2750Papyrus

Watching the trains go by...... Did Mo give you a bottle of pop and jam sandwiches?

Those signals look superb and really add to the atmosphere. Love the D2/C1 combination, too; I've always had a soft spot for the GN 4-4-0s.

Well, yes, but.... I had a spell of buying GN section locos from when I was a teenager so I could ring the changes from the 30's. This is my "go-to" loco when I need to run a track-cleaner; heavy, powerful and a good runner. Shame about the prototype!

I've also had a Mailcoach set for may years, in my case the Silber Jubilee, which I've never felt brave enough to tackle. Maybe this autumn, if Simon hasn't saved us by then!

Just like last year's semi-final, the result was predictable the moment the team was announced. I'm back in 1969, walking to the office from Heald Green station and reading that how we won't be terrifying Europe that season...

Beautiful models. I live in hope of an LNER streamliner of equal quality. How about a quiet word with Simon?

Possibly for most on this forum, but not for those youngsters starting out and their parents, who probably aren't worried about the type of boiler or tender fitted but who do want their train to work - and who may be put off the hobby for life if it doesn't.

I would agree with the earlier comments about the current generation of "slimline" tension lock couplings. I have had to replace those on several recent wagon purchases (including a limited edition) as they are so loose in their mounts that they have a distinct downward droop. Please could reviewers look at couplings and check that they function correctly, and perhaps check that they are compatible with popular uncouplers?

In a quest for alliteration, I thought about Daring class destroyer names. Has to be a Delight of Duchesses.

Beautifully modelled and so characterful.

I supported Man City when I lived in Didsbury during the Mercer/Allison days. When my wife asked why City rather than United, I said it was because they were the underdogs. So she says I should now support United!

I'm finding this series very interesting and am learning a lot about parts of the country I thought I knew well.

Down graded because of that hole in the roof!

That could save a marriage!

Now there's a possible poll topic - oldest hobby apart from railways. Girls?

Due to Covid, we buy many different items from Amazon. The home delivery is quick, easy and reasonably (health) risk free, but I had not thought of them as a source of mainstream models. Having sampled this thread today, I did look at Amazon but found that the prices for items in which I might be interested, eg the A2/3, were significantly higher than some of the suppliers mentioned in the thread. I don't know the ins and outs of the cancellation saga but, on today's experience, would have thought an Amazon presence would bring Hornby products to the attention of non-hobbyists without threatening those specialist suppliers.

A common story, I fear.

Will Rails of Sheffield release a special version of their Yorkshire Pudding van?

Thinking about the coaches poll, whilst I have the Harris books, I cannot get too excited about the differences between one gangwayed teak coach and another, as long as I can run 8 or 9 coaches round my layout behind an apple green A3 (I do have a triplet dining set). To my mind, amongst the most iconic of coaches and the biggest RTR gap are the streamlined Silver Jubilee/Coronation/West Riding sets to go with the various A4s. Wonderful style and unique liveries and they lived on in more general use in BR days. The recent restoration of a beavertail observation coach has added to their profile and, as suggested elsewhere, Locomotion could market a record-breaking set of Mallard, Coronation coaches and the dynamometer car. So my nomination is 7, 2, and 3. Pretty please?

For some reason, all the important "spots" from my youth were on the LH side! Controversial when built, but with an elegance of its own, my vote for the poll goes to the wind farm between Langford and Biggleswade......

How about a poll to find the Worst Rusty loco(s)? (I guess that means least successful.) Would that be post 1922 only or include the pre-Grouping years?

Wonderful LNER logic gave the reboilered A1 a new class number so acceptable in our poll but the reboilered O4s only received different part numbers, so they aren't.

I can't agree that the 01 was one of the LNER's most successful designs. May I change my goods loco vote from O4 to J39, numerous and long-lived?

I didn't vote in yesterday's elections because of Covid. The risk of infection may have been slight, but it was avoidable, and the benefit to me of voting negligible. How did others act?

Thanks for the clarification, it does affect my vote. If it were "best", then I would vote (1), express passenger A4, fast and powerful (2) mixed traffic the V4 (better route availability and riding, and more even torque than the B1) (3) freight the P1, the 9F of the twenties and thirties but a loco ahead of its time. As we are voting for most successful, my votes are (1) express passenger A3, (more numerous and longer-lived than other express classes) (2) mixed traffic, V2 (numerous and versatile) (3) heavy goods, the Robinson O4, a very numerous, long lived and robust locomotive. Whilst I've not included any tank engines, in my mind none challenged the above choices.