How many locos?

[Newportnobby]

@AndyRA Wow, Andy I guessed you'd have a lot of locos but didn't realise you'd employed a guard cat to keep an eye on them!

[Roy L S]

and my kit-built 60532 "Blue Peter" (a resin kit but I can't remember by who),

Roy:

I think the resin kit for your Class A2 Blue Peter model was probably manufactured by a company called Fifty-Six and a Half Inch Model Railways (long since out of business). 

I bought the same resin kit (but from a different supplier) but never got it past the primer stage before GF came out with their A1 and A2 models.

Ian

Hi Ian

Yes, that was it, I believe the locos were also made ready to run by a company called "Pro Models" (not sure what googling it would come up with and I do not intend to find out ). Mine languished in primer too for a long time but I did finish it, a loco I did a pretty decent job of if I say so myself.



The loco I am probably proudest of is B1 "Gnu", this Langley kit sits on the much better BachFarish A3 chassis, the airbrushing was done by my ex (a very capable modeller - better than me) I did the lining and lettering right down to the power classification and Route Availability which was pretty eyeball straining!



Both locos were made well before there was any prospect of either being done as a RTR model, at a time where if you wanted something that wasn't available you got on and had a go, or didn't have one! It is easy to forget just how spoiled we are for RTR models these days...

Regards

Roy

[AndyRA]

@AndyRA Wow, Andy I guessed you'd have a lot of locos but didn't realise you'd employed a guard cat to keep an eye on them!

He also helps to select the next Loco to run.  

[rog]

47 steam, 12 diesel/dmu.
Quite a lot of rule 1s, eg Terrier, N Class, Blue Pullman, LMS 10001. SECR C Class may well be the next.
And I thought I had a lot of locos. Not so it would seem; vide supra

[icairns]

@Roy L S

Roy:

Your models of the A2 and B1 look absolutely superb!  I also have a Langley B1 but mounted on the then Langley recommended Black 5 chassis.  I think I built this around 1980 before I had the confidence to try lining, so my model has remained in unlined black. 

Am I correct in thinking that you may have posted photos of your A2 on the old N Gauge Yahoo group or some other forum? It seems very familiar. 

I am not sure if the Pro-Models RTR A2 was a resin model from Fifty-Six and a Half Inch Models.  The only reason I say this is because Les Richardson reported on the N Gauge Yahoo group many years ago that he had bought one from Pro-Models and the body was a metal casting but the tender body was resin.  He stated that the Pro-Models loco used a modified GF V2 chassis. 

I would be interested in learning more about these relatively obscure companies and their N gauge kits. 

Ian

[Chris Morris]

In N gauge I have 75 locos or DMUs. They were all bought for a reason and fit in with stock required for running various eras on my two N gauge layouts. Every one of them does get used although not all at the same time of course. I have not got anything that doesn't fit in except for the NGS shunter which I felt I should buy to support NGS. Even Thomas fits in with my strategy as he is used to entertain little ones on my branch line layout.

I also have 31 G scale locos/ railcars and recently six 009 locos have mysteriously appeared, don't know where they came from. I have just two 00 items in the form of a railbus and a San Francisco street car. I have to admit the street car was an unplanned impulse buy and it serves no useful purpose other than a holiday memento.

[Newportnobby]

I currently have 130 pieces of motive power split roughly 50/50 steam and diesel with a few hybrid/electrics purely as they were iconics (to my mind)
Some of my justifications for them appearing on my own layout(s) are, admittedly, horribly contrived whereas our club layout is of no fixed location so could be anywhere in the UK
I also have another half dozen on pre order and one on Fleabay I might possibly win tomorrow

[Bob G]

...one on Fleabay I might possibly win tomorrow

I thought you didn't use the site that must never be spoken of?

(better tell me in PM so that I don't bid against you    )

Oh and nice to see you like that photo of the DMU I posted for you!

Bob

[Roy L S]

@Roy L S

Roy:

Your models of the A2 and B1 look absolutely superb!  I also have a Langley B1 but mounted on the then Langley recommended Black 5 chassis.  I think I built this around 1980 before I had the confidence to try lining, so my model has remained in unlined black. 

Am I correct in thinking that you may have posted photos of your A2 on the old N Gauge Yahoo group or some other forum? It seems very familiar. 

I am not sure if the Pro-Models RTR A2 was a resin model from Fifty-Six and a Half Inch Models.  The only reason I say this is because Les Richardson reported on the N Gauge Yahoo group many years ago that he had bought one from Pro-Models and the body was a metal casting but the tender body was resin.  He stated that the Pro-Models loco used a modified GF V2 chassis. 

I would be interested in learning more about these relatively obscure companies and their N gauge kits. 

Ian

Hi Ian

Thank you for your kind words. Amongst my collection I also have another B1 which I converted to tender drive using the Union Mills tender and mechanism (I may well have been the first!), Fred H did the paint job on that one, no other than preserved 61264.

As to the A2, my "Blue Peter" was definitely a "fifty six and a Half inch" kit and I think I may well have posted it's picture on the Yahoo Group before. I feel 90% sure "Pro Models" did the Peppercorn A2 RTR using this kit, but I recall they also did a RTR model of the very different Thompson A2 which used the Farish V2 chassis, this a loco I would love to have a model of, but I didn't have the £250 odd they cost back then and I doubt it will ever be done by a mainstream manufacturer these days (Hornby making it in OO).

Yes, I would like to know more too, and wish I had paid more attention at the time, of course there were also lovely RTR models made in the late 90s by Duncan Hazledene (can't remember the company name) of LMS prototypes too, and Fred Hempsall planned to do some resin models under the "Cempro" brand some of which I think my have appeared. My last recollection is that originally Union Mills also mentioned plans for locos like the V2 with outside valve gear in his early material, but clearly decided against them.

All in all, the early 1990s to about 2005 was in it's own right an interesting and much overlooked period for N models, and in terms of history, not very well documented...

Roy

[Dr Al]

Re: Pro Models.

A good number of years ago, two A2/3s originating from Pro-Models, I managed to obtain - I think both did originate on Les Richardson's system.

Both had seen some use and were suitably 'used'. This was one (the front bogie had already fell off!)

A2_0 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

A2_1 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

A2_2 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

These comprised what appeared to be a Langley A3 body (whitemetal) modified with resin cast front end footplate, bits atop the chassis and tender body/underframe. The V2 chassis was also modified with equidistant driving wheels and new coupling rods - the chassis block had a new slot made for this axle using a rather scabby resin piece.

Both these models I completely gutted and rebuilt. They got:

- stripped of DCC
- new Bachmann B1 driving wheels to the V2 chassis
- replace front bogie with Dapol A3 (either bogie, or wheels, I forget!)
- replaced resin axle slot block with mazak part cut from another scrap Farish jinty chassis, for future longevity
- complete replacement tender from Farish A1 - retaining its motor to give both loco and tender drive (!). Somewhat remarkably, despite being from two different eras, with different size motors and completely different geartrains, these are almost perfectly speed matched.
- cab removed and replaced with Foxhunter A1 etched brass cab
- new brass turned buffers, and various other new replacement details including wing deflectors in brass (these were resin or plasticard originally)
- new front end detail under the footplate in the very prominently visible region ahead of cylinders.

After new wheels:

A2_3 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

Replacement cab

A2-2-3 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

After complete stripping and rebuild (this is second model)

A2_1 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

Complete with test A1 tender

A2_1cab by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

Painted, with Farish Tornado tender backdated

A2Tender3 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

Vs original Resin tender (which was pretty rough representation)

A2Tender2 by Dr Al 60103, on Flickr

I never took a complete picture of 60501 when complete, so below is 60506 which was!



And the powerhouse of a drive



Was it sacrilege to gut these?

I guess if you are an N Gauge collector or historian, yes!  For me they actually were bought pretty cheaply (IIRC ~£60 for one and £50 for the other), so the value was in their potential.

Was the Pro-models attempt good?

I think I'd say ingenious adaption of all the bits to get there, but mediocre execution of it all. Having said that it provided the basis for the above models, both of which are still part of the active fleet.

Searching "Pro models n gauge" doesn't bring up much, so the old URL would need to be found to see if it's still on the 'way back machine' internet archive (I'd suspect it will be). They certainly had a range of different models from what I recall, all of similar early 2000's style basis.

Best,
Alan

[Dr Al]

I feel 90% sure "Pro Models" did the Peppercorn A2 RTR using this kit, but I recall they also did a RTR model of the very different Thompson A2 which used the Farish V2 chassis, this a loco I would love to have a model of, but I didn't have the £250 odd they cost back then

If that was ~2012 era, then with inflation that's north of £400 in todays micro-£ era.

Not sure they were worth that IMHO.

Cheers,
Alan

[Roy L S]

Hi Alan

Thank you for not only confirming but helpfully filling in the gaps as far as the Pro Models A2s (both Peppercorn and Thompson) are concerned. I feel sure there were other models produced, but these are the only two I remember.

I only ever saw finished versions of their Thompson A2 pictured, and was intrigued by it, but as I said, I could never have afforded or justified the price they asked, and also, I wasn't overly impressed with the standard of finish (reckoned I could have done better myself).

Now I see the way they went about the model and chassis conversion in particular, while certainly capturing the essence of the real loco, their chassis work looks a bit of a "bodge" to me and quite honestly, I am glad I didn't buy one back then (I reckon probably circa 2006 ish).

Looking at what you have achieved by reworking the model, in my opinion it was definitely not sacrilege, what you have created out of it unsurprisingly stands head and shoulders above the original attempt.

Roy

[Timbo66]

With `only` 16, I feel a bit inadequate...
A good reason to buy more!

[JulianO]

About 40 locos or other powered vehicles in use for me. Aim is to keep basically to late 1970s BR blue, but in my imaginary world Diesel Hydraulics lasted till then and some were still in maroon. A few later anachronisms have also crept in, in terms of liveries.
Trying to keep number down to those that will fit on layout, as I don't like locos hidden away in boxes. Have Rapido Class 45 on pre-order though..
Also still a number of old Lima and Minitrix locos hidden away in the cupboard, plus Poole Farish 08s and DMU which occasionally may have a run.

[Newportnobby]

What a saddo, eh?