RAYTHEROCK

Why do we have to have these arguments kit vs rtr? Can't we just be very grateful that Accurascale are bringing out the models? I shall change my prayers to an E4.........

gears were indeed a strong point; I was thinking of say 12.5" angle girders which were all bowed in my experience, or the circular plate whose piercings were all off centre. Still I understand the girls are enjoying the Meccano experience - they got two E20R motors with it but no transformers, only an old Duette giving 12v .

My, large colection of Meccano - blue chequer-plate, nickel plate, red/green, yellow blue has been taken by my grand-daughter to start a girls' basic engineering group at her school. Good luck to them- pity Meccano was so crude.

69820 just arrived. the baseplate is straight. the bogie and pony wheels do not wobble the cab is squarely on the running numbers are straight there are no chips to the paintwork the coal rails are straight in short a splendid model - a quick run was quiet - chalk up a tick on the good side!. Well done Sonic - could we have an E4 next?

I'm expecting my BR A5 tomorrow and wondering what I will get - a lemon or a good model? Reading the bad reviews is quite worrying, but how many good deliveries go unreported? It's impossible to get a sense of proportion from only one side of the story. Fingers crossed I will be able to put in a good report. Bent footplates and cabs not properly fitted certainly indicate lax quality control in China - perhaps aggravated by their enormous Covid problems. Hopefully Sonic will learn and improve - I do wish them well

Delightful pictures - the family that play trains together stays together - through generations - we are now myself and great grandson - his layout in Colchester, mine in Headcorn, the missing generations grew out of trains.

Same here Phil; entry to goods/fiddle yard is via a 90 degree curve, laid to 30" radius with Tracksetta, and a joint halfway round. All the other yard locos, including a Peckett B2, Kerr Stewart and Austerity had no trouble, but that little kink at the joint was enough to send the Hunslet into the six-foot. Like you, a bit of brute fore with pliers to eliminate the minute kink which I had never noticed, cured the problem.

Doubly delighted with my red one, arrived this morning - lovely little model, my second Rapido loco. Double delighted because I was unaware it was already named Alex, one of my two remaining grandsons not to have a loco named for him. Plates already on order for James will now be held over for Dapol's Hawthorn Leslie

waves of nostalgia from that so accurate re=creation! Late 50s going to and from Upminster via Romford to school in Brentwood on Saturdays then early 60s walkng down from North Street to the station for a commute to London. Am I going senile in my 80s or did North Thames Gas have a showroom on or near that corner, There was also a stamp dealer among the coal offices. Superb accuracy.

Idly flicking through Youtube I came across S*m's Tr**ns attack on one of the recent batch of B12/3s. I had just bought a third one about the same time and it got me worried. However it's been up and down my point-to-point showing no power loss on curves or points. Tomorrow I'll take it to the Railway Club for a long run on their test track just to be sure but it seems the same as its 2 mates. I do worry about the shortage of Hornby spares on Peter's website - not his fault, of course. En passant, the original R150 version, fitted years ago with new wheels, centre driver flanges ground down to just kiss the track, has been passed to my great-grandson who is young enough to be delighted with it - vive le X04!

I think Sam must have been unlucky. I have the green one; not a speck of glue or a dash of over paint; safety valves both seated properly and chimney capuchon correct. She is superb. Must put some coal on!

My green one arrived in the pouring rain yesterday safe and dry inside its stout packing 0 more that poor Pete the Postie was! Only one question - the shade of green - reminds me of Duck from the Thomas range?

Is it not time to stop sniping at Hornby's TT project? We all know it is not aimed at us, serious modellers mostly with stock of 00. Let's just sit on the sidelines and watch. If it takes off great, perhaps the resulting cash flow will produce something new in 00 for their old supporters. If not, onto the scrap heap to join the live steam, Steampunk etc, and hopefully will not bring Hornby down. If it does there will be an opening for some of the smaller more enterprising producers, and we can sit back smugly saying "told you so"", but without Schadenfreude. Enough criticism and nit-picking for the time being.

I can only thank goodness Hornby have produced nothing of interest for GE modellers for ages so I have nothing outstanding to be delayed. Situation is a mess outside their control, but I worry about their "toy" efforts - playtrain - steampunk - for example. Must dilute manufacturing capacity and if they fail to sell...? Remember those stupid Olympic mascots? The hobby is facing a crisis - prices at the lower end are outside kids' reach, and the marvellous new DCC locos are for richer men than this old pensioner. Thankfully I have more than enough stock to see out my old age

Bit worried to hear of JW's story of Mazak rot - I've just gifted my Trix Flying Scotsman to my great-grandson as the start of his railway.It was running OK when handed over and no sign of problems but don't want a tearful small boy on the phone!i I did stupidly buy a late so-called "A2" on a German chassis from somewhere in Wales - complete cr*p unfortunately. Never tried their coaches - HD tinplate ones instead. Happy days in ignorance,

Hattons delivered mine this morning. Well finished and detailed; runs smoothly. Ordered 26.9.19 - delivered just over 2 years later. So far have just replaced those hideously overlong couplings - a ViTrains on on the front and a slice taken off the NEM box and the coupling legs, Loctite to secure at the rear.

What a superb looking loco! I came across a pic of 69824 - early crest - pulling into Norwich Thorpe 15-3-53 in "Branch Lines around Wroxham" but even so I can't honestly make it enough of an excuse to buy one for my little branch line. I seem to remember a pic of one running into - Shenfield i think - turntable problems somewhere along the line. Well done Sonic.

Our small group in Headcorn used to meet pre-covid two Saturday mornings a month in the local Baptist church hall. New management is now insisting we have our own third party insurance. I know from experience with our much larger local history society that few insurers are now prepared to offer this at a reasonable rate - too much paperwork for too little I suppose. We solved that by insuring through a national "umbrella" group and I would be interested to hear how other societies and clubs have faced up to and dealt with this problem. Ray Sadler

Well 68640 is up and running. Replaced all 4 buffer heads with turned steel ones from bits box - look a lot better. Front coupling made from a brass wire loop soldered to a spare frame spacer - bits box again. Clunky rear one left as is for the moment. As no bolts came with the chassis I tapped both sockets 8BA and used cut-down Kadee 2-56 black nylon bolts with a shim washer to stop front wheels rubbing - actually they made a not unrealistic shuff-shuff-shuff.... Looked at from 3ft the short chassis does not jar - the cab steps cover part of the gap. Will certainly go for a J66 if CDC do it - chassis was slightly shorter on these.

Well J68 arrived 2 days early; looked good and a very smooth finish. One front buffer either broken or incompletely moulded, fixed that with a disc of thin black plastikard punched out with a leather punch. Windows glazed with Krystal Klear, transfers on - those numbers are a tight fit on the bunker! coat of Testor's Dullcote over them then borrowed mech from my Terrier - wouldnt move. Body underside fouled the front drivers so had to grind away some material and drop a thin brass shim washer over each bolt. Rear fixture split on screwing up.but it runs OK. Front coupling still to be sorted as does not project enough. Over all, I'm happy with it and impressed with 3D printing's advances.

Thanks sleepyrider What even with a silly face on front! I was going to slip him a tenner if he can find it....

Very tempted by this at the price but I am not au fait with Terrier versions - not really my area. I have two quick possibilities - see if I can buy/scrounge grandson's "Stepney" which must be at least 10 years old or butcher my own R3248 KESR Sutton. Would either of these count as old style please?

I see lots of Oxford Rail announce butnot many Oxford Rail deliver... Are all the remaining N7's stuck on the Ever Given? Or are they waiting for freight rates westbound to stabilise - I heard $12500/40' from a friend in Anhui this week.

Can only conclude Hornby no longer see themselves as serious suppliers of quality model railways, and are content to further drag the once great name of Bassett-Lowke through the mire with steampunk bricks. Absolute rubbish. Concentrate on the essentials if you want to build up the business

My thanks to The Johnster for his long reply. Meantime I have fitted Kadee 18's into the sockets - much closer and both pull and propel around my layout without buffer locking. Curves are 36" radius. Might still change buffers for normal convex one instead of Stroudley's concave oddities and set them in a little bit more to give a little more clearance just in case.