Highfield locomotives with pictures

PGN · August 20, 2022, 09:18:02 AM

I was asked elsewhere to post some pictures of my collection of Highfield locomotives, so I thought I'd put them all together on a single thread. Please feel free to add pictures of any Highfield or Highfield-derived locomotives which you have in your collection. Please do not add pictures of Highfield rolling stock (unless it is as part of a train being worked by a Highfield locomotive) ... if people are interested I will start a separate thread for that, starting with photos of my Highfield rolling stock.

These designs date from the 1960s and are among the very first British outline N gauge models ever produced. It would therefore be inappropriate to judge them against modern standards ... they are a product of their time, and for their time they were VERY good.

Highfield produced two white metal kits (only one of which was released to the public in the 1960s, but both of which are now available from BH Enterprises) and two RTR locomotives. Examples of all four models reside in my collection and will work on Neraland 2 in due course.

Highfield also built bespoke locomotives to order, and I am aware of three which were definitely built: a Caley single, an LSWR "double single" (presented as a 4-4-0) and the GER Decapod 0-10-0T. I am sure others were built as well, but I have no records of these. I should love to be able to add one or two of the Highfield bespoke models to my collection, but as they are all unique they do not appear on the market very often.

PGN · August 20, 2022, 09:33:56 AM

The first Highfield kit was the NER (ex-Stockton & Darlinton) long-boilered 0-6-0. My model is seen here working a train of Highfield kit-built wagons (card kits with litho-printed overlays, designed to run on Lima wagon chassis but seen here running on Peco chassis.)

PGN · August 20, 2022, 09:43:08 AM

The second kit, which was poorly received at the 1968 Brighton Toyfair and so not released to the public, was an NER O class / LNER G5 0-4-4T. Designed to work with a chopped Arnold 2-6-4T chassis, the use of this chassis results in serious misalignment between the splashers and driving wheels. My model runs on a Dapol M7 chassis, which looks much better, and is seen working an NER push-pull train. Number plates and bunker coal still to add.

PGN · August 20, 2022, 10:00:42 AM

The third Highfield locomotive, and their first RTR, was a freelance 0-6-0T built in brass and fitted to a Minitrix T3 chassis. These were reviewed in the October 1966 edition of Railway Modeller and described as the first N gauge British-outline RTR. The RM review shows them in LNER apple green and CR blue, mine is in NER green, and Stephen Middleton tells me that they were produced in other liveries, including GER blue.

My model suffered bad rubbing of the transfers so I sent it to Jerry Clifford to re-do them for me. It is seen here working a train of Highfield NER 4-wheel coaches (card kits with litho-printed sides, running on Lima 15' wagon chassis).

PGN · August 20, 2022, 10:05:55 AM

The fourth locomotive, and the final N gauge model marketed under the Highfield banner, was the GNR H4 "Ragtimer" (also produced in later liveries). The locomotive was built on the front part of an Arnold 2-6-4T chassis, from which the motor had been removed, and it is powered by an Arnold steeple cab chassis in the tender, resulting in a 4-wheel rather than 6-wheel tender.

My example has suffered some rubbing to the transfers over the years and a few paint chips on the tander, but nothing I cannot live with. It is seen here working a train of repainted Farish bogie coaches.

PGN · August 20, 2022, 10:20:49 AM

I have two other Highfield long-boilered 0-6-0s in my collection which were lightly modified and finished (not by me!) in GNR and GWR liveries.

Papyrus · August 20, 2022, 10:29:14 AM

Many thanks, @PGN , they look great! Although, I have to confess I'm not too sure about the 'GWR' one...

Cheers,

Chris

PGN · August 20, 2022, 10:33:13 AM

Quote from: Papyrus on August 20, 2022, 10:29:14 AM
Many thanks, @PGN , they look great! Although, I have to confess I'm not too sure about the 'GWR' one...

Cheers,

Chris

My thoughts too ... but when this model was launched, it was to be another 5 years before you could have a "proper" GWR locomotive in N, and that was the Farish 94xx.

It has to be said, though, that the GNR one DOES rather look the part, doesn't it?

ntpntpntp · August 20, 2022, 10:35:59 AM

Very interesting to see these. Thanks for posting

RailGooner · August 20, 2022, 11:38:15 AM

Although the prototypes are not of any interest to me, N Gauge model railways are one of my main hobby interests and these models are a significant part of the history of that hobby. Therefore I've found every post of this thread fascinating. Many thanks for this thread @PGN !

PGN · August 20, 2022, 12:15:29 PM

Quite so, @RailGooner ... I am every bit as passionate about the history of N gauge as I am about the pre-grouping period (hence my writing, in NSpirations and the N Gauge Journal, about N gauge history as well as pre-grouping topics). But there is a considerable overlap between the two interests. The early pioneers of N gauge were men who could still (just about) recall the pre-grouping liveries, and a lot of the early models - including those from Graham Farish - were of pre-grpouping types in pre-grouping liveries.

One of my favourite early N gauge layouts is Bramcote, which was severely restricted by the available models, but nevertheless strove to achieve a LSWR "flavour".

Shiney Sheff · August 20, 2022, 12:30:14 PM

Here's one I prepared earlier

msr · August 20, 2022, 03:30:48 PM

It must be five or so years ago since we discussed this Spinner, which has all the hallmarks of a Peter Middleton Highfield model. Whether it was a one-off or was for sale more generally I don't know.

The Spinner in question is the one in the foreground. I bought this from a collector in Bingley. Although he did not claim it was a Highfield model the details of its construction are so similar to the LNER K3 that I believe it came from the same stable. It is powered by an Arnold 2402 steeple cab chassis beneath the tender. Due to the size of the motor the whole loco is slighly overscale, but still looks very good for a relic from the early 1970s.

<img src="https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/gallery/43/231-190816095705.jpeg" />

PGN · August 20, 2022, 04:57:43 PM

It's a beautiful model, @msr but I don't believe it is Peter Middleton's work. Why not? Because the lining-out is paintwork, and Peter Middleton did his lining-out by ruling lines on painted sellotape, cutting them out with a scalpel, sticking on and varnishing over. But it might just be from the same stable as my Caley single which I thought might be Highfield until I compared it with pictures of Peter Middleton's Caley single which Stephen Middleton kindly sent me.

Adam1701D · August 20, 2022, 05:05:35 PM

Thanks for sharing these @PGN - some real gems from the early days of N. The little freelance 0-6-0T is a delight - are the sides Highfield-style Shellac'd paper?