My British N Scale (60532 "Blue Peter" Added 12/2)

That is some model !....very nice.

That is a beautiful model! Well done! 

Thanks gents. Following up on the Coronation class Pacific, here are two more designs of the London, Midland & Scottish. 6115 is a rebuilt Royal Scot. The Royal Scots were first introduced during the late 20s and subsequently rebuilt beginning in the 40s. 6115 is my only model decorated in pre-nationalisation livery. Named "Scots Gaurdsman", it is one of the two of the class which has been preserved and sees frequent main line use as part of the West Coast Railways steam pool.

45110 is a Stanier Class 5. This class was the UK's steam equivalent of the GP7/9 as they were built to do almost anything. 842 locomotives were built. They acquired the nickname "Black 5" due to their almost universal black livery which was in contrast to the more colorful schemes often worn by other classes. 45110 is one of eighteen Black 5s which have been preserved and was the final locomotive of the class to be withdrawn from regular service by BR.

Bob

Here we have a few more steam locomotives from my British stable. First is the J39, an 0-6-0 designed by Sir Nigel Gresley and placed into servie on the London & North Eastern beginning in 1926. Numbering 289 locomotives, the J39s gave excellent service as the last remaining examples were not scrapped by BR until 1962. None survive in preservation.

Next is the War Department "Austerity" 2-8-0 introduced for war service in 1943. Based on the LMS Class 8F, a total of 935 locomotives were built by North British Locomotive and Vulcan Foundry. The vast majority saw service with the British Army on the continent and most returned to Great Britain after the war to finish their service lives under BR auspices. One WD Austerity 2-8-0 has been preserved.

Lastly, we have a 2-6-0 originally designed by George Ivatt for LMS service. Built beginning in 1946, BR continued the program following the 1948 nationalisation with the last locomotives completed in '53. Originally classed as 2F by LMS, the new BR classification was 2MT. A total of 128 of the type were constructed. Seven of have been preserved. The locomotive I purchased, 46521, is one of the 2MTs which was saved. 

All three locomotives are Graham Farish models.

Bob 

This the world renowned 60163 "Tornado". Built by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust beginning in 1994 with completion in 2008, 60163 was conceived as an evolution of the famous LNER A1 "Peppercorn" class of Pacifics. None of the 49 original A1s survived into preservation so "Tornado" is the sole representative in existence. Construction was based at Darlington although a number of components such as the German built boiler were constructed elsewhere. While the original appearance of the A1 has been replicated, the locomotive incorporates multiple improvements which would have been likely had steam continued.

As a new build main line steam locomotive, 60163 is much in demand by tour operators and heritage railways and has garnered a huge following. When Bachmann introduced an N scale model of 60163 in the Graham Farish range, it sold out very quickly. I purchased the initial release decorated in apple green with "British Railways" lettering on the tender. "Tornado" has been painted in multiple liveries since being built and Bachmann has been selling models decorated in the various schemes as quickly as they can be made.

Bob

Let's take a look at some of the diesels on the roster. A logical starting point would be switchers or "shunters" to use proper British terminology.

D2239 was one of 141 diesel mechanical 0-6-0 locomotives numbered D2200-D2340 which were supplied to British Railways by the Drewry Car Company between 1952 and 1962. Having no erection halls of its own, Drewry sub-contracted the work to Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns. An earlier locomotive, DS1173, had been built to the same design in 1948. It was subsequently renumbered D2341 in 1967. When BR introduced its Total Operations Processing System (TOPS), the locomotives were designated Class 04.

03036 is an example of a Class 03. 230 of the type were built by BR at Swindon and Doncaster between 1957 and 1962. Locomotives such as the 03 and 04 were useful at locations where their short wheelbase and lightweight enabled them to perform work larger locomotives could not. They were often accompanied by an idler wagon to ensure proper activation of signal circuitry.

08748 is the well known Class 08. Almost 1,000 examples of this diesel electric type were built between 1952 and 1962, making them the most prolific of all British locomotive classes. For the Thomas fans in the audience, the 08 was the inspiration for the character "Diesel." A limited number of Class 08s continue to serve on the national network. Shunters have proven popular with preservationists and numerous examples of the Class 03, 04 and 08 are safe in museums and on heritage railways.

These three locomotives are Graham Farish products. The Class 03 and 04 were introduced to the Farish range by Bachmann. The Class 08 was in the Farish line when production was based in Poole, England but it was a rather crude model by today's standards. Bachmann's newly tooled version is a far superior model to the original Poole 08. Each of the locomotives pictured is painted in British Rail's "Rail Blue" livery.   

Bob

Very interesting and very nice models!  Thanks for posting.  

Nice stuff - Have bought a few pieces while traveling in England and thinking of getting more.  What are your preferred sources for buying British N items?  

My email is in my profile if you prefer not to post it in the thread.  Thanks.

Hi, Mallard4468.

My recommendation would be Hattons Model Railways. Hattons has an easy to use website with real time stock status, the prices and shipping charges are reasonable and the packing is secure. Depending upon how quickly customs is processing packages, it usually doesn't take much longer to receive orders from Hattons than purchasing from a domestic dealer. Here's the website: 

www.ehattons.com

Even though Hattons is not a forum sponsor, I went ahead and posted the information here as no existing sponsors deal in British N scale so I don't see a conflict in posting this here. I hope this helps.

Bob 

Thanks.  The info regarding prices, shipping, and customs processing is very helpful. 

Am I correct to assume that Hatton's automatically deducts VAT and that there are no additional charges levied by US Customs?

That's correct. When you enter the US as country of destination the 20% VAT will be deducted from your total automatically. As far as additional charges are concerned, I've never experienced customs imposing anything so I don't imagine you'll have a problem in that regard.

Best of luck when you order. I'm sure it will go well.

Bob   

As BR began the dieselization process, a classification system based upon engine horsepower was developed. This scale was as follows:

Type 1:  800-1000 

Type 2: 1001-1499 

Type 3: 1500-1999 

Type 4: 2000-2999 

Type 5: 3000 and greater

Early in the process, BR identified a need for locomotives of medium size and horsepower providing operational flexibility in terms of being well suited for both passenger and freight service on the mainline and branch lines. Pictured below is a selection of locomotives built with that purpose in mind.

24081 is a BR Sulzer Type 2. Possessing a six cylinder Sulzer prime mover generating 1160 horsepower, 151 of these locomotives were built at BR's Darlington, Derby and Crewe works between 1958 and 1961. Upon implementation of TOPS, they became Class 24. The class survived in regular service into the 1980s. Four 24s have been preserved. In fact, 24081 is one of the survivors.

25245 is another BR Sulzer Type 2. Considered a follow on to the Class 24, the 25 was rated at 1250 HP. 327 were constructed by BR at Darlington, Derby and Crewe along with several built by Beyer, Peacock and Company. Production started in 1961 and ended in 1967. Class 25 usage in regular service ended during the late 80s with twenty locomotives preserved.

26040 is another Sulzer equipped Type 2; however, the 26s were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company (BRCW). 47 examples of this 1160 horsepower locomotive were constructed in 1958 and 1959. Early in their careers, the locomotives were concentrated in Scotland where they served in both freight and passenger service as intended. The last 26s were removed from regular service in 1994. If you look closely at the model, you will notice what appears to be the outline of a stag's head on its side. During the Rail Blue era, a number of maintenance facilities put their "personal touches" on locomotives assigned to them. The Highland Stag was the calling card of Inverness where 26040 was assigned. Thirteen Class 26s are preserved.

33035 is a Class 33, a BRCW Type 3 rated at 1550 horsepower. 98 Class 33s were built for the Southern region between 1960 and 1962. My model of 33035 is painted in the colors of Network SouthEast, one of the passenger sectors created by BR in the 1980s. NSE was primarily responsible for the operation of passenger trains in Southern England.

The Class 26 is a Dapol model while the 24, 25 and 33 are Farish locomotives. The 24 and 25 are from new tooling introduced by Bachmann while the 33 is a former Poole model greatly enhanced by Bachmann's superior mechanism and decorative processes.

Bob  

Beautiful N equipment!  I'll try to post the few British N items I have, which are all Graham Farish.

I ended up buying my Farish equipment from Models 11 in Georgia.  The prices were pretty good, the folks were friendly and they packed it all so carefully it looked like they were getting it ready for an airdrop!

I want to order from Hatton's, since they are in Liverpool!  Sorry, Beatles fan.  Have to do it!

Thanks, Eddie. The overall quality of Graham Farish models has improved by leaps and bounds ever since Bachmann purchased the company.

I've acquired a good number of my Farish pieces from Models11. Al is a pleasure to deal with. He's now located in San Antonio, TX. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I've also ordered from Hatton's. Hatton's prices are quite reasonable (20% VAT is deducted from the listed price) and parcels are shipped very promptly at a very fair cost. Depending upon how quickly Customs is moving, packages typically arrive within 10-14 days.

Bob  

Exceptional CNJ.

Where can I purchase one?

Thank you

Hi, daylight.

I'd recommend purchasing you British equipment from Hatton's. Hatton's is located in Liverpool and the website is very easy to use. Prices are attractive, shipping charges are extremely reasonable, packing is superb and the 20% VAT is deducted for non European orders which further contributes to a positive experience when ordering from Hatton's. Here is the link:

www.ehattons.com

And here is the Hatton's webpage listing the Graham Farish steam locomotives so you can see what is in stock:

http://www.ehattons.com/stockl..._locos/prodlist.aspx

Please do not hesitate to ask if I may be of further assistance.

Good luck,

Bob

Here is the latest addition to my N scale roster. Again using the Hatton's photos of the production model delivered to the store, this is 60532 "Blue Peter". 60532 is the only surviving member of fifteen A2 Class 4-6-2s designed by Arthur Peppercorn of London and North Eastern Railway fame. Built at Doncaster Works in March 1948 with 74" drivers, the three-cylinder locomotive followed in LNER tradition by taking the name of a famous racehorse. 60532 was among the last of the A2s withdrawn from regular service in 1966 and was the final Peppercorn 4-6-2 overhauled at Darlington Works.

"Blue Peter" entered preservation in 1968 when it was purchased from British Rail by Geoff Drury. In preservation, the locomotive has operated in mainline service. 60532's boiler certificate expired in 2002 and, now under the care of the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust, it is at the LNWR Heritage center at Crewe, awaiting work with a plan toward a return to mainline operation possibly as soon as next year.

As with all recent Graham Farish steam locomotives, the model of 60532 does not disappoint in terms of attention to detail and quality of decoration. For my model, I chose a latter livery featuring the late BR crest on the tender. This is the scheme worn by the locomotive in its final stages of regular service prior to retirement by BR in '66.

Bob