Wright writes.....

[Bucoops]

2 hours ago, Jamiel said:

Possibly so, but I did only buy it two weeks ago.

It might be influenced by my choice of gear ratio which is the mid one offered, which might have meant that an old worm had to be used.

I was lucky to get the bogie kit, they have been out of stock for a while, so it was put together for me after I emailed about availability, for which I am very grateful.

Jamie

 

 

I bought a LoRider 36:1 i nJune this year - I don't think the parts are an issue, it's the motor availability as they are designed around a specific Mashima.

 

There's no grub screws. The axle gears are interference fit black plastic. I found them just the right level of fit, but it does say you can ease the hole slightly if need be. I used loctite on the worms to the motor.

[MJI]

I have 2 waiting for their DMU to be built

[MJI]

I think 3 cars are their limits as the motor is small.

My 119 and 120 i would say definitely at limit.

 

So got two for next set of 6

[dibateg]

Another track level view, a K3 heading towards Colwick yard passing Basford North signal box. The K3 was an Anchorage/Oakville kit and bore no relation at all to the 4mm scale Anchorage K3 kit -although it was just as challenging.... The line in the sky is a turn in the backscene, the railway is squeezed in to the room to use as much available space as possible. Part of the pleasure of building a layout is to be able to take reasonably covincing photographs of the models.

 

[Dominion]

This is my P2 rebuild. It uses Graeme King's very clever resin parts at the front. The cab middle and rear running plate and fire box (up to the just above the hand rails) are all from a Hornby original P2.  The boiler and top of the firebox are from a Hornby A1. As far as I can tell the boiler shape and band spacing, firebox, and running plate are all pretty much correct for the A2/2 rebuild when in LNER livery. I have not actually painted or lined anything here yet, except the all black resin parts and the fabricated steam ejector pipe. Everything else still sports the Hornby original painting and lining.  The real loco spent most of its time in this form and livery as 501 but it did carry 2001 for a while when first rebuilt, so I have not had to renumber it either.

 

The chassis is the Graeme King method rebuild of the Bachmann A2 chassis which I first did for an A2/3 before Hornby announced a RTR one. The chassis uses the motion etch from Graeme and Morgan Gilbert I think, and I may have the wrong motion bracket front piece on now that the chassis is for an A2/2 instead of an A2/3.

The conversion loses a lot of weight in the front but it pulls well now as the smoke box is stuffed with Canadian pennies which are a perfect fit for Graeme's resin molding. (US pennies fit too !)

Tom

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Dominion

[Ray Flintoft]

After a spell when I have been under doctors' orders & unable to work on kit building I thought I would enclose a couple of RTR engines I have managed to complete.

 No. 60516 started life as a Hornby apple green "Edward Thompson" reduced to £130 at Monk Bar model shop. It has required a number of modifications to represent " Hycilla" in about 1960 plus a complete repaint .

 no.42665 is also Hornby & is virtually as it comes, barring renumbering & weathering ,which totally transformed the look of the engine.

                   Ray.

[Roger Sunderland]

Tony

A quick question if I may? In which issue of BRM did you do an article on building the Nu-Cast J6 please.

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Tony

A quick question if I may? In which issue of BRM did you do an article on building the Nu-Cast J6 please.

A very good question, Roger.

 

Since I rarely keep copies of articles I've written (or if I do, they're in a hopeless jumble!), I have not much of an idea; other than I made it in 2018 - definitely pre-Covid. 

 

Does anyone at BRM know?

 

Anyway, here it is after I'd painted it. 

 

 

 

 

It caused something of an 'outrage' with regard to one commentator because the drive is visible in front of the firebox (Nu-Cast and Partners supplied the motor/gear mount, so I used it). 

 

I sold it to a friend, who subsequently weathered it.

 

And I built another one immediately afterwards..........

 

 

 

On this occasion making a London Road Models tender for it (the drive is just visible on this, too). 

 

I painted and weathered this one - weathering makes models look more realistic. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

In the very near future, I'll be collecting two of my locos painted by Ian Rathbone. One of which is a Nu-Cast V2, in BR green. 

 

I made it some time ago (though Ian hasn't had it long), and made another shortly afterwards. In the spirit of self-reliance, I painted this one.......

 

 

Since I cannot line with a bow-pen, as usual I resorted to transfer lining (with all the problems of alignment between the straight bits and corners). I've yet to clean off the residue from the Decalfix, though weathering will hide this. 

 

As for transfer-lining the valances, I've tried and failed!

 

 

 

Riding on its Comet frames, with a DJH motor/gearbox combo, it certainly had no trouble taking this near-50 wagon train. 

 

I was probably a year or two older than the two wee trainspotters when I saw 60948, at Doncaster. Some BR black V2s retained their worksplates, either on the smokebox or the cab, but they lost them when they went to green.

 

60948 was latterly fitted with separate cylinders and outside steampipes, but not until after the period represented by my model. 

 

As usual, no Little Bytham loco runs without the correct lamps and a crew.  

 

I suppose what I could do is to ask Geoff Haynes if he'll line the valances for me.....

 

 

As he did with this Nu-Cast V2, after I'd painted it. He also weathered it - so much for my self-reliance! 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Tony Wright]

Flushed with success at painting my V2 (Halfords rattle can satin black acrylic), I did the same for my recently-built London Road Models saturated D2...........

 

 

It's based on a photograph in the relevant Yeadon's Register (though it's much too clean). Only one lived long enough to carry its full BR number, but that had a different tender to the one supplied in the kit. 

 

Anyway...........

 

 

 

I ran her first on the GN main line.

 

But, she's more-suited to the MR/M&GNR section of LB.

 

So...........

 

 

 

I gave her a spin on that bit.

 

It's a lovely kit to build - one giving pleasure throughout the whole process. It awaits weathering..............

 

Did I ever see an ex-GNR 4-4-0? Even if I did, I'd only just have been starting school, so I have no recollection. Normally, I only build models of what I can remember seeing, but this exception is worth it. 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

Does anyone have any experience of Genesis kits, please? 

 

The proprietor died earlier this year, and I'm meeting his widow in a fortnight to see if I can be of any help in finding new homes for his models (many built from his kits, I'm told). This is at the request of a friend.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something

[Tony Wright]

1 minute ago, dibateg said:

Post Guildex get together and the second running session on the railway with some giants of railway modelling (!). We allhad a great day.

 

It was great to let them loose with the trains.., all I had to do is try and remember how it all works...

 

Good morning Tony,

 

I'd like to post 'like', but the programme won't let me!

 

Sounds like a great day. Having friends (dear friends) round to operate a railway is one of the greatest pleasures in the hobby, especially (in my case) if I can remember how to run mine.

 

I must try and get over to see you eventually. It's years since I played cricket just down the road from you, watching Class 37s hauling passenger trains on the adjacent railway, with the Severn burbling alongside. Can it really be over 40 years ago? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[dibateg]

I think I accidentally deleted it!

I rarely run the railway myself, the great joy is in sharing it and having mates around to run it.

 

Post Guildex get together and second runing session on the railway with some of the giants of railway modelling (!),

 

The railway ran well, all I had to do was to remember how it works! It was great to let them loose with the trains and try things I'd never thought of!

 

 

 

[t-b-g]

1 minute ago, dibateg said:

I think I accidentally deleted it!

I rarely run the railway myself, the great joy is in sharing it and having mates around to run it.

 

Post Guildex get together and second runing session on the railway with some of the giants of railway modelling (!),

 

The railway ran well, all I had to do was to remember how it works! It was great to let them loose with the trains and try things I'd never thought of!

 

 

 

 

It was, as we say round these parts, a grand day out.

 

Many thanks for letting us play with your lovely layout.

 

3 of us spent both days at the GOG show at Stafford and then went on to Tony's and met up with the others on Monday.

 

It was one of those weekends that reminds me of all that is good about our wonderful hobby. Spending time with such good people and seeing such top drawer modelling is truly inspiring.

 

We came away with a few projects purchased at the show and tons of enthusiasm to get on with them.

[jwealleans]

21 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Does anyone have any experience of Genesis kits, please? 

 

Some, but by no means all of the range.   Most of it was too modern for me.   The kits I built were pewter and the castings were average.   I did a Palbrick and an LNER steel open, but there were some more modern wagons and (I think) containers in the range.

[John Isherwood]

1 hour ago, jwealleans said:

 

Some, but by no means all of the range.   Most of it was too modern for me.   The kits I built were pewter and the castings were average.   I did a Palbrick and an LNER steel open, but there were some more modern wagons and (I think) containers in the range.

 

Check dimensions - I bought a bogie armor plate wagon, only to find that it is over-width.

 

When I queried this with the proprietor, he said that he designed his kits for a friend who ran Hornby Dublo, and he matched the widths to HD wagons.

 

Sounds a bit 'odd' to me!

 

CJI.

[Tony Wright]

3 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

Check dimensions - I bought a bogie armor plate wagon, only to find that it is over-width.

 

When I queried this with the proprietor, he said that he designed his kits for a friend who ran Hornby Dublo, and he matched the widths to HD wagons.

 

Sounds a bit 'odd' to me!

 

CJI.

Very 'odd' John,

 

Though I have no knowledge of the Genesis kits. 

 

With the death of the proprietor, it looks like that's the end of the range; though I've been told there's a 'shed-full' of stuff to go through. How big a shed, I have no idea; but we'll see.

 

I'll report accordingly when I've been to see what's there.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Roger Sunderland]

Thanks for the info on the J6 Tony, I’ll have a hunt back through the 2018 copies of BRM. Both models look beautiful , and my reason for asking is that I am finding the fit of the parts very difficult, resulting in a lot of filler use, not something I normally like to do. I appreciate the kit relies on old castings. I too have built an LRM tender to go with it and as I wanted to use a Portescap I already had, driving the middle axle the gearbox also shows through the frames. Not a problem at all, in my view as it can’t really be seen from normal viewing angles.

[Tony Wright]

27 minutes ago, Roger Sunderland said:

Thanks for the info on the J6 Tony, I’ll have a hunt back through the 2018 copies of BRM. Both models look beautiful , and my reason for asking is that I am finding the fit of the parts very difficult, resulting in a lot of filler use, not something I normally like to do. I appreciate the kit relies on old castings. I too have built an LRM tender to go with it and as I wanted to use a Portescap I already had, driving the middle axle the gearbox also shows through the frames. Not a problem at all, in my view as it can’t really be seen from normal viewing angles.

Good morning Roger,

 

Is it a new Nu-Cast and Partners J6 you're building? Or an original Nu-Cast J6? I ask because the more-recent castings I had were rather good, with just a bit of fettling needed. I think Dave Ellis made new moulds. 

 

I think your point about a 'visible' gearbox is well-made. Under 'studio' conditions, it'll be clearly seen but on a layout, at 'normal' viewing distances.............

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

I have the very last of the late Brian Lee's locos for sale...........

 

 

Built from a Nu-Cast kit, and a smooth runner (Portescap-powered). 

 

It's unusual in the collection in being in late BR condition (Brian mainly had pre-Nationalisation stock).

 

I'm asking £150.00. Anyone interested, please PM me.

 

 

[john new]

On 30/08/2023 at 09:51, thegreenhowards said:

Just catching upon the thread after a few days sailing along the south coast.

 

I have a similar problem with my DJH Klondike.

 

 

It has one of the smaller portescaps (also reclaimed from another loco) and will run well for one lap of my layout (70ft), but then starts to slow down and more or less dies by the end of the second lap. If I give it a couple of hours to recover it will do the same again. So far I’ve lived with it as locos rarely need to do more than one lap, but this conversation has made me think I ought to sort it out. 
 

While I hate to admit it, I do wonder if the chip is at fault as I think I have one of those cheap Chinese ones in it. I will try stripping the chip out first. If it works on DC, then I’ll try a Zimo chip - they never cause problems (famous last words).

 

I will report back in due course…hopefully without giving ‘sir’ another quote for his wall!

 

Andy

As I am catching up from about ten pages back this may have been answered. Whether or not these motors can be remagnetised I don’t know but those symptoms seem very similar to problems of weak magnets in locos when I was running my Classic Train set layout. H Dublo 3-rail and cured by remagnetising. 

[Roger Sunderland]

44 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Roger,

 

Is it a new Nu-Cast and Partners J6 you're building? Or an original Nu-Cast J6? I ask because the more-recent castings I had were rather good, with just a bit of fettling needed. I think Dave Ellis made new moulds. 

 

I think your point about a 'visible' gearbox is well-made. Under 'studio' conditions, it'll be clearly seen but on a layout, at 'normal' viewing distances.............

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

It’s the Nu-Cast and partners one Tony. Two piece boiler, same for smokebox, three piece cab - and to get them all central and level. The castings are crisp enough though. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time on etched kits  lately !!

[Staffordshire]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Does anyone have any experience of Genesis kits, please? 

 

The proprietor died earlier this year, and I'm meeting his widow in a fortnight to see if I can be of any help in finding new homes for his models (many built from his kits, I'm told). This is at the request of a friend.

 

    I have had built an Original West Country Class from one of the Genesis kits.   The castings  are Pewter.

 

   With a few extra detailing parts which are readily available, it has turned out to a lovely model of 'Yeovil'.

 

   If there was another one of the West Country kits available, I would be very interested.

 

  Cheers, Ian

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

I have the very last of the late Brian Lee's locos for sale...........

 

 

Built from a Nu-Cast kit, and a smooth runner (Portescap-powered). 

 

It's unusual in the collection in being in late BR condition (Brian mainly had pre-Nationalisation stock).

 

I'm asking £150.00. Anyone interested, please PM me.

 

 

 

Hi Tony,

You have a pm...

Kind Regards,

Brian

[Tony Wright]

From time to time, I question the wisdom (or lack of it) of my painting my own models. 

 

And, here are two reasons why..........

 

 

 

 

A Nu-Cast V2 and a Pro-Scale A4 built of late by me, and painted by Ian Rathbone. Superlative painting! 

 

Now with cabs glazed, lamped-up, coal in their tenders and crews installed, I'm off to take their pictures on the layout......................

 

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Tony Wright
to add something