Garden Railway Forum

Been a while since I signed in so only just saw this, the info for timing Merlin’s was published in 16mm today issues 79 and 82. If you are a member of the 16mm Association I believe the back issues should be available to read online, cheers Rob

Hi Keith, I have no first hand experience of this particular model but I know someone who owns one and his went back to have the radio gear shifted due to heat, I believe it was fitted by, and then altered by Abbybach engineering and was not a one off. I have no idea who installed the radio gear for...

Wrightscale paint their number 4 BMW Imola red, Rob

Hi Brian, from memory it was quite comprehensively covered in an issue of Steamlines, i believe a less than happy punter took them to court and won, the company promptly closed down, cheers Rob

Thats the easy bit Chris, you try contacting him cheers Rob

You did well to speak to him David, several threads on this forum have shown that he has been a hard man to get hold of in recent times. Any idea what kits he has left? cheers Rob

Unfortunately Swanswood appear to have left the scene, however the white metal bogies were from Wrightscale who are very much with us.
The Swanswood kits were originally supplied by DJB Engineering who have released a couple of wagon kits in recent years so maybe there is more to come? cheers Rob

How about the Penrhyn workmen's coach from Brandbright or IP Engineering? cheers Rob

Hi Benchmark, have you seen the engines? and have you bought one? cheers Rob

Hi, just phone up and ask them, no harm in trying, cheers Rob

Great, when you come to reassemble it do not do the four screws that hold the body on very tight, the lump of brass attached to the body have a habit of breaking off, hard, but not impossible to reattach without damage to paint work, cheers Rob

Four screws under the running boards, two each side. Undo the gas pipe at the jet body, should be able to lift body clear but be careful not to catch any wires. Gas tank attached by one nut on roof, cheers Rob

What type of Merlin is it? cheers Rob

I have not built a full Roundhouse kit but i have built the chassis and body kit of a Billy to use with a coal fired boiler. The kits went together well and Roundhouse are most helpful, plus you can do any mods as you go along. A great many have been built over the years and although the Katie kit i...

Thats a really good question as they were very nice engines and now highly sought after, i must admit i have not heard anything at all, cheers, Rob

I have seen one running on 32mm. I believe the design is a close copy or even a clone of a LGB coach, maybe the drop-in wheelsets supplied by Garden Railway Specialists would be a good starting point, cheers Rob

At this point i fail to see a connection between thick oil and piston valves, care to enlighten us? cheers Rob Neither do I rob but it's the only real difference between how accucraft/merlins work compared to roundhouse locos. I understand your thinking here, generally a piston valved engine will n...

At this point i fail to see a connection between thick oil and piston valves, care to enlighten us? cheers Rob

I think you will find that the initial thickness is irrelevant Keith, it what happens when in use that matters, it may start thinner but is no thinner than the thick stuff when it gets warm if you see what i mean. As to it becoming acidic, all my engines have copper pipes and none have been eaten th...

I personally use the thinner stuff in all my engines which in the past have included Accucraft. The oil i use is a 460 steam oil which comes from the Bala Lake Railway as i volunteer there, it is the same oil as used in the Quarry Hunslet's there. I suspect the thickness of the oil is pretty irrelev...