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

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

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?

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

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 Broumpton 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

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.

BR (ex LSWR) Drummond T9 class 4-4-0 no. 30709

BR (ex LSWR) Drummond T9 class 4-4-0 no. 30709
BR (ex LSWR) Drummond T9 class 4-4-0 no. 30709. A model which I bought part built at the recent Gauge O Guild show at Barnsley. Described to me as being built from the Martin Finney kit, the loco body and tender most definitely are, but the loco chassis most definitely was not and had been built fairly crudely from scratch. (Why? What happened to the Finney chassis? We may never know). Anyway the Finney parts looked to be well built, so I bought it. As luck would have it, at almost the same time, a Slaters kit for a T9 chassis appeared on Ebay. So I bought that as well. I built the chassis with Slaters wheels, an ABC mini motor and gears unit, also using Laurie Griffin castings where necessary and a static representation of my own for the inside motion. The new chassis was then married to the loco body. I completed the tender and loco body, again using more of Laurie’s superb castings. All finished off with a top quality paint and weathering job by Warren Haywood. Here is the result, in my opinion a fabulous model of one of the very last withered arm T9’s.

BR (ex GNR) Gresley A3 class 4-6-2 no. 60102 Sir Frederick Banbury

BR (ex GNR) Gresley A3 class 4-6-2 no. 60102 Sir Frederick Banbury
BR (ex GNR) Gresley A3 class 4-6-2 no. 60102 Sir Frederick Banbury. The loco chassis of this model was built by the late Wally West, using top quality cast metal wheels by Allan Harris (AGH). Wally part-built three Gresley Pacifics at the same time. Great Northern and Robert the Devil have been completed for some time and appear elsewhere on the pages of this website. The loco body that this chassis was intended for (we believe it was to be an A4) was never completed. The skeleton of an A4 streamlined casing was found after Wally’s passing and putting two and two together that skeleton and this chassis was as far as Wally got with his A4. I was asked by the West family to sell any unfinished models, but the quality of workmanship is so good on this chassis, I couldn’t resist buying it for myself. By coincidence, I already had a Martin Finney part built A3 kit, which was in a right old mess, especially the chassis. The body and tender were recoverable however and I have married the three units together and this is the result. Fabulous paintwork by Warren Haywood. Gear and motor unit by ABC.

The full size loco was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1922 as their second Pacific and soon after it was named after the Chairman of the company. Modelled in BR days, it was a long time GC line loco, being allocated to Leicester GC, Neasden, after modification to right hand drive, Leicester GC again, then in 1957 it went to Kings Cross, Doncaster, Grantham, then KX again before withdrawal in 1961. A famous loco, it should have been preserved, as the only original GNR Pacific.

Furness Railway Sharp Stewart 4-4-0 no. 121 (a “Seagull”)

Furness Railway Sharp Stewart 4-4-0 no. 121. This model has been built from the Taff Vale Models kit by that company as a display model of a Cambrian Railway loco, with Slaters wheels, a Mashima motor, fold up gearbox and wiper pick-ups on the tender wheels. It is very well built and finished, it runs very smoothly and quietly, as you would expect from the chap who had to sell kits on the strength of his display model. For whatever reason, it was placed for sale on Ebay and I was so taken with it that I bought it and have added it to my collection. Since buying the unpainted model it has been modified, most notably by the addition of non-working inside valve gear and motion. Now painted into the beautiful Furness Railway Indian red lined black & vermillion livery by Warren Haywood. Sharp Stewart built ten of these locos between 1878 and 1891 for the Cambrian Railway, but four were delivered late and for that reason were not accepted. The Furness Railway snapped them up and they became FR numbers 120 to 123 (all scrapped by the LMS by 1927).

BR(E) (ex LNER) D16/3 class 4-4-0 no. 62614.

62614
62614
BR(E) (ex LNER) D16/3 class 4-4-0 no. 62614. This model was built from scratch by Laurie Griffin, with many of the parts being cut out on a pantograph mill. Fully working inside motion, Alan Harris wheels and powered by an ABC motor and gears unit, picking up current via the American method. Martin Welch takes the credit for the painting, lining and weathering. It was built on commission for Michael Brooks (the originator of Masterpiece Models) for use on his famous Monks Eleigh scale 7 layout. The model has now been converted to finescale wheel standards.

South Eastern & Chatham Railway D class 4-4-0 no.729

SECR D class 4-4-0 no.729
SECR D class 4-4-0 no.729
South Eastern & Chatham Railway Wainwright D class 4-4-0 no.729. This fabulous model of a fabulous prototype is by the Lee Marsh Model Co. and was constructed with fully working inside motion in South Korea, with DC/DCC control and sound. The build quality and paint finish (cellulose) is second to none and the model, although second hand, is still in mint condition. Thank you ebay.