Modelworks,a different view

[locoworksnorth]

Hello all,
Being new to this forum and having read some very interesting and, importantly, informative threads,I thought I would start a thread. I have read the Modelworks comment with interest and having constructed a number of models I thought I would offer a slightly different perspective.
I have visited a few clubs and my main worry is,will it be here in 10 years ? No new blood !
I am not taking sides nor defending the apparently inferior past quality problems of the Winson days, but my experience is that things are only getting better. Yes, ok, things could fit a little better occasionally, but in my experiance the fundamentals are fixed on the latest kits. Steel press fit valve liners, cast iron rings that seal properly, good porting, very nice boilers,etc,etc.

Without Modelworks I would not be in the hobby, how many more would not be ?

I believe Modelworks are doing their level best, they inherited huge problems from Winson, many of which are fixed.
If we hound them to death what good will that do..... I,for one, just won't be able to get spares...next day..and run the following weekend !
I have vast respect for the scratch builders,who have the time to produce some incredible machines,I hope one day to be able ,and skilled enough, to make one myself. But I don't have the time - I work....or the money to commission one.
So while the detailers "ride on Modelworks back" ( what a good job for them that Modelworks leave some detail for them ) perhaps we should offer some encouragement to Modelworks, after all, where will the hobby be in 20 years without them ?

[Deleted]

I entirely agree. I've been delighted with my Modelworks Britannia kits so far - I'm up to kit 9, just halfway through the build. I've researched and added quite a lot of extra detail to the tender, which gives a sense of achievement and allows me to practise a bit of metalwork. I've been contacted by 10 other Britannia builders through my website at www.britanniabuilder.co.uk and they are all pretty happy as far as I can tell.

Regards, John

[waggy]

Lets not decry people who build kit loco's, they are possibly the future of the hobby!

Were I writing the instructions for building a kit model I'd advise the following steps:

1) Build it and spend however long you wish admiring the beast and your skill. Slowly let the novelty of the thing wear off. ( Kids, Ha! )

2) Think where you could improve the finished article, should you want to.

3) Take it to bits and go to step 2.

4) Think about step 2 as you work through step 1.

Food for thought?

Waggy.

[pannierstan]

Hi Locoworks. I also agree whole heartedly.
I for one do not have the time or the experience to start making my own model from scratch
Nor do I have the space or the money for the equipment needed to produce the items. While I have had issues with my models at least they were attackable by myself.
Also may I add that when I have approached Modelworks they have been great!
Therefore Modelworks are a life line to me. Admittedly things have been problematic in the past but there is no one else (that I am aware of) on the horizon who can offer anything close to what these people are offering.
And yes I have to agree that I also would not be in the hobby if not for Modelworks
While I have trawled over most of the threads in this section of the forum and do genuinely feel for some of the people who have had some real nightmares would they have been in the hobby if not for Modelworks???
My only hope is that the legacy of Winson does not drag them under as Modelworks desperately try to swim up stream to the calm waters of engineering acceptance.
If they don't manage it then I also will be left with 2 engines that I will not be able to obtain spares for and wont have the expertise or knowledge to make parts for my self.

I will be offering support for Modelworks whenever and wherever I can. Perhaps even those of us who have had bad experiences will agree sooner or later??

Stan

[locoworksnorth]

Hi, JJ, Waggy and Pannierstan, nice to hear there are some more out there enjoying being kit builders.

Waggy, yes, I remember the very first question I was asked when I let it be known I was building a 9F...... is it scratch built ?
My answer.... " no , did you build your car and tv ?"

JJ , love the site , which brew of the Brit have you got ? The latest ? I think there are many similarities with the 9F kit if its an older one. My notes when finished just might help.

Pannier stan.... enjoy that 57xx !

Anyway, steamed the 9F on sunday, very successful this time. The bolts that hold the brake blocks to the links need to be countersunk to properly clear the rods......you have been warned !
The last job is to tweek the regulator linkage, to make sure I get 90 degrees + of travel.... yep you guessed it.... I was a bit short of power but very quickly discovered why !

Anyway thats another 4.5 miles on the clock and I will be back out for full power tests this weekend ;D

Enjoy your kits everyone and pass on the tweeks to others.

[Deleted]

Locoworksnorth,

My Britannia kit is the current Modelworks series and I'm told that it does have some improvements to the Winson version with regard to cylinders and piston valves, although I'm not quite up to that part yet. I'm in contact with a builder of the Winson Brit who steams it very successfully after some modifications in that area. I'd be very interested to read your notes when they're ready.

John

[waggy]

JJ and locoworksnorth,

Bit of misunderstanding here, I'm a fully paid up member of the scratch society! No objections to you kit builders though, just the opposite.

As you say, those people lucky enough to own tellies and fridges didn't make their own.

Waggy.

[grahamodavies]

Hi All.

I too would not be in the hobby if it were not for these people, I don't have the background, time, or skill to build my own from scratch. As far as I'm concerned Modelworks are saints, they make it possible for people like me to live a dream.

I really enjoy reading through this site and picking the brains of loco builders, there is no substitute for experience, so I get the best of both worlds. I get to build my own loco, (I bought my Modelworks/Winson A3 from a 3rd party, so Modelworks back-up isn't an option.) but I have many experienced hands to turn to when I find a problem that I cannot overcome on my own . . . . paradise!!

[Steve M. W]

With all this positive feedback I hope to see you all at the Modelworks Owners Rally that is being held at our club www.scmes.freeserve.co.uk on the 21st May2006 see also www.modelworks-int.com/asp/see_us.asp

Steve

[gwrfan]

Steve,

This is the type of event that should be placed on the Calendar (of Events). Click on Calendar, at the top of this page. Then it will eventually show at the foot of the page!

Geoff

[locoworksnorth]

Hello everybody,
I will be at the modelworks owners rally all being well, can't wait to visit your club steve. The 9F got its new type certificates only a month ago, the first in our club !

I might also have another modelworks tender engine by then too..... but I'm not saying anything about that .... time is tight and its not finished.
Wish me luck.

I will bring my 9F build notes to the rally.

Bye for now.

[denis M]

I have just finished my Winson Baldwin 7.25g after years of problems and very little help from Modelworks. I suppose I can not blame them as there were only about 7 sold. Steamed it last Saturday after the boiler test and went so, so, valve on one side had slipped but it should be better when we try this Sunday.

My question is to the Sutton Coalfield society is will I be able to bring it too your Modelworks rally as in theory its not actually a Modelworks kit and it so have you got facilities to unload a half ton loco out of a van.

Thanks

[pannierstan]

Yep I will be there aswell. Lets hope for a good day and your website and track looks great. ;D

Just one thing Locoworks norths 9F might get a bit tight on those 40ft radius corners.

My knowledge tells me thats right on the limit guys

You never know I might be bringing another suprise apart from the 57xx

[heyfordian18]

I add my support to the view that without Modelworks offering an opportubity to have a loco in about 2 years, I may not have got involved in the hobby, and gone for something like 'G' scale instead. Building 1452 was fun, informative and sometimes bl**%y frustrating. I had only built 'O' gauge pot boilers before. Now that 1452 is running, albeit needing a few more tweeks (drain cocks for starters) and having built a driving truck from Dave Noble's bits, I have started to build a loco from from scratch. The thought of machining the cylinders is somewhat daunting, but i'll get there with help from local club members if need be.
Hope to make it to the Modelworks open day, and connect some faces to names.
heyfordian 18

[grahamodavies]

I lied about Modelworks support not being an option. As I passed Daventry today on my way home from working in the south I decided to look in and see if I could pick up a couple of bits that were missing from the kits I'd bought from elsewhere. They were more than accomodating, I was even given a tour of the workshops, and a promise of help locating any other parts that I might later find myself needing, top marks from me. Considering I was rude enough to drop in with no warning, they looked after me fantastically well.

[locoworksnorth]

Hi Grahamodavies,

You seem to have got the same friendly reception I get when I visit, did you see that 7 1/4 inch A4 chassis ?

Last time I was there they gave me a demo of it running on air...... WOW ! I have no idea how much power that things going to make, but the noise was just great. What a locomotive thats going to make.

They showed me some other bits for it too, the smoke box was really lovley, what a finish.
Can't wait to see one in steam.

[pannierstan]

I have to agree with you both on this issue. I was alarmed to read posts reporting poor backup and impolite phone response from Modelworks

I have never had other than great phone service and second to none technical backup. ;D

Parts might take a few days longer sometimes but thats usually only because I couldn't wait to get going with the next bit

[Phil Sutton]

I thing I will say about Winsons,is that despite all the problems,the Staff were alays unfailingly polite and would fall over backwards to help where they could.You could never fault thier PR,thats for sure,shame about the rest.



Phil

[mott]

I can confirm that the people at Modelworks are very pleasant and do their best to sort out problems. What bugs me is the known faults with - in my case- the 14XX. When you hit problems and start a string going to get advice you nearly always find other builders who have hit the same snag. An advisory letter or replacement parts would often be all that is necessary to put it right but we each seem to have to go through the same problem and work our own way to the solution. I completed my kit including painting it only to find a leaking steamchest joint caused it turns out because of over long bolts being suppied.This meant lifting the smokebox and boiler to access the problem. (Much grinding of teeth!!) ModelWorks immediate response was to offer to supply shorter bolts confirming that they knew about the problem. One difficulty is that faults which occur in one build dont necessarily replicate in other kits but as a contributer some months ago said if you were spending £5k or even £10k on a car you would expect it to be a runner! Why not a loco?
Nonetheless I am still a ModelWorks supporter exactly because of the point made at the beginning that I would n't be able to get into live steam without a kit. I ve been round the factory and met the people and I know they are sorting out these "known faults"but if youre building now don't get too eulogistic yet, your turn may still come.
Oh and I do wish they would answer my relatively rare but friendly e mails - they advertise the address after all.
Mott
PS How does Phil get a karma of 6 he can't even spell!!!

[Deleted]

Mott, I agree that Modelworks could do more to alert customers to known faults. Ideally they should have a page on their website for each of their current models showing what kits have been delivered and what fixes are available. Better still they should repack kits that have been made up but not yet dispatched so that the many builders who follow along some months behind the initial deliveries don't have to send parts back. Having said that, I think the overall quality of design and manufacture is very good and the service is very helpful.

In the absence of this sort of information on the Modelworks website, websites maintained by builders can be very helpful. Julia's Burrell Builder website (www.burrellbuilder.co.uk) lists websites for other Modelworks kits, including my own Britannia Builder site. I try to report all faults that I and my 10 other contacts find, along with workarounds or fixes from Modelworks.

How about a site for the 14XX? I see that Modelworks are going to produce another batch of 35 starting in May.

Regards, John