J17 0-6-0 65523 and N7 0-6-2T 69621

The J17 is a PDK brass kit. 65523 is pictured in Branches and Byways East Anglia on a Whitemoor to Colchester goods between Chappel and Marks Tey. The model has a screw coupling instead of a simple three link coupling as that's all I had in my spares box!

The buffers are sprung.

Getting the smokebox numberplate done was testing! I used HMRS pressfix transfers making the number up on a piece of plasticard, then cutting this out and supergluing it to the smokebox door. Paul Godwin has since pointed me in the direction of Pacific Models for smokebox numbers.

The shedplate comes from Modelmaster.

The goods wagons are, as I recall, all Parkside Dundas kits.






The gap between the engine and tender is just slightly too big for the fall plate, which has a tendency to fall down. The coal is real and came from a GWR engine at Bishops Lydeard. On one of their gala weekends I got a lineside pass and, whilst the crew were taking water, asked if I could take a piece of coal off of the engine. So when I need some coal now, I got out with a small sledgehammer and break down a piece of this.





The N7 was a South Eastern Finecast whitemetal kit. Getting the body correct initially defeated me - then I came home from work one day to find that my Dad had set to during the day unsoldering the first attempt and resoldering it square.

69621 is of course the N7 preserved by the East Anglian Railway Museum. Whilst it was the Stour Valley Railway Preservation Society I was a child member (late '70's, early '80's) and actually climbed into the firebox! I had to number my model accordingly.

Engine crew must have been added after painting the main body but before fitting the roof, but I cannot now remember the exact construction.

No sprung buffers on this one, but the same fun with the smokebox numberplate. Still got to add the shedplate.

The carriages are Hornby Gresley non-corridors; A quint art set will be built (eventually!)






The coal is ugly peco imitation coal but is now so firmly set that I cannot remove it.



I wanted to make sure I got the Westinghouse pump pipes as accurate as possible - I hope I succeeded.