L&NWR Webb rebuilt Metropolitan Tank 4-4-2T no. 3095

L&NWR Webb rebuilt Metropolitan Tank 4-4-2T no. 3095. Built from scratch many years ago. Bought from auction last year because I have never seen a model of one of these locos before and it looked straight and well built, although the paint finish and level of detail left something to be desired. It has since been completely stripped down and rebuilt with Slaters wheels and a Portescap RG7 motor and gears assembly. As bought it even has a working representation of the inside valve gear which fills the void between the frames and below the boiler, still working perfectly. The existing wiper pickups have been reused as they also still work perfectly. Many fresh castings, mainly from the Laurie Griffin range have been used in the rebuild to give it the detail that I believe all fine scale models of locomotives should have. Now repainted by myself and John Cockcroft has made a superb job of the lining out by bow pen. She was tested at the Poachers running session in June 2022 and performed smoothly and powerfully with my rake of seven L&NWR arc roofed coaches, which complemented the period piece perfectly. This model may not be a perfect scale replica of the real thing and I’m sure that it wasn’t originally the work of the great James Stanley Beeson, but I am delighted with how this “basket case” has turned out. I like the L&NWR locos and the unusual in particular and this fits the bill, spot on. Find another? 

BR(ScR) Thompson B1 class 4-6-0 no. 61407

BR(ScR) B1 class no. 61407
BR(ScR) B1 class no. 61407

    1. BR(ScR) Thompson B1 class 4-6-0 no. 61407.

A quality build many years ago, from the excellent Piercy Models kit, with the very fine cast wheels that were made for these kits (or they could be by Alan Harris AGH. Either way top quality wheels) and a Portescap RG7 motor/gear unit. Power collection is by the American method, where the loco collects power through it’s cast iron wheels from one rail and the tender collects from the other, with a single wire running from the tender to the motor in the loco alongside the drawbar. I find this method the most trouble free of any method of collecting current. This lovely model had been originally painted in LNER lined black as number 1059 (an Ipswich loco) with curved strengthening pieces to the corners of the running plate that only Cowlairs works carried out on Scottish locos later in their lives. Now I always try to ensure that my models are as far as possible historically correct in detail. I am 100% sure that no Ipswich loco would ever have had this modification, especially in LNER days. So the model has had to receive a new livery and identity. It has been stripped of it’s original paint and has been expertly repainted in this totally authentic new guise by John Cockcroft. Not only does she now look the part, but she also performs very well, even on the tight 5′-5″ radius curves of my test track.

61407 was a Dunfirmline and Thornton Junction loco whilst in this livery and I have a lovely photo of it at Dunfirmline loco shed, which I used to authenticate the looks of the model.
This model is for sale, if interested please see the “Models for sale” section of this website.

LNER (ex GNR) C12 class 4-4-2T no. 7367

LNER no. 7367
LNER (ex GNR) C12 class 4-4-2T no. 7367. A top quality model, believed to have been built from the Meteor models kit with many additional details. Built to scale 7 standards, with sprung hornblocks, fully working inside motion, Alan Harris (AGH) wheels and powered by an ABC motor and gears unit. Expertly painted and weathered by Colin Dowling (eastsidepilot.com) in the late 1940’s plain black livery. It was built on commission for the late Michael Brooks (the originator of Masterpiece Models) for use on his famous Monks Eleigh scale 7 layout. This model is for sale, if interested please see it in the models for sale section of this website.