Jack P

That's an ingenious Idea. I'll pull the N out tonight and see how much hacking is required to get that idea to work. Alternatively, there is just a chassis on eBay, so I might pick that up if the splicing fails. Thank you for your input so far. Very helpful - please keep it up! I quickly calculated that with all of the additional parts It needs/I want, it becomes a very expensive exercise. It certainly was a very nice offer, It never ceases to amaze me how kind people can be, especially to someone on the other side of the world! I'm certainly going to be adding more LBSC and probably SECR to the collection. My modelling focus will be moving more towards the central section, which means I can run a larger range of stock. I also thought i'd share two things here - the first is the release of 3D printed models of the E5x/E6x, A member on here has been working with Tony Teague in order to get these out, to fill some of the gaps in his quest to attain the SR A-Z. Click here to check them out. I know some people have some reservations about 3D printing, but these are currently not available in kit form, so it's nice to now have the option available! I've also been talking with Fox Transfers, about the required transfers to finish off my repainted gate stock set - Click here to check them out. These are currently not available from any other supplier, so I approached Fox and they were happy to work with me to get them correct. I'm sure they will have other uses than just the gate stock set The usual disclaimer - no affiliation other than as a satisfied customer!

Probably worth posting here in case anyone else decides they want to repaint their Malachite set of 373 into a different shade (of malachite) After speaking with Fox Transfers, they now produce the 'THIRD' writing in sunshine style, which isn't currently available anywhere else - Click here The usual disclaimer - no connection other than as a satisfied customer etc.

Hi Tony, If you please, would you share how you do this? Kind regards

Just put the bits together with blu-tack! The castings are very good quality!

As if I needed another kit to go on with before finishing either of the ones I have already, but thanks to another member on here, I now (FINALLY) have an LBSC K class kit! It's an old Keyser kit, and is mostly complete, the main thing missing is the Maunsell pattern cab, which is an issue because the original Brighton cab won't suit the period I model - no worries though, I did think about either scratch-building or 3D printing. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I will be ordering a few detail bits from Markits, as well as new wheels. I've fitted everything together here with blu-tack, and it all seems to go together well. Very impressed with the quality of the castings, the boiler is very nice and so is the footplate assembly. I spent a little time last night on getting the dome and chimney fitting nicely. This is probably all that will happen for the time being with this, I want to get the N15x well underway before I move on to anything else. I have placed an order for some SR pattern brake shoes and Whitemetal springs, along with whitemetal solder, these should see some serious progress. I need to look into what motor/gearbox options would suit both the N15x, and the K. As per usual, any suggestions, let me know!

Tony, Again, a fantastic line up of locos. As for the KA's AFAIK there are the following variations; Maunsell cab - 8 wheel Urie Tender Maunsell cab - 6 wheel Maunsell Tender Urie Cab - 8 wheel Urie Tender Urie Cab - 8 wheel Drummond Watercart Tender Then there's the ones converted for oil burning.. but it depends how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go!

I think to sum it up, the loco is now correct - except that the tender frames are incorrect for the slope sided tender. Chris KT is right in that I put a 4000gal body on the 3500gal frames. This means I need to replace the chassis of the tender for it to be finally correct! Thanks to Wickham Green and Chris KT for helping me get it right though. Dave, John, and Jrg1, Thank you for your kind words. So very satisfying to watch it roll with no issues (so far). As for spring details, Dave, if I was cutting the frames out from brass I would definitely include them - What do you use to cut them when you do this? If I can't find springs, I'll either look at making them from scrap brass, or maybe pass on them for now. As for the compensation, I suppose if the chassis rolls freely then you're right, there's no need. I guess I just thought maybe it would be a requirement, as even the diminutive B4 has a compensated front axle. If there are any track holding problems i'll address it, however with that massive whitemetal body - I doubt it.

I was under the impression that someone in this thread had contacted Hornby, and 'due to tooling' or something like that, they wouldn't be producing any lined ones.

Fantastic as always mate!

Not the same side profile i'm after i'm afraid. There'a a decent photo in Roger Griffiths 'Southern Sheds in Camera', have also checked, Paul Bolgers book on SR MPD's and Southern Steam on shed by tony Fairclough and Alan Wills, sadly nothing suits what i'm after.

Would seem silly to knock it back, it's an existing tooling after all, but I suppose you never know..

Ah, I have a feeling that the photo is a bit dark, but I can confirm that the tender the model has is one of the slope sided ones, If this is still wrong let me know and I will endeavor to correct it! Thank for your input so far though, I would rather be told it's wrong, and get it right, than have people tell me it looks ok, when it's wrong! I need to figure out where the motor will be mounted, rear or middle axle and then I can decide on compensation from there, even just a little bit would be better than nothing! Thanks for the book suggestion! A sooner than expected update on the N15x, I received the chisel tip soldering iron tips I'd been waiting for, so I soldered the bearings to the frames (which I realise now will make compensation that much harder), and fitted the turned Markits frame spacers, although the screws don't sit flush, the holes in the frames need to be shaped before final assembly. Of course having got this far, I took the opportunity to fit up the wheels, and crank-pins, as well as the coupling rods to make sure that the chassis was square. Overwhelming elation followed, when it proved that with the slightest touch it would roll away freely. Of course I couldn't help going a step further and posing some of the body pieces with the chassis, and with the aid of some Blu-Tack.. Please excuse the wonky footplate, of course none of this is final, and I still need to wait for the whitemetal solder before work on the body can begin in earnest, but this is exciting progress, well, for me it is anyway!

Haha, his advice was that 1408 was LHD not RHD as depicted here, I must be getting very confused about what examples ran with what, where there any RHD ones that start with 140x that ran with these tenders? Chris's advice wasn't bad, I just wasn't specific enough!

Hello collective Southern mind, I am looking for a side profile of Brighton shed, ideally showing ground level right up to the roof profile. It can be in the background of the shot if it's clear enough, or if anyone has any drawings that would be appreciated also. I have done my usual trawling and have come up with slim pickings, A PM or reply here would be much appreciated Kind regards

Thank you for your kind words! I'm sure there are white-metal loco springs available, but your idea of using BA screws for the centre springs is a great idea! I was also thinking of adding compensation, however I'm not really sure how I could go about it, there's no provision in the side-frames for hornblocks, I suppose I could cut the space out and fit them - I need to read through DLT's thread again, but if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

With thanks to Nick Holiday, and credit to the original publisher, I now have this drawing of an N15x A very helpful drawing indeed, a small detail i'd missed was that the footplate at the cab end does not line up with the tender, which I thought it did. I also though (foolishly) that the tender would've retained the curly hand brake, but after seeing a few other detail photos, I see that they actually had a standard one. Now for some notes on the prototype i've chosen (which I must add, are courtesy of the HMRS Stewards, specifically John H, who is the Southern Specific Steward) ; (3)2331 'Beattie' Went for a general 8-9/44 and was painted black, It didn't gain malachite until late in 1947, towards the end of November, when it went in for its next general. I also note from the photo John sent me, which I will ask if I can post perhaps, showing (3)2331 in October of 1950, still with 'SOUTHERN' on the tender, and due to the relatively recent overhaul, just the cabside number changed with the added 3. It also shows here that it's front buffers were the SR stepped, square base type. Notes from 'British Railways Illustrated July 2000' stat that 'Beattie' also had the smoke deflector brackets added in 1947, but does not have them present in the 1950's photo - it does state that they came and went between the class members in 'bewildering fashion' - If anyone has any information to the contrary or to add, please don't hesitate to let me know. I must apologise that there hasn't been much progress with the actual kit, I am waiting on a few things to arrive before I press forward, these are primarily soldering iron tips, and whitemetal solder. Once these have arrived and i'm confident, the first job will be to tackle the boiler. I fear I shall have to lose the rivets on the smokebox in shaping and sanding it round - I think i've got the hang of the rivet transfers enough to compensate for this though. the rest of the parts fit together well, and will hopefully require minimum adjustment to go together well. I am working on the process of detailing the boiler backhead, for this purpose I've decided to follow what DLT does, and make the backhead/cab floor removable, however before I can go about adding delicate parts, the cab needs to be attached to the boiler. The other thing i'm now wanting to do is to add the springs under the loco. I just need to figure out where to get them from (if you have any suggestions - let me know!). I understand that it must seem like a lot of faffing about, I'm hoping very shortly it should all speed up - I must point out too, this is the first kit i've tackled, and I would like for it to be as right as possible, which is why i'm taking my time and doing as much research as I can. Thanks for reading, liking, commenting and giving me advice to all of you that read/lurk, it doesn't go unnoticed! - Oh, and thanks to a very kind RMWebber i've just gone and bought another kit..

Tony, Forgive me for asking here but the collective following might be able to answer for me, Which was the last LBSC K class lose it's Brighton cabs? E.g as below The usual ports of call haven't been able to answer for me, sadly.

On the advice of Chris KT, I changed the number on my N class According to Railuk (3)1405 was allocated to Stewarts Lane in 1948 at the time of nationalization, which works for me. I also received an order from Markits, I must say that dealing with Mark, the owner, was an absolute breeze from the other side of the world, postage costs were reasonable, and the order was here within a week. This is what I was most excited about, the Vacuum tank for the tender top. Here it is posed in place after being assembled, and again after it's been blackened prior to painting and fixing to the tender top 16 individual pieces in the end, (if you're including the 9 bits of wire needed). Very fiddly, but it certainly looks so much better than the whitemetal lump that came with the kit. Hopefully i've done this excellent turned brass item justice!

Thought you might be interested in this photo of an E5x, recently uploaded by Mr Mike Morant - his albums are invaluable! Click here

I used British paints satin black from a spray can - it drys quickly enough to be handled in a few hours. I stripped the lining, masked and painted it, waiting for about an hour between the two coats I did. Then went to bed, and when I woke up in the morning I cut the NEM pockets off the base plate and drilled the hole for the 3 link couplings, by then the body was dry enough to put the transfers on, there were only 8 in total, six '9's and the two 'SOUTHERN' (I haven't varnished it yet though) and honestly it helps that the model is so small.

I agree with DLT, that K10 looks fantastic,and very much at home. Exciting news about the E5x! Did you consider getting it in the more finely printed detail option? Looking forward to see it progressing

Hey guys, On the hunt for a T14kit, either whitemetal, Keyser/Nu-cast, or etched brass. Partially complete, parts missing etc, let me know what you've got! Kind regards

I know it's purely speculation at this point, but what do we think the price will be? Based on recent releases I'm thinking around £120 - thoughts?

I hate to sound like i'm bragging, but doing something like that is actually very quick, only because it's such a simple livery!

Thank you, I'm glad you like it!