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Howes models


gooderz
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So what is one of those?

 

One of these: http://www.lner.info/locos/Q/q6.php

 

Or my own take on them: http://www.blackhatrailwaypictures.co.uk/p103989125

 

Bryan is the master of steam and as a result a Q6 won't be sounding as good until one of his chips is inside. Theres competition fast approaching on this though. His J39 he did for me to test some time ago was very good. Personally, Id add a genuine K1 and B1 to the list too. 

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  • 6 months later...

I haven't used Howes since they stopped dealing with german-outline stuff. The last thing I bought 'over the counter' was a Roco N gauge V188 diesel in 1996. The last thing bought by post was a Roco V320 diesel a few months later.

In the early 1970's Howes was a German-outline 'Mecca'.

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Hi,

Sure I read somewhere the MR dept isn't open all days now - just need to pop in on my way past to get some rail match stuff.

 

Don't wanna pay £9 for postage of said item

 

If you pass without popping in to take the **** I'll set that Northern Monkey on you :-)

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Well. . . . they've moved again.  Now in a Tiny retail unit around the corner.  Crying shame to see such a retailer drop the Model Rail side almost in toto.  I guess mail-order is the way ahead and 'regular' customers through the door will soon be a thing of the past.  :no2: 

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Well. . . . they've moved again.  Now in a Tiny retail unit around the corner.  Crying shame to see such a retailer drop the Model Rail side almost in toto.  I guess mail-order is the way ahead and 'regular' customers through the door will soon be a thing of the past.  :no2:

maybe they should have stayed in the shop then....

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Great service again from Mike and Brian at Howes, sorting out my 8F Sound, and Mike for his friendly helpful advice on fitting the Sound Chip to my Re Built West Country today.

My sound progs from Howes (all diesels/bog carts) have all been excellent. Can you confirm that the 'Spam' sounds  JLTRT? (PM if necessary)

Phil

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Well. . . . they've moved again.  Now in a Tiny retail unit around the corner.  Crying shame to see such a retailer drop the Model Rail side almost in toto.  I guess mail-order is the way ahead and 'regular' customers through the door will soon be a thing of the past.  :no2:

 

Shame, I was never a regular but I guess it shows where the money is

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Was up at Howes yesterday and there seems to be a revival of sorts going on: the Railmatch paints, which they've been stocking in a desultory fashion for a few months were mostly fully stocked; they started carrying Expo tools again, only a couple of months after I asked and was told they didn't keep them any more; they even had superglue in; there is quite a large case of S/H stuff in the middle of the shop unit, with much more stuff than they ever had when they were trading as a model railway shop proper. True, it was mostly southern, but the prices seemed good - that small new Heljan tank engine (13xx?) for £79 and an M7 for £50. 

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A huge bump for this thread, called in howes earlier today. Took me a while to find it as the last time I went it was in a different building than when j last called in pre lockdown, anyone looking for will now find it in some units behind screwfix

 

It’s just basically a warehouse now with a small retail counter and shop at the front, seems to be primarily planes and boats on display but there were some trains and expo tools, railmatch paints etc

 

I’d gone in to see what used items they had and was pleasantly surprised, to be honest the stuff on display was mainly used items, cabinets full of them, lots of older items like 7 plank wagons and Hornby coaches for pocket money prices, I picked up a used DCC chipped Bachmann C class for £69 and an Oxford 6 wheel toad brakevan for £10, rails and hattons could learn a thing or two about realistic pricing from them! 
 

other notable items of second hand were a Bachmann DCC chipped DB Schenker 08 for £80 and an unboxed Arriva wales 153, again DCC chipped for £80 and a Bachmann FNW 150 for £100 you can find them on their website too 

 

picked up a couple of railmatch spray cans while I was there for future jobs, saves the hassle of having them posted 

 

the new unit isn’t a patch in the old shop in kidlington or indeed the old unit on the same estate with no cabinets full of Heljan locos etc but it’s nice to be able to go into a physical shop and get decent used items where you can see it running beforehand, the assistant was enthusiastic and reprogrammed the chip on the loco for me to a new address 

 

It’s worth a look if your in the area but I wouldn’t make a special trip there 

 

 

 

 

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I was in Howes today while my motorcycle was being serviced round the corner at Kings Two Wheel Centre. 

I was served by a helpful and knowledgeable chap who rounded prices down when I had finished making my choices from the second hand wagons, etc., in the display cabinets. 

I grew up in Oxford, so Howes in the city centre had the bulk of my pocket money back in the 60s. It's a very different shop today than it was back then, but they have done what they needed to do to survive.

As an added bonus, it is now next door to a brewery and the brewer there is a friend of mine!

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In the early 1970s (late '72 to late '76) I used to make occasional spotting expeditions by train to Oxford from Swindon - the Worcesters still being worked by Hymeks in '72/73 was a major attraction - and a walk up the road to visit Howes Models in the city centre was frequently undertaken.......at the risk of missing something interesting at the station as it was quite a distance, but I was into modelling as much as the real thing so at such times a judgment call was required! I think most of my purchases were modelling supplies like paint, brushes, transfers, plasticard and tools but I must have bought some RTR items too. On my last visit in '76 I bought the 'City of Truro' and 'Prairie' Airfix kits as these were two such kits I had never built over the years, but in the end I never got around to them and sold them on - just before Dapol released them IIRC.

 

On one of the 1973 walks into town I called into Halfords to purchase a plastic toolbox, as all of my modelling materials were in a cardboard shoebox at the time which was proving impractical - and 50 years later most of my modelling tools are still in this same toolbox! I had to replace the carrying handle and hinges decades ago but it's made from hard plastic with rivetted metal struts - I've looked for a replacement but it appears they just don't make them like that anymore so it looks likely to outlast me!

 

Anyway, Howes didn't sell me that, it was picked up 'en route' to their shop, so back on topic - during the 1980s/90s their OO detailing catalogue was a necessary purchase for those of us with a penchant for carving up RTR diesels, and I still miss their versatile black Alfac masking tape which I rated very highly (I once left some strips of that attached around the roof of a Hornby Class 25 I'd sprayed green for 3 years and it peeled off like it had been there 3 hours!) Recently their keen pre-owned pricing has proved irresistible and I now keep a regular eye on their website. Orders always prompt a review of my Railmatch paint stocks - might as well save on postage! I'm pleased that they're still up and running.

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I had a look at their second hand stock a few days ago and almost decided not to go, but as it was only a ten minute walk from the bike shop, and I had nothing else to do while they sorted the bike out, I had a look in Howes. Far more second hand stock than their website suggests.

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1 hour ago, Halvarras said:

On one of the 1973 walks into town I called into Halfords to purchase a plastic toolbox, as all of my modelling materials were in a cardboard shoebox at the time which was proving impractical - and 50 years later most of my modelling tools are still in this same toolbox! I had to replace the carrying handle and hinges decades ago but it's made from hard plastic with rivetted metal struts - I've looked for a replacement but it appears they just don't make them like that anymore so it looks likely to outlast me!

I probably have same model of toolbox, same age, had new handle last year and new catch this year other wise still in use.

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2 hours ago, DaveSmith said:

I had a look at their second hand stock a few days ago and almost decided not to go, but as it was only a ten minute walk from the bike shop, and I had nothing else to do while they sorted the bike out, I had a look in Howes. Far more second hand stock than their website suggests.


I did the same as I was passing, got me a nice DCC fitted c class for £75, lots of older generation models in the 2nd hand items but also some little gems 

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2 hours ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

I probably have same model of toolbox, same age, had new handle last year and new catch this year other wise still in use.

 

Oh yes I'd forgotten that, I had to replace the catch as well. So that's new handle, catch and (brass) hinges, all drilled and bolted on!

Mine's a sage green colour, I can't remember if other colours were available.

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11 hours ago, 2E Sub Shed said:

I probably have same model of toolbox, same age, had new handle last year and new catch this year other wise still in use.

Me too! bought mine in Halfords, Bury Park, Luton; early seventies, the handle did indeed break but still in use after repair. Mine's a darkish blue.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Railmatch paints have always been the product of choice for me.  Far better than Humbrol  enamel aerosols whose spray heads block far too easily and are impossible to clear. The brush paint gives a finish as good as a spray finish with a little care. Excellent  fast postal service too.  Cannot praise them enough.

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On 12/03/2023 at 17:14, Wilson Worsdell said:

Railmatch paints have always been the product of choice for me.  Far better than Humbrol  enamel aerosols whose spray heads block far too easily and are impossible to clear. The brush paint gives a finish as good as a spray finish with a little care. Excellent  fast postal service too.  Cannot praise them enough.

The paint is good, but I use the enamel with a brush or acyrilic through the airbrush.

My experience with the cans isn’t great - to the extent I brought 5 spare nozzles 

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