200 years of railways 1825-2025 Chat

[PeterB]

1 hour ago, Mjwomack said:

Which is a case study in how there has to be room for interpretation in the rule in the first place.

The hardly 2% is the worrying number because that's a long way to go yet.

Ok, maybe I am being a little pessimistic but I am thinking of the time it will probably take me to try and do a grainy teak effect, and the time that I know from previous experience it will take me and my shaky hands to do the lining and stick on  the appropriate markings, assuming that is I have got some that still work - failing that its a visit to the HRMS site I guess, assuming they have any pressfix in stock

 

I may just end up building a Ratio ex Midland Clerestory Roof "all third and luggage" or some of the old Aifix mineral/meat/cement wagon kits I seem to have bought. My last working layout lasted from about 1980 just before our daughter arrived, to about 1990 when the pressure on space due to having 2 growing kids caused me to break it up and store everything.  The decision was very sudden and I had bought in quite a bit of rolling stock for the future, including this set of LNER coaches and a rake of SR Maunsell coaches, all of which I started work on, but never finished. The Ian Kirk coaches are slightly problematic as I decided to do them in bulk, and now cannot be certain exactly which each is, having lost some of the headers from the packaging but I think I have just about worked it out. They are a mix of the shorter non-corridor surburban coaches, corridor main line, and open/vestibule end ones to go with the existing rakes of suburban and mainline I previously built, and some of them post-date the old undated catalogue I have.

 

Pete

Edited September 28 by PeterB

[Enzo the Magnificent]

2 minutes ago, PeterB said:

 

 

Pardon?   Speak up sonny!   

 

  

[PeterB]

Hi Enzo,

 

Computer glitch - now sorted.

 

Pete

Edited September 28 by PeterB

[Nick McV]

I don't do railway modelling, but like most gentlemen of a certain age I have an affection for steam trains, so I will be lurking on this GB having a look at what's going on.

 

This is my close encounter with the Jacobite a few weeks ago (well away from the crowds at Glenfinnan!)

 

 

Cheers

 

Nick

Edited September 29 by Nick McV

[Mjwomack]

2 hours ago, Nick McV said:

I don't do railway modelling,

But one tiny wagon with a load, maybe a car, couldn't do any harm could it

 

Great photo btw

[Nick McV]

29 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

But one tiny wagon with a load, maybe a car, couldn't do any harm could it

 

I think I have enough going on! Though I will admit to occasionally leafing through the model railway mags when I'm in Tesco...

 

32 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

Great photo btw

 

Annual trip to the Highlands and Islands, climbing mountains, paddling on the lochs... love it up there.

[Rob Sutto]

5 hours ago, Nick McV said:

I don't do railway modelling

 

[Mjwomack]

My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a model in the Gallery🏆. As befits a winner (of the Rainhill Trials), it's Stephenson's Rocket which Tim @theplasticsurgeon has rocketed through with. And what a piece of work it is tbh I had no idea that there was that good a model in the Dapol kit. Though as Ian ( @Redstaff) has pointed out, Tim's got plenty of time to knock out a few more yet!

[Enzo the Magnificent]

 Hi all,

 

just a quick reminder that the poll for the new Groupbuild constitution is here.  It closes on Monday.  If you haven't yet voted, head over there right now.  You know you want to.   

 

 

 

[Mjwomack]

A more serious notice today....

 

If you're offered an Acurascale Deltic Preservation Society Exclusive  Model of Tulyar, ask searching questions about it provenance- the DPS store at Barrow Hill was broken into and all their stock stolen. Don't handle stolen goods!

[Mjwomack]

In @Chimpion's thread Ian @Redstaff muses on getting all the Dapol/ Airfix/ Kitmaster locos in here. Obviously for Dapol, they're still in production so we can leave that with @Enzo the Magnificent to Build 'em All'. I think that covers Airfix as well.

 

But a lot were dropped in the move from Rosebud-Kitmaster across to Airfix. In reference I've put a link to a very good history of Kitmaster, for which our co-host @Paul821 knows the author so further questions to him! As you can see there's a lot that didn't go across, some such as the Italian Tank Loco (mine's now in the Inspiration Gallery) are entirely understandable; it's more a case of what were the board thinking when they authorised it in the first place. But some of them seem really stranger omissions. Perhaps if I'd followed @TonyW's advice at the auction house for one more bid, I wouldn't have missed out on the Beyer-Garrett🤔.

 

As it is, we'll sort of have two of the English Electric shunters in here once I finish butchering them into a Class 13. But if you want to see just how many, and diverse the Kitmaster roster was, check out @cmatthewbacon's work in the Lesser Known Inspiration gallery

 

 

If I hadn't seen such riches I could cope with being poor!

[Redstaff]

@Mjwomack looks like I've opened a real can of worms here. I pretty much knew the Airfix / Dapol ranges, but didn't realise how diverse the Kitmaster range was. Like you say, the Airfix/ Dapol should be fairly easily doable, but maybe not the whole Kitmaster family as well.

I promise I won't have any more good ideas 🤣

 

Ian 😀

[johnlambert]

I hope I'm not too late to join. Japanese manufacturer Kato does these mini diorama kits of a short piece of track with pre-cut MDF mini baseboard on which you can build a scene, these can then be linked up to make a modular layout that could have everything from the hyper realistic to the wildest flights of fancy. My plan is to do a small, vaguely realistic scene set in the 1960s

[Mjwomack]

11 hours ago, johnlambert said:

I hope I'm not too late to join

Not until 00;01 on 19 January!👍

[Mjwomack]

On 05/10/2025 at 12:16, Redstaff said:

I promise I won't have any more good ideas 🤣

 

 

No, please have lots more good ideas- we love them!

[Bengalensis]

I must say I had very much expected a Deltic to appear among the builds quite soon, but to my surprise so far none to be seen... Well, still early GB days...

[Mjwomack]

23 minutes ago, Bengalensis said:

I must say I had very much expected a Deltic to appear

Coming soon to a preserved railway near me (and @Paul821)

 

https://nnrailway.co.uk/fiftieth-finale-weekend/ 

 

Too sacred for me to build one. As for souricng one, well, there's the aged Dapol one of the prototype, which is best left to @Enzo the Magnificent! For larger and more accurate there's this

 

https://www.djhmodelloco.co.uk/product/k316-kit-br-class-55-diesel-deltic-type-5/ 

 

But with a price tag to match. not sure if MTK did one in OO but that's very rare (if it even exists).

 

I'll put some pics over in Trivia etc. so scratch that itch! Because you're right, we need more Deltics!

[Paul821]

56 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

Coming soon to a preserved railway near me (and @Paul821)

 

https://nnrailway.co.uk/fiftieth-finale-weekend/ 

 

Too sacred for me to build one. As for souricng one, well, there's the aged Dapol one of the prototype, which is best left to @Enzo the Magnificent! For larger and more accurate there's this

 

https://www.djhmodelloco.co.uk/product/k316-kit-br-class-55-diesel-deltic-type-5/ 

 

But with a price tag to match. not sure if MTK did one in OO but that's very rare (if it even exists).

 

I'll put some pics over in Trivia etc. so scratch that itch! Because you're right, we need more Deltics!

Although I won't be around for the NNR 50th weekend due to other commitments I am keeping an eye out for the stock movements and hope to be able to get pictures of the Deltic's trip to Norfolk, presuming it will get there by rail.

 

O yes MTK kits, much derided in recent years but but back in the 1970's these were the only way to get certain loco's. I met the owner of the range, Colin Massingham, back in 1976. My first meeting was with a friend who had got fed up with the non-appearance of a kit he had ordered and decided to pay Colin a visit in his shop in Slough. The second was much more friendly as Colin had purchased the Warship no 821 Greyhound, and stored in in Reading gas works. At that point I lived in Reading and was invited to join working parties on the loco.

 

The question is will anyone be brave enough to tackle a MTK in this GB? If not a Q Kit's loco would provide a similar challenge,

[Paul821]

On 28/09/2025 at 19:45, Paul821 said:

The pickup goods train that is the 200 Years of Railways 1825-2025 Group Build has set off on its journey.

 

Leaving the marshalling yard we had 18 trucks I on our train, and we have picked up four since:

 

Welcome to our new consignees:

@Morantbay

@Bandsaw Steve

@Bonhoff

 

And

 @Enzo the Magnificent    has added a second consignment.

 

Hopefully along  way we pick up some more wagons, while we leave others in the sidings called “The Gallery”. It will be unfortunate if any wagons develop hot boxes and are sent to the repair yard known as KUTA or even worse marked as condemned and sent to the local refuse tip.

 

Now we are underway I will probably only update the stats at: 

 

once a week.

"Once a week" was impossible due to lack of internet last week.

 

Our train now stands at 26 wagons, Tim ( @theplasticsurgeon 's) Rocket having left us upon it's completion but he re-joins with the City of Truro.

 

We welcome:

 

@825

@johnlambert

@John Masters

@Chimpion

 

 

 

[Redstaff]

3 hours ago, Mjwomack said:

we need more Deltics!

No we don't 🤣

We need more steam engines 😁😁

[Mjwomack]

9 hours ago, Redstaff said:

No we don't 🤣

We need more steam engines 😁😁

how about we just need more old stuff?

 

I am bemused that there's a lot of preserved stock Mk3 coaches Pacers etc that are significantly younger than me and yet I'm not eligible for Heritage Lottery Funding😭

[Mjwomack]

Still trying to move house😭, workbench half packed and the rest even more crowded😱 so I don't need this in my life

 

https://www.lskauctioncentre.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-792---nitto-kagaku-of-japan-150-scale-locomotive/?lot=627321&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=900&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=0&mc=1051&pp=96&pn=1&g=1# 

 

But it's intriguing and would be at home here or in Lesser Known Classics!

[Bengalensis]

On 12/10/2025 at 20:31, Mjwomack said:

Too sacred for me to build one. As for souricng one, well, there's the aged Dapol one of the prototype, which is best left to @Enzo the Magnificent! For larger and more accurate there's this

 

The Dapol/Airfix/Kitmaster Deltic is the prototype, yes. I do actually think the prototype specifically is pretty good looking. I quite like that basic design, used on several different locomotives in the world, even our Swedish electric Rapid (Ra) comes to mind.

 

Now, I seem to vaguely remember that a couple or more years ago there was someone offering the Dapol Deltic kits with improved windows(?) of their own manufacturing, and also resin engines was available for it... Is that true? Anyone knows anything more?

[Paul821]

33 minutes ago, Bengalensis said:

 

The Dapol/Airfix/Kitmaster Deltic is the prototype, yes. I do actually think the prototype specifically is pretty good looking. I quite like that basic design, used on several different locomotives in the world, even our Swedish electric Rapid (Ra) comes to mind.

 

Now, I seem to vaguely remember that a couple or more years ago there was someone offering the Dapol Deltic kits with improved windows(?) of their own manufacturing, and also resin engines was available for it... Is that true? Anyone knows anything more?

Windows were Southeast Finecasr, no longer made might still available here. https://www.petersspares.com/p/flushglaze-windows-se-95-kitmaster-dapol-class-55-deltic-diesel-oo-gauge not sure about a resin Delitc engine.

[Enzo the Magnificent]

7 hours ago, Bengalensis said:

 also resin engines was available for it... Is that true? Anyone knows anything more?

 

Westhill Wagon Works produce  resin Deltic engine.

 

https://westhillwagonworks.co.uk/products/class-55-deltic-detailed-power-unit-oo-gauge?_pos=1&_sid=c8de1add6&_ss=r