52F Models Newsletter
52F Models Online Newsletter, last revised 26/12/2022.
Seasons Greetings to all our customers past and present. All the best for Christmas and a much better 2023.
The price rises just keep coming. It seems that every time we reorder an item, it's more expensive than the last time it was ordered.
We've just been informed by one of our suppliers that the cost of Nickel Silver sheets used in the etching process has increased by 10%. Cost increases such as this unfortunately can't be absorbed by us so with immediate effect the price of loco kits will have to increase by £3.00 per kit and chassis kits will increase by £0.75p
Packing boxes are the latest thing to increase in price. The price for a slightly less quantity has increased by almost £80.00 That's more than 80p per item. It's certainly no laughing matter.
©Graham Hudson 2019, all rights reserved.
Seen at the 2019 Workshop Wise event, this beautiful C15 built for one of our customer's from a 52F Models kit. Graham has really done the model justice with this lovely build and paint job. It would be a star attraction on any layout.
What have we at 52F Models been up to during this pandemic? Doing what we do best. Designing and developing new kits to bring to the market place. Our J73 Is very nearly at the production etch stage with the F8 not far behind.
After a chance meeting with a former work colleague at this year's Workshop Wise, the conversation turned to 3D printing. By the look on my face he could see that I would need some convincing. He showed me some samples of his work and to be honest I've never seen 3D printing like this. The finish was first class and convinced me that a 3D printed tender tank might be the way to go with the Holmes 3,500g tender for the J35 project. I have taken delivery of the redesigned third attempt this week. The cost of the 3D printed item won't be cheap but it's swings and roundabouts. I'll save a worthwhile amount on the etched parts so the cost of one will be partly offset by the savings on the other.
The 3D printed parts have turned out to be a revelation and the J35 project has shifted up a gear. Hopefully, 2023 will see the J35 kit available.
Our long awaited A8 kit with both large and small boiler is now available. Our new NER class O, LNER/BR class G5 is passed the Test Build stage and is now available in EM/P4 gauge. We can now test build an NBR class G7. (See next paragraph.)
While we were held up fulfilling orders, we haven't been resting on our laurels. We have used our enforced idleness to good effect. We have been working on four new projects, three for NBR Modellers' and one NER model. The NBR models are the Matthew Holmes designed 0-4-4T Passenger tank (LNER Class G7). This is at the final modelling stage and only about a month away from having the test etches produced.
The next is our long overdue WP Reid D30. The more I redesign the chassis the better this kit gets. The final iteration of the artwork is almost complete. I'm looking at a 3D printed Tender Tank for this one too after having received a sample.
NBR Class C16 for OO gauge modellers.
We have produced this kit and it is now available. The first orders have now been dispatched. While in the design stage, we decided to incorporate a few changes that will simplify the assembly process while not detracting in any way from the high level of detail on the body and chassis. The improvements to the design will be what's been proven to work and will provide an overall benefit in running or ease of assembly.
Slater's Plasticard have supplied us with lost wax brass castings. We were delighted to see that they were of the same high standard as those previously supplied.
New Chassis kit for LNER/BR Class J25.
This new chassis is to meet the demand from OO modellers' for a chassis to improve the running and the detail of their J25 white metal kit built locos. Although specifically produced for the Late Dave Alexander's excellent model we see no reason why this chassis couldn't be used for other manufacturers offerings for the J25. The kit includes our very popular Mk3 NER tender chassis. This tender chassis is considerably lighter than the item supplied and as a result enhances the pulling power of the locomotive by reducing the tender overall weight. The price is the same as the EM/P4 version of this chassis and is available by mail direct from 52F Models.
New OO gauge chassis for the LNER/BR class J77.
This is an entirely new chassis and incorporates all the features that we've proved over the last 12 years.
H1 Chassis kit.
I was doing a chassis building demonstration over the weekend of the 28th and 29th of July at RailEx NE. It was nice to see old customers and acquaintances and discuss the latest developments in chassis and kit design. It was there that a customer who I'd developed a chassis for a DJH Class D, LNER class H1 reported that he was pleased with the chassis performance. He was so enthusiastic that I've decided to market this kit and make it generally available. (See the NER class D, LNER class H1 tab)
It incorporates several new features such as fold in horn cheeks and custom made horn blocks for both the bogie wheels and the driving wheels. The gearbox is now slimline and can be fitted along with the horn blocks, axle and wheels. The horn blocks are held in place with the loco springs.
The chassis is compensated and load bearing on all 12-wheels so no matter what you do, it cant tip up and detract from the tractive effort. At the front and rear of the chassis the bogies work in a prototypical fashion and do their job. No acres of daylight at the front and rear of the chassis.
LATEST NEWS FOR NER & LNER FANS.
We have produced a kit for the LNER/BR class G5, NER class O . Initially the kit will be in EM/P4 but we feel there may be demand from OO modellers so depending on demand a OO version may follow in the near future. The kit is priced at £102.95 plus £8.95 Insured Postage.
At the moment we are working on an NER class L, LNER/BR Class J73. Initially designed to meet a need to work the steeply graded lines on either side of the River Tyne, the Electrification of the Quayside Branch made the J73 redundant on this work so they moved to the Durham Coal fields and ports such as East Hartlepool and Hull's Alexandra docks to work the timber trade. Three of their number went to Gascoigne Wood marshalling yard where they worked until 1960. We are hoping to cover every aspect of their working lives and feel that they will appeal to NE modellers.
The F8 were working on developing will complement the G5 but be of more limited appeal seeing as they were gone by the late 1930's. The lost wax castings and white metal parts developed for the G5 will find a home on the F8. We are working on a rather novel design for the chassis and we feel that this design will solve a lot of the problems associated with this wheel arrangement.
We have produced the promised NBR class M, LNER class G9 as a kit. It's only available in EM/P4 at the moment but if there's sufficient interest a OO version will follow.
The kit features compensation for all eight wheels. The chassis is load bearing for optimum weight distribution. It can't be bunker heavy, a fault common to all 0-4-4T tank engines.
Custom made horn blocks allows wheel assembly and quartering away from the chassis. You can even fit the custom gearbox to the drive axle along with the horn blocks and quarter the wheels before fitting them as an assembly. The wheels are held in place with a keeper plate that holds the springs and is readily detachable by removal of two 10BA screws.
All etched parts are 0.38mm nickel silver. All the white metal parts and lost wax castings are included to allow any version to be built.
©Peter Stanger 2018, all rights reserved. A computer rendered image of our new model.
Development now complete LNER/BR class A8 4-6-2T
© Peter Stanger 2015, all rights reserved.
These are the first phots of the partially completed "Test Build" body. This shot shows the driver's side of the loco with the folding cab doors in the closed position. The boiler fitted is the diagram 63B with the dome placed 1'-9" nearer the firebox. Diagram 63A / 63C boiler will be supplied with the kit. The beading has been fitted to the cab opening. This is a pre-formed part and will allow the door opening handrails to be fitted prototypically.
Latest NBR news.
W.P. Reid designed Class D30 4-4-0 loco and tender kit.
The final prototype for the D30 has been built. We hope the production castings are as good as the samples All the castings that would have been white metal items will now be supplied as lost wax brass items. That was the plan, it looks like the castings are going to be a mixture of white metal and lost wax brass.
The tender has been built by a friend and has NBR springs and axle boxes on one side and we've used LNER springs and axle boxes on the other. The the lost wax castings look really nice and are a cut above what's currently available. You can even read NBR on the axle boxes. The lost wax castings for the NBR tender coping initially looked very nice. On assembly shrinkage proved to be a greater problem than anticipated. I am having to remake one of the masters to compensate for the accumulated shrinkage. Two pieces need to be 1.2mm longer.
There will be a choice of lost wax NBR springs and axle boxes or LNER springs and axleboxes. You will need to specify which which item you require when you order the kit. These lost wax brass castings aren't cheap so it's an either or situation in order to keep the cost down.
The NBR Reid Tender has been problematical in the design through to prototype phase. Incorporating so many new features into the design was never going to be easy but if you go to the Reid 4,235g tender tab you'll see that nearly all of the problems with the lost wax tender coping castings have been sorted.
There was very little point in finishing of the D30 while the design of the tender was proving problematical. Now we will be concentrating on snagging the loco and chassis design. We have been unable to use the original wheel we thought would be ideal for the purpose and we've had to select a modified King Arthur wheel as a substitute. This looks great on the chassis but when the chassis is offered up to the body there are clearance issues with the driving wheels and the splashers.
© Peter Stanger 2015, all rights reserved. This is the first photo of our D30 loco built from our first test etches. We are particularly pleased by the way that the etched parts have assembled with no fettling required to achieve the results that you see in the photo. We have modelled all the parts that can be seen above the footplate significantly enhancing the detail under the boiler. The body features sliding cab windows but they can't be seen in this shot. The boiler and the smokebox wrapper will be pre-formed by us to ensure that these parts fit correctly