AMRG Member Mark Pretious on completing his Grandfather Peter’s loco kits.
Some years ago, my grandfather sadly passed away and I was left all of his kit-built locos which consisted of un-started and part started loco and rolling stock kits. Like us all he had a lot of kits and most of them part started “round tuits”. He had a strong leaning to the LSWR/SR and all of the kit locos in his collection were of interesting background. In the interim period I have kept myself busy by gradually working through them all methodically. My grandfather was an avid LSWR fan, so all of the locos are of the LSWR and SR background.
I had built a few models for him in the years prior to his passing, such as a D15x 4-4-0 tender engine and a T1 0-4-4T as well as a few items of rolling stock. Prior to grandads passing we had discussed the bits needed to get his Jidenco kit of a T14 “paddle box” up and running. Jidenco is colloquially known as a by word for “an aide to scratch building. The kit certainly lived up to its legend in being a real head scratcher. I decided to build it and paint it into full LSWR Drummond express passenger livery. It has been fitted with a modern Mashima motor and the High-Level gearbox which I have used in a lot of my kit locos in recent years. My only regret is that he never got to see the finished loco.
The locos listed below are all the ones that I have either built from kit form or models that I have done a resurrection job on. The T1’s, G6, T14, and D15x are all models that I built from an untouched state. All of the rest were all resurrection/part started jobs and consisted of; the Ilfracombe goods, the 2 A12’s, the class 700 and the U1 were all part built complete with motors in each loco kit box and have been completed by me. The rest of the locos were all in various stages of part started and long forgotten until I came along to complete the work that my grandad started. I have also taken great pleasure in doing the repaints to give some of these kits a new lease of life. Some of the liveries are more challenging than others. The full LSWR express passenger green with all the lining is certainly a challenge. I have painted the T14, M7, the long and short hoppers into the full LSWR green with purple borders. One loco that I painted in a slightly fictional colour is the kit of the Lord Nelson which has gone into BR express loco blue with full lining similar to that of other class 8P locos. I did this as a bit of fun and as such I now have a King Arthur that I am also in the process of painting into the same livery 30755 The Red Knight which was in the top link in BR days.
The list below are all the models of Granddads that are now finished and in operational condition
| Class | Number | Locomotive | Livery | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 5 | T1 Wartime black | Wartime black | Connoisseur models |
| M7 | 54 | LSWR M7 Portescap | LSWR Green | WILLS |
| G6 | 269 | G6 | LSWR Goods Green | Craftsman Kits |
| 0395 | 400 | 0395 Ilfracombe goods | LSWR Goods Green | Nu Cast |
| T14 | 444 | T14 PADDLEBOX | LSWR Green | Jidenco |
| D15X | 467 | D15X Wartime black | Wartime black | Craftsman Kits |
| Q | 541 | SECR Q Class | SR Black | WILLS |
| A12 | 649 | A12 Jubilee | LSWR Pea Green | Nu Cast |
| 700 | 700 | LSWR 700 Black motor | SR Goods Black | Bec Kit |
| L11 | 1789 | SR L1 | SR OLIVE | Triang |
| LN | 30850 | SR LN Class | BR Lined Blue | Craftsman Kits |
The models below are all the Works in Progress and are in varying stages of completion and some are just awaiting the motor and gearbox or other minor small bits to do to complete the models.
| Class | Number | Locomotive | Livery | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 8 | T1 Wartime black | Wartime black | Connoisseur models |
| L11 | 154 | LSWR L11 | LSWR Green | WILLS |
| K10 | 389 | LSWR K10 | LSWR Green | WILLS |
| A12 | 544 | A12 Jubilee | SR OLIVE | Nu Cast |
| N15 | 740 | LSWR N15 | SR Malachite Green | WILLS |
| N15 | 30755 | LSWR N15 | BR Lined Blue | WILLS |
| U1 | 1902 | SECR UI | SR OLIVE | WILLS |
| T9 | 30732 | LSWR T9 | LSWR Green | WILLS |
I am hoping to build an LSWR layout at some point trying to focus on the pre grouping period and will most likely be a loco depot. Hope you all enjoy the pictures.
In Memory: Peter Pretious
My late grandfather was also one of the original founder members of the MHRPS and as such I felt it appropriate to arrange for a memorial bench to be set up at Alton Station. Thankfully, the people at the MHRPS/Watercress Line were all extremely helpful in getting the bench sorted. In order to raise the funds my father and I had the slightly unpleasant task of sorting out the railway books and model collection. Some of the items of models and all the books were sold at the AMRG show in order to raise funds. I am pleased to say we hit our target and it is now in place at Alton Station. If you wish to see it, then it is on platform 3 at Alton between the information kiosk and the shop. We needed to raise circa £600 for the cost of the timber, the metal frame and the plaque. In the end we exceeded that target, and the rest was put towards the stone on his plot in Alton Cemetery.