Mark.....

I have just come across this thread. I have an unmade Crownline Palbrick A kit (Crownline Product No. BR101) bought from W&H Models (remember them?) in June 1989 for the princely sum of £7.95... quite a sum as model kits went for 1989! The box has never been opened till today and I had to peel off the deteriorated selotape to peer inside and hopefully add to this thread. In addition to the etch, there is a Ratio 12 ft. plastic underframe (Ratio not Coopercraft!), a set of cast white metal (?) buffers, a pair of wire brake hoses, a few fasteners, a strip of modelling wood and some very detailed instructions (5 pages of them!). So whoever sold you the secondhand kit, Trainshed Terry, did you! As measured with my calliper, the Ratio sole bar wheelbase exactly matches the wheelbase of the etch but is some 1.5mm shorter than the etch, presumably to accommodate the headstocks either end. I also have a note stuck on the outside of the box to the effect that the kit was reviewed in the July 1989 issue of Model Railways Magazine, page 358. So I guess that the kit was first issued by Crownline in June or July 1989 as I usually bought new kits as they were issued on the basis that, in the 1980's and earlier, cottage modelmakers came and went very quickly much like limited editions do now. Whether I make this kit up or not remains to be seen. As one of the few early BR goods stock that has not been produced by one of the mass producers of such items, surely its time has come. Finally I should add that Crownline is not the only company to produce a Palbrick in the past. Keysers (K's) made a whitemetal kit in the 1960's and early 1970's (and 1950's??) that, for its time, was considered 'very good'. That kit remained available from leading retailers well into the 1980's.... or at least in their catalogues 'as available'! And we all know what that means!! Now did ABS (Adrian Swain) make one too?

Genesis Models makes a nice Pollen C to Dia. 2/001 kit in pewter. Genesis Pollen C.pdf

The Gaugemaster GM403 Fordhampton footbridge is the old Hornby R481, the moulds for which must now belong to either Gaugemaster or Faller judging by the printing on the box. The footbridge was based on the one still existing at Hagley on the Droitwich to Birmingham and Wolverhampton (old Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton) route. For reference, the Hornby predecessors for the models released by Gaugemaster so far are as follows: GM401 Fordhampton station was Hornby R418 Dunster station, GM402 Fordhampton signal box was from Hornby R421 signal box and level crossing kit, GM403 Fordhampton footbridge was Hornby B481 GWR Hagley footbridge, GM404 Fordhampton level crossing was from Hornby R421 signal box and level crossing kit, GM405 Fordhampton 60's estate house was Hornby R275 modern house, GM406 Fordhampton locomotive shed was Hornby R282 HST loco shed, GM407 Fordhampton carriage platforms was Hornby R417 coach sidings platform GM408 Fordhampton village store and pub was Hornby R487 post office. Both come/came complete with phone box! My reference source for the Hornby numbers is the Hornby 43rd. edition of their catalogue (1997) with the exception of R487 that does not appear till the 48th edition of the catalogue in 2002. My memory tells me that many of these Hornby kits went way back further than the oldest Hornby catalogue I still have, 1997. I remember kitbashing two of the GWR wooden signal boxes into a larger box way back in the early 1980's. As for the Hornby R8003 water tower, it goes back to at least the mid 1970's and the (very) red brick bridge and viaduct that are still in the Hornby Railroad range go back, I believe, to Tri-ang days in the 1960's.

Regarding the raised window surround on the Mainline and Replica RB, this is prototypically correct. When built new in 1961 by Pressed Steel, these vehicles were fitted with double glazing. I believe that they were the first production Mk. 1 stock to be so fitted. To accommodate the extra thickness required by the double glazing, the thick window frames were extended about one inch outside the body panel. Hence the raised rim seen on the models. The outer pane of glass was essentially flush with the frame. The use of Commonwealth bogies on these coaches is also prototypically correct. There is a brief full page announcement article, with photographs, on these coaches on page 27 of the January 1962 issue of Trains Illustrated. I agree that this Mainline RB model was way ahead of its time in terms of the detail and finish it had compared to other contemporary models, especially the other Mainline Mk. 1 stock with their trademark pockmarks (body to underframe locating holes) and thick gold (brass coloured) and black lining. When Replica took over the former Mainline Mk. 1 coach range, they greatly improved them by getting rid of the trademark Mainline pockmarks, improving the paint finish and particularly the lining and by adding all the little markings that we now expect at a standard comparable to Bachmann's much later Mk. 1 stock. Nice work and nice photos!