The LNER Encyclopedia

Does anyone make a kit? preferably etched brass? I heard tell of a whitemetal kit by BH enterprises but see no mention of it on their website. I ask for a friend without access to t'internet!

Will

Yes BHE have a J70. It is sold under the "Thameshead" name, or was (not sure the state of their website - last time I looked it hadn't been updated for about 6 years). It is whitemetal - but one of their better whitemetal casings (the six wheel clerestory coach is pretty bad for example). The proportions aren't quite right for N (let alone 2mm!) - it is designed for a Farish body or Lima tender chassis. Both rather old and unattainable. I used one of those tiny Pro-Models switcher chassis and used some styrene rod to wedge it in place. The weight of the whitemetal adds the required traction on the rather lightweight mechanism. Technically that makes it a Y6 as well, and the skirts look more Y6 than J70 although I haven't done a detailed comparison with photos.

Richard

David Eveleigh, a 2mm Association member, does etched kits for the W&U carriages, both the bogie and 4-wh types. As part of the etch he has included the "cow-catcher" ends for the tram loco as that would be the hardest thing to scratchbuild in 2mm scale, I guess thinking that the rest of the body would be reasonably straightforward to build in metal and plastikard.