7mm National Railway Museum Workbench - Cheap and Cheerful Toad

[James]

The National Railway Museum houses a large 7mm layout based around half of David Jenkinson's first venture in the scale - he was the Museum's Education Officer at the time. It's been in daily use since 1981!

I've been one of the volunteer team looking after for eight years or so.

I thought people might be interested in some the projects we have.

The locos cover between 1.5 and 3 real miles this Heljan class 40 covered, as a conservative estimate, over 2,000 miles in five years!

It wore it's wheels like this!



So new wheels, a repaint and replacing many lost pipes and bits. Buffer beam pipes from wire generally to better resist knocks.



And back in service.

 

[James]

Ellis Clark very kindly donated one of his Black 5s to the layout - in addition to twelve coaches!



Straightforward weathering job and a Modelu crew.

 

[James]

There's the occasional mishap...



I've got this on my bench for new bearings on its driving wheels - they have a huge amount of slop now.

 

[timbowales]

There's the occasional mishap...

View attachment 233287

I've got this on my bench for new bearings on its driving wheels - they have a huge amount of slop now.

Rather prototypical of a rough shunt

 

[James]

Rather prototypical of a rough shunt

We said exactly the same at the time!

 

[paulc]

Rather prototypical of a rough shunt

It'll probably buff out though .

 

[James]

The LMS mogul mentioned above is back with me for overhaul - look at the wear on the axle, all four of the loco's axles are in the same condition.

Maybe in excess of 6,000 miles, six thousand real miles, worth of wear and tear.

New axles all round I think!

 

[simond]

I don’t think it owes you much!

what are the axleboxes like? I suspect you’ll want to change them even if they’re not much worn,.

 

[James]

I don’t think it owes you much!

It's done very well!

One of the highest mileage 0 gauge locos?

what are the axleboxes like?

Oval!

I suspect you’ll want to change them even if they’re not much worn,.

That's the plan, the amount of slop was ridiculous, but somehow kept going and going.

 

[James]

Ellis Clark very kindly donated six of his lovely Presflos to the NRM.



Aside from the filth they're just as they come - though I have polished the buffer shafts on the Oleo buffers.

 

[James]

Phone shot of the four yellow Blue Circle wagons - they're not the easiest to convincingly finish.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Aside from the filth they're just as they come - though I have polished the buffer shafts on the Oleo buffers.

I remember seeing lines of the Tunnel Cement Presflos sitting in the WCML exchange sidings at Pitstone cement works in the 1970s. Below is a 1981 photo on Flickr.

https://flic.kr/p/8iNSuo

 

[James]

Lovely Bagnall too!

 

[simond]

In that almost frontal shot, rather reminiscent of the red Triang Hornby one (which didn’t have side rods, and did have fewer wheels, I know)

 

[James]

A bit of a cheap and cheerful model, a Lima 1/45 scale GWR Toad.

Another volunteer had replaced the wheels, buffers and couplings; I painted, glazed and weathered it.

There's so much wrong with the Lima model - the ever so slightly smaller scale isn't a real issue but the lack of depth of the body side details, position of the footboards, etc are. But from a distance, passing by, just about acceptable perhaps?

 

[timbowales]

View attachment 235302

A bit of a cheap and cheerful model, a Lima 1/45 scale GWR Toad.

Another volunteer had replaced the wheels, buffers and couplings; I painted, glazed and weathered it.

There's so much wrong with the Lima model - the ever so slightly smaller scale isn't a real issue but the lack of depth of the body side details, position of the footboards, etc are. But from a distance, passing by, just about acceptable perhaps?

View attachment 235303

What Tony Wright of BRM & the other place would call a "layout" model. To be used but not inspected in a display case?

 

[James]

What Tony Wright of BRM & the other place would call a "layout" model. To be used but not inspected in a display case?

I think Iain Rice coined the term "layout loco" back in eighties - it's a great term I find the Toad is very much in the same vein.

 

[simond]

I picked up one at a show many years back that the previous owner had doctored by the simple expedient of a grey-painted slab of ally plate between body and chassis, about 3mm iirc. With metal wheels and 3-links, it served, along with 3 big-big/lima minerals for the kids until they lost interest, and I think sold for what I paid. Good value!

 

[LarryG]

Some of the younger members of my family visited the NRM last year and were surprised to discover some of the stuff on the 0 gauge layout had passed through their grandads paintshop. After seeing the wear on this thread, something I hadn't even considered, I wonder what state those 1970's models are in now.

 

[James]

Some of the younger members of my family visited the NRM last year and were surprised to discover some of the stuff on the 0 gauge layout had passed through their grandads paintshop. After seeing the wear on this thread, something I hadn't even considered, I wonder what state those 1970's models are in now.

The rake of ex-LMS coaches in blood and custard comes to mind!