craigowen1976

Hi there folks, I’ve been trying to find a UK address for KR Models to send a return / repair (another Fell with valve gear problems!). I had an email exchange with them about it over last Sept / Oct, in which Michael at KR was v positive about organising pickup to avoid me having to pay postage; but then never has, and they haven’t responded now to 7 emails over 5 months. The fell has been sat on my doorstep the whole time and I’m surprised the dog hasn’t chewed it up. I’ve done a search on here (and the internet more widely) and can only find an address in Canada. Does anyone know of a postal address for KR Models in UK, or means of getting a return / repair to them? I’m guessing they’re just very bad at managing / responding to emails, which I’m sure they put down to being terribly busy (as most small businesses tend to be); but 5 months is a v long time to chase, so I’m hoping I can just get the mailing info from someone else... cheers, Craig

Renaming Accurascale Manor Hiya folks, seeking advice / pointers on renaming the beautiful #Accurascale #Manors*, with etched plates that don’t fit the splasher! I’m attempting to recast ‘Antony’ as 7803 ‘Barcote Manor: As you can see, the ‘flitch’ on the nameplates does not match the curve of the splasher - so i had to: 1. overlap it (to stay at sensible height), 2. or sit above it (halfway up the boiler with big gap at bottom LH / RH). 3, I’m aware a 3rd option would be to grind and file the plate to correct curvature - but having irreparably buckled 2 plates in attempt, realise this is beyond my skill set! So I opted for 1, the overlap: looks ok from a distance but ‘bodge job’ close up: Interestingly, the same (247) plates seem to fit fine on the #Dapol Manor - which has renamed from ‘Compton’ to 7809 “Childrey” (buffer beam yet to transition!) These particular plates are from 247, attached by gently tweezering out the splasher (very helpful of #Accurascale to do this as a seperate part). I used my usual method of Matt varnish initially to affix - but after popping off 12 hours later, found 3 dabs of Brunswick green paint on back ended up being far more adherent. As with others, I’m otherwise incredibly impressed with #Accurascale #Manor (though still awaiting 3 out of 4 pre-orders) - to the extent I’d nominate as best RTR model ever produced! (possibly bumping even Rapido’s Stirling Single 🍑). The dulled smokebox, fine coupling rods and spot on ‘face’ (particular door dart / number plate font colour & size, which I often find a let down!!) really stand this model out. And it’s pulling power us insane - video to come shortly on #WyeValleyGardenRail on YouTube / Facebook :-) Now, if I can persuade Accurascale to produce a stablemate “#GWRBulldog”, I’ll invest a liver / legacy pledge / small part of house to see a Bulldog to their Manor standards! my Question to RM Webbers I’m aware Manor Nameplates are also available from Fox, CJW and Jackson Evans, possibly others. - Are any of these makes a better fit for the splasher curve on the Accurascale Manor? - Have other RMWebbers had better success with achieving a more professional fit and finish? (Always good to get a heads up on avoiding glue marks / oozing etc too!) many thanks, Craig

Just to update from my earlier grumble, the posting (and a more direct email contact) seems to have had the desired effect; I got a response from KR Models this afternoon to say the Fell is finally on its way. Looking forward to receiving and testing it out. Thanks other RMWebbers for pointers.

Hi there, I realise this thread has long moved on from deliveries… but is anyone else still caught up waiting for their Fell to be delivered and getting no response from KR Models at all? I’m hoping by publicly sharing my attempts on here, someone at KR (or friendly / close to them) might be shocked / shamed into opening their emails, or another RMWebber might offer a more reliable contact suggestion than using their official email / website and speaking to them directly at shows… I’m at a bit of a loss. Trebly frustrating as I also have 3 orders with them for Leader, Bellerophon and Bertha, and this poor service is leaving a really sour taste! Any suggestions? Cheers, craig Hi there, I’m chasing up this email again, following 4 attempts now to get a response or delivery of the Fell that I have long paid for: - I completed payment 13 Dec 2020 - I spoke to you at Milton Keynes show, where you viewed and agreed my prepaid transaction receipt (email receipt attached) - I emailed on 8 October - I followed up that email on 19 October, I’ve had no response to either - I spoke to you at Warley last weekend and you wrote down my order details and said you’d be in touch after the show (or that the model would be received the following week) What do I have to do to get a response? I really must insist on receiving the model within a week, receiving an immediate full refund, or should I start small claims proceedings?

One of the ironies is that I did update my card details when I placed an order back in July; I’d assumed they were for my account as a whole, rather than just that order. I’ve received several other orders from them this year with no problem. Now you’ve explained the message from 20/06 I can see there’s one there, albeit deeply buried (for phone users it’s the 24th item down the screen). I’m not sure how realistic it is to expect customers to go rooting around every website they ever shop on just in case that company don’t actually communicate when your orders have arrived…! I just would have expected a bit of decency to customers who were committed enough to get their orders in 3 years ago; rather than just simply cancelling the order without so much as a phone call, or any ‘your item has now arrived’ type email.

thanks Kevin, this was a v welcome find after a v frustrating day! My order was cancelled completely on grounds of an old card (I ordered set of 5 in October 2019); no emails or notification the coaches had arrived, just flat cancellation. Call to customer services simply said they had no stocks - and even though I’d been among first to order, it was just pretty much ‘tough’. I might get better luck with the LNWR ones… And then this eve, all those apparently out of stock coaches back up on Hattons website at a much higher £ than originally….! I have ordered some anew, but how do you go about claim ‘original price for cancellations’’? I put my old order number in the notes, but still had to pay full whack. The wider thing that bothers me though, is how disposable Hattons pre-orders seem to now be. What’s the point in committing to a model you really want 3-4 years in advance, if they just ignore your pre-order on delivery / don’t even make contact?! Does anybody have insight into whether they consider ‘customer service’ standards - or is it just all at random? good luck - hope you enjoy yours!

Back to the drooling… Very pleased to introduce “Lucknow” to the metals of Hereford station. She’s unquestionably a beauty! I’m very much looking forward to stretching wheels on the garden railway with a rake of LNWR 6-wheelers soon. Does anyone have any knowledge of 4mm nameplate manufacturers with Precedent plates (or who can produce them to order / from scratch)? I’ve scouted out the usual suspects - Fox, Modelmaster JE, etc - and I understand the LNWR Society (PC Plates) stocks were cleared out some years ago (I ordered some at the time (about 2013) for a Precursor, for which they sent me their last remaining in stock). I’m sure I’m not the only one who would love to love to do an identity swap for the many amazing names carried by the class… Caractacus, Ganymede, Alecto, Pluck, Merrie Carlisle, Penrith Beacon, Plynlimmon, Llewellyn, Isabella, Mabel, and the Shah of Persia offering just a flavour of the difficult decisions that could follow! If no RTR plates are currently available, it strikes me the Precedents could be quite a popular bandwagon to hop on… v easy to re-idtentify too, with no decals involved, and a very beautiful ‘life model’… ;-)

Hi there folks, good to read through this thread - I'm going through the process of renaming a fleet of Pullman Cars - or rather, attempting to - and wondered how others have tackled the removal of names / Car numbers on the matchboarded panels? I've tried a few different approaches suggested on various fora - cocktail stick, scalpel, T-cut, brasso on cotton ear buds, methylated spirits, wet & dry paper... And so far, none have really 'cleanly' removed the existing decals: either leaving lots of yellow or cream 'bits' in the matchboarding, and / or rubbing away some of the umber layer at the same time. This is interesting for the odd 'shabby', run down old Pullman car (see pics below) - but I'm angling for a more pristine, 'peak of career' finish preferably. Very grateful of any suggestions / experiences! The other thing I'd be curious if anyone has tried (successfully) - is replacing the top umber panel with the white / cream Pullman cantrail panel, the predominant style up to 1930s (see 1924 photo of 'Minerva'). Hornby produced a few 'White Pullmans' in the old tooling, but I've not come across any detailed models with the cream top panel (nor seen any transfers available). Short of repainting the car itself, is anyone aware of a source for transfers / panel overlays for the cream top panel? For application of new names, I'm using Fox transfers decals, with a little DecalSol softener to 'get into the grooves', as shown in the pics below. I have experimented with the Precision Labels suggested above, which 'sticks over' the matchboarding to create a smooth-sided car. This looks ok from a distance, and is very quick and easy to do; but the name itself is less crisp / a bit fuzzy, and the umber doesn't quite match up (which may be from the print ink fading). I'm wanting most of my cars to remain in matchboarded 1920s condition - so I think I need to focus on improving my Fox Transfers application prep. Any tips gratefully received - Thankyou!

Yorkshire Santa flew by last night… Delighted to have received this absolute beauty! A few snaps on the rolling road, in the darker Prussian blue. A quick advice query though: when I started running in, the motion seems quite ‘jittery’ and noisy, in a way I’ve not noticed with new locos previously (I was hoping to attach a video clip to illustrate, but can’t work out how to do so on here?) - almost as if somethings not ‘tight’ in the chassis assembly. I don’t think this is a general issue with the production, likely just a 1 off. An hour of running in both ways and light oil on the rods doesn’t seem to have settled it… before I cross the bridge of sending back for checking etc, does anyone recognise this or could suggest a simple cause / potential fix? I’m happy to perch on the phone to Rails and run the gauntlet of Christmas postage if needs be… but I’d much rather get it running on the garden railway if it’s just a a case of turning a screw or two! Thanks in advance for any tips ;-)

Delighted with the decor and pulling power of my D 737, which landed from Locomotion earlier in the week: looks quite a picture on the garden railway in full flight! I remember wishing for an RTR SECR ‘D’ since I was 5 years old… so to say I’m looking forward to the other liveries landing is probably an understatement. Now, whose finally gonna do the GWR Bulldog…? Dapol SECR ‘D’ class 4-4-0 with 9-car South Eastern Express: Wye Valley Garden Railway

Has anyone heard of any update on Jim and the ongoing backlog saga? ive been waiting on an order I placed back 28th November last year, over £300 worth. I had 2 quite amiable follow up phone calls with Jim, in January and March, promising they were on their way. Couple of gentle emails further, then In April I tried following up by phone but unable to get through or leave a message, for reasons I fully understand from his eye operation. I tried a handwritten card in May, just asking whether it might be possible just to refund the order if it couldn’t be sent. Did receive an answerphone message couple weeks later whilst in work, saying they were on their way... aaaand... 3 weeks later, still nothing. I've tried ringing, but no answer or means of leaving a message. I fully understand he’s had an operation and very limited capacity. But at what point after 6 months of being terribly understanding and patient, do you say enough is enough? He clearly won’t get anyone in to help, and If he won’t reimburse the money or respond to very fair and good natured contact... are customers expected to just write off £300 quid? It’s not in my character to escalate things, but where does one go - trading standards, police, small claims court? I know he’s unwell, no one needs to lather that on. I have terminal cancer, and I don’t use that as a reason to ignore people or promises. But I would like to detail and enjoy my loco fleet before I snuff it, and at this rate... it’s not looking promising! Any advice / pointers / suggestions greatly appreciated.

Just to join the chorus ‘for the record’ (and to (very rarely) voice my frustration publicly, in the hope it registers with both Hattons and Hornby a little more than an a poor work experience student having to front pointless apologies)... in last 2 days I’ve received order cancellations for (deep breath...) Thane of Fife, Lord President, 2 Blue Pullman power cars, 4 of the Blue Pullman coaches and the Pride Pendolino set of 4 . Most of which I ordered literally on the day they were announced, so they’re clearly not honouring pre-orders on a ‘first come first served’ basis - and it’s this that I find somewhat unforgivable, in customer service terms. I do appreciate there can be supply challenges, and I’ve always been pretty forgiving with retailers as I know it’s not necessarily their fault. But the scale of this does take the biscuit on any measure - there’s literally no point in pre-ordering with them at all if they just cancel at the point of delivery, and / or completely ignore early commitments. What’s the point in ordering 3 years / 3 months / 3 weeks beforehand, if they prioritise whoever happens to be around on the day of arrival? To rub in the salt, I did ring them yesterday (when the first email came through it didn’t mention cancellation - just that my order was being ‘reviewed’, as it turned out they were trying to charge my card to an old address, easily and immediately resolved). They cheerfully confirmed the card payment had gone through, and that ‘Thane of Fife’ was being packed and sent out. This morning I looked forward to receive a “Thane”, and instead received yet another cancellation email. AFTER they had allocated and processed it! They could at least have offered an alternative model out of the other A2 versions - some of which they still had ‘on sale’ to new customers today (bit of a cheeky little slap in the face, I’m sure intended very friendly...). So, I’ve placed my order with TMC instead (albeit for Cock o the North, since Thane of Fife now seems sold out everywhere; if only I’d ordered early...). Just to clarify, Hornby appear equally on the hook here - given recent pattern of releasing multiple duplicate models (once is a coincidence, four times is systematic), it looks strongly like they’re pursuing a strategy of ‘aggressive monopoly’ and unreliable supply, trying to put retailers out of business so people switch to ordering direct from them. I’m sure some may argue “all’s fair in love and war”, but in such a niche hobby, and with so many retailers having already gone out of business over the last decade, dishonourable aggressions seem undeserving of custom, for my money at least. So I’ll probably switch pre-orders away from Hornby too off the back of this (from the experiences in this thread, it sounds like Hornby are no more reliable at honouring direct orders themselves - which I find absolutely astonishing!). Thankyou for some of the suggestions above around more reliable retailers: about 3 years worth of pre-orders should be switching to them tomorrow, unless Hattons and Hornby have engaged the services of top level diplomats by the morning! Good luck to others in the same position.

Hi there Roger, it's been really interesting to look and read through your posts and pics from your Hereford layout project! I stumbled across them as I'm just in process of moving back to Herefordshire, and for the new house am planning a 00 gauge model of the 'south end' of Hereford station (along with a garden railway outside*). I'm particularly impressed with how well you've captured Barr's Court building, and the footbridge (with some fantastic help, by the sounds of it). It would be really great at some point to compare notes, and share your experience of having built Hereford in N scale - I'm sure you must have picked up lots of observations / things you wished you'd known beforehand along the way! And if there's any way I can reciprocate any help / advice / research, or indeed assistance with your own layout, very happy to do so (recognising the COVID situation this year might restrict things a little more than normal). * (after 15 years of running the 'Blackbury Line' in South Wales --> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN2CaysNHs5Bs_tymOi8JGO_NwIfoWvvG). But looking forward to relocating the garden railway setup to a bank alongside the original Hereford to Ross Railway, for a new lease of life :-) Look forward to hopefully being in touch further - all best :-)

Cheers Mick, yes 'Stepney' has been nicely weathered (though the credit for that goes to TMC in this particular case!). But after your fantastic weathering course in Pendon (big plug, to anybody who's happens to be listening in...), I had a good go on several of my BR Western Region models - this running session features several post-Pendon weatherings, 'Oakley Hall', 42xx, 43xx, 45xx. I'm not quite brave enough just yet to let my paintbrush loose on an elaborate pre-grouping livery... but nearly. A big thankyou for your tutoring! ;-) For others just popping heads out into the 'garden railway' display area - we've moved on from the earlier LBSCR pre-grouping stock, now showing BR 1950s:

Excuse the very late entry... we've been avidly not setting up outside the exhibition hall, in the hope of being able to offer the exclusive first of a garden railway in action (not) live and (not) onsite. Now let's see if it stays working as the folks come in... Despite a 'hand of God' in the 1st few seconds, and some juddery running from kitbuilds, glad to report alot less derailments than usual... (tho saying that should a jinxed it). Open to requests for running sessions featuring other eras / rolling stock...! Tho gonna have a quick look around and leave you guys to play. No pileups, ok?