coronach

Thank you for this advice. I have dissembled the chassis and mounted the motor so that it drives the front axle with the motor forward in the boiler. I am much happier with this arrangement - not much fettling of the boiler needed. As you say, the loco is front heavy and I can fill the firebox with lead to balance the loco.

Winter is a good time to start construction of a new loco kit and so I dug out the DJH D20 from the loft and commenced work. I have already built one DJH white metal kit of a NBR J35, which went together well with low melt solder. This time, instead, I have decided to use adhesive wherever I can. This avoids the risk of inadvertant meltdown! I have used Canopy Glaze glue quite extensively in constructing buildings and accessories and found it to be very effective in attaching metal, plastic and wooden components. It is much easier to use than Araldyte - t dries quickly and the joints seem to be good and strong. Hopefully it will ensure over time Below is progress as of this weekend. I cheated and bought a ready made motor and gear set - it runs very sweetly. I mounted the motor to drive on the front driver, which means that the gearbox protrudes into the cab, which is a shame. I might see if I can turn it around. Most of the castings are good quality however the chimney is a little disappointing. I would like to replace the boiler fittings with turned brass items if i can find a supplier - any ideas anyone ?

. We have connecting rods ! In the background is Mrs Coronach, embarking on a cable knitting project - much more complicated than assembling a loco kit !

Genesis of an ex NER D20, which would have arrived on the line via the Border County route from Hexham. This is a white metal DJH kit so it will have plenty of inbuilt weight to assist with adhesion. So far, it I proving to be an easy build. I have decided to construct the whitemetal body using Delux Glue 'n' Glaze adhesive to avoid the risk of damaging parts with a soldering iron. This glue is very easy to use, dries clear and is very strong. Hopefully it will stand the test of time. The only casualty - so far - is one broken brass crank pin, however the kit includes two spares :-)

Fantastic!

I decided to have a go at weathering my Hornby K1 (whilst listening to 'Railways Recalled by Peter Handford). The loco has been renumbered to 62011, an ex Fort William loco transferred to the NE in 1962 after the diesels took over in Scotland. Here are some cruel close up shots.....

How about Hornby expanding into plastic coach kits. Dapol have done this with some very basic LMS coaches. There might be a demand for some high quality plastic mouldings for panelled stock eg Gresleys

Good point . I wondered how long it would take you to spot that lol.

Mine's done and ready to run :-).

Happy new year to my fellow enthusiasts, and happy modelling in 2019. Here's to Hornby announcing a 00 gauge D34 'Glen' in 2019.... Cheers

The detail on the J36 is superb... Weathering the model makes it much more visible . I particularly like the sander control rods.

65316 coaled and ready for traffic...

Here is the track plan - previously postedCOL1STSOUTH01_20110407_130326.pdf

65316 it is - on one side anyway !!

In situ......

Progress with the accommodation bridge today....

Any suggestions as to which J36s were allocated to Hawick in the early 1960s would be appreciated.

A Hornby J36 arrived on the line this week. Needs a bit of weathering and will be renumbered! It is great listening to Peter Handford recordings of these locos on 'Railways to Riccarton'

And I couldn't resist running a train ....... Or two......

A small project for Christmas

A couple more pics from yesterday. One is of the 'spare fiddle yard' - a shelf containing cassettes full of trains that do not all fit on the fiddle yard

A wider view of the railway

Another view of the building

Freight ops through Slitrigg this morning..... You might notice that the station building has been refurbished. The original stonework had become detached from the foamboard carcass and has been replaced with a rendered stone effect - much better.