Author: Mick Bayliss

LNER (ex NBR) D32 class no. 9887

Mick Bayliss Loco commissions, Locos now sold
LNER 9887.
 LNER (ex NBR) D32 class no. 9887. Built and painted (unlined) by myself on commission from the Majestic Models kit, with Portescap motor and gears unit and american pick-ups. Lining added using a bow-pen by John Cockcroft.

The Majestic Models proprietor and designer of this excellent kit, the late George Dawson, was a smashing chap. After I had bought my first kit, a Connoisseur J71 tank,  from him in 1990, he became a very good friend. To say that he taught me loads about building O gauge models, is a massive understatement.

BR Standard 9F class 2-10-0 no. 92018

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
92018
92018
BR 9F class 2-10-0 no. 92018. Built and painted from the DJH kit by the late Graham Jaques and weathered by Pete Brinded. The full size locos of this class, designed by Robert Riddles, were the final standard steam locomotives built for British Railways. Knicknamed “spaceships” because of the daylight visible above the wheels and below the boiler, these very impressive locos were regarded by many as the best steam locos ever built. Some of which only had an operational life of less than five years.

BR (ER) A4 class no. 60017 Silver Fox

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
Silver Fox
Silver Fox
BR (ER) A4 class no. 60017 Silver Fox. This is a DJH PIERCY No.1 Shop Custom Built model. Bought second hand with sellotape damaged paint to the left side of the tender. Rather than try to repair the tender by trying to match the paint finish, the difficult decision was made to strip the full loco body and tender of the factory applied paint and Warren Haywood has now given her a fresh coat. I must say that these DJH No.1 Shop models http://www.djhmodelloco.co.uk/djh-no-1-ready-to-run/ have a fabulous build quality, better than anything else that I have ever possessed. But in my opinion the paint and lining colours are not as accurate for a model as those used by Messrs Haywood, Brackenborough, Rathbone and the like. This model has now the best of both worlds and is the finest kit built model in my collection, no doubt. I just wish that I could lay claim to have built it.

I have vivid memories of Silver Fox at Peterborough North in steam days. She was on station pilot duties, facing south,  very clean and awaiting a diesel failure. These were the days after Top Shed had closed and some of the fleet of top link steam locos had been reallocated to New England shed. She looked fabulous that day and to think, as we now know, that she was only weeks away from scrapping is beyond belief. But that was British Railways in the sixties for you, the elimination of steam at all cost. Memories of days like that helped to formulate in my tiny mind an interest in railways, as a hobby and a profession, that has stayed with me ever since.

Small Prairie no. 4519

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
Small Prairie 4519
Small Prairie 4519
GWR 45xx Class no. 4519. Malcolm Mitchell kit, bought ready built and basically painted from the Reading bring & buy ten years ago and has been a regular performer at the Poachers test track. Recently stripped of original paint by myself and re-painted and lightly weathered by Warren Haywood. This lovely little loco is powered by a top quality multi-stage gearbox by Ron Chaplin, with a Canon motor and a small flywheel. The models adhesion is very good. All driving axles have axle boxes and guides without springs. On my test track, which has curves of only 5′-5″ radius, I have a rake of six Lionheart coaches for testing locos with and it can pull those easily, more if required, I’m sure. This model is for sale. Please see the models for sale page of this website for more details.

BR (ex LNER) V2 Class no. 60847 St.Peter’s School, York. A.D. 627

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
St. Peter’s School, York
St.Peter's School, York
BR (ex LNER) V2 Class no. 60847 St.Peter’s School, York. A.D. 627. Originally built as Green Arrow by the late Graham Jaques from the Finney kit. Graham was a good friend and an excellent modeller. He taught me a lot and is greatly missed. I bought this model from his widow Margaret, after his untimely passing. In need of a heavy repair and furthermore, I have a preference not to have models of preserved locos, I decided to strip the paint and buy new nameplates from Severnmill. The choice of a suitable loco was difficult. It needed care because, typical of Graham, he had built Green Arrow with it’s correct earlier low front plate tender. When built they were only fitted to the first twenty locos of the class. Reference however, to Yeadon’s Register of LNER Locomotives Volume Four produced photographic evidence of 60847 (which I clearly remember seeing racing along the former Great Central main line in my spotting days) also with the low front plate tender. The paint strip and  repair was carried out by myself, before a professional repaint and weathering by Warren Haywood.

 

BR (ex LNER) A3 Class no. 60099 Call Boy

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
Call Boy
Call Boy
BR (ex LNER) A3 Class no. 60099 Call Boy. Built from the David Andrews kit by myself around 15 years ago. Originally painted by myself also, but I didn’t quite get the colour right. After letting it “make do” for too long I have recently stripped the original paint and let Warren Haywood do the rest. This model is DCC/sound with a Zimo MX645R decoder, switchable between DC and DCC, converted for me by Richard Pogson.