7mm Andrews Steve Beattie Class 15

Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson

Western Thunderer
All


Unfortunately Presflows put on the back burner as I purchased a Steve Beattie Class 15 following the news he was retiring .I have always liked these locos and thought if I didn’t take the plunge may go out of production. I would say these are one of his better efforts as mostly all brass. As usually some errors but he does pre warn you but leaves you to discover what these are .Doh . The ones I have identified are the cab doors are too long and subsequently the cab grab handles. Not too much of a problem to re drill and scribe a new line for the bottom of the door. The resin castings for behind the grills and battery boxes not up to the brass etches and will only be used to create patterns out of brass or plasticard. White metal ends needed some filling as can be seen. According to the scale drawings I have, radiator grill frame would appear to be to big 31mm on the model, drawing 27mm so not sure which is right but looking at pictures looks like a bigger distance between last body door and start of the grill frame on the model. I was going to live with this but decided to correct. (See photos).

Hopefully I will post more photos as I progress but modelling time has been at a premium over the last couple of months.



Andrew.


Class 15 o re.jpgDSC_0026 - Copy.jpgDSC_0029 - Copy.jpg001.jpg
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I've always liked the BTH Type 1s. I built an Alexander Models whitemetal kit in 4mm scale many years ago, which can barely pull itself along let alone a train! I shall follow this thread with interest.
 
Steph Dale

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Andrew,

Nice work! I've got one of Steve's kits for 10800 to build. Your description is right on the money for what I found with that kit on opening the box. I'll probably re-do all the castings either as etches or scratchbuilds in brass.

The bogie design is interesting in these kits; have you done anything with them yet?

Steph
 
S

SteveO

Guest
Could you substitute the Beattie bogies for JLTRT Class 17 bogies?
 
Phill Dyson

Phill Dyson

Western Thunderer
Nice work Andrew :thumbs:.........I believe someone has taken over the range (but I can't remember who :confused::oops:). As you say the etches are quite good, but let down by the pants castings.

If they are re-introduce with better castings they could be a very good range as Steve had lots of interesting prototypes :cool:

I would like to get to grips with my brass Steve Beattie class 22 when I can find the time :rolleyes::(

Cheers Phill :)
 
marsa69

marsa69

Western Thunderer
Was it Peter Clark? I only ask as he's taken over the cab kits range and some other pieces :thumbs:

Mark
 
S

SteveO

Guest
My understanding is that the loco kits haven't been taken up, just a few of the accessories.

On a related topic, I e just taken delivery of a resin 24 but the grill etchings are not present. I'll have to give him a tinkle as I need another set too for my other 24.
 
S

Simon Dunkley

Guest
Jordan said:
As far as I know, apparently they were styled after the American EMD GP7 and GP9 "Road Switcher" types,
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They were derived from George Ivatt's 10800 for the LMS - designed and ordered in 1946, but delivered 4 years later, so taking the GP7 as "inspiration" is unlikely. Since the GP7 was introduced in October 1949, it is unlikely to have had any influence on the design.
They may have been inspired by the Alco RS-1, with the cab brought down and footplate narrowed to fit into the GB loading gauge.
Having sampled the 'delights' of an SB kit myself, Good Luck with this one!
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Must admit that the possibility of another "target" for a Steve Cook drunken rant had crossed my mind... ;)
 
iploffy

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
Heather Kay said:
I've always liked the BTH Type 1s. I built an Alexander Models whitemetal kit in 4mm scale many years ago, which can barely pull itself along let alone a train! I shall follow this thread with interest.
Click to expand...

How very prototypical :-D (I have now worked out how to do smilies on the mobile)
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
The BTH Type 1 (which would have become the Class 15 if remained beyond the introduction of TOPS) was the only one of the lower-powered diesels - aside from English Electric's entry - to receive any visual design work from an outside agency (Wilkes and Ashmore, if memory serves, who were also responsible for the look of the Brush Type 2).

Essentially, in 1955, the British Transport Commission issued specifications they would like to see for a range of diesel classes in the Modernisation Plan, which would see the end of steam traction by the early 1970s. The so-called "Pilot Scheme" locos were meant to be tested in the field against each other, the best going on to production. As political life turned out, the government changed colour, panicked at the cost and time it would all take, and simply ordered more of all the classes before any had been thoroughly tested. This led to the plethora of weird, wonderful and downright awful diesel classes, many of which were eventually scrapped before they had served ten years.

The North British Type 1 design (Class 16) was much more closely based on the LMS 10800.
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Jordan said:
Fair enough. The "Road Switcher" design was done by Alco first, from 1941 on; way before EMD, who were too busy selling E- and F-Units during and after WW2.
I'm sure I read of there being a definite American influence in the styling, though. The 10800, Cl.15 & 16 aren't like any other UK diesels. Then again, neither was the Cl. 17, I suppose...:rolleyes:
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And of course railway engineers could well have been influenced by these U.S. built locos based at Newport (Ebbw Junction) with the U.S. 756th Railway Shop Battalion during the war....

Whitcomb DE.jpg
 
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