Garden Railway Forum

Hi folks, hope you're all having a good weekend and hopefully enjoying some project time. Following a few daft wiring related setbacks, I've just finished my PDF models 'Fowler Peldon' diesel loco kit and thought I'd share my results.
It was a relatively easy kit to put together, although you definitely need lots of filling and sanding to obtain a smooth finish. I used Halfords car spray paint (Rover Brooklands Green). The kit doesn't come with any electrics but is designed to use the IP engineering speed controller, which I have used. Power is from NIMH batteries and I've located the charge socket in the cab for easy access. The horn (whitemetal casting) and headlamp (made from a peice of biro lid) are my own additions.
I haven't been able to test the loco's performance because of the lockdown - the railway is located in my parents' garden, who live in a different part of the country. But it seems like it should be relatively powerful.
In conclusion, if you're thinking about trying one of these kits, I'd say go for it.

That looks very nice..... tidy job and a good finish. PDF models are well designed and sensibly priced I think, good value for money, which is what we all want to enjoy our hobby.

Cheers! Yes, I agree, they are reasonably priced for what they are, and an enjoyable project to assemble. I'd certainly recommend them to anyone getting started in this hobby who wants the satisfaction of putting together their own loco. Nothing against either the very cheap, basic mini loco kits, or the high-end ready to run electric locos, but it's nice to see something come into the market that sits somewhere between the two.
My interest has now moved on to scratch building, but their website may tempt me back yet... The Baldwin petrol loco, perhaps...

The 60hp Baguley is coming..

That looks really nice, you have made a nice job of all the filling and sanding. Take your time and they are crackers. Just sometimes feel that maybe the motor could do with a little more kick, maybe a more powerful one.

sjrixon wrote: ↑Sat Jun 06, 2020 7:55 pm The 60hp Baguley is coming..

Just sometimes feel that maybe the motor could do with a little more kick, maybe a more powerful one.

At the time of ordering from PDF you can ask for a 12v motor to be substituted for the standard one. I have done it myself and it makes a big difference to the performance.

Fair comment.. I've built a Leanne, which also has a compartment designed for a 3.7v battery, so upgrading to 12v would get complicated! Maybe the next one I build

The finish you've achieved looks well worth the effort. A cracking good model!

Rik

Ooh, nicely done. Very neat and sharp. I've one of their Baldwin kits here, itching to start it but should probably refrain until other work is finished.