There is no point in building a OO gauge LNER J72 steam locomotive.
With the Bachmann model on the way, you would be wasting your time.
But, I have a box full of bits including a rather nice Mainline body, the entire Mainly Trains detail kit, High-Level gearbox and some Gibson wheels. All inherited from Alan Gibson (not the wheel man, the photographer).
I'd got these out for the amusing video we recorded looking at the differences between the Mainline and Bachmann model. If I was sensible, I would put these back in the cupboard they came from.
I am not sensible. I'm also stupidly busy and really need to take a few breaks to do something different from the stuff I do for magazines.
So I'm going to build this model.
First step, replace the wheels with Romfords. A dig in the drawers unearthed a set. I'm sure Gibson wheels are fine for some, but I need to be able to take wheels on and off axles. I also prefer them to stay put when on the axle. Romfords let me do this.
The first job, make the con rods. I only had to have two goes at this to solder the right bits together. I really am a rusty loco kit-builder!
5 comments:
Well it does depend on how the chassis compare. I have a couple of relatively recent locos that really need High-Level chassis to do the body justice, though it helps the case to be using EM gauge
Hi Phil, ah, thank you, now I know what happened to the J72 body... I have the corresponding Bachmann 0-6-0 chassis and box! The chassis was very useful and was used to test hand-built pointwork on one of the Abingdon and District MRC’s layouts. (I also have one of the original Airfix J72s, bought second-hand in 1980, which does not run as well.)
Good luck with the project — I’ve liked J72s since Airfix days. Back then, they raised the bar for RTR.
Christopher makes a really good point. The J72 was groundbreaking back then, both in terms of quality and choice of subject. It could make a good article one day, the top ten game changing RTR locos of the last fifty years.
Glad to see you back on Steam Locomotive Kits
Richard
There certainly is point to building your own J72 if you want one of the original Wilson Worsdell short bunker engines (the only ones that can legitimately wear NER green livery - the Mainline model and its recent successor depict the longer bunker of the engines built in Vincent Raven's time and under BR.
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