Locomotives for Longstone

Locomotives

Loco's 1, 2 & 3 at the maintenance shed.

As I may have mentioned, it was a picture of a Smallbrook "Harlequin" kit in the Railway Modeller magazine that started me off in 1:24 (Gn15) scale modelling, and then constructing a layout.  I very unusually strayed away from my beloved 009 models to try something different.  As I was beginning in a new scale, I didn't know what the kits for Gn15 were like to build.  All I knew was, that there were locomotives by Smallbrook Studio, they were resin cast, with brass details and needed a cheap Hornby chassis.  It was probably this fact...that they were reasonably priced...as to why I swayed towards having a go, because 009 scale locos had become quite expensive.

All the Gn15 loco kits were in the region of £50, with the chassis costing between £15 and £25 extra depending if you bought a second hand example or a new one.  With a few pounds spent on nameplates and Kadee couplings they are still cheap models, and fairly easy to build.  Many Gn15 modellers are interested in small diesel works locos, but I preferred steam engines.  I have five locomotives so far, all Smallbrook kits, but hope to build something different soon.

All the locos are brush painted, in grey primer first, then using a mixed cherry red colour, part satin/part gloss for top coats.

The first loco under construction showing the resin body before the brass details were added.

Glued together with Loctite Super Glue as recommended in the instructions.  I use the little "Mini Trio" tubes as there seems to be less waste.

The third loco "Triton" before being painted.

The fifth loco "Quinto" under construction.

No.1 "Proteus" is a Harlequin kit.  As it was the first one I had built, I made a few mistakes along the way, I used the wrong sized brass wire for some of the cab details, and promptly ran out of it, meaning I had to ask Michael at Smallbrook if he could send me some more bits, which he kindly did.  When I had made it, I knocked the loco off my desk breaking off the chimney, damaging the handrails and the brake handle, so I had to get more bits!  After all the time modelling little scale locos and rolling stock, you have to get used to handling the larger models, and I regularly accidentally catch a loco and knock it over. 
The chassis I used for this loco is the latest Chinese Hornby Class "0F" chassis, but the underside of the boiler only has recesses for the earlier model (which has less electrical components on), so it was quite a squeeze to get in, and some of the underside of the boiler had to be drilled out carefully.   The saddle tank is weighted with lead so it it quite top heavy.  

No.2 "Jiro" is a Columbine kit.  Very easy to build, that is, unless you are taking a high dose of tablets at the time, like I was, which leads to things "not going on very straight"!  There are only a dozen or so cast resin parts, the footplate, boiler, tanks (which have lead beads in them for added weight), cylinder covers, cab front and back, cab sides, brake lever, dome and chimney, and a few small brass parts some of which you have to cut and bend.

No.3 "Triton" is a Pierrot kit and quite a small loco.  The design is based on a Hunslet "Alice" class loco.  There are many extra detail parts in the cab on this model, some quite fiddly to do.

No.4 "Delta", is another Columbine kit.  To distinguish it from the other Columbine, I painted the boiler barrel black.  Luckily, I wasn't on too many drugs this time.

No.5 "Quinto", a Katie kit.  Based on the design Sir Arthur Heywood built for the Duke of Westminister for his estate at Eaton Hall.  However, I changed the front and rear cab sheets by making new parts from plasticard, which many Heywood followers would not appreciate.  I just wanted something that looked "beefier".  The Roscoe lubricator attached to the smoke box has to be handled and cleaned-up very carefully, otherwise it will break (like mine did).

Link to: Smallbrook Studio Heywood kits (by the way, I have no attachment to this firm other than as a satisfied customer).

That's about it at the moment for the locomotives.  I would like to build one or two different new locos in the near future, but I will have to wait and see what develops.