Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinal Highflyer class Atlantic no. 1403

Mick Bayliss Loco commissions, My loco collection

Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Aspinal Highflyer class Atlantic no. 1403. Built and basically painted by myself on commission from the Lanky kit and expertly lined out by John Cockcroft. The model has Slaters wheels, an ABC motor and gear unit and collects power by my favoured American method. The gentleman that asked me to build has now decided to sell his considerable collection of L&Y models, giving me the opportunity to buy this one back. It is a lovely model and I am very happy to be able to add it to my collection.

BR (ex LMS) Stanier Jubilee class 4-6-0 no. 45705 Seahorse

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold 0 Comment
BR (ex LMS) Stanier Jubilee class 4-6-0 no. 45705 Seahorse
BR (ex LMS) Stanier Jubilee class 4-6-0 no. 45705 Seahorse.Well built from the Gladiator kit, powered by a Portescap RG7 motor and gear unit, with Slaters wheels and current collection by plunger pickups on each of the six driving wheels. Beautifully painted, lined out and weathered by Warren Haywood. The inspiration for me to buy an existing model, strip the paint, carry out any necessary repairs or improvements, before asking Warren to repaint it, came from a trainspotting trip to Manchester with my schoolmate Mark Hulme. At Patricroft shed, we were pleasantly surprised (these were the days when most remaining Jubilees were stored wrecks) to come across Seahorse, with yellow stripe, nameplates and fairly clean. Well worth a few quick snaps with my Kodak Instamatic. I now find that the loco was a celebrity, used regularly on the Buxton services, hence the replacement (probably wooden) nameplates and clean condition. WOW, is an expletive commonly used these days as part of the description for a very average Ebay item. In 1965, we were well and truly wowed by this loco.

GWR Churchward Scott class 4-4-2 no. 188 Rob Roy

Mick Bayliss My loco collection

GWR Churchward Scott class 4-4-2 no. 188 Rob Roy. A superb model of a very rarely modelled prototype. Built from the Scorpio Models kit, with AGH (Alan Harris) wheels, and an ABC motor and gears unit, by Norman Vickers. This model was bought from auction some months ago, as number 190 Waverley, https://www.gaugeoguild.com/gallery/gallery_display.aspx having been originally painted by the builder. But in my opinion the paint at that time didn’t compare with the quality of the build, partly due to very average quality paint repairs, probably by the previous Australian owner. So I made the difficult decision to strip down the model and strip the original paint, to be superbly repainted with a different identity, by Warren Haywood. I think the quality of the painting now well compares with the quality of the build. The Scott class Atlantics were built to allow Mr Churchward to compare their performance with the Saint class 4-6-0’s. They were all rebuilt to the 4-6-0 wheel arrangement at Swindon in 1912 to become part of the very successful Saint class.

LMS (ex Caledonian Railway) 782 class 0-6-0T

Mick Bayliss My loco collection
LMS (ex Caledonian Railway) 782 class 0-6-0T. A top rate scratch build, in nickel silver, by George Mckinnon-Ure. George is, together with Geoff Holt, part of the “elite of engineering artists” according to no other than Pete Waterman. He built for Pete some of his GWR gauge 1 models that were auctioned at Dreweatts in London in 2015. One of which sold for £25k. I feel very privileged to now own one of this great man’s lovely models. My question to myself is now, do I have it painted and cover up some of that exquisite workmanship and detail?

LNER (ex GNR) Ivatt class D3 4-4-0 no. 4302

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
LNER (ex GNR) Ivatt class D3 4-4-0 no. 4302
LNER (ex GNR) Ivatt D3 class 4-4-0 no. 4302. This model has been well built in nickel silver from scratch. I bought this some months ago, on line from Footplate trains in an unfinished and unpainted condition. Originally built with a noisy motor, I have now fitted an ABC motor and gears unit. Good cab detail from scratch, cast iron wheels and a very clever hand made wiper pick-up unit, she is a very smooth performer indeed. Painted by John Cockcroft, doesn’t she look good ? A rare prototype to see modelled as no quality kits are available of a loco of this type.

GWR Armstrong class 4-4-0 no. 8 Gooch as running between 1903 to 1905

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
GWR Armstrong class 4-4-0 no. 8 Gooch as running between 1903 to 1905
GWR Armstrong class 4-4-0 no. 8 Gooch as running between 1903 to 1905. This model was what I call a “basket case”. One of the superb Modern Outline Kits. There could be many of these kits around, where the original buyer/builder has bitten off more than he can chew, realising the complexity of this kit is beyond his skills. Probably placed in a wardrobe waiting for him to build his confidence to give it another go.
It has now been completed by myself to a smooth running condition, and painted by Warren Haywood. Slightly different to other MOK Armstrong class models on these pages. Notice fenders on the tender sides, not coal rails. Lamp irons, not lamp sockets. Different clack valves. All features as seen on archive photos of the prototype. Driven by a Portescap RG7 motor/gear unit. Unfortunately the crankshaft and connecting rods were missing/lost before I acquired the model, so, although it does have slide bars and crossheads, there is nothing there to drive them.
The descriptive notes above explain why I can afford to offer this lovely model for sale at roughly half the price that I have sold similar models to this of top quality. It is not a perfectly built model. Don’t expect it to negotiate tight curves or to pull heavy loads, but it has been built square and true and is very good value for money for one of these magnificent MOK Armstrong class models.

 

GWR Churchward Saint class 4-6-0 no. 2923 Saint George

Mick Bayliss Brian Broumpton scratchbuilt locos, Locos now sold
GWR Churchward Saint class 4-6-0 no. 2923 Saint George
GWR Churchward Saint class 4-6-0 no. 2923 Saint George. This is a special model for me. In 2008, at Mellors & Kirk auctioneers in Nottingham, it was sold with provenance, as part of the Simpson collection of 31 finescale model locomotives. All scratchbuilt, mostly by Peter Everton or Brian Broumpton and painted by Alan Brackenborough. Three of them had been built by Stanley Beeson. I attended the auction, with little available cash, and was very disappointed to come away with nothing. Advance in time now to January 2024 and this model (with another, a King 6024 by Mr. Everton) is again in the same auction house, but this time in a damaged condition. Nameplates missing, two scratches to the green paintwork and a damaged (and very crudely glued back together) cab. The buyer in 2008 has clearly not looked after his purchases (the King was also in a play worn condition) and has probably now passed away. After careful viewing, I decided that if it could be obtained at the right price, restoration could be achieved, and here is the result. Mechanically it did still run quite well. Parts of the tender brake gear were missing and have had to be replaced. The cab has been completely broken down to it’s individual parts, thoroughly cleaned of all glue deposits and rebuilt as a soldered together unit. Fortunately, Mr Broompton built this model with the cab screwed to the running plate and fitting around the firebox and backhead (just like the real thing and unlike kit built models these days), making the repair of the cab considerably easier and also the painting and lining of the cab spectacle plate considerably easier also. John Cockcroft has made a superb job of repainting the cab and restoring the rest of the paintwork to match Mr. Brackenborough’s original finish. New plates by Severnmill complete the rebuild of this fine model. I now get to own and enjoy one of the models that I disappointingly missed out on 16 years previously. I may have missed out, but attendance to that auction in 2008, gave me the ambition to collect fine scratchbuilt models like this.

BR (ex LNER) Gresley A3 class Pacific no. 60093 Coronach

Mick Bayliss Model for sale, My loco collection
BR (ex LNER) Gresley A3 class Pacific no. 60093 Coronach
BR (ex LNER) Gresley A3 class Pacific no. 60093 Coronach. Very well built from the DJH kit, with Slaters wheels and a chain driven motor and gear unit, she runs as smooth as a Rolls Royce. A model bought recently from an auction in Cumbria. A chancy on-line buy. From the two photos on the auction web-site it looked to be fairly well built, but it’s original paintwork looked “play worn”. On collection (I was on holiday in Cumbria at the time) when I could hold it and feel the build quality, I was well pleased. When back home, I stripped the loco down and the paintwork was stripped. Now fully rebuilt and with superb quality paintwork by Warren Haywood, doesn’t she look good? A chance well worth taking.

LNER Gresley A1 class 4-6-2 no. 4472 Flying Scotsman

Mick Bayliss Locos now sold
LNER Gresley A1 class 4-6-2 no. 4472 Flying Scotsman
LNER Gresley A1 class 4-6-2 no. 4472 Flying Scotsman. A Limited Edition factory built model by DJH, with its original box and certificate. Slaters wheels, a chain driven motor/gear unit and power collection by plunger pick-ups. Modelled as running for the LNER’s “The Flying Scotsman” non-stop train during the period between 1929, when the loco was paired with a corridor tender, and 1935, when the cut-outs on the cab sides were reduced in size. In my opinion, DJH used to produce models to a superb build quality, but the final finishing is sometimes slightly less so (eg vacuum hoses painted light grey and safety valves painted gold). Since buying this model I have made one or two tweeks to the paint to bring it up to my standard.