Author: Mick Bayliss

BR(ER) Thompson B1 class 4-6-0 no. 61379 Mayflower

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection

BR(ER) Thompson B1 class 4-6-0 no. 61379 Mayflower.

Superbly built from one of the original Walter Hodgson designed Piercy Model Products kits by my good friend the late Graham Jaques and very well painted by him also. Portescap RG7 motor and gear unit, Slaters wheels, plunger pick-ups, opening smokebox door, working lubricator linkage, working reversing gear, nothing was too much trouble for Graham. The model runs like a dream.

A rare model of the only B1 named by British Railways, No. 61379 Mayflower was named in 1951. Mayflower also carried on the cab-sides, a plaque stating “This locomotive was named Mayflower 13th July 1951 as a symbol of the ties between the two towns of Boston and of the lasting friendship between the USA and the British Commonwealth”. It’s well worth stating that I remember Graham, with his eye for detail, commissioning the late Chris Gordon Watford of Severnmill Nameplates to create the cab-side plaques for this model.

BR (ex LMS) Fowler 6P Patriot class 4-6-0 no. 45503 The Royal Leicestershire Regiment

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection

BR (ex LMS) Fowler 6P Patriot class 4-6-0 no. 45503 The Royal Leicestershire Regiment. Another recent auction purchase. This model from the David Andrews kit is powered by the MSC Crailcrest multi-stage gear and motor unit, collecting power from the Slaters wheels and plunger pick-ups. Only minimal repairs and adjustments have been needed, other than a paint strip and repaint by Warren Haywood, to restore an already very well built Patriot to the top level of quality. No provenance as to the very capable builder, unfortunately.

Midland Railway Deeley class 4P 4-4-0 no. 1035

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection

Midland Railway Deeley class 4P 4-4-0 no. 1035. A recent Ebay find. Built from scratch with superb fully working inside motion. No provenance as to the builder but he certainly knew how to make a good model. I had it running at the recent Poachers running session and it performed without fault with my rake of five of Bernard Miller’s Midland bogie coaches. When bought the livery was not as good as the quality of the build. Now stripped of it’s original paint and repainted by Warren Haywood, this impressive model now has the looks taking it to another level of quality.

Unusually, this is a model of one of the few Midland Compounds that were built with shallow frames. Henry Fowler didn’t like those and had them all rebuilt with the deeper frames of the LMS compounds. Most models of this class are built from kits, which as far as I know, all have the deeper frames.

GWR William Dean 517 class 0-4-2T no. 548

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection
GWR William Dean 517 class 0-4-2T no. 548
GWR William Dean 517 class 0-4-2T no. 548. This lovely little model has been very well built from the superb Malcolm Mitchell kit with Slaters wheels, an MSC JH motor and gear unit and a representation of inside valve gear and slidebars. Power collection is by plunger pick-ups to driving wheels, tested hauling a “B” set at the Poachers running session last Sunday, she runs very smoothly indeed. When bought, the model was quite good, but carried only a fair rendition of the GWR plain green livery. Now stripped of its original paint and repainted by Warren Haywood in the superb GWR chocolate livery, Warren has improved this little chap to another level. After WWI, some enclosed cab 517’s were painted in this lovely brown livery (they were nicknamed “chocolate soldiers”) to match the livery of autotrailers. Some of the brown 517s are thought to have retained the livery until the mid-1920s.

LNWR Bowen Cooke George V class 4-4-0 no. 1360 Fire Queen

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection
LNWR Bowen Cooke George V class 4-4-0 no. 1360 Fire Queen
LNWR Bowen Cooke George V class 4-4-0 no. 1360 Fire Queen

A well built model from the David Andrews kit, with an MSC JH type motor and gear unit powered by plunger pickups and Slaters wheels, it runs as smoothly and powerfully as it did the day that I bought it from Rich at Footplate in Nantwich. However at that time number 5000 Coronation had been in the wars somewhat, losing one of its nameplates and taking with it a good size lump of paint. Now, after disassembly, paint stripping, the addition of lamp sockets, new handrails, and name and number plates giving a new identity. A superb new coat of blackberry black with hand/bowpen lining by Warren Haywood, doesn’t she just look the part? He’s done a lovely job with the differing textures of paint finish between smokebox and boiler. Just like the shiny LNWR locos that we can still see in pre-grouping period photos.

BR (ex GNR) Gresley class K2/1 2-6-0 no. 61742

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
BR (ex GNR) Gresley class K2/1 2-6-0 no. 61742
BR (ex GNR) Gresley class K2/1 2-6-0 no. 61742. This lovely model has been expertly built from scratch by Harold Humphries. In my early days of gauge O model building, a good friend of mine by the name of Graham Jaques used to tell me about “Harold”, an elderly gentleman who Graham looked upon as being his modelling mentor. Harold passed away and Graham, (who was a superb builder himself, good enough to win the Guildex Chairmans trophy with a scratchbuilt and painted GNR Atlantic) acquired this model. Now after Graham’s passing some years ago, I have acquired it and I must say that the old gent really could build a superb model loco. ABC gears, Slaters wheels and current collection by plunger pickups, this K2 runs very smoothly and powerfully.

BR (ex LNER) class K1/1 2-6-0 no. 61997 MacCailin Mor, Thompson rebuild of Gresley K4 class.

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
BR (ex LNER) class K1/1 2-6-0 no. 61997 MacCailin Mor, Thompson rebuild of Gresley K4 class. Edward Thompson’s rebuild of Nigel Gresley’s 3 cylinder K4 class no. 3445. Very nicely built by Jon Boot of the Denton Works, using the DMR kit as the basis of construction, but with many scratch details to portray accurately the rebuilt locomotive which was the prototype for the K1 class. With a Slaters GB30R-3M spur drive gearbox and motor unit and Slaters wheels he runs superbly. Very well painted indeed by John Cockcroft. In this condition a rare to see model of this unusual locomotive.

BR (MR) Ivatt Princess Coronation class Pacific no. 46257 City of Salford

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection
BR (MR) Ivatt Princess Coronation class Pacific no. 46257 City of Salford
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

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
Highland Railway Jones Tank class 2-4-0T no. 59 Highlander
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.