BR(WR) Grange class 4-6-0 no. 6809 Burghclere Grange

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
BR(WR) Grange class 4-6-0 no. 6809 Burghclere Grange
6809 Burghclere Grange
BR(WR) Grange class 4-6-0 no. 6809 Burghclere Grange. 

This model was built by J.K.Stansfield of Colne in 1993, from the Malcolm Mitchell kit. The motor/gear unit is by ABC and the wheels are good quality cast iron. The pick-ups are of the plunger type and it all has been built to a very professional and well detailed standard. Since then it has been displayed unpainted in a glass case. After purchase, it has been thoroughly cleaned and serviced to excellent running condition by myself and expertly painted and weathered by John Cockcroft. The model even has a tender makers plate with the correct number, 1898, all part of the excellent service from Severn Mill nameplates.

Only two of the Granges were given the British Railways mixed traffic lined black livery. 6809 in December 1949 when the loco was allocated at Penzance, having a 3500 gallon Churchward pattern tender at the time. The other, number 6819 having the Collett intermediate pattern tender when it was painted in lined black at Caerphilly in 1955. All other Granges were painted plain black, until green became the standard livery for the class in the late 1950’s.

North Eastern Railway Raven class D 4-4-4T no. 2143

Mick Bayliss Loco commissions
NER class D 4-4-4T no. 2143
North Eastern Railway Raven class D 4-4-4T no. 2143

My latest build of a good looking and unusual prototype, after a wash and brush-up it will be ready for painting. Built on a commission basis from the very comprehensive DJH kit, fitted with Slaters wheels and the excellent Slaters GB30R-3M gearbox with a Mashima motor. As can be seen from the photo, many parts of this model are cast in white metal, the smokebox/boiler/firebox has been usual for DJH kits for as long as I have been building, but this kit has the cab floor cast a drop in from below casting, to which the backhead can be screwed, making a well detailed unit. The cab roof and splasher box castings are well detailed and everything fits together well. Each of the bogies are also one piece castings, the leading one has a very clever wiper power pickup idea, designed and incorporated into the kit. All in all making a quick to build model and recommended for the more inexperienced model builder.

BR (ex LSWR) IOW O2 class no. W22 Brading

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
BR (ex LSWR) IOW O2 class no. W22 Brading

W22 Brading
BR (ex LSWR) IOW O2 class no. W22 Brading. Built by myself from the Alan Gibson kit with Gibson wheels and an ABC motor/gear unit. Warren Haywood takes the credit for the superb painting.

Models of these delightful little Isle of Wight locos rarely appear and even more rarely come up for sale. I was fortunate to be taken to the Isle of Wight on holiday when in my early teens and I still have a photo of Brading, taken on the small turntable at the end of the line at Ventnor. Thus the motivation for me to buy and build this kit. Check out Jim McGowan’s Connoiseur website http://www.jimmcgeown.com/Photo%20Gallery%20Customers%20Models/Southern%20Class%2002%20Photo%20Gallery.html for more photos of models of these locos. (All in green livery? None in black, I wonder why??)

I bought this kit in completely untouched condition from a good friend, now deceased, who had decided to sell his collection because of health problems. He had bought it probably 30 years previously and it had lain in the bottom of his wardrobe ever since. Now here it is built, painted and running like a dream and none the worse for spending all of those years in the dark.

Southern Railway King Arthur class 4-6-0 no. E785 Sir Mador de la Porte

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
Southern Railway King Arthur class 4-6-0 no. E785 Sir Mador de la Porte

E785 Sir Mador de la Porte
Southern Railway King Arthur Class no. E785 Sir Mador de la Porte. This model was built by myself many years ago from the Modern Outline kit, with Slaters wheels and an ABC motor/gear unit. I originally painted it in an identical livery as E792 Sir Hervis de Revel and with that identity he gave me many years excellent service, but unfortunately the paint deteriorated, resulting in me stripping it for a repaint. New paint, new identity. Now expertly painted by Warren Haywood. The model as Sir Mador is now all ready to give many more years service.

Great Northern Railway Stirling single wheeler no. 1

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
Great Northern Railway Stirling single wheeler no. 1

Stirling single
GNR Stirling single wheeler no. 1. From the Swanage Models kit with Slaters wheels and a Portescap motor and gearbox. This model was originally built by a person unknown and I won it in a GNRA railwayana auction. Not the best £605 I have ever spent. It was bought because I have confidence in buying second hand models that have been built from quality kits, and as I had already built one of these before, my confidence remained that I could strip and rebuild it into a superb model. Well I have done that, but at a cost in time that convinces me that never again will I tackle one of these in that way. The model now has a pair of plunger pickups on the driving wheels and wiper pickups on the tender. Although clearances are very tight on the bogie and trailing wheels, it works well. Thanks also to Warren Haywood for a stunning paint job.

LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 1470N Great Northern

Mick Bayliss My loco collection, Wally West scratchbuilt locos
LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 1470N Great Northern

Great Northern
LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 1470N Great Northern. Built (to 95% completion) from scratch by Walter (Wally) West circa 1980’s using driving wheel castings by Alan Harris and a massive Pittman gear and motor unit. For a reason unknown Great Northern (and his twin brother Robert the Devil, who appears on a separate posting on this site) were left unfinished until in early 2020, when I was commissioned by Wally’s family to complete the models. This entailed, in the main, the soldered assembly of cab parts and the fitting of all handrails on the boiler, cab and tender. It also entailed the preparation of the model for final painting by Warren Haywood. I am very proud to have completed the model to a standard worthy of the builder and honoured to have this fabulous model as part of my collection.

SL&NCR Beyer Peacock 0-6-4T “Lissadell”

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
SL&NCR Beyer Peacock 0-6-4T “Lissadell”
Lissadell
“Lissadell” of the Sligo, Leitrim & Northern Counties Railway, ‘Leitrim’ Class 0-6-4T, built in 1899 by Beyer Peacock & Co., works No.4073. This is my latest buy from auction. Very well built indeed from the North Star kit designed by Adrian Rowland, with an ABC motor/gears unit, wiper pick-ups, sprung hornblocks and Slaters wheels. As can be seen, it is presently in unpainted condition and has never been finished. It was bought with the intention to get my good friend John Cockcroft to paint it for me in it’s original SL&NCR livery, but the only photos that I can find of it are relatively recent ones in what looks like unlined black. I do have a builders photo of the class leader “Leitrim” in lined out works grey, but other than that I have no idea of what livery these locos carried in their early years. If anyone can help me get this lovely little tank loco completed in an early livery, I would be very much appreciative.

Thanks to the Railway Modellers Ireland Facebook group and Jonathan Beaumont in particular I have received the following information:

JB – Originally olive green – quite dark, and with lining. No actual details of the lining survive but perusal of early photos suggest black and white. The letters “S L N C R” were in shaded gold or yellow on the tank sides. It is not known what colour the nameplates were, though during the “black” era (probably about 1910/15 onwards) these were variously black with red writing, or red with polished writing.
MB – There is a photo of classmate “Lurganboy” on the smugmug website, with “SL&NCR” lettering on the tank sides, but the rest of the loco looks to be unlined. Would this lettering have been carried in the olive green days with the lining?
JB – Yes.
JB – After they started painting them unlined black I believe, but cannot be certain, that the lettering continued for a while (on the unlined black background). Connecting rods are often seen (copied) on models as red. Evidently they were not – they were black or more likely, unpainted.

LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 4479 Robert the Devil

Mick Bayliss Wally West scratchbuilt locos
LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 4479 Robert the Devil

Robert the Devil
LNER Gresley A1 class Pacific no. 4479 Robert the Devil. Built (to 95% completion) from scratch by Walter (Wally) West circa 1980’s using driving wheel castings by Alan Harris and a massive Pittman gear and motor unit. For a reason unknown Robert the Devil (and his twin brother Great Northern, who will be appearing on this site very soon) were left unfinished until in early 2020, when I was commissioned by Wally’s family to complete the models. This entailed, in the main, the soldered assembly of cab parts and the fitting of all handrails on the boiler, cab and tender. It also entailed the preparation of the model for final painting by Warren Haywood. This model is now in the possession of Wally’s daughter Jane, as a memento of her father’s modelling skills.

RSH 0-6-0ST Aberconway

Mick Bayliss Wally West scratchbuilt locos
RSH 0-6-0ST Aberconway

Aberconway, built from scratch with fully working inside motion, circa late 1990’s by Walter (Wally) West using wheels turned from good quality castings. The split axles and insulated spacers between the frames allow power to be collected through the non-insulated wheels and the frames to the JH motor and a double reduction gear unit. All brake blocks are made from non conductive material to eliminate shorting across the brake rigging. All loco axles have sprung hornblocks. Superbly painted in fully lined green livery by Alan Brackenborough. The detail of the hand applied lining in particular should be admired. A superbly built and painted model in every respect. The full size locomotive, which Wally fired as a lad, was a Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-6-0ST no. 6942 of 1938 and worked at Cadeby colliery near Doncaster. She was scrapped in late 1963. I have had the model working with my rake of 20 mineral wagons and brake van. She has a modest top speed which is perfect for the job and would certainly pull twice that load, quietly and with no fuss.