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.
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. 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) V2 Class no. 60835 The Green Howard Alexandra Princess of Wales’s Own Yorkshire Regiment. A DJH part built Vectis auction buy by a client, who commissioned me to complete it. Fabulous paint by Warren Haywood. For an image of another DJH V2, follow this link.
GER S46 (Claud Hamilton) Class 4-4-0 no. 1884. Scratch built from tinplate and expertly brush painted by Wally Mayhew. Now that I have added weight it pulls six bogie coaches with ease.
BR (ex NER) Q6 Class no. 63385. First of all, this is a fabulous model. It was built and painted by the late Graham Jaques from the Piercy kit, designed by Walter Hodgson. Expertly weathered by Pete Brinded. The superb kit includes parts to build a non-working representation of the inside motion. Graham was a good friend. He taught me a lot and I greatly miss him. I bought this model from his widow Margaret, after his untimely passing. A lasting tribute to his skilful modelling. Current collection is by the American method, where the loco collects from one rail and the tender from the other. The insulated wheels have been shorted by thin wire behind a spoke on one or other side of the loco and tender. An insulated drawbar and fallplate is needed with this system and in my experience, with care, it works very well. For comparison with a loco that I have built myself from the Piercy kit, while in the pre-grouping livery, follow this link.
BR (ex NER) J27 class 0-6-0 tender loco no. 65819. Bought part built from the Piercy kit in a very poor state. Now, after dismantling, rebuilding and painting by myself and weathering by Warren Haywood it is a reliable and authentic looking North Eastern Region workhorse. ABC gears with plunger current pickups and Slaters wheels. It runs very smoothly and is a strong performer. Complete with Hero’s of the footplate, professionally painted crew.
BR Britannia Class no. 70049 Solway Firth. Built, painted and now stripped by myself from the DJH kit with Alan Harris wheels and Severnmill name and number plates. Over the 10 or so years since building and painting this model, I was never satisfied with the colour of the green. I tried having it weathered, but still not truly happy. Hense I have made the decision to strip it and to give it to Warren Haywood for a professional finish. I’m confident that I’ll not be disappointed.
BR (ex LMS) Princess Coronation class no. 46225 Duchess of Gloucester. This magnificent model has been built from a Martin Finney kit, by a person unknown. The wheels are by Alan Harris and she has a Maxon motor & ABC gear unit and fully working inside motion. She is well painted in BR crimson lake with LMS style lining and has been given a light weathering by Warren Haywood.
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?
