30368

Spot on John. The reasons given for the U1 rejection are that they were not much more powerful than the 2 cylinder engines but, and I suspect that this is the real reason, the reluctance of footplate crew to prepare an engine with an inside cylinder, all that oil and filth, when you could keep relatively clean with a "U". Kind regards, Richard B PS Phil - nice picture of a U1 on an "ex LNER" duty....

Agree Ian. The 275GTB was the very first Ferrari road car that I spotted back in 1965 or so. The Maserati 4200 Coupe was loosely modelled on the 275. The cars in the background are, I think, and reading left to right: Ferrari 365 Daytona, a modified 308 GTB, Ferrari 330GTC Spyder. I can't see enough of the RH car to decide which V12 Ferrari it is. Kind regards, Richard B

Interesting project video not, I assume, produced by the same people that produced Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat? So, assuming it is not, then what does the UK rather than Anglo American get out of it? One would hope that we would learn from North Sea Oil and insist on the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund for the benefit of all the British People? Norway has shown the way. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks so much for the images, much appreciated. Kind regards, Richard B

Really nice work Mick. Lining looks really good, transfers or pen? I have never mastered the pen and always use transfers. LIke your approach of pointing out your little mistakes, I'm a firm believer in a "warts and all" approach to posting on this website. We all suffer from cock-ups and it is healthy to point them out. I suspect many potential loco builders are put off by the apparent "perfect models" that some seem to produce. Can't help with the etch I'm afraid. Kind regards, Richard B

All the Alan Gibson wheels are now assembled and fitted to the frames. Gearbox assembled and fitted. Motor is a Mashima 14X26 motor purchased many years ago. Once the motor is in and the pick-ups fitted it should not take too long to complete the chassis. With the original WC the valve gear is very simple. Kind regards, Richard B

The setting sun (now there is a novelty this summer) and the orientation of my layout sometimes presents an opportunity for a pleasant snapshot or two. So a series of images from 70D shed yard. I must paint the walls white! These images remind me of the time spent on the grassy bank as a youngster watching the engines and indeed the shed going about its business. H15's and 30368 to the fore. PS The fitters will have to sort out 30475s tender wheel.... Kind regards, Richard B

46245 looks very, very good. Lovely job, she had a nice turn of speed on the ECML when she pulled my Dad, me and my brother up to Doncaster and back in June 1963. Effortless, or so it seemed. Many said she did the ton on Stoke Bank but who knows. Kind regards, Richard B

It looks fine, indeed a Buxton Autumn would have snow on the ground..... Kind regards, Richard B

Had some time today to sort out the cylinders, piston rods and slidebars. The result is looking accurate to drawing and has been constructed from leftover kit etches and scratch building. Using Alan Gibson wheels will create a bit of a fiddle with the leading axle wheels since the slide bar gets in the way of fitment but this can be solved. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Phil, Yes a very useful suggestion although the 1 thou brass sheet I have is very close to foil. I will have a shot at the brass approach and if this don't work I will give foil a go although we get through a fair bit of cooking foil for cooking....baked potatoes - with the right filling just delicious. My goodness I'm starving now. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks John, you are correct. Re the body, perhaps my memory is flawed and it is a slightly later body? I did though add a lot of detail to it it has though been around for ever, or so it seems. Kind regards, Richard B

I have decided that there is time before I return to building my 70D layout for one more, rather special project. Way back in the late 1960's my late brother and I bought a Triang "Winston Churchill" 4-6-2. I still lived with my parents then so it never ran on a layout. It became damaged loosing half its cab. Some time in the 1990, or perhaps the 1980s, I bought a detailing kit for a WC/BB pacific which consisted mostly of whitemetal casting and a few etches. I reapired the cab with plasticard and fitted the detailing kit and then "weathered" the result. It was then put in a box and forgotten about. Bringing up a family was much more important. When my model railway interest re-ignited some time in the 20 "noughties" the battered old model was put in another box together with any old bits that I thought might help me one day to rebuild the thing. The bits included a Comet chassis etch and some wheels and a Branchlines motor and gearbox. More bits have been thrown in the box most of which I have no idea of the original maker of the etch or casting. So.... I am now going to resurrect this tired old model and build a new chassis for it. I also plan to have a go at covering the loco body with very thin brass sheet to replicate how the original WC/BB really looked in service. I know that this has been done before but I can't recall who it was that did so. Some pictures of what will become "Watersmeet" 34030. It's rather gruesome... Some of the assorted bits, chassis coming along fine. Kind regards, Richard B

No offence meant Ian - I am a very fit and healthy 75 so I guess I was looking at things from my "prism". Good luck with whatever you choose to do. Kind regards, Richard B

Next, and probably the last for a while, dug out is the C2X, a rare Brighton product on the SW Division and unlikely to have appeared on 70D. You never know though. This was built by me from one of the very early Nu-Cast Partners re-engineered kits. It was very easy to assemble and benefitted from a fair bit of scratch built additions. I think that the SEF/Branchlines partnership are doing a great job for our hobby. The C2X needed some work. I had to add an additional pick-up assembly to the top of the chassis, something I did not do orginally because I thought it might detract from the under boiler "view". The pickups fitted under the chassis were poor although I left them in place, belt and braces. If I was building this now I would have added tender pickups too. The C2X was duel fitted (air/vacuum) so lots of additional pipework everywhere! Also all those high level lamp/board brackets on the front of the running plate. Builds into a good representation of the prototype and now runs very well. Apart from H15's I also have an SR 0-6-0 habit too..... Kind regards, Richard B

How old are you Ian? Do you have enough time to start again? A big step that needs careful research - fortunately plenty of good advice is available here. I really admire your layout - the scenery look very familiar to a Buxton dweller! Kind regards, Richard B

I have dug out my Maunsell "Q" class 0-6-0 built from an SEF body and chassis kit. LIke the "U" class, it had not run for years but did stagger up the line at first asking. It is very low geared so it always seems to be creeping along. Cleaned up the wheels and did not much else. The SR version of the Midland/LMS 4F ? My goodness is that an advertising hoarding I see? End of the scenic part of the layout all too obvious! I have either built or purchased a model of most SR(BR) 0-6-0 tender loco's (I still need to build my Branchlines O1 kit) so I thought I might do a little feature on them rather like the H15 piece. Kind regards, Richard B

Really good job Mick and I always think that if you paint and line them too, even better. Keep up the good work, Richard B

Hi DLT, I built the T9 a long time ago but given that I cannot recall any real issues with the build. You are correct, if I was going to built the T9 now I would go for Highlevel kit. A good kit for its time I would say. Kind regards, Richard B

Lovely work Michael. 30335 is perhaps my favourite. Building that huge Drummond tender was a challenge, the tender footplate needs a large flare for it to match the loco as you suggest. The tender was originally fitted to one of his "double singles" a 4-2-2-0 which didn't really work, just like all his 4-6-0's. Having said that I am really tempted to build a model of 335 as originally built. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi John, All the best with the move - a big step but I am sure all will go well. I look forward to following you telling us about the building of your new layout. Kind regards, Richard B

Sorry I took so long John! Give me a shout if you need more info, I would never class myself as an expert but I have researched the subject to build as accurate a model as possible. Kind regards, Richard

Yesterday I met up with Phil (Mallard60022) at Doncaster to hand over his SR version of the H15 4-6-0 that I had finished off for him (Valvegear, detail, paint, weather etc) in exchange for a PDK 700 kit - built earlier. We had a good chat over coffee and filled rolls or something. One thing we discussed was the variation in H15 types which gave me the idea to present:- My Illustrated Simple Guide to the LSWR/SR H15 4-6-0. 1. The Original Urie H15 often known as the "Chonker" - dating from December 1913, my example, 30489 was built in May 1914. Model built by Paul at PDK for me some years ago thus igniting my latent H15 "Habit" 2. Urie "re-build" of Drummond E14 4-6-0 30335. This locomotive was yet another 4 cylinder Drummond disaster rebuilt by Urie in November 1914. A PDK Loco kit built by me, the tender is scratch built it being a unique Drummond watercart of 5000 gal. capacity. Whilst this loco looks very much like the original "Chonker" it differs in that the spacing between driving and trailing wheel is increased by 6" to accomodate the re-used Drummond boiler which had a long shallow firebox. The PDK frames usefully allow for either wheelbase. Whoops! just spotted the tender wheel off. 3. The Maunsell SR version of the H15. A further 10 H15s were built by the SR starting with 30473/4 in February 1924. These had a Urie tapered boiler. My example was built by me from a DJH kit. These versions had the same wheelbase as the original Urie version and mostly had the smaller version of the Urie bogie tender. 4. Urie re-build of the Drummond F13 4-6-0, which, as you may have guessed, didnt work. All five were rebuilt starting with 330 in October 1924. They resembled the SR version of the H15, having a strait running plate, but note also the extended wheelbase as number 335 since they also retained the Drummond boiler. Paul at PDK built the body of 30333 and I built the chassis from a PDK kit. Tender type varies, this is a Drummond watercart with an extended coal rail, 30333 later had a Urie bogie tender and the chimney was also changed in the early 1950's. 5. Last but not least 30491. This was an orginal Urie H15 but in 1927 it was fitted with an N15 taper boiler to create a spare parallel boiler for the other nine members of the class to reduce works downtime. My model utilizes a chassis built by Paul at PDK but I built the body from a PDK kit and a spare SEF N15 boiler (Just like the prototype!). The tender was built from an SEF Urie bogie tender kit but because 491 was paired with a 5000 gall version (as was 30489 above) I had to extend the body with brass sheet. And there you have it, for such a small class (26) large variation to suit an obsessed engine builder like me! Kind regards, Richard B

Phil, A pleasure - I do have an H15 habit I'm afraid, I have five, one example of every significant variation as I was explaining to you at Donny earlier today until your eyes glazed over... I should also register my thanks for the unwanted PDK 700 kit which is now 30368 and in it's usual habitat - 70D. See you soon mate. Kind regards, Richard

Next for a 70D Shed Foreman inspection is T9 30705, allocated to Basingstoke from 1951 until 1956. It is a Westward kit, one of the first I purchased (1990's) and built well before the Hornby T9 was available. It didn't need much work, just a clean but I will connect the motor to the tender pickups next time she is stopped for examination. She pulls 3/4 coaches well but starts to struggle with 5. Very small open frame motor, that is all I could fit. As you probably spotted, the tender is the Hornby version, frankly the cast version was much too heavy for the motor. Just checked out my PDK D15 4-4-0, built by me around 5 years ago. Mrs B bought the kit for my 70th birthday so I was very careful with the build. Pleased to say it ran perfectly out of the box its last run would have been about 18 months ago. One of the few ex-works finish loco's that I have. In my view the best looking D. Drummond locomotive designed for the LSWR by some margine. They were very effective loco's too which is more than you can say for his 4-6-0s! Kind regards, Richard B