Manvers Main Wagon

Some time ago I mentioned the sad fact that the extremely useful Manvers Main wagon had vanished from the Slater's range.

I am glad to note that Manvers Main transfers and/or pre-lettered kits and RTR kits are now available from Powsides. This is excellent news. The reference is ID0956.

There are of course many other wagons that are suitable for the GCR (or parts of it) available from Powsides. Although for the present the South Yorkshire coalfield is lamentably under-represented, while there are hosts of wagons for obscure railways serving the south and west of England. This probably reflects customer demand, as it certainly doesn't reflect the proportions of prototype wagons.

If you are modelling pre-group, avoid anything intended for 1923 standard wagons. This ought to be obvious, but observation at exhibitions suggests it isn't. If you look at the Powsides online catalogue, the pictures of the various transferred can be 'zoomed'. This does not always, unfortunately, enable the subsidiary lettering to be read. Again (obviously) for pre 1923 any reference to LMS or LNER (or indeed SR) should be avoided. If in doubt, ask Powsides. The converse is not necessarily true, as pre-group designations on wagons remained, in some cases, until BR days!

As ever, I recommend the excellent books by Keith Turton and Bill Hudson on this subject. One thing is certain - if you are modelling the GC at any time up until the 1960s you will need some PO wagons, and if you are modelling pre 1939 you will need (relatively) a lot. After 1939, they did get grubbier, and some were eventually repainted plain grey. Again, do check the published works for details.

N4 (GCR 9A class)

The owner of Gladiator Models is retiring at the end of March 2015, and at the moment (sadly) it looks as if this valuable range of loco kits will vanish.

Some months ago I bought a kit for an N4/N5 class. After much pondering I decided I wanted to build it as an N4 (GCR class 9A) with a round top boiler. Essentially to make it as different as possible to the N5 I already own. This meant procuring a different cab front from Gladiator, which should be winging its way to me very shortly.

The main difference between an N4 and and N5 is that the former had Joy valve gear. This has made me think. Should I fit working Joy valve gear? Have I got the ability? Well, it would certainly be pushing the envelope a bit, let's put it that way. Building a Connoisseur models diagram 17 van is within my scope - but a locomotive with working inside valve gear? Possibly a bridge too far.

Well, we shall see. Truth is, I shall probably bottle it!

The 9J (J11) - Devil in the details.

I am, on and off, researching a 9J (J11) to build. I thought I had figured out the tender options - I was wrong! - but now I have noticed something else. As with the Q4s, the presence of an external exhaust pipe along the RH side does not necessarily signify a superheated engine. The early boilers had internal exhaust pipes, but after a certain date external exhaust pipes were fitted. And as boilers were swapped about (a lot) it is impossible to be sure whether or not the model ought to have one unless you have a dated photo showing the RH side.

This warning is probably not relevant to anyone modelling the LNER era or later - you can pretty much assume an external pipe - but for those of us working in the mid to late GC era it's another flipping nightmare. Sadly good photos of 9Js in GC condition are not two a penny. The very early ones are only useful if you are modelling that era. The later ones beg the question as to whether the same boiler was carried at the date being modelled - if not, did the earlier boiler have the external pipe? Yeadon is only of limited assistance - it gives the date of boiler changes - and the RCTS books still less on this matter.

GC single bolster wagons

These GCR single bolster wagons have been completed after lying around for a lot, lot longer than I care to admit. A recent burst of enthusiasm got them more or less finished, though in all honesty some more lettering, and some additional weathering still needs to be done. (The safety loops also need adding to the brakes,)

If anyone would like something similar an improved version of the kit may be had from Dragon Models (Wales) and I recommend the product. They are basically white metal. The chains, etc., were procured from Parkside Dundas and the number and 'to carry' plates came from Guilplates.

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.