Bedlington North

Great way to follow up the delivery of the Deltics boys! One duly ordered here.

It's Durham House at Washington Galleries.

OT alert, but that isn't ex-Lima tooling. It's Hornby's own tooling from around 2012.

I opened the roof hatch on my model and the DIL switch for the lights is not under the hatch, it's under the fixed part of the body. I suppose it may be possible to remove the blanking plate to set the switches outside the body and then replace the plate in the model. Why would I make that up?

Worksplates are in the accessory bag.

The Accurascale models come with etched plates in the box and they look like they are made by Shawplan.

Anyone else with a DC only model find that the decoder blanking plate that has the light switches on is inaccessible from the roof hatch? Most amusing!

You might be thinking of the owner of Lanarkshire Model Supplies who IS called Dave!

Who is Dave?

A1 products are still selling etched bits on ebay. Their seller name is "a1models-doncaster". They do still offer narrow gauge and 4mm standard gauge parts. I couldn't recall seeing any buffer backing plates at all in their ebay shop but it may be worth searching yourself.

Not to discourage your attempt to produce the cowling yourself, but are you aware that PH designs offer a Class 31 detailing etch that includes the cowling? http://www.phd-design-etchings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=25_28_63&product_id=216

As an Accurascale customer, it's not really your (or my business) to tell them to claim on their insurance or any other remedy. It is entirely up to you if you don't wish to wait for the Deltic model, but since I'm assuming you ordered it instead of the other manufacturer's version that is available, then it's because you want the enhanced features of the AS version. If that is the case, then you have 2 choices: wait and get the enhanced version, B: cancel your order. Your second point that goes on to blame China for poor Covid management can hardly be laid at AS's door. It's literally out of their control. I live in an English city that is still cancelling bus services daily due to "covid", so your rant seems very unrealistic from my seat.

You do realise that China has locked down several of its larger provinces due to new Covid infections? How does a factory put any sort of contingency in place for things like that? I paid for my AS Deltic in full in 2019, but the only option is to wait really. Your rant does not alter the reality of the situation.

Another excellent choice of subject that fills a gap in the market with a (no doubt) quality product. Follows on from the HUO, PFA, PTA in that respect.

Well, it was lucky that they left the North East as passenger numbers seem too healthy for single car units!

Isn't it strange that Class 153s arrived on the Tyne valley after class 156s and yet they didn't stay long. Hopefully that is reflection of passenger numbers being too high for the 153s to cope with.

I still love the variety in traction and trains you used to get at Carlisle...Looking at pics like David's is the closest we will get to those days sadly!

Nice selection of pics from Newcastle Central while it was being remodelled, including a period reference poster for Chris Rea's Road to Hell album in J11868!

I got the same message re delivery date when I ordered a couple of weeks ago!

As your pics show David, Carlisle used to be a fantastic place to watch trains not so very long ago. The variety and non-stop action, plus the very different architecture compared with more familiar NER surroundings. My most recent visits were semi-regularly pre-covid to get there on the first train from Newcastle on a Saturday morning ready for the Leeds train and a days walking near the S&C. Still an atmospheric place, but less interest on the traction front!

In plastic aircraft modelling circles it is common to leave yellowed transfers on a sunny windowsill all day. The sun bleaches out the yellowing. Worth a try to recover the Fox transfers?

I would certainly still be interested in the ICI bogie hopper parts as originally mentioned, plus the paints. Courier costs for paint are an unavoidable thing these days, so the charge mentioned would not deter me.

I think more accurately it isn't Weardale shed. It is Wolsingham gun barrel shed which happens to be in Weardale.

The Shawplan etches are designed in the expectation that you cut away the existing plastic window pillars in the loco body completely. It's not so risky doing this cutting as you are removing material completely from under the area where the replacement etch will go!

And yet Hatton's delivery update was spot-on with my pre-order for a Heljan Class 25. So perhaps no news is because there is no news?