GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY SMALL ATLANTIC No 985
This model was built from a DJH kit, the only one of theirs I have ever built and it was a great disappointment to me. I had finished building it, but fortunately not yet painted it, when I discovered that it was about 3mm too long. I had to cut through the boiler, footplate, frames and bogie to reduce it to the correct length. When I mentioned this to some members of the GNR Society they were already aware of the problem.
I discussed the matter with DJH and they informed me that the 'stretching' had been carried out deliberately to allow the loco to traverse tight radius curves and that, furthermore, this took place on many of their other locos! I said that in my opinion if they were producing models that were not true to scale they should state the fact clearly on the box. So the moral of this tale is that if you are considering buying a DJH loco kit, open the box and check the length before you part with your money.
Other than that the kit was satisfactory. I fitted a Mashima/Branchlines 10x24 motor and a 'High Level' gearbox. It goes like a rocket and will pull anything. It is, however, a devil to get onto the turntable because of its length, which is slightly more than the turntable!
Side view of the GNR Small Atlantic
The constituent parts