Bernard Lamb

Ironically, it was Oliver Cromwell who allowed them back. Bernard

The oddest use for wagon buffers was at work. We rolled narrow steel coil and after rolling the coils were sent down a shoot, with an old wagon buffer to bring the coils to a stop. The coils, weighing 2-3 tonnes, hit the buffer and rebounded a fair way before finally coming to a halt. It looked rather Heath Robinson, but was very effective. All gone now, it was not the done thing to wand round the factory with a camera, so no photographic evidence. Bernard

Good evening Tony. In the first shot I find that the tall signal is too dominant. A much darker sky might help. I can never tell what time of day it is on your train set, without being told what service is depicted. In the other shot I find that the point rodding detracts from the assertivness of the signal. This one, to me, is the 'better' shot However the parked waggons tend to lead the eye away from the main subject, which rather spoils it. I have mixed feelings about the greyness of your track. Being used to less well maintained minor branchess in my modelling, where the track tends to be the colour of well weathered LMS bauxite, it is not what I would do. However to show off your express trains it provides an excellent neutral background. Basically there is no right or wrong. When I was printing photographs for an income I would deliberately aim for a slightly warm flesh tone. Clients would like it. Not a very PC remark these days, but the aim was to flatter the femail subjects, rather than to produce an accurate portrait. On the subject of current trends in photographic equipment. I have recently bought a Nikon Z5 and am using it as a general camera in place of a frull frame DSLR. Lighter, quieter and it gives surprisingly good results. Bernard

Yes. there was a set made. I have one, but have no idea of the catologue mumber, or when it was produced. I would imagine back in the 1990s. Worth looking out for, or you can get decals for the large DR insignia and give the older period set an update. The small lettering would be harder to change, but a bit of weathering would diguise the difference. On many DR routes they would not have run as sets, but would run with a mix of other old stock. Bernard

Re the sharper is not always better comment. At one time I was involved in wedding photography, my two colleagues used Bronicas and I had a Mamiya, all 6 x 4.5 format. The standard 80mm lens on the Bronica was superb. When working in good light there was no questions as to these lenses being sharper than mine. However I had a wide angle lens, 45mm if I remember correctly. At one stop down this was amazing. When taking group shots in pouring rain I would gather the subjects near a wall, to give a bit of shelter and go in close with this combination. It worked, not in respect of actual sharpness as measured in a test, but in terms of giving the client a set of acceptable prints. I remember one wedding where the conditions were diabolical. The standard lens on the Bronica could not capture the shots and the Bronica wide angle lens showed distortion. It was not a situation that happened very often, but it was good to know just what could be acheived If needs must. I am sure there must be many examples where technically less good, relatuvely speaking, equipment can deliver the required results. Bernard

Try to find a photograph of the other side. You should then be able to see the ejector pipe. Some K3s were LH drive. Bernard

If you bought one around the time that they were current. Even better with some Brassmasters bits added. Worth £99 today? I think not. Bernard

Have it your own way, This model has a low 2k series number. There are models about with a mid 3k series number. One is old and one is ancient as I call it. If you buy one of these there is no history of where it has been. What temperature has it been stored at? What is the lubrication like? I have one from this period and it runs well. I nnow its history. Is a model that old worth close to £100? To quote you. No it's not. It's our old friend having a laugh yet again. I thought , as a group of experienced folk on here. that we knew bettet than that. Bernard With apologies for posting in this thread, instead of the ebay madness one.

That is not just old, it is ancient. Look at the loco to tender connection. Much later models with the plug are avalable. Bernard

On the Maldon branch they used an almost brand new Thompson coach with a very ancient GER vehicle. A far greater contrast. As has been said, anything goes. Bernard

Good afternoon Tony, Probably Slaters. I know they did a kit and I have a few. They mix in well with steel 21 tonners for a BR late 1950s period. Bernard

Of course Dapol can tell these from the kosher stuff. Just check for the 'cast iron' instead of mazac, or whatever alloy Dapol specify.😀 Bernard

What puzzles me is why people buy stuff from China via ebay. If you do want to get involved in that market, then the margins are much better using ali express, or dealing with a company directly. The volume of model trains that could be sold, seems to make it unatractive for people in China to contemplate a punt. At least not in a large way. The Chinese are certainly aware that Hornby, for example, have been known to get quantities very wrong and have had to resort to fire sales. It is actually a brownie point for Dapol that that they are considered worthy of attention. Bernard

'Recruits' I remember the late 1960s, a major supplier to the motor trade. Press operators on piece work and family members coming in to help with the stacking and packing. Some people recorded fantastic output rates and senior management choose not to ask questions. Probably the best case I came across was a new Sales Director who went out to The Gulf to drum up business. While there he enquired, very discreetly, about a job the firm had quoted for but had not turned into a contract. He was told it was half way built and that they were delighted with how it was coming on. All hell was let loose on his return. However it all went quiet very quckly, as it was hinted that somebody very senior ws involved in what was a massive job to take private. I don't know what was involved in your training, but mine was to keep your head down and keep quiet.😃 Bernard

Do you think that they are too big to be immune to such goings on? Bernard

Almost certainly no. Ironically the 'third shift' production probably has better QC than the real production. It has been going on for years with some very big sums involved and they would want to look after their special clients. Dapol are right, as I see it, not to name the products. Why give the crooks free publicity? I remember a time when sports clothing was big business using this type of production method. However that was delivered and marketed in the country that was the target market. Bernard

Nice to see the old Prussian Ost Bahn style station building in such good condition. For those igborant of such things, see the Auhagen web site for details of a series of models based on this style. Bernard

Others have pointed out chapter and verse as to who writes the rules. These people, I presume, have hard evidence for the need to have these particular regulations in place. If you do not like them the start with your MP to get them changed, rather than slag off the people who are trying to inplement them. I have workd in several situations that were covered by speciic national regulations. It was not my place to argue about the merits or otherwise of them. Having twice had the dreaded phone call about a fatality, and going through all the details, it can be a very upsetting experience. In both cases, neither I, or the people I worked with had done anything wrong. Either you have never been in that situation, or you have the hide of a rhinocerous. Beleive me, regulations exist for a very good reason. The management of any company that wants to go to court and argue about them is, in my book, not fit to run any safety critical business. Having seen and heard of several cases I base that on experience. Obey the rules or clear off. I will not go into details, but just writing this reminds me of one case that was used as an example during a training course. It struck a chord. Nobody on that course was ever likely to break the rules, and would certainly have come down hard on anybody doing so. Even if it was senior management. But then, my manager would have always backed me and upheld the rules rather than starting an argument about them. Bernard

Time for the watchdog to bite. Enough is enough. You do not expect an exemption. You plead and grovel and promise to comply ASAP. Bernard

Remember to put the clocks forward an hour tonight. There will be one less hours rain tomorrow. Bernard

'I was told.......' When I started work, by the HR Director, that such an arrangement was in operation. There were several reasons. To protect against redundancy, to allow people to get their hands on quick money to buy a car or get married or similar, without the need to take out an expensive loan. There were also unwritten rules about taking time off in lieu. It suited just about everybody, but it was not the sort of thing to put in a contract of employment. Time off on full pay for personal reasons was another example. I had a close colleague who was off for six months, with a family situation. Alas on the railway and in many other paces all such mutual trust has long gone. Bernard

I can't follow this. If it had been tried where I worked people would have jumped at the chance. They would then have taken a few sick days to retore their work/life balance. Bernard

That opens a can of worms. I don't see it as the same at all. WCR are unable to use their path due to not being able to provide a legal train. I would see that as being in default of the contract. I see no valid reason why another operator could be allowed to use the path if they so wanted. WCR could of course sue. But that would make them look rather stupid. As things are that would presumably not bother them. If other people wanted the service to run, then I see no reason to be nice and coopertaive to WCR. Bernard

There was a mention upthread of pooled stock in the east. This is the only picture I can locate showing the OPW markngs. Very poor quality as it is a blow up from a scan. I suppose that I am asking for trouble if I say that I have never seen a model in pool livery. Bernard

The G10 van could turn up almost anywhere. One even got as far as Jerusalem. Is it still there? The Piko model from circa 1960 can still cut it alongside more modern items. With new wheels and couplings I still run them. Picked up for next to nothing a very long time ago. They were pretty good when compared to what Triang were making in the UK around that time. I don't know about the 1950s, but Bad Schandau was a busy place in the 1970s. I used to visit the sandstone rock outcrops. You could sit in a restaurant and look down on the freight trains from high up and they looked like models. Bernard