The LNER Encyclopedia

Hello Mr Lester (?)

Thank you for sharing your most interesting work. I will certainly print a copy for my forthcoming build.

Regards,

Vernon

Any chance of the dimensions etc for the oval windows?

Pebbles wrote:Any chance of the dimensions etc for the oval windows?

The dimensions of the glass are set out in Doncaster drawing W-226 as follows.

Draw a rectangle 3 3/4" high and 6" wide. For the left-hand window, draw circles of radius 5 1/4" centred on the top right and bottom left points of the rectangle. Then draw a straight line tangential to the circles for the bottom of the window, and an arc of radius 1' 8" tangential for the top.

The brass surround is 1 1/8".

The top of the rectangle is set 3' 7 5/8" above boiler centre line, and I don't seem to have made a note of the horizontal distance from centre of the windows. Sorry about that..

Horsetan wrote:Walsworth Models also produce a J52 kit....

I spoke to a chap who built one and he wasn't impressed......

Many thanks dlester for the sizes. I cannot say I was impressed by the Walsworth Models J52. Although the Ace kits can be variable and I have been told that the half etch relieving lines to aid bending on the tank can be a problem with the 7mm kit. However, the kit is likely to be fairly accurate in dimensions.

One of the great mysteries the lack of GNR Saddle tank drawings to scale, but then John Edgson did so much else for us that we should be grateful for that.

Nice to get the details of the oval windows, will add to my collection of drawings and data, for something to do over christmas.!!!!!!!

The PDF is the Stirling type J52, and so far I have not found a complete drawing of one of those in any of the lists.

Paul

Sounds like it is time for the laser scanning device to be turned on the NRM's surviving specimen, and a set of exterior diagrams generated. Have I misremembered: thought the NRM had plans to scan the loco collection over time to assist in curation?

notascoobie wrote:

Horsetan wrote:Walsworth Models also produce a J52 kit....

I spoke to a chap who built one and he wasn't impressed......

Which scale?

Walsworth Models produced the kit in both 4mm and 7mm. I purchased a pipe and rod drawing of the J52 from John many years ago and when compared with this the kit is significantly different.

The Walworth kit was allegedly designed after measuring 1247 in preservation, but I found it a pretty difficult kit to build, the saddle in particular being pretty difficult to form without misshaping the bottom edges, and the half boiler is a real pita.

Many forget that there were a number of sub classes within J52, and some J 53's got Ivatt cabs, whilst many retained Stirling cabs and got the
slanted windows. Malcolm Crawley did a half decent drawing, but still guessed the size and placement of them, it is these little, but outstanding details which make or mess up a kit. Nice to get better data, did not know that drawing was on the York list,mind you, I do not often look at that end of the list.

Paul

Horsetan wrote:

notascoobie wrote:

Horsetan wrote:Walsworth Models also produce a J52 kit....

I spoke to a chap who built one and he wasn't impressed......

Which scale?

The 7mm scale one. As mentioned above the saddle tank was a bit of a swine.

As for the Ace one I'll be filling in the half etched bits with shim and making a second former to fit at the rear.

Cheers,

Vernon

A big apology. Having read Yeadon late last night, I have corrected my original post on page 1.

The drawing I posted earlier in the week is in fact a J53 in original condition. The clue is the
round-topped cab (as seen front on). They all had 4' 1/2" boilers (well except five with 4' 2"
boilers some time in the 1920s). Later most were converted to J52 with 4' 5" boilers and it is
to accommodate this larger boiler that the "elliptic" windows were fitted.

On the Walsworth kit: I have bought one (4mm), but not built it yet. I believe that it is
for an Ivatt J52, and that for the money (circa £50) it is worth it if you don't have access
to the machine tools required to make the castings. Your milage may vary!

My intention is that the drawing might form the basis of a brass kit at some point, and hence
it is generated from raw postscript in layers, thus making the extraction of the flat components
simpler.

So as a designer, the question is there a real demand for one or more 4mm scale GNR saddle tanks, and if so which ones, then if there is enough demand, maybe one or more could be produced pretty quickly.

Remember that with the Hornby "J52" it was originally designed to go on a Jinty chassis so by definition it will not be correct in many details.

Paul

If efforts were to be undertaken towards a new GNR loco kit, perhaps an R1 0.8.2 Tank or even a Q1 0.8.0. Tender loco would be more appealing than a humble J52.

Just my opinion which I am sure many people will now disagree with?