250BOB

I don't know what the footprint of the new premises is compared to Smithdown Road, but remember they also had a distribution centre too. But I assume they have similar stock and the same staff to be accommodated. In business units, the use of racking storage to quite a height can substantially reduce the required footprint. I run a business from a 5000 sq ft business premises, and make full use of racking storage to the full height of the unit.....business units are normally quite high. I visited the Smithdown road shop, it appeared to be a bit of a rabbit warren, so I imagine proper organised modern storage was impossible...hence the move to the separate storage premises a few years ago. Running two separate smaller premises cant have been easy from a logistics point of view.....so the new premises surely must have given them economy of scale, all under one roof. Rents and rates as far as I know are normally much, much higher on the high street I thought.

Would it not be cheaper to run business premises(warehouse) rather than a high street shop.?? Rent and rates on shop premises normally very high in comparison. So are their overheads cheaper at the new place..??

Hi Phil Pleased to see you sorted Touchcab on your ECoS.......I have used it on my Lenz set up for a few years now using my iphone.....love it to bits. Bob

Just how widely available is this track........I couldn't find any at the Stafford Model Railway show yesterday 4th Feb.

Does everyone think it is unlikely that Heljan would produce a model as such, because it has only two representatives.?

Just wondered, as I recently bought the Bachmann green class 25 25043, did a green class 27 exist with a TOPS number.??

Have any comparisons been made between the Peco offering and that of DCC Concepts.......both from a cost point of view, and quality point of view. Bob

Oh Good.....I'll be coming to DEMU as usual....see you and the layout then Nick. Bob

I've just seen 88002 parked up at Jnc 16 on the M6.....7.30 tonight. I didn't even know it was in the country, imagine my shock. I told Big Jim who shot off to get a look as he lives in Crewe, but it had already gone on its way north by 8.30pm

So why would anyone buy from Hornby at the full £189....??????? Rails seem to have some of the best prices these days.....a few of my friends who were Hatton devotees have now switched their allegiance to Rails. Me.......I shall support my local model shop and see what they can do it for, hopefully under £180 and it will be ok for me.

I'm excited too, and very much looking forward to these locos. I'm not a penny pincher and am very much of the mindset to support our model shops.Just wondered why you would order direct from Hornby at £189.99, whereas for instance, the price from Rails of Sheffield is £149.50, that's £40 cheaper.? Bob

Ahhh.....you remember the Crimson as I remember the BROWN... Bob

Thanks Ian...... For me, its a really important photograph, the only one I have of my grandfather on Crewe Works. His real job was as a motion fitter in the erecting shop, so I don't know how he managed to get on this publicity photo. Bob.

Hi Guys, Following the earlier picture of my dad with 6229.....here is another picture, but this time of my Grandfather, a fitter in Crewe Works. This is the loco I want to model, and wondered if the new Duchess of Atholl would be the best donor to convert to an early sixties model of City of Sheffield. He is pictured on the right of the nameplate, Harold "Jock" Coupe, and probably taken when the loco was being fitted with its replacement Stainless Steel plates manufactured by Firth Brown of Sheffield for the City council.....the date would be late 1944 or early 1945 and pictured in the works. I have posted this photo on here some years ago, so apologies if some of you have seen it before. Regards Bob

Thanks....that's the good news I have been looking for. Bob.

And much more cost effective via the tampo print method......although registration is more the problem with that method of decoration.....much more accurate when printing transfers.

Yep, I agree, they all look the same.

Heartwarming to see how many of you "liked" the picture of my dad and the Duchess.....thanks. Right, I have a couple of Semis that I want to run on my layout, non of which are in the 2017 release range, but I'll only mention one at the moment so as not to confuse the replies, I'll mention the other a little later. I would like to model if possible, 46224 Princess Alexandra in its final years, the sixties, and want to ask if City of Birmingham would be the best starting point, as it too was built originally as a streamliner. What are pitfalls/ differences of loco and tender if I wanted to rename and renumber the model.? Bob And here is another pic of 6229 in 1964 outside the paint shop at Crewe, same time as the earlier photo with my dad alongside

Thanks Mike, I was never certain of the date, and quoted '66 because someone told me that date a few years back. But I am certain of the place, my dad told me, and it was he that gave me the photo. I think it was one of those publicity type photos. I'll amend my post and my personal records, many thanks. Bob

Always a semi to us spotters too, during the late 50's and early sixties. My Dad a 5A man throughout his career through the 40's 50's and sixties, as a fireman then top link driver, always referred to them as Lizzies. I don't know whether he would distinguish between the Princess Class and the Semis, or just refer to them all as Lizzies. Bob Here is my Dad (on the left) outside the Paint Shop Crewe Works 1964, ready to take out the loco for delivery to Butlins

Hi Ian I moved from Crewe to Nantwich in mid 1961, and don't recall seeing any running in turns as you described, 3 couple locos, commonly known as "The Trials" would be a daily occurrence almost, but I think only as far as Whitchurch. But of course by 1961, the running in turns as you describe might have come to an end.....was it more in the 50's you would see these.?? I seem to remember that usually only one of the three trials engines was in steam....the others had their cyl cocks open and had that distinctive short air blasts sound from them. Bob.

When I last visited the shop earlier in December along with my 2 and a half year old grand son........ Mike pointed out the Marklin box set of the Eurostar.....£60... remote control, 5 car unit. It was opened the day after purchase.....long before Christmas....and has been played with most days since by the little man, i.e. every time he visits. He can now say his first word that all of us can understand...."TRAIN". A superb little purchase....he has had hours of fun with it already....... a brilliant way to introduce the much younger generation.........!! Thanks for pointing it out during my visit Mike........its been an outstanding purchase. Bob.

Hi Ian, You are right about the D6xx locos being elusive, there are not many underlined in my old spotting books........and the Bulleids worked through Crewe on many occasions, which was my home town. I dread to think at what price 10203 would ever surface at.????? And would I pay it.....????? Probably....??????? Bob

For Kernow Models........... I wonder if the new prices have soured the prospect of future similar models from them.?? The once proposed Bulleid Diesel 10203 for instance........ is this ever likely to see the light of day from Kernow.......... if so, at what sort of price, and would they be thinking we are not going to sell enough at that price to make the project viable.?.?? But like many on here, if I want it badly enough, I would pay the price......as is the case for several with the D6xx, but on this occasion this particular loco is way off my modelling radar. Bob

I wondered why I hadn't seen many clans around for a good while, looks like I'm not going to either.......glad I bought one at the time while at Model Rail Scotland......it was a renamed one, Clan Cameron.