MartinTrucks

My two SR 3-packs which I ordered on 28th. Feb arrived in good order via DPD this morning. Very pleased with them. The question now is........ what has happened to the two different 3-packs that I ordered in October last year? 🙂 Martin

Sorry to be repetitive, but I too am shocked and saddened by the announcement. I have used Hattons over the past 35 years and have found their website photos of stock really useful when making choices. They even maintained the archive pages which proved equally as useful when buying used stuff on ebay. I started my OO DCC and sound experience with them and found their customer service excellent for advice. Their Youtube channel must have provided so much help to both established and fledgling railway modellers. Although I have spent far more with RoS than Hattons over the past few years (despite a large order of Rapido wagons when Hattons had some of them ''on sale' last year), I think that the former has a lot of work to do to equal what we are losing with the demise of Hattons. I can only wish the best for the future to the Hatton family and their employees. Regards, Martin

All you have to do, Jason, is look at the photo in Hornby's latest TT:120 magazine! It is on a steel underframe - LOL! BTW, keep your insults to yourself. Martin

20 years? I will take your word for it! So why have they persisted with rescaling the foobie to TT:120?

Hornby TT:120 MINERAL WAGONS If I was a lot younger, I would certainly be tempted to switch to TT:120 and I commend Hornby for being brave enough to introduce the scale to the UK prototype market. Alas, the proposed range of wagons saddened me when I saw their apology for a coal wagon! Hornby Dublo were the first culprits, producing a wooden style body to fit their 17'6", 10' wheelbase standard steel underframe. Trix perpetuated this, as did Airfix/GMR. and Palitoy/Mainline/Bachmann (33-xxx series). Bachmann have remedied their error, but not Hornby, having inherited some of the old Airfix tooling. Now the enthusiast is being offered a TT:120 version of Hornby's foobie! Hopefully, Peco's forthcoming (correct 16'6") version will knock the spots off Hornby's. Martin

Not sure why you consider bolting to a steel underframe not to be an option? As built, the D1892 vehicles had most of the boards bolted through the solebars. Those in the door area were possibly bolted through the curb rail. In BR days, some of the floorboards were retained by bolting steel strips to the bottom sideboards to retain the ends of the floor boards. Those floorboards in the door area still had to be bolted down. I have attached a photo of a BRCW-built. originally vacuum fitted D1892 which is ex-Port of Bristol Authority but illustrates the BR practice of using steel sheets to retain the floorboards. Sadly, this wagon was deemed beyond economic repair and has been broken up. Regards, Martin

Which page? Martin

Thanks. Martin

How far did the GWR passenger service run on the Met? - Moorgate, Liverpool Street, Aldgate? Were the passenger trains hauled by steam all the way? Thanks , Martin

As a matter of interest, what type of motor is the 16xx fitted with? Thanks, Martin

16xx Question As a matter of interest, what type of motor is the 16xx fitted with? Thanks, Martin

The PIPEFIT is painted in Williamsons BR Freight BROWN, or a match thereto. Martin

Or: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LMS_Banana_Van_570027.png Martin

The LMS Banana Van at Kingscote is in LMS bauxite. Assuming they did what I advised them to, they prepared a 2 foot square plywood swatch using Precision paint, let it weather for a fortnight and then got a Brewers colour match for it. When you next go to the NRM (or online within screen colour limitations) look at the colour of their LMS 3-plank. LMS Bauxite (which is actually called 'bauxite') is more of a brown than a red oxide although it faded to a colour more akin to Indian Red (as used by the Santa Fe RR on their freightcars. There is a fair amount of confusion over LMS bauxite as, IMHO, the old Humbrol never produced it in a tinlet, so modellers have nothing to use as a guide. Whatever you do, DO NOT try to match it to anything on BS381C!!!! Cheers, Martin

Please pardon my ignorance, but I always thought that GF was based at Holton Heath, Dorset. Best regards, Martin

The other factor IMHO is that GW and SR designs had a steel cantrail. I cannot speak for LNE types as I have never dealt with them. The LMS seemed to like to use a hardwood board the length of the vehicle to hold the body together with all the problems that produced. Martin

Very nice, but is this not the same prototype as the old Airfix/GMR/Hornby tooling? I don't have my books to hand, but were the ones produced by or for the GWR to the same drawing? Martin

Please pardon me for being thick, but does the 'twin cities' livery pre-date the shirtbutton? Thanks, Martin

Please pardon me if this sounds dumb, but I have just received my Rapido 925006, the GW O21 No. 73691 in small (wartime) lettering. In addition to the missing promised bag of bump plates, there is only one set of brakegear. Is this correct? I assumed by the 1940s a second set of brakegear would have been fitted? Best regards, Martin

As you say, in excess of 15,000 of these wagons *might* have been repainted in the later LMS grey. However, just because there is not a photo of one (hardly surprising as most photos taken of wagons in that era are official ones) in Essery's LMS Wagons Vol.1, that does not mean that *none* of the 15,000 plus wagons were repainted either! My original post was purely to remind those who may not know (and even though you and I know, there are many who do not) that there were two distinct LMS wagon greys. Regards, Martin

I assume that Rapido is/are aware that LMS grey changed in 1934 from a mid grey to the lighter bluey grey with which we are all familiar? Regards, Martin

Thanks, Graham. Regards, Martin

When are the Bachmann dancehalls due to arrive? I am sure I have seen it in writing somewhere but cannot find it now. Thanks, Martin

I note that the Rapido model of Bluebell's 30004 will be fitted with disc wheels. The wagon did come from the Port of Bristol Authority with 3-hole disc wheels but was retro-fitted with a more appropriate pair of LMS 1924-made open spoke wheelsets about 7 or 8 years ago. Regards, Martin

Does the Diagram 1400 tooling allow for both SECR and RCH axleboxes? As built, the vehicles would have had SECR wheelsets and axleboxes but some vehicles acquired RCH type axleboxes (still with SECR wheels) later in life. How does the Diagram 1400 body vary from the later Diag 1377 (SR new build) vehicle? I know the last 250 of Diag 1377 had Trader doors and the centre solebar bracket replaced by a gusset plate but the previous 750 appear identical, body-wise, with the Diag 1400. Regards, Martin