Dia. 116 Fitted 12 ton van (?) LMS Dia. 1897 van. (?) Numbers 3,4,9,19 & 20 don't appear to be available in any kit at the moment, although the LMS vans seemed to be part of the Freightman range which doesn't seem to be available anymore - JLTRT/MM1 seem to have something similar, also they have the Fruit D, but I don't think I really like the JLTRT wagon kits (judging by the various posts on this forum) - so I will probably design my own (the corrugated ends for the vans will be fun to make!) I do have a few of these kits already - I have the LNER dia. 94 van, the BR MK1 BG and the LNER Gresley 51' full brake. I had a Birthday on the 4th, so I now have a Slaters BR brake van and I've spent the last few days figuring out that I can't accurately make a Dia. 1/504 with it - oh dear....I think I'll start with this in the next post. Jeff

....lockdown cooperative venture.... interesting idea - but not what I intended - my idea was purely a challenge for myself that I thought it would be interesting to show. ...yes it is a big train, but I thought I could run it at test tracks etc. when we can eventually get to shows again, then later on my own layout - when I get round to it! The train will be kits / modified kits - I'll go through this in the next post, but it looks like I will end up designing some of them myself along the way. John - it would be nice to see pictures of your parcels train. Jeff

After many years of being a member, this is the first topic I've actually posted - so bear with me. First off - a short introduction, I'm Jeff Ennis - fellow O gauge modellers will probably have seen me behind the Scorpio Models stand in the days when we were all still allowed to go to shows - I'm the young-ish (for an O gauge modeller) tall blond one! I'm usually pretty glacial when it comes to my own modelling projects so hopefully putting something on here will spur me on....... The idea is this - an authentic mixed parcels/freight train from around 1962 - the inspiration - one of Colin T Gifford's evocative photographs in his book 'Transition'. Plate 89 shows exactly the short of train I was thinking of - going over the King Edward Bridge in Newcastle September 1963 - perfect! I have tried identifying the vehicles the best I can, but some are quite small and difficult to figure out - I've had to do some hasty research along the way as some of this is outside the sphere of my usual expertise (GWR through & through). I have made the assumption that all the vehicles are vacuum braked - or at least through piped. LNER V2 2-6-2 LNER Dia. 94 Fitted 12 ton van LMS Dia. 2039 van. LMS Dia. 1897 van. SR PLV (SECR designed) GWR van (later doors) – V36 BR MK1 BG full brake BR MK1 BG full brake LMS Dia. 2039 van. LNER Gresley Non corridor 51’ full brake GWR Fruit D – Y11 BR Brake van – Dia. 1/504 BR MK1 BG full brake BR MK1 BG full brake BR Plywood van – Dia. 1/213 BR Planked van – Dia. 1/208 This is good - though I'l swap most of the BGs for something else so that there's more variety. I then saw another photo in the same book that I could also use - plate 21 Holbeck, Leeds May 1967 which shows:- SR 4 wheel BY van BR Mk 1 58’ GUV GWR van (later doors) – V23 BR Plywood van – Dia. 1/213 SR PLV (SECR designed) LNER Dia. 116 Fitted 12 ton van LMS Dia. 1897 van. Brush type 2 (class 31) Diesel I've reversed the order of this list so that it's easier to see what I do below. I then combined the trains and swapped a few vehicles so that there wasn't too much duplication (and also to make sure I get in a few favourites) not to mention completely changing the loco! Rebuilt Crosti 9F 2-10-0 LNER Dia. 94 Fitted 12 ton van LMS Dia. 2039 van LMS Dia. 1897 van SR PLV (SECR designed) GWR van (later doors) – V36 BR MK1 BG SR 50’ bogie guards van – Van B LMS Dia. 2039 van. LNER Gresley Non corridor 51’ full brake GWR Fruit D – Y11 BR Brake van – Dia. 1/504 SR 4 wheel BY van BR Mk 1 58’ GUV GWR van (later doors) – V23 BR Plywood van – Dia. 1/213 BR Planked van – Dia. 1/208 LMS D2000 ‘Stove R’ LNER Dia. 116 Fitted 12 ton van LMS Dia. 1897 van. Next - I need to see what's available! Hope I haven't bored you all with this long post... Jeff

'....I'm told by Dave Ennis's son that all the Seven Models kits are available....' Just to clear up any confusion, David was my late Brother and Pat is my Dad and we still run Scorpio Models between us with all the range still available. I think part of the issue with the motion brackets is that these are quite different to that on the standard 9F. Thanks Jeff Scorpio Models

Sorry Zach, it's probably not just your "English" English - my Dad's hearing is not what it used to be (he'll be 87 in May). As you said, plenty of people are ordering kits right now but as I do all the IT bits and photocopying and he has the kits and does all the posting and we live 5 miles apart - communication and getting bits to him isn't so easy at the moment..... stay safe everybody. ...and by the way - you've done fantastic so far - Connoisseur was a good starting point for etched wagons. Kit should be in the post Tuesday - the postal service is a little more limited than it usually is... Jeff

Definitely a Y4 - I would also be interested in a kit, though I was planning to do one myself for Scorpio Models. I downloaded some pretty good drawings from the GER society website - if you don't have these already, I would recommend them and they're available here. Your Claud etchings look great, I have an ancient Blacksmith kit (brought about 27 years ago) and some Sheldrake chassis etchings and was hoping to cobble together two from the bits - but haven't started yet! Jeff

I've only just come on to this topic...... is this the one you're looking for? Porthwain http://s386633784.websitehome.co.uk/bpmrc/layout9.shtml The layout is still going strong and it was at the Bristol show a couple of weeks back. I used to be a member of the Barry & Penarth club with Dave Cannon - happy days! Jeff

Ken, the holes in the Solebar for the supports are too far apart and there is a note in the instructions to change the pitch - I can't say what the pitch should be as I am on holiday in Scotland at the moment (Balquhidder - on the site of an old station) that could be part of the issue. Jeff Scorpio Models

I spent half of Monday sleeping, the other half having a relaxing day at St. Fagan's in Cardiff with my Wife https://museum.wales/stfagans/ I'll be watching your build with baited breath Ken! Thanks Jeff Scorpio Models

The Hall and Grange were originally designed by my Brother (Dave Ennis) and produced through Jim Harris (Acorn), The Hall, Great Bear and Star at least were sold to ACME, I wasn't aware that the Grange was sold to them as well. At the same time, I (Jeff Ennis) and my Dad (Patrick Ennis) designed an A4 kit also through Jim and also sold to ACME (this kit is now with Ace kits). All three of us started Scorpio Models as a seperate concern in September 1995 and is still going. The Hall, Grange and Star are still available from us (though slightly upgraded from the original versions). I just wanted to clear up any confusion. Thanks Jeff