GARDEN RAILWAY SPECIALISTS G SCALE (G64/GAUGE 3) AUTUMN 2010 NEWSLETTER

[grsuk]

The GWR Dean Goods is now progressing well with the first prototype nearing completion.
This is an etched brass kit with laser cut steel chassis for loco and tender. The loco is powered by the standard GRS/Mabuchi motor gearbox with Slaters 5ft 2" stainless steel wheelsets complete with brass bushed crankpins.  Brass and whitemetal castings are included for detailing the locomotive, including a full set for the cab backhead. Full instructions and waterslide transfers are included.
Orders for the steel work and brass etch have now been placed and we are hopeful that the loco will be available at the turn of the year.

The big news this autumn is the proposed new range of BR Mark 1 coaches. The first prototype for testing should be arriving shortly.
The coaches will be offered at attractive prices in singles or at a specially discounted price in sets. Full details will be announced shortly regarding prices and availability.
The specification of the coaches is as follows:
1)   Aluminium preformed shell for sides and roof. All windows laser cut.
2)   Injection moulded resin ends with full detail.
3)   Floor/solebar unit in preformed laser cut steel with trussing and battery boxes fitted. The whole structure will be chemically blackened ready for use.
4)   Laser cut steel bogie frame with compensation that screws together. Investment cast bogie sides fixed to the frame and chemically blackened. GRS Coach wheels by Slaters with resin brake blocks for ease of use on electrified tracks.
5)   Investment cast buffers with steel heads.
6)   Rain gutters and steps will be in brass etch together with cast door handles, bangers etc.
7)   Glazing is included but no interior.  Parts for the latter are available from GRS. The coaches also come complete with Kaydee knuckle couplings.

Because of the forthcoming Mark 1 coaches, the GWR Collet coaches in plastic have been inevitably sidelined. We still plan to produce both a brake composite and a third coach for this range, but the interest to date has not been overwhelming. We need to know if you are interested in purchasing these items, otherwise the project will not proceed.
The kits could be produced as full kits with RTR brass bogies or as 'basic parts kits' where the builder can supply his own details.

As a spin off from this development we will gain an injection moulded roof suitable for a variety of coaching stock. This plastic roof will be in modular form, about six inches long, thereby allowing various lengths of roof to be built up.

The GWR Manor locomotive is now available but at the time of writing the first batch is nearly sold out. The price for this batch is £1795.00 but this is only guaranteed for this batch. The next batch in 2011 will almost certainly have a higher price.
The specification for the loco kit is listed below.

The chassis has laser cut steel frames with brass spacers and nut and bolt assembly and is fully compensated.
The motion is nickel and steel. The loco and tender footplates, cab and outside frames of the tender are etched brass. The whole of the boiler and tender body are cast in resin.  Loco castings in copper, brass, nickel and whitemetal provide the detail.  A fully detailed cab backhead is included together with a quick release magnetic drawbar for the tender.
A new heavy duty gearbox with Pitman motor has been designed by GRS for this project together with a new 5ft 8" stainless steel driving wheelset from Slaters. Bogie and tender wheels are also stainless steel with the steel bogie frames being fully compensated.
Full instructions with photos and diagrams for assembly are included in the kit, which comes complete with waterslide transfers. A DVD is included with the instructions, which gives the builder a set of prototype photographs used in the design of the loco kit together with extra assembly photographs. Name and number plates, which are extra, can be supplied to order
The tender is available separately in kit form. Full details and price are available upon application.

For Southern Railway fans we are offering starter packs including rolling stock wheels at a special priced for a limited period.  

S. R. Terrier loco, ex LSWR brake van and a new SR flat wagon.  
   Price: £595.00, saving £87.00. A S.R. Container is available as an extra.
S.R. 02 class loco, ex LSWR brake van and a new SR flat wagon (wagons as above).
Price: £725.00 saving £107.00.
Again, a S.R. Container is available as an extra.      
These sets include the new SR Container flat wagon kit. This kit is a plastic and whitemetal kit complete with instructions and waterslide transfers. Wheelsets are extra and left to choice but are included in the sets above. The lowfit wagon will take our one-piece cast resin container for which a full set of SR transfers are available.

We are also offering the Peckett 0-4-0 industrial saddle tank kit, which retails normally for £345.00 at a special price of £299.00. This loco has a special modified LGB chassis as its power unit. The frames and footplate are steel with a resin moulded body and whitemetal castings. Full instructions are included. Only a few kits remain and they cannot be repeated.

We will shortly be commencing design work on the Southern Railway 'N' class Mogul tender locomotive.
The tender for this model has already been designed so work will concentrate on the locomotive.The projected design will have the usual steel and brass chassis. The footplates will also be steel, laser cut and preformed. The boiler, smokebox and firebox will be resin cast for ease of assembly. The usual range of castings, Slaters wheels and GRS motor gearbox will be included. The motion will be steel and nickel silver.
At the time of writing, it is proposed to manufacture the tender body in sheet plastic rather than cast resin. If you have any thoughts about this aspect of construction please get in touch with us. Any input will be most useful. The chassis will be steel and brass with Slaters wheelsets. The locomotive will come complete with the new magnetic quick release drawbar as fitted to the Manor.

It is worth mentioning, that both the LMS and BR ex LNER brake vans have been retooled.
The kits have been simplified with far fewer parts and have resin cast bodies and chassis for ease of assembly. A plastic roof with whitemetal castings completes the model. Both models are available ex stock.

The LMS Jinty 3F tank loco has proved popular and another batch is going through at the moment. Consisting of a brass and steel bolt together chassis and footplate with a resin body, the kit makes for an easy assembly. Slaters wheels and GRS motor gearbox are included. The price is £645.00.  
The loco is also available in a starter pack, which includes the new 5-PLank wagon kit and the LMS brake van above. Price £825.00

The Palethorpes 6-wheel sausage van is available in both GWR and LMS versions.
The van has a full 6 wheel Clemenson suspension system chassis in brass with a resin body. A full set of whitemetal castings and wheels are included in the price.

With the arrival of the GWR Manor locomotive, it has been suggested, that we might like to produce a GWR Mogul, as they are very similar models. What do think? If you have any thoughts on this subject please let us know.

Similarly, a short while ago we produced for our own amusement a Peppercorn LNER/BR K1 2-6-0 Tender Mogul.  

Again we have had a considerable amount of comment about this engine.  If you are seriously interested in either item, please tell us and we will see what we can do about including it in our production program.  At this juncture we can make no promises.

GRS have also produced a pattern for the side of a GWR Siphon G outside frame bogie van, with the intention of resin moulding a set of sides and ends, possibly as a basic kit rather then a full one.

Are any of you interested? Again, let us know otherwise nothing will happen!

The LMS 6-wheel milk tankers have always proved remarkably popular.  We are therefore proposing to produce the 6-wheel twin tank version for West Park Dairy (brown/yellow) or London Co-Operative (vermillion/gold).  We would like to hear your comments.

There is also the possibility that we might produce the four wheel GWR milk train brake van diag 0.13 if there was sufficient interest.

After considerable delays, the Class 20 is showing signs of movement. However, before we proceed any farther, it would be nice to know the level of interest in this class of diesel and also the Class 25. Is there a genuine interest in either of these locos?

Lastly, don't forget that we offer the plastic coach modules used in the SR coaches separately. These have proved useful to those of you undertaking your own scratch building projects. Modules are priced at £1.89 each and are available as first or third class. Resin brake end modules with duckets are also available.

NOTE : AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THIS NEWSLETTER CAN BE VIEWED AT
www.grsuk.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=748