Mike 84C

Very rustic, love the grass effect almost good enough to mow! Looks like a little diversion into narrow gauge, enjoy!

Gibbo, I was aiming for a B2 from a B1! but it did'nt cut the mustard. If the boiler was higher the whole thing looked to stubby/short and lifting the boiler made the body a lot weaker. John, spot on with the 201 from the Hornby J 83? its the ex NBR model. Daft as it sounds the inspiration was the chimney I thought it looked very GSR'ish and I worked back from there! The cab roof was quite difficult to form with no wrinkles in it.

David, I'm 90% certain you are right about Halfords and acrylics. I have had some success with Games Workshop paints their Audubon Black in a rattle can is very good.

I have posted all these years ago!! but here's a couple more. The van is a tarted up Parkside PalVan and the last one is one that didnt make the transition and got filed in the parts bin!

Maybe there has to be a move away from pure cost benefit /will it make a profit? To a social benefit model this side of the water I'm not sure there's the political vision to make it happen.

Here's a couple of pictures of my three diesels. The B101 has moved more than the photo shows, its now got windows and is transfered up and just need window wipers and a good dose of oil, muck etc; over its body! Cutting the windows from plastic Ferro Rocher boxes was very tedious! But is better than the vac-formed windows of the Silverfox kits. The Sulzer kit is from that man Weshty! All run on Hornby motor bogies and chassis but no old pancake motors!

Who needs a number? several CIE locos only had names Sambo and Jumbo spring to mind! A Peckett called Pat, Percy, Joan the list is endless!

Totally understand your problem David, I am also working with the same sort of problems but if I put the kit back in the box I fear it may never be finished as "too hard". maybe that's why it was part built on a dealers stand!.

I saw your comments David about using cassettes. Which is what I made for Bantry but the operating gang do not like them. I get a bit nervous when they are waved about 12" above the baseboard with stock on them!

Dr Pan, looks like Nicky Cox used the Hornby James ? Its very good and a much better starting point than the Bachmann one. 461,one of my favourite engines, I'm hoping Accurascale release a model of it for their Irish steam loco. Lots of selling points going for it but I wont hold my breath! DJ Dangerous thank you for your comments very kind of you. So many people on this site and on other site's have freely helped me over the years, so the right thing is to help others if you can. As an aside, I worked with a guy whose nickname was Dangerous Dave, Health & Safety what's that ? But he kept our mill running well past its sell by date! Your avtar? reminds me of him and I like that.

Just dug up the Bachmann James chassis, I threw the body away a long time ago! Bachmann chassis Dim.as follows 100 mm = 25ft No 461 aprox; chassis lenght 33ft axle spacing 21 mm =5-3" 5ft+7-3"+8-10" The second figures are taken from Locos of the GSR Clements and McMahon. driving wheel dia. 18 mm =4-6" 5-1" ft pony wheel dia 11 mm =2-9" 3-0" Hope this info; is helpful it would be a shame to spend cash on something that will not do what you hope it will.

I was given a broken Bachmann James quite a while ago and thought along your ideas LNERW1 but its a very small model probably made to 3.5 mm per ft or HO in real terms. If you want a C class buy a Silver Fox kit it does work out quite well.

To get a nice edge to your ballast, run masking tape where you want the ballast to finish. When the ballast/glue is dry remove the tape and hey a nice edge any PW man would be proud of! And it will not be arrow straight!

Shapeways down the tubes? How did I miss that?

That's pretty creative thinking mate . Nothing like a roundy roundy ! says he after building and running a fiddle yd to terminus. Real timetable = not many trains per day!

I'm looking at an Airfix Scot with the detail removed and a Southeastern Finecast etched chassis+ wheels and motor. Killian you beat me to it!! What do I do now? decision's ,decisions!

I would agree with your premise, minister but the railways of Ireland are the home of one offs small classes and non standard locos. Its part of the fascination of Irish railways. Posted 13 hours ago Singletons and batches of non standard locos generally tend to be short lived. By the time they need heavy repairs it's not cost effective to be tinkering with them any further.

Well it must have been a heck of a party 'cos we watched the display till after midnight over here in Lincolnshire. Amazing! never seen the Northern Lights before and I did'nt need to book a cruise!!

I admire your dedication Leslie and in the pouring rain, top man!! Beats the s--t out of any pointy nose emu!

Leslie, a real blast from the past! That's how I remember steam hauled trains. 20 sec's worth watching ? OH yes! and thanks for posting

Andy , for shunting engines I'd agree, WR Panniers etc; but look at the position of the reach rod from the cab to the motion behind the splasher. At that angle I think screw reverse is very probable because the pin joints to make the mechanism work would mean a reversing lever handle and catch taller than a man. I think something like a spoked wheel as on an L&Y A class 0-6-0. Mike

Wonder if they ever get the wrong sort of leaves on the track? My brain so quickly acclimatised to 4mm scale it took a couple of seconds to realise the big looming things were people! duhhh! Good cab ride though.

Made mine several years ago quite an easy hack, good chance IRM's will be better detailed though! So is the next one a pallet van ? Here's mine!

Funny thing Westcork, mine also stripped the pinion gear within a few hours running. Rodrick did supply a new gear FOC for me to fit. I have washerd the lateral play to the absolute minimum keeping the worm in the centre of the pinion. Although with straight cut gears that should not be so much of a problem. The worm teeth on my loco are so sharp you could shave with it!

That is a very nice thing to do, Hattons goes out with a bang not a whimper.