Caley 4-4-0 passenger tank no.2

Caley 4-4-0 passenger tank no.2
Caledonian Railway 4-4-0 passenger tank no.2. Built from scratch by person unknown many years ago. Since buying this model in auction I have completely stripped the original paint, added details for example new safety valve, lamp irons, condensing pipes, smokebox lubricators, door opening wheel and lever, couplings etc. Hopefully adding more character to an already characterful model. Now expertly repainted for me by John Cockcroft.

This is the second model of one of these locos that I have had, refer to this link for the other  https://www.7mmloco.co.uk/2018/11/05/caledonian-railway-4-4-0-passenger-tank-no-2/

Caledonian Railway 812 class 0-6-0 no. 824

Caley 824

Caley no. 824
Caledonian Railway 812 class 0-6-0 tender loco no. 824. The original model was bought from a Lacy, Scott & Knight auction at Bury St. Edmonds in May 2017 as no. 57566 in black, with 3 rail and skate current collection. The paint had been applied by brush and although it looked reasonable from a distance, it didn’t stand close scrutiny. Looking through the paint however, it was clear and especially relevant that this coarse scale model had been very well scratch built. The stripping of the original paintwork preceded the models complete refurbishment and conversion to a 2 rail finescale model by myself. Now expertly re-painted to Caledonian dark blue fully lined livery by John Cockcroft. Current collection is by the American method. This is where the loco collects from one rail and the tender from the other. New insulated Slaters wheels have been carefully shorted by soldering thin wire behind a spoke on one or other side of the loco and tender. This system works very well, however an insulated drawbar and fallplate are required and have been fitted to the model. Numberplates were purchased from Guilplates to complete the rebuild. In the same auction and clearly from the same collection, were 37 other model locos. All unusual north of the country prototypes and all scratch built 3-rail. It seems that the previous owner (now deceased) lived in Carlisle, which explains his preference of Northern England or Scottish locos. An LNER D49 Hunt class model was bought at the same time and for a description and images of this loco follow this link. Both examples of risky purchases that in my opinion have paid off. If only at the time I had the confidence (and the funds) to have bought more?

LNER D49 (Hunt) class no. 288 The Braes of Derwent

The Braes of Derwent

LNER D49 (Hunt) class no. 255 The Braes of Derwent. Bought from a Lacy, Scott & Knight auction in May 2017 as no. 288 The Percy. In LNER green with 3 rail and skate current collection. The paint had been applied by brush and although it looked reasonable from a distance, it didn’t stand close scrutiny. Looking through the paint however, it was clear and especially relevant that this coarse scale model had been very well scratch built. It looked like a D49. First of all the stripping of the original paintwork preceded the models complete refurbishment and conversion to 2 rail finescale by myself. Now expertly re-painted to LNER green fully lined livery by John Cockcroft. Current collection is by the American method. This is where the loco collects from one rail and the tender from the other. New insulated Slaters wheels have been carefully shorted by soldering thin wire behind a spoke on one or other side of the loco and tender. Consequently, this system works very well, however an insulated drawbar and fallplate are required. In conclusion, the purchase of a Slaters motor and gearbox unit and Severnmill nameplates completed the rebuild. One of my clients, James, had expressed a wish to me for a D49. A class that he remembered well from his spotting days. When I found “The Percy” at auction, I took a chance and made my bids with James’s words in mind. Most noteworthy he tells me the risk has certainly paid off. Maybe I should have kept it for myself? I wish I had. In the same auction and clearly from the same collection, were 37 other model locos. All unusual north of the country prototypes and all scratch built 3-rail. It seems that the previous owner (now deceased) lived in Carlisle, which explains his preference of Northern England or Scottish locos. A Caley 812 class was bought at the same time and for a description and images of this loco follow this link. Another example of a risky purchase that in my opinion has paid off. If only at the time I had the confidence (and the funds) to have bought more?