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.
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