Gladiator Models

Current website - a fair bit of GC interest on here.

New book on GC loco liveries.

John Quick's book on GCR loco liveries is now available and recommended to anyone with a serious interest in modelling the GCR.

It can be obtained from its publishers Black Dwarf Lightmoor as well as from any of your favourite specialist bookshops.

Reading this book helps to understand just how complex and difficult the subject matter is. Possibly the best single research book on the GCR ever and certainly the best published for many years.

Great Central Models.

Nothing to do with 7mm scale modelling, but it is Great Central:

Great Central Models - finescale 4mm kits of Robinson 4-6-0s.

GCR Buffer Stop

Ragstone Models (Andy Beaton) now have a 7mm scale GCR buffer stop available. It looks extremely good. A much-needed addition, and much more accurate than even the best modified PECO version!  I shall be buying some at Telford.

 

The above photo shows the prototype.

 

 

 

This is the model.

 

(Photos courtesy A. Beaton.)

EDIT - Having got my mitts on three of these at Telford I can assure you all that they are every bit as good as they look and well worth the price of £10.

Diagram 17 van, Connoisseur kit.

Great Central Diagram 17 Covered Goods from the Connoisseur kit. This kit is etched brass and not that difficult to build - the worst part is probably filing two chunks out of the roof to accommodate the shape of the doors. The etchings and castings are very good indeed, and I find myself hoping that some day Jim at Connoisseur will decide that some of the castings (at least) would work very well with another GC kit. A diagram 7 open would be nice.

The models still needs a few touches, most notably weathering. Even in pre-grouping days, no one cleaned goods wagons - certainly not externally.

A recommended kit, suitable for GC, LNER or early BR periods. And indeed for the CLC, though I think the brakes might need some changes.