Boot Lane Works 'IVY' (Kerr Stuart Wren/Buya)

[tommygander1941]

So another new loco that was released for 2025, was the BLW Ivy. Based off the Kerr Stuart (and later Hunslet) Wren, but also with some resemblance to the old-type Wren and Buya classes due to the lack of outside valve gear and steam pipe covers on the smokebox.

At £135.00 its a good price and looks better than the PDF example in my eyes, the smaller wheels are 24mm diameter so still not quite accurate, but look better than the large wheels on the PDF model.

https://www.bootlane.org.uk/product-page/ivy

[Peter Butler]

Great to see another quality kit from BLW, I have several examples of their products and can highly recommend them.
The PDF 'Wren' was (in my opinion) a better looking model with additional detail to the valve gear and included Slater's metal rimmed wheels, even if scale compromised.
If I hadn't already built the PDF kit I could be tempted by the BLW one.

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[ge_rik]

Great looking model, Peter. Love the nonchalant driver. Interesting that the blue looks a different shade in the last photo.

Rik

[tommygander1941]

Great to see another quality kit from BLW, I have several examples of their products and can highly recommend them.
The PDF 'Wren' was (in my opinion) a better looking model with additional detail to the valve gear and included Slater's metal rimmed wheels, even if scale compromised.
If I hadn't already built the PDF kit I could be tempted by the BLW one.



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That's fair, I do prefer the BLW kit but having talked to the new owner of PDF the designs may be getting overhauled and slightly more accurate. My friend also managed to create 3D printed Hackworth valve gear parts, to get working valve gear.

As this is something that has been omitted on the BLW example, it can be used to represent the earlier inside-valve gear examples of the Wren class. This is what I'll be doing once I've been paid, although I've still yet to find a reliable source other than Trenarren models for things such as reverser levers and injectors, all the pipework etc.