Exceptional museum quality model locomotives for modellers, enthusiasts and collectors

Christmas 2024 update

The Guildford Show
A big thank you to all who braved the bad weather warnings and came to the Guildford Show. It was by far the quietest how we have had since we started. Unlike last year it proved to be comfortably heated. I think many people missed out on a good show.

The Atlantics Project
Due to serious illness at home the builder manager has been off-work for more than two months looking after his family. As a consequence of this situation, he had to lay-off over half of the factory workforce and the full production programme became seriously delayed. Production of components and some sub-assemblies continued, boiler production had to be delayed to incorporate the additional detailed information gathered from the replica H2 Beachy Head on the Bluebell Railway as the relevant CAD work was delayed.

The full workforce returns at the beginning of January and the builder estimates that the overall project has been delayed by about three months. He promises to make a massive effort to recover some of the lost time, but we are more cautious as we want quality accurate models and a few more months of delay are better than a rushed job.

The builders have just sent over some more pictures of the assembly lines. These show detailed component assembly of the GNR/LNER and Brighton H1s and H2s locomotive footplates and chassis, as well as the tender chassis and bodies. So, despite the setbacks substantial progress has still been made. The motors were purchased in the UK and were sent out to Korea in November.

Frames 231224 1

Tenders 231224 1

backheads 231224

Smokeboxes 231224

48XX 0-4-2T
We have a plain green GWR locomotive available for sale.

45XX 2-6-2T
We have received a virtually unused pristine 45XX GWR green GREAT WESTERN flat tank locomotive from someone’s estate. Please contact me if you are interested.

28XX/38XX 2-8-0 tender locomotives
Excluding reserved locomotives still to be delivered we are down to our last available locomotive in plain GWR green which is in Scale 7.

49XX/59XX/69XX Collet Halls 4-6-0 tender locomotives
Excluding reserved locomotives still to be delivered, we are down to our last three available locomotives.

47XX 2-8-0 tender locomotives
Very few BR locomotives left, but a reasonable choice of GWR locomotives still available.

70XX Castle 4-6-0 tender locomotives
All now single chimney, mostly early BR condition, very few left.

68XX Grange 4-6-0 tender locomotives
No GWR but good choice of BR.

Class 52 Western Diesel
Good choice of blue and maroon, but few green engines now left.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTACT AND FRIENDSHIP DURING 2024.
WE WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PROPEOUS NEW YEAR 2025.

John Borkowski 24 December 2024

Guildford Show, Saturday 23 November 2024

I am writing this note in Hereford at my daughter’s house in the snow. Winter has arrived with lots of snow covering the lawns and the local fields in rural England. After a brief visit to see the family especially the grandchildren we are off back to Surrey to prepare for the show.

There has been a steady stream of reservations across the board and stocks of many models 28XX, Collett and Modified Halls, Castles are now limited or very low or even zero. We still have a good supply of GWR 47XXs, BR Panniers, BR Granges and Westerns. We also have some pristine examples of earlier Masterpiece production such as Stars and Saints and also the only ‘5000’ series Castle we made with Vauxhall style early inside cylinder covers ‘Tregenna Castle’. It was a one-off production produced at the same time as the later ‘70XX’ run.

Decorders

Decoders for the 'Atlantic' build, now safely in Korea.

Of the Atlantics, ‘Beachy Head’, is a popular choice both in BR and Southern styles and also in its pre-named LBSCR form. Due to illness at the factory in Korea and delays in supplies (especially motors that were months late and had to be supplied via the UK) there will be a delay in completion of the Atlantics into Q1 2025. There was quite a large amount of redesign required on the Southern Atlantics as a result of studies of the replica H2 on the Bluebell Railway. We would like to thank the Bluebell Railway and the Brighton Atlantic Group for allowing us close access to ‘Beachy Head’.

Detailed design work continues on the LMS locomotives as the builders seek to raise the standard of production.

We look forward to seeing you at Guildford on Saturday.

The Atlantics Project – All models now in production

The builders have made a massive effort and have put all models into production. This means that GNR/LNER locomotives will be made at the same time as the Brighton Atlantics. We have marginally raised the total production programme from 85 to 89 models. There is a small increase in the number of late Brighton H2s available to make up for the loss of slots due to recent reservations. The total production of GNR/LNER models remain unchanged at 25 units, of which 13 are reserved.

Atlantic frames

GNR and LBSCR Atlantic frames

The builders have just sent over pictures of the GNR/LNER and Brighton H1s and H2s locomotive chassis, the smokebox assemblies as well as the tender chassis and bodies. As you can see from the pictures, production is now well under way. We have ordered the motors and decoders for the engines and these will be sent to South Korea after they have been programmed by our sound engineer Bryan Robertson.

Tender construction

Tender tanks under construction

The locomotives will be powered by a Swiss-manufactured coreless aerospace grade motor with high torque and a very smooth performance. This motor, combined with our helical gearbox modified to fit on the second driving axle, should give a first-class running performance to all engines. Due to the requirement to fit into the small boiler/firebox GNR/LNER locomotives, we will fit a slightly smaller motor that we have used previously on the larger GWR locomotives. This motor gearbox combination should still lead to a better model performance in power terms than that of the real locomotives scaled down to the cube of 1/43.5.

Smokeboxes

Smokeboxes showing tubeplate and blastpipe detail

We have modified the locomotive design to be able to accommodate the decoder in the engine rather than in the tender. This will greatly simplify the electrical connection between the locomotive and tender.

On liveries, a number of people have expressed interest in Brighton Atlantics painted in Bulleid malachite green, and we have to decide shortly whether to offer this livery. So, if you are interested in reserving an Atlantic in malachite green whether with SOUTHERN or BRITISH RAILWAYS on the tender, please would you let us know as soon as possible.

Tender chassis

Tender chassis

Kempton Park Show - 1 June 2024

Kempton Park 2024

Bryan Robertson and Di Knowles on the Masterpiece Models stand at Kempton Park

This is to thank all of you who visited our stand at the Kempton Park Show on Saturday 1 June. The stand was brilliantly managed by Adrian and Di Knowles and Bryan Robertson while Ros and I were cast out in Southern Spain. It was all a bit embarrassing as, having persuaded the Guild to move the date from May to June, we discovered it clashed with our annual holiday plans as we had inadvertently switched our plans by two weeks. Fortunately, our colleagues agreed to ride to our rescue. I understand that quite a number of you came to Kempton and visited our stand. So, thank you very much for coming to see us. Here is a picture of our Stand at Kempton Park. 

Our next shows are Stafford on 7/8 September and Steam Swindon on 14/15 of September. We hope to see you all there.

Update 20 May 2024

Albury Show - April 2024

This is to thank all of you who visited our stand at the S7 Albury Show on Saturday 22 April. We had some long-standing French friends staying at home with us for 4 days, so for me it was a quick dash up to Hertfordshire on the M25 and M11. There was a problem with the traffic on M25 on the way back, so I ended up by returning home via Heathrow doing a complete circuit of the M25 that day. The Albury Show is a lovely friendly event, so even if you are not an S7 modeller, there is plenty of interest to see and discuss on the trade stands. To mention a few stands: Mark Wood demonstrated his ultimate fidelity 7mm scale wheel iron castings (the best available with full, correctly-shaped spokes), David Rayner – his detailed track components, Steve Loeber – signalling operations and practice and Colin Dowling – top quality wheel turning. 

The Atlantics Project

A huge amount of work has been proceeding on this project. We have spent weeks of time checking drawings and photographs to make the designs for these engines as accurate as possible. This included another visit to the Bluebell Railway to check out and photograph sections/details of the replica of Beachy Head. We are most grateful to the Bluebell Railway and the Brighton Atlantic Group for again facilitating access to Beachy Head. The work they have done in creating this beautiful locomotive has been invaluable to us, although we are fully aware of changes that have been made for the preservation era so you can be certain that your model will be correct for the chosen period.

Tenders for the Atlantics are now in production for all the engines and the final changes to the CAD design are also being completed in Korea. We have tried to reduce the number of variations as this is a small build and we cannot make every locomotive to a different specification. 

On the Brighton Atlantics we have had to change the specification for H1 and H2 engines in Southern and BR periods as it proved impossible to keep an absolutely similar configuration for both eras. These changes mean that once the models have been built it will be difficult or impossible to convert the engines for other eras so please do reserve what you want at this stage to avoid disappointment later.

Here are some notes on the programme and the current availability of each model.

Ivatt Small Boiler Atlantics

Number to be built: 15

Still available: 6

Henry Oakley, the NRM preserved engine, is painted in Great Northern (GNR) livery but is now actually in the later LNER configuration. Most of the Small Boiler Atlantics that are reserved by you are of Henry Oakley in GNR livery. This being the case you need to confirm whether you want your locomotive in LNER condition as preserved, or in earlier GNR configuration.

Ivatt Large Boiler Atlantics

Number to be built: 10 

Still available: 7

The plan is to build seven engines in GNR configuration and only 3 engines in LNER configuration. All locomotives will be in superheated form. Two of the GNR engines would be available in either GNR or LNER livery, to-choice.

LBSCR ATLANTICS

Marsh H1 LBSCR in lined Umber 

Number to be built: 12 

Still available: 3

These engines will have the early cabs and early chimneys and the original Marsh fittings.

Marsh H1 Southern in SR Olive Green

Number to be built: 12 

Still available: 9

These engines will have the later cabs and the later Maunsell chimney and dome.

Marsh H1 British Railways Plain black

Number to be built: 4 

Still available: 2

These engines will have the later cabs and the later Maunsell chimney and dome.

It would be possible to switch Southern H1s to BR and vice-versa

Marsh H2 LBSCR in lined Umber

Number to be built: 9 

Still available: 7

These engines will have the early cabs and early chimneys and the original Marsh fittings.

Marsh H2 Southern in SR Olive Green

Number to be built: 9 

Still available: 5

These engines will have the later cabs and the later Maunsell chimney and dome with snifting valves on the smokebox.

Marsh H2 British Railways Lined black

Number to be built: 14 

Still available: 7

These engines will have the later cabs and the later Maunsell chimney and dome. No snifting valves are fitted on the smokeboxes of these engines.

It will NOT be possible to switch Southern H2s to BR or vice-versa

We do not plan to offer H1s or H2s in Bulleid Malachite Green, but if 4 (or more) reservations/ requests were made for this livery, we might be able to offer it. Pease note H1 St Catherine’s Point was in this livery in BR days. 

32424 annotated

This photograph of the Bluebell Railway's H2 Atlantic replica illustrates some of the points that have required adjustments for our models. 

 

LMS/BR LMR 6P, 7P and 8P Locomotives

The builders have sent over a large number of detailed drawings of these locomotives for checking. A huge amount of research has gone into the design of these models. As no engines were preserved amongst many of these types – British Legion, Rebuilt Jubilees, Rebuilt Patriots, Sir William Stanier FRS and City of Salford – our designers have to work out the shapes and sizes of many of the fittings as well as the detailed layouts of how these locomotives were designed and manufactured. This is a massive task, but the quality and detail of the drawings produced by the designers has been simply mind-blowing. We could not have imagined achieving drawings to such high quality. We are determined to offer these specialist locomotives, even in small volumes, otherwise it is extremely unlikely they would ever be built as high quality models.. 

KEMPTON PARK SHOW Saturday 1 June 2024

The Masterpiece Models Team at Kempton Park will be Adrian and Di Knowles and Bryan Robertson. Ros and John Borkowski have an unavoidable prior commitment so cannot be there on this occasion. We are sure the Team will be able to help out with any questions and enquiries, so do come and visit the stand. We send our best wishes to you all in advance.

John Borkowski/20 May 2024