Great British Locomotives Magazine

[Atlantic 3279]

Coke bottle boiler "cone" is a bit of a nuisance, well visible from above, but tender and other bits at least are surely worth the money?

[Saint Johnstoun]

I await mine arriving tomorrow morning before I decide whether I will buy any more - I really only need some 1928 Corridor tenders for current projects!

[rowanj]

I picked up 3 A3`s today. For the price, I do not see any value in comparing them with the latest Hornby models, but they should instead be seen as a chance to do some modelling. No doubt, fault will be found with both the loco and tender, but they do seem capable of being transformed into reasonably accurate motorised models using Hornby chassis.I have made a quick check, and they can be made to fit with the same sort of effort as the A4. A significant plus is that the boiler is detachable from the cab and running plate. On this basis, I intend to try and fit a China tender drive boiler to the GBL cab/running plate.The boiler was not a bad facsimile, I have couple, and they are easy and cheap to obtain. It was the cab and the lump in front of the smokebox which jarred, I feel. I will then match it to a modified Mallard tender. While I am sure it will not be perfect, it should be fun.
If there are any suggestions/tips out there, I would be glad to hear from you.
Regards
John

[Atlantic 3279]

That will be interesting to see. I hope you don't run into the same snag with the tender-drive version of the boiler that caused me trouble with V2, basically not enough inclination of the top of the coned section. If you do hit trouble, you can see in my thread what I did to sort it out.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Just taken one apart - no dice sadly. Only usable bits are tender body, tender frames plus tender bottom, cab and possibly boiler back head. Everything else is not usable for motorising unless you intend to do a LOT of cutting up, drilling and filing. More work to motorise one of these 4472 body shells than to modify a Hornby body shell with the GBL cab in my opinion. Not worth the £8.99 as much as the £2.99 was definitely worth shelling out for Mallard.

Pics to follow.

[2002EarlMarischal]

Like Simon I have taken a 4472 apart and agree with his comments, though I believe there is £8.99 worth of bits, and again the magazine isn't bad at all.

The construction is very different and it will be interesting to see if this is how future models will be made. It will have quite a bearing on the volume purchased by modellers.

Whilst moulded handrails may seem a backward step, in other respects the model is better quality. For examples the two I purchased today have very clean diecast wheels. I am amazed at the detail of the cab including sight screens. With some attention to valve gear, handrails, repaint etc, surely an acceptable static model could be achieved?

[S.A.C. Martin]

With some attention to valve gear, handrails, repaint etc, surely an acceptable static model could be achieved?

Oh definitely, I agree with you there. It's just a shame the construction wasn't more akin to the Hornby model it is fairly well copied from in all other areas in terms of the running plate/boiler/smokebox arrangement in terms of converting to make a decent motorised model. A great pity. That said, one could modify the running plate for resin casting - in all other respects its a nice moulding.

[S.A.C. Martin]

More pics on my blog here for anyone so interested.

Lots to ponder. In brief: the boiler and running plate are solid lumps and require a lot of material being removed to make a motorised model. The cab and tender, including the tender frames, and very nice and usable and I will probably end up getting a few more for just that purpose. The tender body shell is better than the Railroad one in terms of modelling potential by a long way. A simple repaint will do wonders as I hope to demonstrate later this weekend.

Overall, hugely disappointed by the running plate and boiler arrangement but the cab is worth a lot to me as it's the type I sorely need for a postwar Pacific. The tender will go nicely behind some A4s. In theory a static model of a BR dark green 60103 using a GBL Mallard tender and this model, repainted, is very doable. Suitable for pre-preservation 1960s.

Not as good as the Mallard model overall but you know what - if it gets kids into railways and into the hobby, and gives some of us adults some fun in terms of modelling, then it's a good 'un whatever you may make of the (admittedly dubious!) boiler shape and other bits and bobs.

[Sea Eagle]

The buffer beam on that GBL Flying Scotsman looks pretty good - the lining seems quite fine and crisp. I'm wondering whether it would look better on my USA edition conversions than the ones I made by filing down the cowcatcher fitted originals...

[Saint Johnstoun]

Mine arrived this morning - not too impressed with the loco - into the spares box but the tender body went straight onto a proper underframe to go behind an A4. I shall probably acquire another couple just for the tenders - add proper handrails and repaint and I have what I need. The body is also game for doing the cut down version used in the 1948 loco exchanges.

[rowanj]

Got the Dremel out this morning and carved out the underside of the footplate sufficiently to make a tight fit over the Hornby A3 chassis. There is a fair bit to cut out, but it's easy enough. I then tackled the Hornby China A3 Body, cutting off the cab and then the footplate, and made a rough join to the GBL cab/footplate to see what I had. There will need to be some filling, and I'll remake the saddle and smokebox pipework from fuse wire, etc.The whole lot will be repainted BR Green. I have smoke deflectors pushed on at present, but will probably lose them in time.
So is it worth it? It all depends on your point of view and the size of your spares box. I have a few A3/4 chassis, and a few A3 bodies, so the cost is pretty much restricted to the initial £8.99.Previously I fitted tender-drive bodies to the new RTR chassis, but was never happy with the results - they just looked "wrong" So far, this conversion is more like it. For some reason, I can't spot the problem Graeme saw in the Boiler shape of the Hornby boiler, but I don't deny it may be there.
The carving up is straightforward after the initial gulp of breath, but is very simple in reality if you take it easy, and is much easier on the nerves than cutting up Bachmann A2's or Hornby A4's at Over £100 a shout. And it's fun!!
Incidentally, I had a very quick go at cutting out the GBL 107 boiler, and it will be a very tight fit past the Hornby motor, but should just about work.
John

[Saint Johnstoun]

Here's how to cope with the lack of available ballast for tenders. Shown is a Hornby corridor tender underframe with a lead weight attached. Take a 29mm wide by 152mm long strip of lead flashing and fold in two so that it is only 76mm long. You need to drill three holes to take the mounting screws as shown below. The GBLC Flying Scotsman corridor tender will fit onto this and you need to glue a bridge piece in at the rear with a hole to engage the long setscrew from underneath to hold it in place. The double piece of lead actually gives a heavier weight than the standard Hornby one. The tender behind is one of the GBLC ones mounted on a Hornby underframe - all it needs is to replace the handrails and repaint.

[2002EarlMarischal]

Allan, I was wondering how easily the tender body comes off the frames. The front fixing lug and twin rear tabs used on the Mallard tender don't seem to be present on this one.

I will copy your excellent solution with the weight.

[rowanj]

Allan, I was wondering how easily the tender body comes off the frames. The front fixing lug and twin rear tabs used on the Mallard tender don't seem to be present on this one.

I will copy your excellent solution with the weight.

There are 2 screws under the tender chassis - a better solution, I think, than the slot/glue Mallard option. Allan may have a different view.

John

[Atlantic 3279]

the boiler and running plate are solid lumps

Is the boiler solid or is it sealed but hollow moulding?