Star-rider

I'm in exactly the same position. I've replaced a lot of plastic wheels with packs of Dapol metal spoked and disc types, but there really isn't much that can be done with the early D couplings.

This is an interesting discussion regarding what coal wagons might have plied their trade and has motivated me to read up a little more when I can. So far I have resisted the PO offering from Rapido, nothing seemed “local” to me, but reading though the observations above, maybe I’m being too parochial. I was considering selling on a lot of my South Wales liveried wagons in the belief that most of them would have spent their lives simply working from a colliery, running down a valley and discharging their load at a Swansea or Newport for export. Based on the comments above perhaps some of these may indeed have trundled up through the Black Country. I’d considered getting a few wagons marked up for the Earl of Dudley’s railway which ran close to where I live, but then reflected that they may have simply ran between the Earl’s Baggeridge Colliery and his Round Oak Steelworks and not on the wider network. Perhaps I need to get down the local library…

The roof tanks look smart on the E112 - what are you using? They look like the ones I used to fit, which were whitemetal and purchased from 247 Developments. It's another thing that I have exhausted my supply of and they're no longer listed. Pete.

The new Rapido rolling stock looks nice again. I have four items pre-ordered with RoS, but have fallen victim to the Expired Credit Card During Long Wait syndrome. All sorted out over the phone, so only a couple more days to wait. Also three Banana vans coming from the opposite end of the country, I guess that as these were a slightly later announcement my payment card must have had acceptable dates!

Interesting to see the Y4's included, I'd rather lost track of their expected delivery date - they've not been showing on Rapido's schedule. It looks like there's seven items about to hit my payment card then, plus the cost of paying the wife to go somewhere so the she does not see the parcel arrive...

Back on the subject of window grills, Mark Seward (Blacksmith) did come back to me following my enquiry and as promised, here’s the result. Firstly, the 70’ First kit I was after was available as a etch only so I have placed my order. I didn’t enquire deeply, but it suggests that some etches are ready to go, so it’s worth making contact if there’s something you’re after. Cost to me for the etch only was £48.00, there are no prices on the website just yet but that will hopefully give you a clue. He does indeed offer a brake van grill etch, price to me was £5.50. If you don’t need a lot of them this may be the way to go for a single etch. Pete.

I too would be happy to be involved in splitting the cost of a Brassmasters bulk order for window grills, but let's see what the response is from Blacksmith first in case that's a more viable option. With regard to 14mm wheels I usually just buy the Hornby or Bachmann 14.1mm ones which are always on the shelf somewhere. I don't know if this is some sort of Faux Pas with regard to GWR models but you only actually see the bottom few millimetres! In fact I'm literally about to place an order somewhere - the Bachmann 36-033 are just shading it on price at the moment £17.95 for 10 axles at Rails of Sheffield.

Just a follow-on regarding the window grills - I've noticed that the new Blacksmith website is now (sort of) up and running and I've made an enquiry about a 70' First which is hopefully my next build. While requesting a cost for this I've enquired if he does a window grill etch as I've picked up a hint that something was in the Blacksmith range historically. I will of course share any information. Pete.

Unfortunately the Brassmasters' minimum charge is now £20 and as there is nothing else that I need from them I would have to buy 10 etches to get my money's worth. Factor in another £4.00 for P&P and it gets expensive to finish off two or three coaches. Looking at their exhibition diary I can't see anywhere I'd be likely to attend this year so that avenue is closed. Logically perhaps I should ask nicely if Wizzard would add something to their Comet range - this is where most of my kits are sourced from and I'm sure that I can't be their only customer in need. The subject of corridor handrails has vexed me as well. Some of mine have a length of Microstrip painted red/brown but most run without. If the diagram of coach has a good continuous run of corridor it's worth a go, but where there are intermediate doors it's best left alone.

Nice to see your carriage builds still coming along Neal. Can I ask what you do (if anything) about the window bars / grills in brake coaches? I bought a couple of the Brassmasters ex Martin Finney etches from an exhibition a couple of years ago but have exhausted my stock now. These were described as "GWR brake van window grills" so were probably intended for a Toad rather than a coach, but something seemed better than nothing. https://brassmasters.co.uk/images/Finney castings/E7.jpg I understand that Brassmasters are exhibition sales only now, so I've no idea if I would be able to replenish. A bonus question for an extra point - any idea what colour these window bars would have been painted in the 1930's?

I really do hope there will still be a market for second-hand Bachmann panniers when the new Accurascale ones arrive because mine will be up for sale. They are indeed a half decent model and run well but I don’t want top-feed for the 1930’s, plus I’m gradually edging toward DCC sound fitting. The idea of myself doing some amateur surgery on the body, a bit more hacking around to get a speaker in and also investing probably £130 in a sound decoder to put in an old model is unattractive to me. That’s why I’ll be in for two Accurascale sound fitted panniers. If there are people out there who will get good use of the Bachmann models I’d be delighted if they would buy them! (But in the meantime they will continue to fill in as being the best available). Pete.

Yes, I’d love to support the Dapol Autocoach but have held off pre-ordering as there does not seem to be anything suitable to haul it. I’ve raised the subject elsewhere, to me the best solution would be a permanently coupled loco and trailer with a lot of the electrical gubbins, speaker space etc in the trailer to free up the loco space for weight and mechanism. I may end up doing just that with my Hattons 48XX as it is a total non-runner at the moment.

A belated Happy New Year to everyone… I’m not too distressed over the cancellation of the Macaw. OK, it was the only significant new tool GWR model announced last year, but it is a duplication of something that has been available from Bachmann which in itself I’m told not a bad model. If someone needs a Macaw I’m sure a s/h mint boxed one could be bought from Ebay for a third of the price Hornby would want. Perhaps it’s no bad thing. My guess is that the new team at Hornby have recognized this and the harms to business of duplication. After a couple of years of trying to bring duplicates early to market and squash new competition, maybe they’re looking toward untapped diagrams. Surely even a different diagram bogie bolster would outsell what they were proposing. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of retailers aren’t tripping over crates of Loriot Y’s at the moment. With any luck it may mean they are clearing a production slot for some alternative GW wagon not done to date.

My best wishes and thanks to the staff and management of Hattons for a lifetime (for me) of service. I too was shocked as I came to this news today, it one of those institutions you feel would somehow always be there. I still have a memory of being taken there by my dad, probably in the mid or late 1960’s as he mopped up a little of the original Hornby Dublo stock they were clearing. Later in life I made my own visits to both of the Smithdown Road shops, plus a couple of visits to the Widnes warehouse. As a motorcyclist I’m often looking for a destination for a ride out and when there was a special purchase in mind it was an enjoyable day out to have a run up the A41 from the West Midlands knowing that there will be something shiny and new in the rucksack for the ride home. The mail order service was also excellent, most of the big retailers handle this well but the “trunk” service was particularly innovative for getting those smaller bits and pieces at a sensible shipping cost. The only reason they saw so little of my money in the last few years is that the major manufacturers aren’t producing anything I want to buy.

I find myself wondering if a re-release of the GWR “Hall” is a possibility. “Adderley Hall” was released straight to the Railroad range in the Design Clever era and although there was some derision over the concept, what came out (to my mind) was quite an acceptable well running model at a very good price point (was it around £69?) I don’t think they ever sold it again except as “Ketley Hall” in part of a TTS sound train pack. There was a super-detail version around at the time but I’m not aware that has shown itself since either. OK, it would have an RRP of rather more now, but if another one came to market at £99.00 I might join the end of the queue. The tooling and packaging is all there ready for them, it must be a relatively low cost model to turn out.