AMBIS Engineering

Motive Power Components

We do not produce many components for motive power as plenty of other suppliers exist in this field already. What has been produced are different coupling rods and details for existing locomotives and several gearbox frames to make use of components available elsewhere.

Having experimented with electrical pickup options, we have taken a dislike to plunger pickups, but have no experience of split frame construction, other than produced by Mainline/Dapol/Bachmann in their early ready-to-run stock. pugcab

A short run of a scraper pickup etch in beryllium copper was once produced and has been re-introduced as a small supply of the metal was identified. It is unlikely that when exhausted, it will be restocked.

A small run of stub axles has been produced for use in re-wheeling the early Mainline/Bachmann split frame locomotives such as the 03/04 diesel and may be useful for other projects as they are designed for 1/8" inch axle wheelsets.

One of the areas overlooked by older models has been the depth of glass within a window frame. An item that especially begged to be improved was to make the 4mm ready to run models of the L&Y 0-4-0ST (generally nicknamed Pugs) look better in this respect. Other spectacle plate windows are also available, these are largely circular.

In 2010 we introduced a series of nameplates intended largely for industrial locomotives. These are based upon the photographs of different nameplate designs used by quarry locomotives located in the East Midlands.

Currently there are over 150 different etched plates in this range.

A series of locomotive smokebox number plates has also been added to this range. Locomotive makers plates are available from "Narrow Planet" and will not be produced by AMBIS Engineering

name plates

To make usable old locomotive kits a limited range of fold up mainframe kits is being introduced. The initial versions are for small locomotives for the former Keyer's range - the MR 1500 -1517 series 0-4-0ST and the GWR/TVR/Hudswell Clark 0-4-0ST. The test etches are illustrated.

Since the introduction of the "Claud Hamilton" rebuild by the LNER known as D16/3 we have made add on valances for the Hornby model, although these will not complete a conversion as splasher tops and mainframe shape changes in front of the smokebox are not included - c.2016

We introduced the GNR cloverleaf pattern lamp irons and Whitacker tablet exchangers used by the M&GN as short run commission products - c.2017

A number of small runs of coupling rods with proper knuckled joints have been produced to assist in converting Bachmann locomotives when their driving wheels are changed for LNER J11 and J50 locomotives. It is possible to retain the Bachmann coupling rods, but these will not always fit when the width over the driving wheels increases too much, such as with the J50 with sandboxes behind the steps near the centre axle.

Recent publications have outlined the complexity that the Midland Railway introduced in their "standard" tender designs. We reviewed our samples of products and compared them to that information and then took a look at the recent Bachmann products. There was no basic 3500 gallon Johnson tender kit available, as designers seem to have concentrated on the 3250 gallon version. Basically the difference is in height - about 3 inches - which shows in photographs when compared to locomotive cabs. So to supplement the Alan Gibson (and other manufacturers products) we have made a number of different configurations of the 3500 gallon tender tanks which we think have not been produced by others. These are the low beading and high beading patterns, the 4F tender with no central beading and also a commode handle design.

It is still possible to obtain some Alan Gibson locomotive kits when the current owner undertakes small volume production runs.

Some Available Johnson Tender Kits in 4mm:1 ft scale

Please note these are samples and the measurements may vary from kit to kit and the different build instructions do not guarantee direct comparability.

Jidenco Models are now sold as Falcon Brass by/through Dart Castings but the components may have been changed.
MPD models no longer trades and MayGib was a precursor to Alan Gibson kits.
We have not reviewed London Road Models Kits, some of which used to be in the George Norton Models range, his MR 2F had a 2950gal tender.
Omega Models only produced one kit as far as we are aware.

Kit	Description	Tank Length	Tank Height	Tank Width	Frame Length	Notes
MPD 3F 0-6-0	Castings	76.9 mm	15.3 mm	27.6 mm	81.2 mm
Alan Gibson	3250 gallon	77.3 mm	16.5 mm	28.6 mm	82.6 mm
Jidenco Models "3130" goods	3250 gallon?	76.2 mm	15.1 mm	25.9 mm	81.4 mm	2950 ?
Jidenco Models "14xx" 2-4-0	3250 gallon?	75.3 mm	15.1 mm	25.9 mm	81.2 mm	2750 ?
Jidenco Models "156" 2-4-0	3250 gallon?	75.3 mm	15.1 mm	25.9 mm	81.4 mm	2750 ?
MayGib	3250 gallon	77.2 mm	16.3 mm	27.0 mm	82.8 mm	3250 ?
Omaga Models 4-4-0 1P	3250 gallon	76.9 mm	16.5 mm	27.9 mm	81.8 mm
Alan Gibson "483" 4-4-0	3250 gallon?	76.8 mm	16.3 mm	26.7 mm	82.5 mm
Alan Gibson "700" 4-4-0		77.0 mm	14.7 mm	27.8 mm	82.9 mm	Class specific tender
Alan Gibson "1142" 0-6-0	2350 gallon	75.0 mm	13.5 mm	25.0 mm	82.5 mm
Alan Gibson 4F "Deeley" tender	3500 gallon, rivetted	81.2 mm #	16.5 mm	27.5 mm	82.8 mm	# Commode handles add 12 in
Alan Gibson 4F	3250 gallon	77.0 mm	16.4 mm	27.9 mm	82.7 mm
Summerson	3500 gallon	19 ft 3^1/4 in	4ft 3^1/2 in	7 ft 1 in		77 * 17 * 28.3
Summerson	3250 gallon	19 ft 3^1/4 in	4ft 0^1/4 in	7 ft 1 in		77 * 16 * 28.3
Summerson	2950 gallon	19 ft 1^1/4 in	3ft 10 in	6 ft 7 in		76.3 * 15.6 * 26.1
Summerson	2750 gallon	18 ft 11^3/4 in	3ft 9 in	6 ft 1 in		76 * 15 * 24.3

References

Industrial railway locomotive books and periodicals

Model Railways, Colin Binnie Drawing of GWR/TVR/Hudswell Clark 0-4-0ST May 1972 Pages 508-509.

Any book on railway locomotives, e.g. Summerson volumes on Midland Railway locomotives, the Essery and Jenkinson series on the Midland and LMS.

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