5050

The late lamented Chris Matthewman had a beautiful K's Garrett on his various 'Striving' layouts and in EM. It's still running in the hands of the new owners. Another late clubmate had one in OO put together with Evostick. It ran. Sort of. My only succesful K's kit was the ubiquitous 0-4-2 14xx (or is it a 58xx? No top feed on mine). The original K's chassis with the keyhole axle slots was soon dispensed with along with the K's wheels to be replaced by Romfords. The motor became a DS10 with Romford gears. It was also my first compensated chassis with the trailing wheels incorporated in the chassis rather than in a separate pony truck. It became my first loco to be rebuilt to P4 by the expedient of putting spacers between the new Sharman wheels and the frames. In theory, it's still a runner but my P4 stock doesn't get many airings these days. I have also owned a 28xx which I soon realised was a waste of time as there was absolutely no side play in the drivers so would only go in a straight line even with flangeless centre drivers and a 43xx which I'm sure I must still have somewhere in bits. I've also got one side of a Coral wagon and 2 sides of a GWR tender, none of which have ever been built. Where did they come from? Absolutely no idea!

Thanks, that explains a lot. I hadn't noticed that the address was the same either. I thought they might have been some local accountants/solicitors winding the company up.

Thanks for that, the Chevy truck looks useful. I've also checked Oxford and the Plymouth looks like a possibility. EDIT - just realised it's a Mercury, doh!

I know I was!

At Harrogate MANY years ago I was helping operate a Midland layout when a spectator took a great interest in a Midland Horsebox parked in a siding. His praise was effusive for how good it was. He then asked if it was scratchbuilt. I replied (honestly) that it was Jidenco. Spectator gasped, pulled an anguished face and walked off in disgust.

Hopefully these will fill some gaps in my parking lots. I need typical 30's - 50's 'average' cars in muted colo(u)rs that would suit a coal mining area where cash etc. would be in relatively short supply. Any suggestions? I somehow think that a T-Bird wouldn't be a regular sight. And 4 wheel small(ish) trucks for local coal landsale deliveries? Who actually stocks Mini-Metals etc. in the UK? I've looked on several websites but not a lot on offer, if at all.

Here's the advert by Hutchinson Roe selling off 'all remaining stock' of GF. Makes yer wanna weep dunnit! HR don't appear on a Google search so who were they? Oh, BTW, my MN body is actually 'Port Line' now I've looked at it a bit closer. No numbers on the cab side though. Perhaps it came from this source!

Thanks for the photos of the complete locos. I can see instantly that the King drivers are completely different to mine. The 'real' ones have a screw head fixing. Have you ever removed one? I am wondering how they actually locate on the axle. Perhaps on a 'D' shape like the ill-fated 'K's ones? The MN ones though look more like the usual push fit. The name crest on the MN looks to have 'slipped' compared to mine. I was chatting to a guy at Hull Show yesterday who said he has a Prairie and a MN - but he's not sure if they still have the original motors. I asked if he could bring them along to Wakefield Exhibition at the end of this month. As the original motors were nominally 2-pole with a sort of 'trembler' mechanism for the brushes, he reckoned they needed a push to get going.

Ah, well, there you go then. Thanks for putting me right. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Sometimes.

I had a blue King body at one time, in my 'early' adult modelling days (early 70's) when I was full of great ideas about building an extensive GWR network. I soon realised the shortcomings of the body (straight sided firebox for one!) and it got 'passed on' via our exhibition sales stand. It didn't have any fittings on it, not even the chimney copper cap so I reckon it might have been one of the 'factory disposals' that happened around 1957/58 via a company called Hutchinson Roe of Bromley. I'll find an advert in a period magazine (they advertised in MRN and RM I think) and scan it. They had all sorts of GF stuff on offer including the figures. Who were Hutchinson Roe? The MN tender body has the very early BR unicycling lion facing the front on both sides. This was discontinued by BR quite quickly I think due to pressure from the College of Heraldry (??) who said lions should always face to the sinister.

The wheels are Hamblings. I must admit that I hadn't considered this at first - but now it seems quite obvious! Now I have taken the body from the chassis I've found that the previous owner has fitted wire pickups that bear against the tops of the front and rear drivers. It is also become clear that 3 hands are required to ensure that the cylinders and slide bars do not become detached from each other - and 4 hands are needed to put them back together! The cylinders (a one piece moulding) merely rest in a recess in the main chassis casting and the slide bars 'fit' into 'slots' either side of the piston rod hole.

Look what I acquired down the clubrooms last night. They were some left-overs from the estate of one of our late members who passed away several years ago. His wife has been having a sort-out of odd items she doesn't want to keep any more - so I've got 'em now. The King sadly doesn't have a tender. It probably ended up behind another of his extensive GWR loco fleet. It also is short of one steam pipe and I think the chassis has been adapted to fit a 'normal' style motor. However, the pinion wheel and gears are still there. I must say that I am very pleasantly surprised at how fine the driving wheels are. The flanges are quite small and the tyre overall is narrow, at least comparable to EM fine standards I would say. There is no crosshead, the small end of the con-rod merely runs between the slide bars. A bit of a fudge I suppose but probably not so noticeable once the loco is moving with an express train. There is also a moulded number plate 6000 and a representation of the bell and express code lights above the buffer beam. The nameplates have gone however. They probably ended up on his Wills King! The Merchant Navy body is 'Belgian Marine' and seems to be a good colour for early BR Blue. The proportions look good as well. I am surprised to find the tender is a plastic moulding, I always assumed that it too would be diecast. Was the King tender plastic as well or diecast?

In reading the 1950 volume of Model Railway News I came across this feature showing a NG chassis built by Cherry's for a customer. If I'm not mistaken it is for P D Hancock for his L&B loco 'Alistair'.

That's amazing!! And you've now got more??!! Did they send all the surplus GF stock to Oz? I do remember Jennings (I think) selling off bodies and spares in the late 50's.

A clubmate of mine (who is in his mid-70's) told me a week or two back when we were discussing GF, Kirdon etc. that, when he was a lad and lived in Bridlington, he and a friend cycled to Scarborough to Bobbies model shop where his friend (who had been saving his pocket and paper round money for weeks) bought GF Black 5. Please as punch they cycled back home to test it on his friend's layout - and it wouldn't go round the curves! The motor (?) extension block from the tender into the cab restricted the amount of 'swing' on curves and it derailed every time. Feeling rather pee'ed off they then had to cycle back to Scarborough to get a refund! From the 1950 volume of Model railway News, here are a sequence of ads showing the Black 5 and other new introductions including the Merchant Navy/West Country. The main point to notice is that the Black 5, in all the pictures of it - doesn't have any valve gear or indeed even a crosshead or connecting rod!

Thanks for the link, not seen that thread before. I'm sure I have details in Old MRN ads of even more motors than those mentioned. Of course, some may be the same motor branded differently! And thanks for the heads-up on the motor being a Phantom. Here's an advert for it.

Yes, excellent post, good to see the actual 'beast' at last. What is the motor? It looks quite good for the time. I've got some more Kirdon ads to post, some now from 1950. Hope to get them done next week now. If you've got more stuff Evanelplus - please share it!!

Thanks for the link, looks as if it will be very useful. I've tried to save it into Favourites but it won't let me for some reason. As for colours, I've got the C&O Historical Society books on coal railroading but they're in Black and White. Some of the tipples in there seem to be a darker shade but perhaps it's just weathering and dirt?

Hmmm, foliage has been mentioned in previous posts. I'm gradually building up a stock of potentially suitable materials for tree-making. I foresee lots of long winter nights comprising twigs, seafoam, wire, Woodland Scenics, hairspray etc. etc.

Thanks. I'll try and get some WM stock on view soon. I suppose I ought to confirm that it actually IS a WM layout! Here's a couple of more shots showing how the tippler connects to its surroundings. Please ignore the bridge side - it was in the way of the camera! I can't decide how to finish the corrugated on the buildings. Looking at photos it was generally kept up to scratch, not left to rot - but what colour (or color!) should I paint it before weathering down?

A couple of shots of the mine tipple area that I've been working on the past few days. Still need to paint the buildings and finish the ground effects but it's coming on. I can't see the layout from the positions these are taken from, just thank the digital camera! That's why the rail sides aren't painted - they'll never be seen from normal viewing position. Lazy boy! Lots of detailing still to be added as well. Steps, ladders, walkways etc.

Good spot! Not noticed that.

I've now got some more MRN volumes from the club library and here are a couple more Kirdon ads with some interesting 'stuff' in them. The 2 bridges are shown and also the US boxcars including some editorial about them. Can't say I've ever knowingly seen any. Note the 'half wave controller' ad. Half wave was the next big thing in controller technology and was introduced simultaneously by several makes, H&M, Kirdon, ABC for instance. Rumour had it that it ruined your motors but obviously it didn't although some are a bit noisy with it. Not suitable for can motors though (I think!). Superceded by transistors of course. The David Nixon advert is an interesting use of celebrity endorsement. DN was a television icon in the 50's and 60's, a magician with regular TV shows. He was a railway modeller and also appeared in Peco adverts for early Streamline track.

Sorry about being a bit late with this! If you look at the posts above you will see that (nominally anyway) they did both. Not very common though these days...................... If they ever were!

Trees, yes! I need lots! I'm trying to collect materials etc. for their manufacture, the ones on the photos are only there for initial effect - definitely not permanent ones. I can foresee lots of 'forestry evenings' coming up!