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Will start lining 60523's tender this afternoon. 60113 continues with work on the chassis. The rear extension to the mainframe to support the firebox and trailing wheel needs careful bending and checking against the (Isinglass drawing 4/390) drawing and to ensure that it is equal on both sides of the centreline. I've added some rivit and other detail to the bogie frame since the bogie is so prominent in Thompson pacifics. Having bent the bogie side frames, I used the bogie wheel axles to centre the bearings before soldering them in place. The two motion plates will be next and I will solder the 16BA setscrews in place before soldering the plates to the mainframes. Apologies to Crownline/PDK, the kit includes the inspection cover above the bogie in the etches! Read the instructions Richard... Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Emma, Its a while ago now (4-5 years) but I think it was the 4mm Medium. It is simple to use and does the job. Like your cat picture, we have two black cats, Reggie and Ronnie, and they are brothers and do tend to terrorise the local rodent population but we are in the wilds of Wiltshire so plenty of scope for them. Kind regards, Richard B

The tender for 60523 is undergoing painting and lining so whilst waiting for drying times etc .. I thought I would start 60113 "Great Northern". Lots of bits. This is a fairly old secondhand kit so etches are tarnished. First time I have used a resin boiler, I can foresee a few problems with this but that is nothing new! Frames cleaned up and bearings soldered in. I find the Crown Line (PDK) fold up frames easy to work with and in my trusty Poppy jig for soldering the frame stretchers. Great Northern lives! No turning back now... Added some additional rivit detail and the inspection covers over the bogie as in "Sun Castle". Kind regards, Richard B

David, I agree with previous comments but would add that I really like the ScR style lining on the front of the running plate sides. Kind regards, Richard B

Alasdair, Many thanks. 30 pairs are £6.99 from below. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07X8MT3SB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Kind regards, Richard B

Tender is now complete and ready for completion of painting. The fact that the body is detachable from the chassis makes this much easier. A few snaps: Chassis detail all added. Detail of brake gear etc. I used a "heavy duty" Markits screw coupling. Pickups in place with original wiring ..... ... which was replaced with a two pin micro connector (Peanuts from Amazon). All done ready for the spray booth. But will give the body a good cleaning with old toothbrush and soapy water. Kind regards, Richard B

I think I heard some motor noise then, no just imagining it! Lovely work David. Kind regards, Richard

Yes absolutely, I remember this one very well. I suspect that I am a little before your time, 73 in October but still a bit daft and always interested in something new - healthy state of mind. Kind regards, Richard

Hi David, Are you pleased with the motor/gearbox combination? Kind regards, Richard B

I think the K70 had something to do with the failure and subsequent takover of NSU by VW? The NSU R080 was one of the most advanced cars both mechnically (although a blind alley) and aesthetically it was in a class of its own. Kind regards, Richard B

Yes Clive equally lovely. Maybe we are all thinking a bit about mortality at the moment? To do so is, to me sensible and life affirming. I put it down to my Irish father who had a great love of Irish music with its mournful (that word again) thread and, in contrast, its celebration of dance and of life. Some say dance = life. I have said enough serious stuff! Kind regards and thanks, Richard B

I couldn't agree more Trevor, and I understand why you would chose Battledown to Basingstoke. The Reading - Basingstoke line added so much to the variety to be seen in the area and Basingstoke shed often has WR loco's on and in the latter days LMR too. To add to the nostalgia, my brother and I stopped by at the shed on our way to school each morning by the fence behind the shed yard to see what was "on". In 1964/5 I had access to a footplate pass (apprenticeship) and remember a wonderful run one evening in August on the footplate of Belgium Marine on Southampton to Waterloo express. The driver tapping me on the shoulder coming down the flyover and pointing at the speedo - we were doing 100+ mph. Happy days and all that! Kind regards, Richard B

Mournful but Beautiful. Kind regards, Richard B

Jack, I have built a DJH D1/E1 and like you I found it very front heavy. All that smokebox/boiler white metal! I'm not saying that a scratch built chassis would not help but it won't cure all that weight over the bogie which tends to lift the trailing driver. I trimmed out some of the weight by adding lead sections under the cab. It didn't cure it completely but the loco runs well. You will find too that when the loco is coupled to the tender, which is also heavy, this will help to compensate. To be fair to DJH all 4-4-0's display a tendency to be front heavy (I have no experience of compensated chassis) its just that cast kits are worse. Great work. Building wee loco's is a journey of discovery! I continually strive to improve with each build until the eyesight or something else gives up! Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Jack, I had no problem with the boiler of the C2X - I'm just looking at it now - it is round! Dave is a lovely chap so I'm sure he will help out. Regarding the rods. They are the standard rods but I do spend a fair bit of time adding set screws/washers etc and re-profiling to get as close as possible to the prototype. In my experience, the appearance of most valve gear in kits can be improved without reducing reliability. I should add that whilst I am on an ex LNER pacific building phase at present I plan to return to the SR with a DJH Urie S15. I built one about 6-7 years ago (still working) but I have learnt so much about loco building since then and therefore hope to make a better job of it. Keep up the good work, Richard B

Hi Chris, Noted your comments re NuCast Partners C2X. I bought one of the first kits and it building into a fairly good representation of the prototype. The DJH versions look rather good too. Kind regards, Richard B PS Jack, the L 4-4-0 is looking very good, like the firebox/grate.

Hi Mick, Really great work. I see you have fitted the speed recorder too. So this is a Hornby A3 with GK "front end". It look really good. Pleased that it goes around corners! Kind regards, Richard B PS Dave - sorry we seem briefly to have taken over!

Hi Mick, I found the D15 and H15 (two) kits fairly straitforward to build although they all have brass rolled boilers. I take your point about the chassis and will adapt as suggested if that is needed. Regarding the cab sides, I really have not looked at the etches yet but if so, the DJH A2/3 kit does have an A1 (Peppercorn I guess) cab etch which I'm sure I could adapt. The tender construction soulds a bit like the large Urie bogie tender fitted to most of the H15 and yes it can be a bit fiddly. Again I havn't looked at the valvegear but the H15 valve gear was a bit simplistic but very robust and easy to build. I do appreciate your comments and tips, many thanks. I like the idea of converting an A3 into an A1/1, didn't someone do that back in the 1940s? Assuming its the same guy, I am buying some GCR parts for my Judith/Michael Edge LNER B9 etches from Graeme useful to know that he is also the source of those parts too. I will check out your thread. It sounds like you build loco's commercially, sorry if I have got that wrong, I just build mine for pleasure and to add to my collection. I couldn't build them for money and that is not a criticism of doing so just my angle. Keep up the good work, Kind regards, Richard B

David, Occupational hazard loosing bits to the great black hole of the floor! Just checked, I only have ER and ScR shed plates, sorry! Kind regards, Richard

Many thanks for the great pictures Ray, much appreciated. Plenty of pacifics on shed then! My planned or rather re installed layout is of Basingstoke 70D. For me the sheds were always the most interesting part of the railway. Your "Great Northern" looks very good. I have built a fair number of PDK kits so the Crownline A1/1 should be fairly strait forward as you suggest. Kind regards, Richard B

Progress with "Sun Chariot" and a monocrome picture using this mornings natural light. Many thanks Dave for letting me butt in! Kind regards, Richard b

Tender chassis constructed. I soldered one side of the chassis frame to the central spine of the chassis making sure it was all square. I then fitted all the wheelsets and then aligned the other frame so that it was aligned with the first ensuring that all the axles were at 90 degrees to each frame. I then used superglue to locate the second frame to prevent movement. I then soldered the second frame to the spine. I can now move onto the detail. A few pictures. Lastly, I played around with the MS software to produce a monocrome picture of the loco Kind regards, Richard B

Tony good evening, and very pleasant it is, at least in South Wiltshire. Good to see these two "guest" ex SR(BR) locos running on LB. Fine models and great prototypes, with, in the case of the WC, a significant Doncaster input. I often wonder how things would have evolved if Bulleid had stayed at Doncaster and succeeded his boss. Given the size of the LNER pacific fleet would he have been able to build his pacifics? Perhaps, but the drawing office team at Doncaster would have influenced the outcome so no chain driven valve gear?? What would a Bulleid mixed traffic 4-6-0 looked like??? Sorry, pointless speculation really. Lovely pictures of a great layout, thanks. Kind regards, Richard B

Some tender details. As I mentioned earlier, the DJH etches for the tender body are really good and the same approach of using material in a way that best suits the component, for example, the tender tanks and coal chute are white metail and jolly good too. I've made similar components from individual brass etches and assembly is very fiddly! The tender chassis is white metal and is fixed to the body with a couple of set screws and captive nuts in the body. Tender body bent to shape, tumblehome is as supplied in the kit. Soldering on the captive nut retainers - tinned the brass with 145 degree solder and then low melt solder the retainers to the brass. I did think about fitting the white metal tender top casting but wanted to ensure as square a body as possible which may have been more difficult with the top casting interfering. Tender body main components in place. Kind regards, Richard B

Hi Ray, Thanks very much for your comments and all the useful information. Looks like I will have to paint the sandbox plates then! I saw the loco a number of times in 1961-63 at Kings Cross, Doncaster and Peterborough. I have fitted a 36A shedplate. I plan to build a Crownline A1/1 next. Kind regards, Richard B