Comment on Union Mills loco please

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jdtoronto
LNER Thompson L1 2-6-4T
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Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:29 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
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Comment on Union Mills loco please

Post by jdtoronto »

There is presently a Union Mills J39 on ebay and I am seriously thinking of buying it, but could somebody commment on them please. I have no knowledge of them. I gather it is a small outfit somewhere in teh Chanell Islands and they dont even have a website. Are they worth the £60 or so that is being asked?

John
jdtoronto
LNER Thompson L1 2-6-4T
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:29 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada
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Post by jdtoronto »

It must have been worth it, it got sold!
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richard
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
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Post by richard »

He works in smaller batches, so they sell out quickly, and can be hard to get.

According to the flyers that I've received in the month or so, he has re-tooled the J39, and introduced a J38 and J11.
Availability on later flyer says:

J11 LNER black Nos. 5314 or 4354
J11 BR black Nos. 64292 or 64394
J38 LNER black No. 5919
J38 BR black No. 65929
J39 No. 4857 in LNER black
J39 No. 2943 LNER green

Prices are GBP69 + shipping.
The earlier flyer (same prices) also lists the J38 and J39 for GBP71 or US$125 to North America (incl. airmail, excl. VAT)

Write a letter to Colin Heard and include a cheque - probably with a "do not exceed" amount and give a second choice as stocks do sell quickly.
His address:

Union Mills Models,
Unit 5,
Union Mills Trading Estate,
Braddan,
Isle of Man IM4 4AB
British Isles.

Note: he's in the Irish Sea - not the Channel Islands :-)
I find he replies very quickly.

I have two of the engines - the old tooling of the J39, and a new J11. They have a reputation for good runners, decent weight. Simple but effective (note that the prototypes are all 'simple'). I've had trouble cleaning my J39, and still haven't worked out the best way to do it.
The J11's casting and general painting is a bit better - an incremental improvement rather than a quantum leap.
Considering the secondhand EBay price you saw, I'd go for the extra few pounds and get a brand new locomotive with improved tooling...


Richard
Richard Marsden
LNER Encyclopedia
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