4mm Charon's GWR loco project.

Charon

Active Member
Building the new and re-building the old.

This all started with the conversion of a Hornby Dublo Cardiff Castle to ‘finescale’. It may have been converted from 3 rail as well but I can’t remember now.

I cut my loco building teeth on the usual Kays and Wills whitemetal kits. The first was a 94xx on a Triang chassis fitted with Hamblings brass wheels (finescale but crude by today’s standards) then the 14xx, 57xx, Saint, 52xx and a 4-4-0 County kits.

4003 'Lode Star' (with missing nameplate)
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3822 'County of Brecon'006.JPG

I learnt to solder and tried my hand with an early Jamieson ‘handcut’ kit in pressed nickel-silver which turned out as a pretty dire looking thing! Well, you have to learn somewhere. ‘Scratch aids’ as many have called them but a lot better than trying to cut my own in a hamfisted manner.

What really started it was the acquisition of a brass scratchbuilt GWR Manor and a Stanier 2-6-4T in brass (it has been suggested that this may or may not have been from a Hamblings brass kit similar in form to the Eames ones)

The Manor with a very basic 'old school' chassis bought in the late 60s from S.W Stevens-Stratten the editor of Model Railway Constructor. It was the very first 'finescale' brass scratchbuilt loco that I ever owned. It's quite nicely made for the time but needs a new cab, handrails and a decent chassis.
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Stanier 3-cyl scratchbuilt on a solid brass chassis with H Dublo motion. A new Comet chassis will do nicely. This was one of the engines displaced from the LT&SR after electrification. One (2500) is preserved at the NRM.
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The first not in whitemetal, was a Jamieson GWR 61xx which was only the basic body. I’ll probably build a Comet chassis for it in the not too distant future.

Jamieson 61xx. (note horrid safety valve cover. Quality then wasn't what we have today)
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What kickstarted ‘the programme’ was the purchase of a P4 King which had a horrible and inaccurate Graham Farish cast lump of a body. This is being replaced with a Jamieson nickel body which needs a new s/valve cover and detailing. The chassis is superbly built in what’s thought to be using early ‘Protofour’ principles with working piston valves at the front of the cylinders. All in all a superbly engineered chassis. I would like to have known the builder. I intend to replace the cast cylinder assembly with an etched Comet version.

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Next was a part-built 10xx County body which was quite nicely put together but will need a new safety valve cover and a lot of detailing and tweaking to get it looking right. At least it does have the right shaped cab and firebox unlike the Dapol body.

A new chassis will be built in P4.
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The ‘piece-de-resistance’ was the recent acquisition of a part-built Malcolm Mitchell 43xx kit in P4 with Portescap and Ultrascales. A real delight is this one!

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This is the beginning of a long programme that will take some time. The brass/nickel locos will all be finished in P4 and the whitemetal ones will remain in ‘00’ some of which will be for the planned 00-SF ‘Cambrian’ layout. Other projects like 'Balcombe' will have to take precedence so progress will be slow!
 

Steve Cook

Flying Squad
Welcome aboard John :)
Thats a great mix of locos, that 43xx really does look superb.
You're definitely going to be busy!
Steve
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
What an interesting story to go with some nice models.... and several with links to the history of our hobby, especially to the MRC Editor.

Welcome to WT and enjoy your posting, regards, Graham
 

adrian

Flying Squad
The ‘piece-de-resistance’ was the recent acquisition of a part-built Malcolm Mitchell 43xx kit in P4 with Portescap and Ultrascales. A real delight is this one!
Thanks for posting - I'm always interested in seeing what the development there has been in kits etc. The 43xx reminds me of my first kit bashing exercise. I distinctly remember as a teenager taking a piercing saw to a Mainline 43xx, hacking the cab off and making a new cab with windows to build a 93xx. :thumbs:
 

Simon

Flying Squad
Excellent, Great Western model locomotive Time-Team, very interesting to see.

Thank you for posting and welcome too from sunny Bath!

Simon
 

Charon

Active Member
What an interesting story to go with some nice models.... and several with links to the history of our hobby, especially to the MRC Editor.
Welcome to WT and enjoy your posting, regards, Graham



Thanks Graham. I hadn't thought of it like that but it does involve some early 'finescale' (for its day) stuff!

My visits to the MRC editorial office were always looked forward to while I worked in Shepperton, just up the road from Ian Allan's. 'Steve' S-S would show some of the new proprietary releases sent to him for appraisal. Looking back, some of it was pretty 'ordinary' (Hornby panniers with smoke etc..) but they were looked at with an eye of 'what can be done with this?'

Also I have about 20+ of the old BSL (Hobbytime) aluminium GW bow-ended kits to make up (now 'Phoenix' from the SRG). With care they do make up into good models. Also there's a quite a few 'Mallard & Haye Development brass kits, but this is all for another thread!

Regarding the mogul, it was built by Laurie Griffin to a standard way beyond my capabilities. At Larkrail this year, I was astonished by his 7mm chassis with working inside motion. After I got home, as bedtime reading, I tried to follow the very comprehensive Malcolm Mitchell instructions. And there was me thinking of getting a Finney 47xx next!

Thank you all for your kind words. Much appreciated. For those who don't know I'm Re6/6 on RMweb. This forum does look most agreeable!

 

Neil

Western Thunderer
Like the progression of models John, but like the story behind them even more. I'm rather fond of the old model made good approach you're taking with this lot.
 

Charon

Active Member
A few more items have come light that will be needing attention in due course. (Well I knew that I had them somewhere!)

The coach is a Mallard Dean 40' all 3rd Dia 49 (IIRC!) needs proper compensated bogies and sprung buffers.

I made it maybe 35 years ago (when they were new out) but does need tidying up. The glazing (plastic) needs replacing with the newer method of using 0.7mm glass cover slips. There's nowt that looks like glass than glass! Foot boards are a bit mangled over time.

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The vans are a variety of plastic kits of their day. Don't know if such things are still available. I can't remember just what each one represents!

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And finally a Kay's 1363 which needs new motion, chassis and wheels to make it run nicely.

A pretty little engine. Am I right in thinking that a proprietary one is being released? If so that will make number 16 for me that has been 'brought out'! Still have a load of kits on the shelf.....!

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AJC

Western Thunderer
Very nice John. The plastic kits are quite straightforward to identify, I think. From the top:

Parkside Bloater, next to a Beetle C (Parkside again - nice kit, the only one of this selection that I have direct experience of). Below that is what I think was a Colin Ashby or Kirk kit for a GW fish van of some sort and a Parkside Python. The Parkside ones are obviously still available but suffer that common plastic kit problem of broken tie bars. Mercifully, the GW used rod so a bit of 0.45mm wire will do the job.

Adam
 

Neil

Western Thunderer
What a weird coincidence John; I was talking earlier this week to a mate about the first etched kit I built, a Mallard clerestory. I think I'd be fifteen or sixteen (1974-1976) when I was asked by Mike Cook to have a go at one for him. I remember being pleased that i managed to finish it, and while I think the soldering went fairly well, the vac formed roof was an absolute pig to sort out. At the time I also remember thinking that the Precision Paints I was given to slosh over the assemblage were pretty horrific, far less user friendly than the Humbrol enamels. Strange thing is I can't remember if the final result was good or bad, goodness knows what happened to the thing. A year or two after the carriage was finished I fell out with model railways, and lost touch with Mike Cook. It never came up in conversation years later when I helped Mike run the York Show and of course it's too late to ask now.
 

Charon

Active Member
Many thanks for the identification Adam.

Now that is weird Neil! I can't remember anything about the build. I do doubt if I could ever replicate the 'complex' lining now (lack of steadiness of the hand with old age!) This was done with some ancient bow pens but I have been recommended trying the 'Bob Moore' lining pen.

I think that this was sprayed with a very crude airbrush using Humbrol.

Yes those plastic card roofs are a waste of space. I have half a dozen, or so, of some larger Mallard kits to build which have them and I reckon that I'll make new roofs in brass or nickel-silver or better still MJT aluminium roof section for these later coaches (Toplights etc..)

Thanks chaps for the kind words.

John
 

Charon

Active Member
Returned home tired after a good weekend at S4um .

I picked up my little 16xx from Mark Clark who scratchbuilt me a lovely compensated P4 chassis. The engine was from a Sutherland kit of yesteryear which had been almost invisibly soldered together by Malcolm Mitchell. With that sort of provenance, it deserved a chassis and paint job much better than I ever could do.

It runs like a dream in 'slug mode' and I'm very pleased with Mark's light weathering job.

It just now needs some screw link couplings, crew, coal and tools. It will be destined for 'Netherhope' and maybe 'Callow Lane' subject to authorization!

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Charon

Active Member
006a.jpg020a.jpg 7mm this time!

A Mitchell 45xx bought from the then new JLTRT. It has Portescap with Slaters wheels. If I was building it today I'd certainly build it to S7 standard.

I have a personal letter from Pete Waterman with a letter of apology for the missing parts!

It was snapped on Rod Wilson's 'Ramchester'. It ran first time despite never having turned a wheel in about 12 years. And that was only one set of wheels that had any pick up.

I will get to finish it one day!
 

Charon

Active Member
Hello everybody!

Been a while since posting on here. Balcombe is taking up even more time than I ever imagined!

Acquired a couple of quite nice items recently.

Diag E26 Bk/Compo.

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Jamieson B1. A new chassis will be required. Underneath is real 'old school', possibly built by Eames, but who knows. Nice nonetheless!005.JPG

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Oddly one that 'I made (much) earlier' from the kit is around 2>3mm shorter!
 

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Charon

Active Member
It's been a long, long time since I was on here. I thought that as I'm still breathing in and out a new acquisition might be of interest!.

I've always had a liking for the SR 'W' class. On my way to school I used to pass Feltham MPD daily travelling in a 4-COR and there was nearly always one of them waiting with a transfer goods for Norwood.

Many moons ago I bought a Jidenco 'scratch-aid' kit which never got built but this PDK body appeared in auction which was irresistible so I bought it!
An SEF chassis kit will be bought for it. My liking for the 'W's has probably something to do with once owning the smokebox number plate for 31918!

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AJC

Western Thunderer
I share your enthusiasm for Ws (though like you, have no real use for one. Dad's friend Steve is the same: Jidenco W Class in EM Gauge). He said he'd now more or less finished when I last spoke to him and er, persuaded, me that I need to build a U. Which I will, soonish.

Adam
 
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