BR (MR) Ivatt Princess Coronation class Pacific no. 46257 City of Salford. Rare to see a model of this particular loco. In the past I have had in my collection models of Duchesses, but all built from kits, Martin Finney and David Andrews, or imported from Korea Sangcheng and Masterpiece. But I have never had one that has been built from scratch before, and 46257 is up there with any the others for value for money. Substantially built to last, many years ago, in nickel silver, by Graham (tinsnips) Powell, with good quality cast metal wheels with fine spokes without webs, and with telescopic axles. The front two with a small amount of compensation with each other, the third fixed and driven by a chunky gear and powerful motor unit, an MSC Crailcrest I believe. Power collection is by plunger pickups. Bought by myself from a recent on-line auction, as 46256 Sir William A Stanier FRS, with a nameplate missing, and damaged red paint. He has now been stripped of his coat, rebranded to the much rarer City of Salford, and superbly repainted in dark green with light weathering by Warren Haywood. I will concede that some of the detail of build of this model does not have the perfection of a Korean import, but doesn’t that add to it’s character? I am delighted with the result of this risky purchase and wish that I had the model building skills of Graham.
Highland Railway Jones Tank class 2-4-0T no. 59 Highlander. Spotted in a recent provincial auction in a filthy and playworn condition, it’s potential wasn’t lost though in my eyes. This rarely modelled locomotive, part of a class of three, was built in 1879 at the HR’s Lochgorm works. In this wheel arrangement they were used on the Aberfeldy and Burghead branches without too much success and in 1887 Highlander was rebuilt with a front bogie. In 1900 it’s name was removed, and in LMS days it was repainted into crimson lake livery and renumbered 15010. I have had in my collection a model of the same loco, in that condition. Unfortunately now sold, but an image of it is included here to show it in the lovely crimson lake. Originally built from a Shedmaster kit, with Slaters wheels, plunger pickup power collection and a single gear driven by a Mashima motor. Now cleaned and stripped of paint by myself, the once very rough running has been considerably improved by some intricate surgery inside the body. The chassis now lubricated and with clean pickups, now runs smoothly and quietly. The superb new paintwork in the even more lovely original Jones livery is by Warren Haywood.
L&NER (ex GCR) Robinson B2 (later B19) class 4-6-0 no. 423 Sir Sam Fay. Very well built from scratch, my preference, and not from a kit as it was described on Ebay. So a very pleasant surprise for me when I opened the box. Good quality cast iron wheels and the loco initially worked well with a single gear JH type motor and gear unit. However, in the forward direction only it ran out of puff after only a few minutes. (it seemed OK in reverse??). The motor did have a long flywheel spindle protruding from the back, so I thought it must be rubbing on the front face of the spectacle plate, but on investigation, no witness marks. Tried on the rolling road chassis only, still the same? So out came the gears and in with an RG7. Problem solved. He runs as good as he looks now. Well painted in the 1923 L&NER green, Gortons version, which if the truth was told was no more than the works old stocks of GCR green with a gallon or two of white added to make it a bit brighter, (note the ampersand and also the GCR cabside numberplates).
