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Not much done today. Mrs B and I went for a long walk on Stanton Moor located between the Wye and Derwent valley's in Derbyshire - it has a number of standing stones from Bronze Age settlements. Plunger pickup housings fitted to leading and trailing drivers - not room on centre driver so I will use a wiper pickup. Brake gear brackets soldered under cab. Kind regards, Richard B

Whilst not an LNER modeller really just an admirer, I suspect that you can never have too many A1/A3/A10 Gresley 4-6-2s. What grace and pace! Kind regards, Richard B

I look forward to a picture or two of the K2 and thanks for the pictures of all the other test builds. I have always liked the look of the J6. The original T14 kit appears occasionally for sale in part or unbuilt form but to date I am always too late to purchase. I have spoken to Dave Ellis too, and he suggests that the T14 moulds are too worn to produce anything that would meet current expectations so it would need significant re-engineering. Crowdfunding anyone? I would chip in for sure. Sorry to attempt a Southern takover of a mainly LNER thread! My C2X build of 2018. Thanks for such a informative and inspirational thread Tony. Kind regards, Richard B

Afternoon Tony, Thats good news - Nu-Cast Partners are doing a really good job for our hobby dusting down and updating the extensive Nu-Cast range. I have built their C2X 0-6-0 and am very happy with the results. I have built a London Road Models K2 (Scottish Cab Version) so I might have a go at one of these and build it with the GN cab. This gives me another opportunity to ask Nu-Cast Partners for the Drummond/Urie T14 4-6-0 kit to be made available but I understand it needs a lot of work. Kind regards, Richard B

Back to the chassis, in particular the bogie. The bogie is made up of three layers of etches, the main frame, the springs and hornguides and lastly the compensation beam. The picture was taken before I cleaned up the etches. Some lovely detail work on the etches. The bogie crossmember fits into a slot in the sideframe - square and ready to solder. Using a broach to open up the axle holes in the two sideframes. Having completed the sideframes you have two further etches to solder to the frame and then to each other. It pays to think about a soldering sequence to avoid unsoldering the work you have already completed. The hair clips both locate and act as a heat sink to control heat distribution. The camera flash kicked in so a bit overexposed - completed bogie prior to clean up. And fitted to the chassis. You will note that I have changed the motor and gearbox to reduce the visability of these components which are very visable due to the B9's high pitched boiler. The DJH motor/gearbox will be used on the E4 0-6-2T. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks Michael. Point noted and the bands will be reduced before painting. If the livery included lined bands I would have tried using the lining transfer only. I have also used plasticard which is thinner, as you can see. Boiler and firebox is complete less fittings which I won't fit until boiler soldered to running plate and cab. Now that I have bogie wheelsets I will move back to the chassis. 61475 poses on Basingstoke's turntable. Kind regards, Richard B

Smokebox wrapper (excellent rivet detail) and smokebox front together with smokebox rear saddle all soldered together. The wrapper needs careful bending - I used my copper pipe again - but is very springy down to, I suspect the rivet detail. I soldered the wrapper to the boiler end of the smokebox first and then soldered the smokebox front to the wrapper progressing from the top. Images show the boiler temp fit to running plate. Firemans side. Drivers side Kind regards, Richard B

Busy on other things this week but some progress with firebox/boiler - now joined together. I should add that interface btween them still requires more work. Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks. I am building an LSWR (BR -SR) themed layout based on 70D shed so probably not although the odd ex GCR loco did visit - 04 2-8-0 from the WR and the odd D11 on Farnborough Air Show and other specials. So why not a B9? Well lots of reasons really. Nonetheless I will be running the B9 and the B7 on my layout providing they get route clearance. Kind regards, Richard B

Today's update. Fitting motor and gearbox resulted in a few changes - firstly the rear set screw doubling for tender coupling and body security changed to a nut to facilitate lifting the body off as did the filing away part of the running plate crossmembers. Started to solder boiler bands to boiler - cab front and sides soldered to running plate. All very straitforward, I still have to clean up the joints. Drivers side. Firemans side Kind regards, Richard B

Mr Thompson much abused, I'll go for the A2/3's . Big, ugly and just great! Kind regards, Richard B

Absolutely amazing work, well done. One of the finest stations in the world. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Ray, When I built my DJH A2/3 I also bought the appropriate Isinglass Drawing (4/389) which shows a sandpipe to the leading wheells and then one on each side of the centre wheels so yes three. You probably knew this anyway (plenty of photo's out their) but I thought I would confirm. Dissapointing that Hornby is not more responsive but then some UK companies are very good at the talk but not the walk... Kind regards, Richard B

Thanks all for the help on this. I have made a correct firebox and will save the first one constructed for the Q4 when available. Given that I have a B7 to build, I should be fairly skilled at GCR locomotives when the Q4 is ready Michael. We had a fair bit of snow in Buxton yesterday so I thought I would show you a corner of our back garden first thing this morning whilst I was cooking our Sunday morning fry-up! The new firebox and "The Wrong Firebox" - sounds like a new Wallace and Gromet adventure... Kind regards, Richard B

Yes, I checked out a few more ex GCR classes and yes I would have been spot on with a Q4. I am an SR modeller really and know my way around the various classes very well, clearely not the case with GCR locomotives! Thanks again. Richard

Damnation! Thanks so much for pointing out my stupidity! The only positive thing to say is that I have had some practice at brass bending! I have done just as you have said. That simplifies things I can easily make the correct piece and re-shape the firebox cladding. Blast and blast again! Thanks again Simon. Good luck with the 2mm version, very brave. Kind regards, Richard B

Agree John, lovely work on Michael's part. Brief update - working on body and firebox today since too cold to do anything outside - snow laying nicely at the moment!! Fitted the frame supports for the smokebox and securing nut (front) and screw (rear, doubles as tender coupling). Also started work on the large and wide typical GCR splashers. My approach is to measure the centre point of the splasher and of the splasher curved covering. I then fix the splasher with blu tack to a flat surface and line up the centre lines of splasher and splasher curved covering and then spot solder. The two ends can then be easily soldered to the splasher front. Very pleased with firebox. This was carefully marked out from the template supplied. The washout plug holes and safety valve/whistle holes drilled using small pilot (thanks Michael) drill. The fold lines for the first fold are on the template . I used the firebox "tubeplate" to mark the locations of the start/end of the two lower reverse curves. Using a collection of dowels again did the trick - gently bending and checking against the "tubeplate". Kind regards, Richard B

They are back already! Thanks for the photo's inspirational and they will help me a great deal. I will be modelling the same prototype but much more heavily weathered. Kind regards, Richard B

Today I mainly worked on the running plate which, rather like a Urie H15, has a "bridge" over the cylinders making construction a little more complex but in all honesty it goes together very easily except for my error! The section of the running plate running over the cylinders extends back towards the leading splasher to create a sandbox mounted on the running plate. Michael Edge very helpfully advised me not to do that but I had already done so! It is easily recoverable but a silly mistake on my part! Sorry, a poor picture. DO NOT REMOVE the section marked in red! You can see the offending parts below! All will be well. Kind regards, Richard B

Many thanks. Ah, that makes sense, in which case its a really good etch and I can't recall how much it cost but not very much. Irrespective of that, I am enjoying the mix of "kit" and scratch build. The templates make life much easier and at the end of it, hopefully, a model of one of Mr Robinson's many 4-6-0 types. He was one of the great CM&EE's, he was offered the LNER job first I think but turned it down. I wonder what a Robinson pacific would look like? Wide firebox? Kind regards, Richard B

Tony, Have read the Thompson book and a very good read it is too. Interestingly it's focus is much wider than the usual book about a CM&EE exploring Thompson's private life and the impact of his WW1 service in France on his character. Given the general low esteem in which Thompson is held by many it makes a refreshing change. It would have been difficult for anyone to follow Sir NG except perhaps Bulleid? Only kidding! Kind regards, Richard

Moving on with the boiler assembly. Surprised that the kit does not contain a firebox former but then it was very reasonably priced. It does though have a template. Using the same sheet from which the boiler was cut I marked out the firebox former taking care to get the various radii correct. The former is almousr complete, I will have to cut out clearance for motor and gearbox that mostly resides in the firebox. Note that the former is slightly smaller than the outside dimention to allow for the thickness of the sheet that will cover it. Blu tacked to the boiler. Side view That is enough for today! Kind regards, Richard B

Well that's typical! just as I start on the running plate the motor and gearbox arrives, but I'm not complaining thanks DJH. So I have changed my priorities somewhat given that I will wish to complete the chassis it seemed sensible to roll the boiler so that I could locate the motor with the minimum interference with the boiler barrel. The instructions with the kit provide a very good template for boiler and smokebox inner and firebox which should both be made with 10 thou brass sheet. I have marked the boiler centre line and boiler band locations. Spent some time ensureing that the sheet was square. I don't have a set of rollers so I use a section of copper pipe and wooden dowel. As you can see, the pipe is much smaller in diameter than the 21mm diameter of the boiler. Making sure that the sheet is parallel to the pipe (we don't require one of those GW taper boilers!) I progressively bend the sheet around the pipe applying pressure as equal as possible along the legnth of the sheet. Small steps seems to work fairly well. Ready for soldering. Soldered and ready for fettling. Doesn't look too bad! And it is mostly round! Located on the chassis in roughly the right place, dome position drilled and motor/gearbox in the picture too. Kind regards, Richard B

Whilst I wait for the motor and gearbox for the B9 I will push on to the loco body so I have cut out the running plate. I need to order bogie and tender wheels too. Will use Alan Gibson wheels. Kind regards, Richard B

I have reversed the slidebars, they now look much closer to the O4 illustration above, i.e. a wide slidebar and the crossheads fit well. Gents, have a look at the picture of 6112 on page 119 of V22 of Yeadon's Register, it suggests strongly that on this B9 the slidebar is indeed of "t" section. I agree though that most examples display a square section with a bright line due to the crosshead. I have a B7 kit to build too chaps and I promise never to use "T" section slidebars again, ever!!* Thanks for the debate, I've enjoyed it and learnt a great deal. I am going to run with this... Kind regards, Richard B * On an ex GCR Loco.