checkrail

Here's the other half of today's snaps. Have always liked my Hornby Grange (truth to tell, even more than my Accurascale Manor). John C.

A stopper pulls into Stoke Courtenay as a Grange-hauled parcels train passes through on the up line. John C.

Good news for prospective Dapol corridor toplight purchasers. Below is a reply to my email (above) from Richard at Dapol. Good morning John, The original samples did not have the bolection mouldings decorated in mahogany colour, we upgraded the livery sheets to include this, but unfortunately this was not copied for the production models. Yes, we shall have these mouldings correctly painted for the upcoming corridor coaches. Thank you for your comment and interest in these carriages. Kind Regards Richard Director of Product Development I guess those buying brown & cream M & C coaches will just have to get out the paintbrush. Anyway, my thanks to Dapol. John C.

Thanks Bill @heraldcoupe - and thanks for your reply to my earlier eBay message. I also note that there's been a flurry of RMwebbers signing up to the Facebook GWR Modellers group in recent days - I wonder why! As I said, there's quite a bit of interest building up. Certainly, I for one would love to have a 'Bird' series Bulldog to play with. Best wishes and keep us posted. Cheers, John C.

Thanks Robin. Have emailed Dapol (text below) but not holding my breath for a reply. Hi From the pictures I've seen you've done a great job with these toplight coaches, apart from one significant detail of the GWR brown and cream versions: the bolections on all the side windows should be painted the same colour as the droplights in the door windows (venetian red, mahogany or whatever you want to call it). This is an important element of the 'look' of all GWR toplight coaches in all brown and cream livery variants between 1928 and 1948. I do hope this will be rectified when the promised corridor toplights go into production. Painting bolections is tricky at the best of times as I know from kit building, but even more difficult when the glazing is already fitted. Yours in hope,

Yes. Thanks Miss P. Knew there was something amiss as soon as I saw them but just needed confirmation in case there was something I didn't know peculiar to these Mainline & City coaches. Are the pics we've seen of pre-production samples or of what's actually been delivered to stockists? If the latter it's a serious omission and I'd want to know it was corrected before I ordered any of the forthcoming corridor toplights. Painting bolections can be tricky at the best of times but twice as difficult when the glazing is already in.

Oh yes - dead right. And of course nobody has to buy thrm.

Just been online to order one of those nice ex-Caledonian Railway vans. <Groan> Seems to be something new to order every other day. Are these people at Rapido and Accurascale trying to bankrupt me?

Small world and all that ...

If the flurry of interest after Rich's @The Fatadder recent posts is anything to go by it could be a case of. "Form an orderly queue", if we could only find out how to contact the splendid fellow who's produced them. (I've been a "sleeper" on Facebook for years, but remain unsure how to navigate it.)

Yeah - positively droopy. Trouble with the first generation Dapol plug 'n' play signals is that they tend to droopiness after a few years even when in the 'on' position. Bit like many of us maybe.

As the Hall and train wait in the platform 6027 'King Richard I' roars through on the down line with a Penzance express. John C.

Modelu indeed - haven't they been a godsend to the hobby? I'm glad Broome Hall's crew pass muster. I think it's 63 years since I was on the footplate of a loco in steam, a Hall as it happens. While waiting at Kingswear for its departure time back home to Taunton the driver invited me into the cab and asked me whether his engine was "one of Mr Churchward's" or one of Mr Collett's. Happy days.

They do look gorgeous - it bodes well for the corridor ones (which I think more people will be after). I see they've done them in the short-lived 1930 livery with double lining, as Hornby first did with their bow-enders. Just a couple of points: 1) Shouldn't the bolections be the same colour as the droplights? 2) Did the GWR really outshop coaches with the door hinges in unpainted brass?

'Broome Hall' calls at Stoke C. with a Plymouth to Newton Abbot service. John C.

4574 trundles on towards Hackney yard ... ... while 5000 disappears into the cutting. John C.

Another couple of shots as the trains pass ... ... and one of 5000 and train thundering through the platforms heading for North Road. John C.

Many thanks for kind comment @RikkiGTR - much appreciated.

Having just re-charged the camera I can now post a close-up picture of it. I don't think it looks too bad from NVD but I think the idea a few years back that 3D printing would give us lots of wagons that weren't economical to produce by plastic injection moulding has been overtaken by the likes of Rapido. (Granted that their prices are similar to the 'premium' price that 3D printed models commanded.). In the case of the iron mink a plastic one came out very soon after a 3D printed one had appeared on the market. (This photo has shown me that half a fishplate (a C & L plastic one) is missing. Must replace.) John C.

Many thanks for kind words David. The van is a 3D printed ex-SECR vehicle, produced a couple of years or so back to a commission by Rails of Sheffield. It's in the post 1936 SR livery with small lettering, as that was the only option in the first print run, which makes it look a little anonymous from a distance. John C.

4574 brings the daily Earlsbridge goods off the branch on its way back to Newton Abbot. Meanwhile 5000 'Launceston Castle' approaches with a down Plymouth express, which includes a clerestory composite coach to Dia. E73. They cross paths as the goods train pulls onto the up main line. John C.

What lovely models.

Last three for now of train 'n' vans. The first shot is the only one where I managed to get a bit of van at both ends in the pic, albeit at the price of showing a bit of the layout edge. Mike's @Coach bogie recently posted photo had a nice foreshortened view of a train with vans added on fore and aft. Difficult to do on a layout with almost no straight track. There are a couple of different interpretations of GWR coach brown here. John C.

More of 6305 heading towards Plymouth with E set and sundry vans. I see that the second batch of Dapol moguls has arrived or is imminent. John C.

Beautifully neat top feed removal on both those Kevin.