Horsetan

It makes life interesting

Which shade of blue?

Incidentally, can anyone remember the diameter of the tender wheels for the 800 Class? I know they are supposed to have 12 spokes, but am not sure if their diameter is 3', 3'3", 3'6" or bigger than that.

You'd have to mix and match. The 7' x 7'4" wheelbase is slightly unusual but I think Alan Gibson Workshop produces a set of etched coupling rods for that wheelbase. Even if not, AGW also produces a universal set of coupling rods that you can trim and adjust to obtain 7' x 7'4". A similar, if slightly more developed, universal etch is available from Lanarkshire Model Supplies. For the connecting rods and valve gear, AGW has about ten different types of Walschaerts valve gear etch for various British classes including the S15. The important one is that the connecting rods should come out at a scale 11' (44mm) between little end and big end centres. It's a matter of trying to work out which one needs least modification. You may end up using more than one etch to cobble the various other rods together.

Nameplates and numberplates from 247 Developments. I think the background colour might be a bit wrong, as I understood it to be blue rather than black...

Let me know what I owe you for the development costs

Is there a web link to it?

He'll likely sell one J15 kit to me because I want to try @Mayner's Z boiler conversion kit

If the David Quayle photo of 171 is anything to go by, I'd have thought the patch left by the nameplate would have remained visible even under grime. That might suggest Ernie's b&w photo might be 170 rather than 171....

Which one had lost its plates by then?

I'd be interested in snack 1508. I'm in London, so UK postage only to worry about.

I wouldn't say no, but I'm not sure about the logistics of that. I'm still after the original Cravens RPSI set.

Occurs to me that the 500 class looks a little bit like the Urie/Maunsell S15 4-6-0, albeit with Belpaire firebox....

The grime is so bad that there isn't even a tell-tale patch where the nameplate might have been.

With those very substantial frames in front, that looks very "S" class to me, but which one? The camera has picked up the suggestion of a number under the cabside grime. Zooming in, I thought it might even be 171, but did she ever work through Portadown?

I'm still looking as well.

I've only seen Ballyconnell Road twice at shows. Everything on it just works, especially the signalling. The first time I watched it, I spotted something going on between the loco frames. It turned out to be working inside motion....in 3mm scale. If it can be done in 3mm, sure there's no excuse for not having a go in 4mm.

Very curious - no prices or starting bid showing up on either chassis

That little lot will probably be returned to The Monk.

For those going down the dead scale P87 standards route, the track gauge used is 18.37mm, which gives a true 5'3". Obviously the checkrail and flangeway gaps are much tighter.

There's a couple of differences between the 372s and 393s. Whilst the wheelbases are shared at 7'3" x 8'3", plus the wider overall width compared to the Southern Railway Ns and Us, there's also: - 372s: 5ft 6in drivers; 393s: 6ft drivers 393s had a deeper drop in the footplate in order to maintain the same buffer centre heights as the 372s, plus small splashers over the topsof the drivers.

Is that the same signal design that was used on the Cheshire Lines Committee?

Especially if you have an interest in French steam design....

That looks excellent Are we able to determine exactly what type of large tender is paired with 186? It's very modern for an engine which is fundamentally very old. I thought it was something which might, at one stage, have been paired with a 400/500 class 4-6-0.

It was probably trying to be a GWR Bulldog.