Hello from me!

[AngusDe]

Now that's weird....

... earlier today I was thinking about a idle trip into Edinburgh including a visit to Harburn Hobbies, but thought to myself, "I'll only end up buying a few of their N gauge LGW peco wagons and there is no point without a class 17 to pull them...." Having sat down at the PC for first time in days I'm now worried they might sell out before I get another chance!

Another Clayton inspired dream layout of mine would be a 1970ish Polmadie, with rows of 17s on shed...

Reading down the spec of the model, I was thinking, this is going to be expensive, but when I got to the bottom and saw the prices I was pleasantly surprised!

Great news and I wish you every success!

Angus

[AngusDe]

A quick thought on the powered/dummy Clayton pairs and slightly tongue in cheek.

 

16 wheel pick up across both units would give uber reliable running the prototype could only dream of...

 

Angus

 

[Les1952]

Great start- I'll be up for at least one Clayton and several J94s, especially if you do some of the later BR mods.

 

A couple of points on the J94 CAD, which is mainly fantastically excellent.  I assume it was laser scanned from a preserved one, which would account for a couple of differences from the real thing!

 

1.  Lose the vacuum brakes and the brake ejector pipe from along the boiler .  NO British Railways J94 ever had either a vacuum ejector or screw couplings (unless some C&HP locos got screw couplers locally).

2.  The reverser rod should be straight, not that delicate post-preservation curve.

3. The Y-shaped thingy above the footplate (shown in brown on the CAD) is also post preservation.

4.  The lubricator box on the left-hand footplate is post-preservation- not present on BR locos

5.  I'm not sure about the light brown rodding below the reverser rod- needs checking against some good clear BR pics to see if it was there or not.

 

I assume you've spotted 6 and 7 already, but repeated here anyway

6. The two LNER liveried ones were khaki- not repainted black until 1949 (8043) and either 1948 or 1950 (8064).  It also looks as if 8023 had shaded letters and 8064 unshaded.....

7. Gorton repaints (68068) had the number on the bunker, which makes 68068 different from 68061 with the number on the tankside.

8.  Lastly I assume you've noticed that 68061 has an addition diagonal handrail on the tankside, and an extra footstep on the tank.  I note you've not chosen any so far with the third set of steps up to the footplate.

 

One other thing to check is the triangular gusset between the buffer beam and the frame- BR locos only had one, but quite a few preserved locos, and later-built industrial ones had a second strengthening gusset here.

Note also that some WD 0-6-0STs built for industry did not have the same wheel centres as those built during the war- a possible future "catch-out"

 

Hope this all helps. 

Best of luck- the 484 locos of this class are a bigger minefield that the A3.

 

Les

who misspent a lot of his teens watching 68011/42/47/51 shunt Grieveson & Whitwell's coal drops at Faverdale while waiting for the bus to school.....

[luke_stevens]

A quick thought on the powered/dummy Clayton pairs and slightly tongue in cheek.

 

16 wheel pick up across both units would give uber reliable running the prototype could only dream of...

 

Angus

 

 

Unless they produce a dummy/dummy Clayton pair 

 

Luke

[Roy L S]

Unless they produce a dummy/dummy Clayton pair 

 

Luke

Perfect for depicting rescue by a B1 or similar!

[AngryMeerkat]

Dave, I admired your work at your previous company, I believe it set the standard which many should aim to achieve.

 

Seeing you now go it alone, with the attitude you bring and the fact you are walking the walk, gives me faith in the future of our hobby and the people that supply our modelling whims and desires!!

 

I genuinely wish you the very best of luck with your new venture.

 

Mark

[Crepello]

Just entered DJ Models into my Bing search bar and there are some delightful models there; not exactly the Baby Deltic CAD that I was looking for though!

[DJM Dave]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for your wonderful support and encouragement, it means a great deal to me.

 

Can I clarify a few things to clear up 1 or 2 questions that have arisen over the last 24 hours, on here, another forum and in the flesh at Leamington.

 

1) All locomotives in all gauges will be DCC ready.

2) I am asking for orders on the website in a week or so, I am NOT asking for any money, deposit or payment of any kind until the item is made, in the UK, tested and ready for dispatch. Only then will you be contacted to ask if you still wish to proceed and asked for payment. Dispatch you the customer will then be directly from a well known shipper of such items.

3) Terms and conditions , which aren't onerous and will not affect any consumer statutory rights will added to the website in a few days.

4) No O gauge loco will have close coupling mechanisms and this is a mistake on my behalf, sorry.

5) The OO gauge J94 will not have close coupling but will have a facility within the bunker for a speaker.

6) The OO gauge J94 has all my money ploughed into it from my house (putting my money where my big mouth is) and as such all other projects will be after it until I have a return on my investment. However if orders come through and mount up for the others announced then I will almost certainly approach my friendly bank manager (cap in hand, Oliver style) and ask for more to progress them. Otherwise they will certainly come along and be developed as funds dictate.

7) My warranty will be the same or better for my products as the best warranty currently available.

8) Yes I am happy I started the business.

9) Yes it's been a great weekend. ( do I ask to attend Telford or Leamington next year? :-) ).

10) If you've got this far you have my admiration and apologies for ruining your eyesight reading this missive. :-)

Cheers

Dave

[jwd]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for your wonderful support and encouragement, it means a great deal to me.

 

Can I clarify a few things to clear up 1 or 2 questions that have arisen over the last 24 hours, on here, another forum and in the flesh at Leamington.

 

1) All locomotives in all gauges will be DCC ready.

2) I am asking for orders on the website in a week or so, I am NOT asking for any money, deposit or payment of any kind until the item is made, in the UK, tested and ready for dispatch. Only then will you be contacted to ask if you still wish to proceed and asked for payment. Dispatch you the customer will then be directly from a well known shipper of such items.

3) Terms and conditions , which aren't onerous and will not affect any consumer statutory rights will added to the website in a few days.

4) No O gauge loco will have close coupling mechanisms and this is a mistake on my behalf, sorry.

5) The OO gauge J94 will not have close coupling but will have a facility within the bunker for a speaker.

6) The OO gauge J94 has all my money ploughed into it from my house (putting my money where my big mouth is) and as such all other projects will be after it until I have a return on my investment. However if orders come through and mount up for the others announced then I will almost certainly approach my friendly bank manager (cap in hand, Oliver style) and ask for more to progress them. Otherwise they will certainly come along and be developed as funds dictate.

7) My warranty will be the same or better for my products as the best warranty currently available.

8) Yes I am happy I started the business.

9) Yes it's been a great weekend. ( do I ask to attend Telford or Leamington next year? :-) ).

10) If you've got this far you have my admiration and apologies for ruining your eyesight reading this missive. :-)

Cheers

Dave

 

 

Re. no 6 above - You've very brave, hope all goes well, anything GWR OO including some decent pre-war coaches and you might as well send me a direct debit form!!

 

Good luck

[DLPG]

Dave,

 

Look forward to the new J94. A Q6 or a J27 would be nice if you get round to it

[7013]

Excellent news Dave and a welcomed addition to the establishment. I am chiefly an OO DCC operator. I noticed in your item on MREMAG you mention high quality coreless motors. I always thought that coreless motors and DCC made for uncomfortable soul mates. If this is so how do you intend to overcome the problem?

[queensquare]

. I always thought that coreless motors and DCC made for uncomfortable soul mates. If this is so how do you intend to overcome the problem?

 

Not sure where you got that notion from but the combination of a coreless motor and a quality chip can give superb running. 

 

Jerry

[7013]

Thanks Jerry for the correction, my misunderstanding, 

From little acorns, it looks as if we are going to have a manufacturer who truly understands what the modeller wants/needs. Dave has always been at the forefront of customer involvement and satisfaction, this venture takes those two commodities to a new level. It is to be hoped that the model railway fraternity get behind Dave's venture.

My one hope is that there is an even spread between the gauges, I do not model O or N and would welcome more OO. Obviously the catalogue for this scale is a little thinner than the others, but that said there is still huge scope for various models. 

I have no wish to start a wish list that will come soon anyway with everyones personal favourites being asked for. But I would like to point out that nobody makes a RTR 18000 'Kerosine Castle' in any gauge, and it is at Didcot screaming to be scanned.

[James]

I see from your 'about' page in 1982 you won the inaugural ‘Prime Ministers Cup’ as the best under 18 modeller in the country. Can you tell us a bit more about that competition and award, its not one I'm familiar with.

Google seem unfamiliar with it too.

[James]

Not sure where you got that notion from but the combination of a coreless motor and a quality chip can give superb running.

I think it comes from a vocal minority who have fried coreless motors following conversion for DCC where decoders haven't been programmed to provide a smooth power supply for the motor.

[DJM Dave]

Google seem unfamiliar with it too.

In 1982 the then incumbent prime minister ( at that time Margaret Thatcher) decided to offer a cup to encourage model making by under 18's.

 

This was a competition of under 18's producing models for a panel of judges to vote in at the International Model Exhibition, which was, at the time, held at Stoke Mandeville Stadium near Aylesbury and was the biggest 1 day model exhibition in the world.

 

Anyway, the models could be of anything, and mine was a layout and engine shed of continental outline in 1:160 scale.

 

Much to my surprise I won the first year and was presented with a shield by the late great Roy Kinnear at the show.

A few weeks later I was formally presented with the cup by Mrs Thatcher herself in the Blue room of No.10 Downing Street with my parents and then girlfriend present. The layout was also taken into No.10 and set up for the PM to view.

The press were present and afterwards I was sent a pack of A4 photographs of the presentation and the PM's list of engagements for the day (which featured my name on) as a keepsake.

 

After the presentation Mrs Thatcher then insisted we were all given a guided tour of No.10 (all rooms except private residence) by Ian Murray, who I believe, was her press secretary at the time.

This included full access to the cabinet meeting room and permission to go "past the columns" which is usually a 'no go' and walk round the cabinet table.

 

The trophy was awarded yearly since then I believe, until the show finished in the late 90's, having moved to RAF Halton and getting much bigger.

 

Hope this helps

Cheers

Dave

[James]

That explains it very well, thank you

[richard brown]

Good luck. This have been a good read and it is good to see a company which is putting it customer at the heart on it. I wish you all tge best.

 

Richard

[mallardsp126]

Christ Dave you really are putting your money where your mouth is I doff my cap to you for your bravery in this venture as I have already said in a email to your address on the web site I have no doubt that you are going to have every success in this endeavour so lookout everyone else there is a new and exiting manufacturing modeller on the block who is going to make you sit up and take notice .

 

With regards to any suggestions for future models there are plenty of steamers to go at that should be good sellers diesels on the other hand could be a bit more difficult as by the nature of them there are fewer types to choose from.

 

if in the future you decide to do some tender locos in ngauge will the motor you use be the coreless on in the loco this would then leave room for a speaker in the tender negating the need to permanently couple a coach/wagon to the loco to house a speaker as one has to now for any of the tender drive models currently available .

 

live up to the standards you are quoting and things will take of for you

as already stated one customer already in the pipeline

good luck

Geoff     

[Swifty11]

Hi Dave, good luck going solo! Any modern image stuff coming? I'd love some OTP (or a half decent 142 pacer/156!)

 

I'll take a look on to the website!

[HSTFAN13]

Hi Dave, good luck going solo! Any modern image stuff coming? I'd love some OTP (or a half decent pacer/156!)

 

I'll take a look on to the website!

 

Do you mean a 142 pacer ?

As realtrack Is making a 143/144 pacer

Sorry for going OT

HSTFAN13

[Swifty11]

Do you mean a 142 pacer ?

As realtrack Is making a 143/144 pacer

Sorry for going OT

HSTFAN13

Yes I did, well, when the 143/143 eventually arrive. I'll edit my post

[tomparryharry]

Great start- I'll be up for at least one Clayton and several J94s, especially if you do some of the later BR mods.

 

A couple of points on the J94 CAD, which is mainly fantastically excellent.  I assume it was laser scanned from a preserved one, which would account for a couple of differences from the real thing!

 

1.  Lose the vacuum brakes and the brake ejector pipe from along the boiler .  NO British Railways J94 ever had either a vacuum ejector or screw couplings (unless some C&HP locos got screw couplers locally).

2.  The reverser rod should be straight, not that delicate post-preservation curve.

3. The Y-shaped thingy above the footplate (shown in brown on the CAD) is also post preservation.

4.  The lubricator box on the left-hand footplate is post-preservation- not present on BR locos

 

 

5.  I'm not sure about the light brown rodding below the reverser rod- needs checking against some good clear BR pics to see if it was there or not.

 

I assume you've spotted 6 and 7 already, but repeated here anyway

6. The two LNER liveried ones were khaki- not repainted black until 1949 (8043) and either 1948 or 1950 (8064).  It also looks as if 8023 had shaded letters and 8064 unshaded.....

7. Gorton repaints (68068) had the number on the bunker, which makes 68068 different from 68061 with the number on the tankside.

8.  Lastly I assume you've noticed that 68061 has an addition diagonal handrail on the tankside, and an extra footstep on the tank.  I note you've not chosen any so far with the third set of steps up to the footplate.

 

One other thing to check is the triangular gusset between the buffer beam and the frame- BR locos only had one, but quite a few preserved locos, and later-built industrial ones had a second strengthening gusset here.

Note also that some WD 0-6-0STs built for industry did not have the same wheel centres as those built during the war- a possible future "catch-out"

 

Hope this all helps. 

Best of luck- the 484 locos of this class are a bigger minefield that the A3.

 

Les

who misspent a lot of his teens watching 68011/42/47/51 shunt Grieveson & Whitwell's coal drops at Faverdale while waiting for the bus to school.....

If you'd been on the footplate of an 18" Hunslet/Austerity/J94 then you will know what the light brown rodding is for. Its the operating rod for the cylinder drain cocks. They've all got one, even the BR versions. To get a reversing rod to describe that arc, means it needed to clear another piece of kit, and is not necessarily a post preservation add-on.

 

As for the preservation add ons, then I suggest we wait until we see the model in the flesh.

 

I've got some faith in Mr. Jones; He's one of the very few businesses that's liable to engage the buying public (us) at this level. As a USP, that goes a long way further than the other producers.

 

Regards,

Ian

[tomparryharry]

Sorry Les, but I've just re-read your post again.

 

As far as I know, the different wheel centres refers to the 50550 class of 18" Hunslets. These pre-dated the Austerities by a couple of years, and ended up in places like Corby Steelworks. Very similar to the WD austerity, and an easy mistake to make.

 

It is a catch out, as the classes are very similar. The WD contract was very clearly written, to achieve changeability between parts produced by different locomotive builders.

 

Ian

[Les1952]

Sorry Les, but I've just re-read your post again.

 

As far as I know, the different wheel centres refers to the 50550 class of 18" Hunslets. These pre-dated the Austerities by a couple of years, and ended up in places like Corby Steelworks. Very similar to the WD austerity, and an easy mistake to make.

 

It is a catch out, as the classes are very similar. The WD contract was very clearly written, to achieve changeability between parts produced by different locomotive builders.

 

Ian

 

 

I've spent a lot of time riding "J94"s over the years, first illicit rides on the Darlington allocation, then on various NCB locos.

 

I'm glad the cylinder drain rod is a genuine piece of kit- I'd never noticed it before, which is why I queried it. 

 

The oddly shaped reverser rod appears to have something to do with the Hunslet Gas Producer System, and would be that shape to clear air holes in the side of the firebox.  Not post-preservation but a late 1950s modification to new-builds then to converted locos.  The scanned loco probably also had a flowerpot chimney at some stage in its life, or there has been some parts exchange with a Gas Producer loco at some stage in its history.

 

If I recall correctly, those "WD" locos made postwar by Yorkshire Engione Co for United Steel (eight in total) and by Stephenson & Hawthorn (two locos) were the ones with different wheels- The Yorkshires also had a different number of spokes.  Postwar Hunslets continued with the wartime wheel shape.  Fortunately those with original wheels account for all but 10 of the class.

 

The 50550 class also had smaller wheels and frames that didn't slope up to the bufferbeam, to allow for dumb buffers.  That and a slope-back bunker as built- I think one later got a square bunker but wouldn't swear to it.  Classic is an article a number of years ago in Model Rail where an "industrial" WD is built and described at great length, but has 50550-class frames and bunker!

 

All the very best

Les

 

PS  I have a very great deal of faith in Dave, having known him for quite a few years, and seen at first hand his attention to detail!