What have you done with your Keyser kit

[coachmann]

I must put my hand up and say thatI have a very soft spot for N C Keyser (K's) kits, as said on another thread by someone else, these kits have come in for a lot of un-justified critcism, both on this and other sites.

 

Clearly they are not up to standards we expect from todays kits. But please remember that in their day (60's & 70's) they were at the forefront of model kits.

Afraid I'm going against the trend here. The critisism was not un-justified. K's kits put a lot of modellers off trying to build the own locos and not for nothing did Will's come along with their bodyline kits to go on Triang and Hornby Dublo chassis. I was a pro-kit builder as well as painter until 1979 and K's kits were a joke amongst us and were to be avoided. The last thing one wants in business is a loco to be returned becasue it is faulty........... K's kits were simply a liability!

 

The first thing on opening the box or vac-pack was to thrown away the motor, the plastic 'D' axle wheels and any whitemetal motion, and replace them with an MW5 or XO4, 30 to 1 gearset, Romford lathe turned drivers and make the motion out of rail. Some of the bodies simply weren't worth any effort, for example the LSWR Adams Radial Tank. I defy anyone to line out those heavily detailed splashers and cab sides! Other locos such as the GCR 04 had a heavy slab of whitemetal K's called a running plate. The patterns were always thick to suit K's cheapo whitemetal with too much lead in it. In comparison, Will's whitemetal was a delight and their later patterns neat and well-detailed.

 

Kirtley 800 was a well-respected scratch builder at the time and if anyone could get a K's running, he could. Good to see some of those old locos are still at work too.

Edited April 7, 2013 by coachmann

[micknich2003]

 Attached page from K's catolouge of c1968, Yellow cover, 35 pages, approx present "A5" size, price 1/- Mick.

[Horsetan]

 

0-6-0PT 4658.

Bought as a body kit only, I fitted it with a spare Bachmann chassis.

4658 on Carmarthen Junction, 7 Apr 2013.JPG

 

......

 

The 57xx/8750 pannier kit was probably the most presentable, in that it was quite cleanly cast. The wheelbase was still wrong, though, and hacking out the splashers to move them was, and is, a total pain.

 

I've just remembered that I also bought the body parts for the K's "Duchess" back in about 1991, and the only usable parts of it have been the boiler, the steam pipe/saddle casting and....er....that's it.

[Worsdell forever]

There's been far too muck talk of G*R stuff on here so here's my one and only K's loco, a J72. I bought it built (badly) many years ago and stripped it down to it's component parts except the chassis, that went straight in the bin - a twisted mess. It now has a Comet chassis, decent 40-1 gears, a large Mashima motor and Romford wheels. The body has been detailed up with a brass roof, lamp irons and some Slaters or Magib buffers, can't remember which. It runs a treat and is heavy enough to pull what I need it to. It is also kept in it's original box and I think some of the tissue paper in the bottom of it is also original going by it's yellow colour!

 

Can anyone date it from the box and address? Thanks.

 

 

[micknich2003]

K''s where at Tubbs Road by Jan 1963, MRN Advert", this is the same address as my catolouge. Hanover Court was an earlier address as per advert in Jan 1960 MRN. 

[hayfield]

Paul

 

That would have had one of the better chassis, pre quartered wheels and the mk 2 5 pole motor

[coachmann]

The K's Coal Tank kit I bought around 1962 had 2-rail lost-wax brass 'H' spoke wheels ready mounted on axles. I later saw whitemetal centred wheels then i think K's went in for plastic centred wheels. Someone writing in 'Railway Modeller' super-detailed a K's GWR 0-4-2T around that time and won the Modellers cup. In those days, to have just one model of that calibre on ones layout would have been enough for most of us.

Edited April 7, 2013 by coachmann

[micknich2003]

Dear Paul, K's were advertising the J72 kit, as an existing release, in the Dec 1960, "MRN", their address was Uxbridge Road. Mick.

[Worsdell forever]

Mick, must have been an early one then.

 

John, the chassis was twisted and basically worn out, the bearings (well, what passed as bearings) and the motor, it must have had a lot of running. 

 

Quite a bargain at £15!

[dajt]

MrKirtley I'd love to see more of the layout and the things running on it!

[RosiesBoss]

Hello everyone,

 

Hayfield has asked for some pictures of the small motors I have been using in some of my models. I'm happy to do so, but these close-up shots do show that these are not models that live in glass cases. They see a lot of use!

 

First, though, I have had to update the text describing my model of "Comet". I did use a small Hornby open frame motor in the K's gearbox frame, but it was not up to the job. I subsequently replaced it with a small Mashima motor on a brass frame (probably from Finecast).

 

Here are two images of the chassis, as it is today:

 

 

The little Hornby motor is still in use in many of my models, though. Here are two shots of the installation in ROD 3040. The brass motor mount is adapted from a FInecast kit.

 

 

I found the motor just what was needed also when using a Crownline kit to convert a Hornby 2MT to a BR standard 2MT, as the original X04 motor was too tall to fit inside the modified body. Here are images of the completed model and of its chassis:

 

 

The motor is in use in several of my H0 scale Australian trams. Here is an image of Hawthorn Tram No.8, converted from a Mehanotechnica unpowered trailer tram, with a brass channel chassis, home-made gearbox and the Hornby motor, which one can see through the tram's windows. The trolley pole does pick up power from the overhead and was made from modellers' brass, with a spring recovered from and old VCR.

 

I hope these images are of some interest.

 

Regards,

 

Rob

[Mrkirtley800]

Hello dajt, I posted a few pics of my layout on the old RMWeb.  Look at RMWeb 2006 to 2009,  'Kit building and scratchbuilding' and then 'Modelling the pre-group scene'

There are some nice examples of Coachman Larry's handiwork.

Derek

[Ben Alder]

Here's a link - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=49048 -some lovely stuff there.

[coachmann]

Here's a link - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=49048 -some lovely stuff there.

Nostalgia Lane Ben. I said back then that the RTR people would be churning out pre-group locos one day but someone else said it would never happen..........I wonder if he eat his hat?

[Jol Wilkinson]

"I said back then that the RTR people would be churning out pre-group locos one day"

 

Larry,

 

I think that "dribbling" would be more relevant than "churning".

 

Jol

[coachmann]

Larry,

 

I think that "dribbling" would be more relevant than "churning".

 

Jol

GCR 04, SE&CR 'C' Class, MR Compound, LSWR Beatty Well Tank, LSWR Class 02, LSWR Adams Radial, L&Y 2-4-2T, LSWR T9, GWR 28XX,  GWR City 4-4-0, GWR 42XX 2-8-0T, GWR Star, MR Class 1F 0-6-0T, LBSC Class E1 0-6-2T, SE&CR 'Birdcage' coaches......Have I missed any out?  

Edited April 9, 2013 by coachmann

[benbrown]

hi all

heres my old K's P2 'Thane of Fife ' and no its not the original moter had to have that replaced last year

 

regards ben

[LNWR lives on]

GCR 04, SE&CR 'C' Class, MR Compound, LSWR Beatty Well Tank, LSWR Class 02, LSWR Adams Radial, L&Y 2-4-2T, LSWR T9, GWR 28XX,  GWR City 4-4-0, GWR 42XX 2-8-0T, GWR Star, MR Class 1F 0-6-0T, LBSC Class E1 0-6-2T, SE&CR 'Birdcage' coaches......Have I missed any out?  

 

LNWR G1/2 That Bachmann released?

[buffalo]

GCR 04, SE&CR 'C' Class, MR Compound, LSWR Beatty Well Tank, LSWR Class 02, LSWR Adams Radial, L&Y 2-4-2T, LSWR T9, GWR 28XX,  GWR City 4-4-0, GWR 42XX 2-8-0T, GWR Star, MR Class 1F 0-6-0T, LBSC Class E1 0-6-2T, SE&CR 'Birdcage' coaches......Have I missed any out?  

But how many of those are actually in pre-grouping form? Some might be easily converted but others much less so.

 

Nick

[Earlswood Nob]

G'day all

I also built the Kays P2, I used a different motor, an old Pittman's that I had spare as there is so much room in the boiler. It was only when I painted it that I noticed that one side of the footplate was longer than the other, resulting in the Bugatti nose being slighty crooked. It then broke a con-rod, so got put in the repair box.

I've corrected the footplate and built a new chassis with a Mashima motor and Comet gearbox, which runs very well. It now needs new con-rods and valve gear (Comet V2 will fit perfectly). I never did get around to building the Earl Marischal version, but PDK now do an etched kit.

Earlswood Nob

Edited April 9, 2013 by Earlswood Nob

[Jol Wilkinson]

LNWR G1/2 That Bachmann released?

Not in LNWR condition  i.e. doesn't have the round top firebox.

 

Despite Larry's list, the pre-group railway companies aren't, possibly other than the LSWR and GWR, sufficiently represented so that it is possible to model them with RTR locos and stock.

 

Not a problem for me as I enjoy making models.

 

Jol

[LNWR lives on]

Not in LNWR condition  i.e. doesn't have the round top firebox.

 

Despite Larry's list, the pre-group railway companies aren't, possibly other than the LSWR and GWR, sufficiently represented so that it is possible to model them with RTR locos and stock.

 

Not a problem for me as I enjoy making models.

 

Jol

 

Fair point made, I suggested it as the obvious one missing from the list to me

 

LNWR Wise taking the G1/2 variants aside there is nothing else LNWR ready to run on the market which is a big problem when your building stock for an ex LNWR into early LMS Bangor Layout.... 

 

P.s. I managed to pick up a K's Coal Tank and it runs lovely with the original K'S Mk II at slow speeds over pointwork, so were they all bad?

[buffalo]

...Despite Larry's list, the pre-group railway companies aren't, possibly other than the LSWR and GWR, sufficiently represented so that it is possible to model them with RTR locos and stock.

 

Not a problem for me as I enjoy making models.

I can't speak for the LSWR, though I'm told the well tanks have changed considerably, but just which of the GWR models in Larry's list can be easily backdated much before 1930?

 

As you say, not a problem as pre-grouping GWR modellers also need to enjoy making models.

 

Nick

[Jol Wilkinson]

but just which of the GWR models in Larry's list can be easily backdated much before 1930?

 

Nick

 

Nick,

 

I can't answer that owing to my blissful ignorance of the GWR

 

I guess most RTR collector/modellers who would want to model the pre group period would be put off by the lack of matching stock anyway.

 

When I took up modelling railways again (about thirty years ago) the RTR stuff available was such that you had to build models if you wanted anything different. I originally cut my teeth on Wills, Gem and K's kits but became disillusioned with the results. When I started again I moved on to etched brass and after two failed early attempts with an MPD 3F and a Jidenco LNWR 0-8-2T suceeded with a Proscale LNWR Coal Tank.

 

So for me those white metal kits got me started as a model maker but I wouldn't consider building one nowadays if there was an etched alternative.

 

Jol

[Horsetan]

Just remembered....

 

If anyone has a K's Rebuilt "Merchant Navy" kit tucked away, have a good hard look at that firebox casting. I think K's famously cast it the wrong way round.......