Great British Locomotives Magazine

[Saint Johnstoun]

I reserve judgement on FS until I actually get one, but the moulded handrails, if fairly thin, will be easily removed. Its the tenders I am more interested in - I am about to take all the A4 tenders I have at present and do a 'batch upgrade' to all the bodies so I have a stock of NC tenders for future projects. The loco body may be useful for other possibilities - I have sights on the proposed 4-6-0 with bigger boiler than the B17 for example.

[S.A.C. Martin]

It's the cab that interests me most on the A3 - perfect for late 30s and post war modelling. If the 4472 model comes apart the way I suspect it does, I am going to have a lot of fun with it. The tenders are suitable for A4s as well and you could mix and match versions without doubt.

I've done some work on mine - actually further along but I showed these on RMweb and thought I would show them here too. Thanks to Graeme for the single chimneys being delivered so promptly this last week.





I'll take another shot once the model is fully primed (needs another going over today). Big thing to watch out for - you need to clean your body shells with a toothbrush and some soap before painting. The plastic has a very waxy sort of finish and some paints won't stick (both my own experience and someone else's on RMweb).

[Mercator II]

A1 / A3 valve gear is X9382, A4 is X9321.

Do you know the part number for the A4 block to go with x9321 please?

Brian

[2002EarlMarischal]

A1 / A3 valve gear is X9382, A4 is X9321.

Do you know the part number for the A4 block to go with x9321 please?

Brian

Hi Brian,

Cylinder block is X5087.

Jim

[mick b]

Go on the Hornby site download the service sheets for all the numbers.

[Saint Johnstoun]

I had a couple of busted Hornby China L/d A1/A3 chassis around (acquired some time ago for peanuts) and simply changed the cylinders and valve gear to the A4 type - I suspect that both were Railroad versions as they had the nasty undersized cylinders and heavy valve gear. One ran fine on its own but couple up a tender and it died - some clown had soldered up the contacts on the tender drawbar connector the wrong way round! The other one wouldn't show any life until I took it to bits to change the valve gear and found that there was a broken wire under the DCC socket. One is fortunate that there are some folks around who don't know any better otherwise those bargain basement non runners would not have come my way! (I also picked up a tender with the same problem - the pickups had been wired in the wrong way round on manufacture and it shorted out when you connected it to a loco!) It may be of course that all the aforementioned problems were at manufacturing stage and not later?

I would not throw away the A4 dummy chassis as the Cartazzi frames are salvageable and may find possible use for other projects. I'm having a rest now having fiddled with over 150 handrail knobs so far and am ready to give the bodies a wash preparatory to painting. Oh, and the front bogies (less wheels) may have a use too when fitted with proper wheels they may provide trailing trucks for my proposed C9 conversion!

[60800]

Now my thumb has healed work has continued on 60008. The nose has had some more work and I'm beginning to remove the valances. The chimney has had some more re-profiling and this time I've managed not to stick a craft knife into any of my digits. I can already see where I need to put in a little bit of filler. No chassis sourced as of yet;

[mick b]

I had a couple of busted Hornby China L/d A1/A3 chassis around (acquired some time ago for peanuts) and simply changed the cylinders and valve gear to the A4 type - I suspect that both were Railroad versions as they had the nasty undersized cylinders and heavy valve gear. One ran fine on its own but couple up a tender and it died - some clown had soldered up the contacts on the tender drawbar connector the wrong way round! The other one wouldn't show any life until I took it to bits to change the valve gear and found that there was a broken wire under the DCC socket. One is fortunate that there are some folks around who don't know any better otherwise those bargain basement non runners would not have come my way! (I also picked up a tender with the same problem - the pickups had been wired in the wrong way round on manufacture and it shorted out when you connected it to a loco!) It may be of course that all the aforementioned problems were at manufacturing stage and not later?

I would not throw away the A4 dummy chassis as the Cartazzi frames are salvageable and may find possible use for other projects. I'm having a rest now having fiddled with over 150 handrail knobs so far and am ready to give the bodies a wash preparatory to painting. Oh, and the front bogies (less wheels) may have a use too when fitted with proper wheels they may provide trailing trucks for my proposed C9 conversion!

I made the same comment re back to front wiring on Tenders. Graeme kindly ponted out that Railroad versions are wired the other way around due to the old tender drive chassis used on that version. Hence no clown involved

[Mercator II]

A1 / A3 valve gear is X9382, A4 is X9321.

Do you know the part number for the A4 block to go with x9321 please?

Brian

Hi Brian,

Cylinder block is X5087.

Jim

Thanks Jim

I have placed an order for parts, Peters Spares prices have gone up, went with ac models instead, never ordered from them so a new supplier to me

Next up is order paint, new hose for airbrush & pick a name

Mick, I tried Hornby sheets but it wouldnt download to my phone

oOo

Brian

[S.A.C. Martin]

Good or bad? My first of the GBL tenders gets a coat of blue after some Humbrol acrylic grey primer. The colour isn't showing up very well in the photographs, looking very much a sky blue here but the colour is, assuredly, rather better than that though I think the real proof will be when the whole model is done, and weathered.



Meanwhile my City of Lancaster is getting along.

[2002EarlMarischal]

http://www.hornby.com/filelibrary/download/?FileID=58

Hope this helps Brian

[2002EarlMarischal]

And this for the A1/3:

http://www.hornby.com/filelibrary/download/?FileID=67

[Mercator II]

And this for the A1/3:

http://www.hornby.com/filelibrary/download/?FileID=67

Thanks Jim, think its my phone, might not have the right reader onboard and the laptop is on the blink, will try at work and print off using their paper!!

Brian

[Saint Johnstoun]

I did City of Lancaster from 'the other side' a long time ago.
Note that the tender is a cut down streamlined one - its the only way you can get it correct - if you use an unstreamlined one it doesn't still have certain parts on it.

[mick b]

Saw the A3 version today in local newsagent. Cant say I was impressed and have not bought any at mo.