Mikemeg's Workbench - Building locos of the North Eastern & LNER

[mikemeg]

If anyone should wonder how come some of Mikemeg's photos, from the last year, have survived, when all others have perished; well they haven't. Fortunately I still have these photos stored and catalogued on my PC, so it was/is a fairly simple (if tedious) job to replace them, though the job is still ongoing.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by mikemeg

[JaymzHatstand]

Thanks for your efforts in restoring the images, it's very much appreciated! Your test build logs of Arthur's kits are very usefulto those of us who are slowly building a collection of said kits! Though my personal collection contains a couple of models which have hopefully not lost their images (I've not checked yet), there is still plenty of helpful hints and advice in the others!

 

I'm certainly not in any rush, so please don't take this as a 'hirry up and get it sorted' message, purely as one of grateful thanks!

 

Cheers

 

J

 

[mikemeg]

Based on checking back through this thread, it would seem that any photos posted before last days of May / first day of June, 2021, are still there. Any photos posted after June1st, seem to have disappeared though the photo identifier does remain as part of the posting.

 

In my case, I had to go back to P63 to locate the first 'lost example'. All of my own photographs P63 - P74 have now been replaced.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

NORTH EASTERN KITS LNER N10

 

In among the build of the F8, N8 and J21, I've now managed to make a new cab roof for the N10. I was never completely happy with this roof on the original test build, when compared to photographs. I've also found a large sheet of 'blue sky'; that blue of a clear, bright, summer's afternoon.

 

I still have to paint the cab roof and I also need to apply a wash of 'oily steel' to the coupling rods and perhaps add the merest touches of rust to the brake shoes and sand pipes. The roof could, perhaps, do to come rearwards by around 0.5 mm.

 

So N10 - 69104 - drifts serenely along the down slow at Hessle Haven on a bright, sunny day in high summer.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

I received a private mail asking whether the above photograph was taken in the sunlight, given the shadowing on the track. The answer is no; the photograph was lit by my daylight lamp, which does produce a light quality very close to that of natural sunlight.

 

It's an attempt to reproduce those long lost days and scenes of bright, clear and warm summer days of the 1950's and early 60's just watching the trains from the lineside. Days when the railway environment was very different from that of today.

 

So on the same day that the N10 passed through, another one - T1 69915 - seldom seen on the main line, drifts along the down slow with a single ex LNER guards van.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

NORTH EASTERN KITS LNER N10

 

That's about it for this one, apart from locating (and painting) and adding a crew.

 

Now back to the F8, N8 and J21.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

NORTH EASTERN KITS LNER J72's

 

What a day for seeing 'oddities' at Hessle Haven, today. Firstly a longer bunkered version of the J72 in grey primer, on its way to the paint shop to become 69010; one of the 1949 -1951 batch of these locos. This one to be finished in reasonably clean (and new) condition.

 

Closely following a grey J72 was this. A short bunkered version of the J72, one of the first twenty to be built. This one on its way to the 'grey primer' shop before proceeding to the paint shop (and the weathering shop) to become the doyen of the class - 68670 based at Hull Springhead shed in mid 1950.

 

These two might complete the fleet of 0-6-0 shunting tanks, though a second J71 and J73 might yet just 'squeeze in'. In mid-1950 (indeed for some years) Hull's four locomotive sheds accommodated over forty 0-6-0 tanks between them, of classes J71, J72, J73 and J77. There were also quite a few Y1 0-4-0's and numerous 0-6-2 tanks based around those same four sheds.

 

Someone did post (either on here or on the Scalefour site) details of a 1950 organised shed bash of the Hull sheds, by one of the railway societies. In these days of very few locomotives, of any classes, the number and variety of locomotives seen on that 1950 Sunday, was just staggering!!

 

When I do get around to building a model of a reasonably sized ex-North Eastern loco shed, then I'll be able to see, again, something of those number and that variety of locomotives, on a sunny, summer Sunday afternoon in 1950!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

NORTH EASTERN KITS LNER J77

 

Following on from the two J72's, a couple of J77's, with their older style Fletcher cabs, drift along the down slow at Hessle Haven. I built two of these; one as the test build for the kit and then a second one from the test etches, differing only in the shape of the cab windows and a few external details. 68402 has square cab windows while 68429 has round cab windows.

 

I guess it goes without saying that both of these locos were shedded in Hull during the late 1940's/early 1950's.

 

Of these 0-6-0 rebuilds (from BTP 0-4-4 tanks) which became J77's, at least one had square cab windows one end of the cab with round windows at the other end.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER N8

 

Back to the N8. I've now made a number of changes to this model using a J21 chassis etch from Arthur's North Eastern Kits range. The wheel spacing of the J21 was identical with that of the N8 and the chassis profile was very similar so I used the mainframes from Arthur's J21, with the additional section attached to the rear to accommodate the trailing carrying wheels using the LRM radial axle mountings.

 

The coupling rods, from the J21 etch, have also been used as will the brakes and brake linkage.

 

So this is now very much a hybrid, using the original London Road Models kit but taking advantage of newer and more accurate etched components and castings.

 

Now to open out the coupling rod journals, fit the crankpin collets and crankpin nuts, add the pick-ups and generally complete the final detailing.

 

The similarity between the N8 and N10 (and the N9) is very apparent, with the N8 and N9 having 5' 1 and 1/4" driving wheels, while the N10 had 4' 7 1/4" wheels.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by mikemeg

[mikemeg]

LONDON ROAD MODELS LNER N8

 

Some further progress with the N8, as the brake hangars are added and connected to the single, compensated brake pull rod. Actually getting the brake hangars to slope as in the photo, i.e. slightly towards the wheels, did involve assembling the layers of the brake shoe etches 'off line' so as to follow the line of the wheel rims, as these etches were designed for the J21, which has the brake hangars sloping away from the wheels.

 

The chassis has been checked out for free running with some slight opening out of the coupling rod journals being necessary to achieve a free running state. So I'm now onto the final detailing of this model, prior to priming and then painting it. I think this one will have to be portrayed in its filthy, unkempt state as many were during the early years of British Railways!

 

These locos were only ever used on the more humble duties on the railway, trip freights, shunting, etc. yet they were still handsome things. They were good at designing these machines, the Victorians!!

 

Cheers

 

MIke

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by mikemeg

[Pebbles]

Having watched the evolution of the N8, and the parts that have been incorporated from Arthur's range, I'm wondering whether it was worth buying the LRM kit in the first place?

[Jol Wilkinson]

1 hour ago, Pebbles said:

Having watched the evolution of the N8, and the parts that have been incorporated from Arthur's range, I'm wondering whether it was worth buying the LRM kit in the first place?

Mike is in the fortunate position of being Arthur's test etch builder and therefore has ready access to a number of the rest of us do not. As an experienced builder of NER locos he also knows a lot about the differences between different variants of a loco class and has a desire  and ability to create  those that fit the location/period he models.

 

The LRM kit was formerly part of the George Norton Connoisseurs Choice range. The only other N8 kit - no longer available - was in the late Dave Alexanders range. So while the LRM N8 kit design may be rather dated (the etch artwork was drawn before CAD design became practical) it still enable a good model of the class to be built" from the box" and has been a popular seller in the LRM range.

[mikemeg]

On 19/05/2022 at 06:22, Pebbles said:

Having watched the evolution of the N8, and the parts that have been incorporated from Arthur's range, I'm wondering whether it was worth buying the LRM kit in the first place?

 

That's a very fair question. The original George Norton kit could be built as an original North Eastern Class B/B1, with the lower side tank tops and bunker; a later rebuilt Class B / LNER N8 with the heightened tank tops and bunker or as the North Eastern Class N / LNER N9, which were 9" longer than the Class B/B1's, so quite a few variations.

 

The kit was drawn and developed some thirty years ago and will still make up to a convincing model of the North Eastern Class B/B1/N or LNER N8 or N9. When I bought  the kit, I had very little idea as to its level of detail but I did / do have the benefit of having a detailed knowledge of and access to Arthur Kimber's range of etchings and castings, hence the updating of the model.

 

The kit was still well worth buying and I may yet buy (and update) another one to represent one of the superheated N8's which had various detail differences.

 

I should add that I composed this reply before seeing Jol's reply above. So, quite coincidentally, this reply echoes much of what Jol said in his reply above.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by mikemeg

[micklner]

23 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Mike is in the fortunate position of being Arthur's test etch builder and therefore has ready access to a number of the rest of us do not. As an experienced builder of NER locos he also knows a lot about the differences between different variants of a loco class and has a desire  and ability to create  those that fit the location/period he models.

 

The LRM kit was formerly part of the George Norton Connoisseurs Choice range. The only other N8 kit - no longer available - was in the late Dave Alexanders range. So while the LRM N8 kit design may be rather dated (the etch artwork was drawn before CAD design became practical) it still enable a good model of the class to be built" from the box" and has been a popular seller in the LRM range.

Nu Cast also did a whitemetal kit . The big loss is the Alexander version

[mikemeg]

As an addendum to the two postings above, I know that some model locomotive builders believe that any and all kits should provide for every variation within the locomotive class and also for every level of detail which the builder may choose to fit. I don't take that view!

 

A kit (whether white metal or etched) should provide a reasonable level of detail but if the provision were to extend to the absolute maximum level of detail, which could be incorporated, then the kit would be prohibitively expensive and , for some modellers, such detail provision would be superfluous.

 

So, personally, I am quite prepared to replace parts, to add parts and even to re-engineer parts of the kit to achieve the level of detail and prototype accuracy which I want to achieve. Such activities don't render the kit as poor quality or as low value in any way.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by mikemeg

[Pebbles]

It is possible that Mike's was inspired by Dave Bradwell using one of his J26/27 on his N9 build.  Mike has clearly replaced a number of castings in seeking to achieve the level of detail he wants and now a new chassis. As there are dimensional similarities between the N8/9 and the N10 could not a more cost effective route be Arthur's N10 with a larger scratch built splasher married to the chassis of of his forthcoming J21? 

[mikemeg]

1 hour ago, Pebbles said:

It is possible that Mike's was inspired by Dave Bradwell using one of his J26/27 on his N9 build.  Mike has clearly replaced a number of castings in seeking to achieve the level of detail he wants and now a new chassis. As there are dimensional similarities between the N8/9 and the N10 could not a more cost effective route be Arthur's N10 with a larger scratch built splasher married to the chassis of of his forthcoming J21? 

 

I believe that Dave Bradwell went the other way and used the LRM N8 body to produce the body of his N10. Certainly the LRM kit does contain parts to produce an N10, though the replacement splasher isn't provided. Yes, Arthur's N10 could be used to produce an N8 with a larger splasher and certainly the J21 chassis can be used, which is what I did.

 

The actual chassis, which I produced, was Arthur's J21 frames, with a new, more detailed scratch built ashpan, with the rear section from the original LRM chassis 'grafted' onto the rear to carry the radial axle of the carrying wheels. This section of the frames was fitted with the LRM radial axle guides, which work very well.

 

Loads of options to produce an 'improved' model, many made possible by the introduction of Arthurs range of kits, etches and castings and also by Dave Bradwell's range of castings and etches.

 

Regards

 

Mike

 

 

 

[mikemeg]

NORTH EASTERN KITS LNER A6

 

The fourth (and last) of the A6's has now been 'rescued' from the airtight box and is being completed. This one will be 69798, with a saturated boiler and some of its original North Eastern fittings, which it retained until its withdrawal in 1951.

 

The brakes, brake linkage and some piping still remain to be done but this photo was taken while the initial running trials were being done. The loco will be finished in British Railways lined black, though somewhat weathered, to reflect its condition in mid 1950.

 

As is fairly obvious, I do like these A6's. For me, passenger tank locos didn't get much better than these.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by mikemeg

[Blandford1969]

Hi Mike,

Have you made an progress on the unusual Gresley shaped tender with some D20's you had hinted to having found a drawing.

Thanks in advance 

Duncan

[ArthurK]

There were  two styles  of odd tenders  to be found behind D20s . That behind 2020  was unique being a modified 3940 tender  with the top rails replaced by plate. It retained water pickup and was not self-trimming.   

The others were a new style based on the later self trimming tenders. They  were flat sided and were not fitted with with water-pickup, These  tanks were seven feet wide and four  feet nine inches high.

 

Both drawings are the NRM Darlington  list.

 

ArthurK

 

 

 ee

[Blandford1969]

12 hours ago, ArthurK said:

There were  two styles  of odd tenders  to be found behind D20s . That behind 2020  was unique being a modified 3940 tender  with the top rails replaced by plate. It retained water pickup and was not self-trimming.   

The others were a new style based on the later self trimming tenders. They  were flat sided and were not fitted with with water-pickup, These  tanks were seven feet wide and four  feet nine inches high.

 

Both drawings are the NRM Darlington  list.

 

ArthurK

 

 

 ee

Thanks Arthur, found them both. 

[mikemeg]

It is quite a time since I posted to this thread with the summer taken up with some gardening, some travelling, including trips on various steam hauled services - Scarborough Spa Express, The Jacobite and on the NYMR - and quite a lot of 'bits and pieces' jobs to repair and, in some cases, update some of the existing models. 

 

At the very start of this thread I described the 'conversion' of the Bachmann J72 to P4 using the HIgh Level Chassis kit and also making various mods to the Bachmann body. I always intended to replace the footsteps on these models as the originals were very thick and chunky but never got around to it. Anyway, as I had to remake some footsteps for the T1, then I did get around to it and re-made sets of footplate steps for the two Bachmann J72's as well. Photo below shows the last pair awaiting fitting.

 

So having built 'goodness knows' how many ex North Eastern locos, time now to change pre-grouping source with an ex Great Central loco. I bought this kit - the LNER B4 'Immingham' - some years ago and it has lain in the 'to be built cupboard' these past years, finally to see the light of workshop day, last week. This kit is no longer in production, so might not serve to help any other would be builders of this particular model, but it does contain some innovative approaches and a great deal of detail, so  could be challenging and might be informative.

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by mikemeg

[37Oban]

1 hour ago, mikemeg said:

So having built 'goodness knows' how many ex North Eastern locos, time now to change pre-grouping source with an ex Great Central loco. I bought this kit - the LNER B4 'Immingham' - some years ago and it has lain in the 'to be built cupboard' these past years, finally to see the light of workshop day, last week. This kit is no longer in production, so might not serve to help any other would be builders of this particular model, but it does contain some innovative approaches and a great deal of detail, so  could be challenging and might be informative.

 

Hi,

 

I enjoy watching the way various modellers approach building locomotive kits, even if it's one that hasn't been available for many years.

 

Imho it doesn't matter what the prototype is, you can always learn ways of doing things that you had never thought off which you can apply to your own endeavours!

 

Roja

[mikemeg]

On an entirely different issue, does anyone know where RMWeb is in trying to recover lost photographic images?  Or has this recovery exercise come to a halt?

 

Cheers

 

MIke

 

[mikemeg]

1 hour ago, mikemeg said:

On an entirely different issue, does anyone know where RMWeb is in trying to recover lost photographic images?  Or has this recovery exercise come to a halt?

 

Cheers

 

MIke

 

 

Since last I checked, at which time some references to photos prior to June 1st 2021 had disappeared, I now find that for my own postings, prior to June 1st 2021, some of the older photos or photo references (without the actual photos) seem to have reappeared.

 

So, as I am a compulsive hoarder, with a confirmed reluctance to throw anything away - especially photographs - I still have almost all of the photos ever posted on this thread, So they can be gradually replaced - eventually.

 

Anyway, I'll keep on replacing the lost photos!!

 

Cheers

 

Mike

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by mikemeg