MattA

There's a few unique liveries for the Manor, as well as 7816 having a GWR-lettered tender well into the 60s as already mentioned. Of course, there is the Great Western lined green that 7827 has carried in preservation. I also understand that 7804 received unlined green with no emblem on the tender in 1948 for pilot duties over the south Devon banks. This was replaced by unlined black at some point between 1952 and 1954, possibly at the same time that it recieved the blastpipe modifications. This picture from 1952 appears to show it without a crest, but with smokebox shed and number plates: https://thetransportlibrary.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=129324

As a preservation-era modeller, I can hear my wallet pleading for mercy with the modified Modified Hall and the re-issued 4MTs in preserved identities. I am so glad to see the Mod Hall finally done justice!!

If you're modelling preservation era and you have a keenness for detail, be aware the Dinmore's tender in preservation is not the same as that on the model. Also Bradley's rarely used the 3500 gal tender in preservation, most recently when Erlestoke was out of service.

I can feel my bank account draining even more...

Rails don't appear to be discounting any of the Manors though.

The more I read about this, the more I can hear my wallet screaming "oh no, not another engine"...! I'm going to have to get my hands on 7812, I think!

This is awfully tempting...

Hatton's have recieved the maroon and carmine & cream variants. It seems that several coaches have arrived with faults but Hattons have elected to sell these faulty coaches at discounted prices. More here: https://www.hattons.co.uk/newsdetail.aspx?id=996

I managed two shows last year, before the lockdown hit. The Stafford exhibition was a pretty "ordinary" experience, although the large quantity of 3mm layouts was fascinating. Then I went to the Macclesfield exhibition just before the lockdown hit - that was a weird experience, Much quieter than would be expected. Regardless, there were good layouts on show and I picked up a keenly-priced pannier tank.

The only things I can appreciate about Sam's Trains are the close-up shots on the white background, and I admit that I was entertained by the "science projects" like making a model go stupidly fast or having a Heljan O2 run underwater (with success!). As for the quality of his reviewing, well... he'd have you think that sprung buffers were the be all and end all of locomotive quality!!

Advertised as "Bachmann? 32-950": https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-32-950-BR-RIDDLES-CLASS-4MT-2-6-0-RENUMBERED-76084-BR-BLACK-LIVERY-U/254838332954 Now here's the actual 32-950: https://www.hattons.co.uk/17983/bachmann_branchline_32_950_standard_class_4mt_2_6_0_76053_br1b_tender_in_br_black_with_early_emblem/stockdetail.aspx

Having just discovered this thread, I can say that I have had a couple of good purchases from eBay recently. I found myself with a DCC ready 56xx with real coal added for £49 BIN - and it's been absolutely trouble-free. I also got a Hornby 38xx (3803 in GWR green) for £65 from an auction - this normally sells for about £120 on eBay! The only dodgy thing was that its previous owner had bought a replacement drawbar but never tested it - it turns out that the drawbar wouldn't fit the loco! So I spent another fiver getting a new drawbar. The eBay seller kindly offered to pay for the drawbar out of his own pocket. That being said, eBay is also oft frustrating, and my hopes of winning an auction are once in a blue moon as I have the sense to pull out when the price gets excessive, which in my experience tends to happen in the dying moments of an auction!

The class 01 designation is a bit of an odd duck. It was used to describe a small class of shunters like the one in the picture, but the 01/5 designation was later used to encompass shunters of various designs that were not in another BR locomotive class. The Hornby Bagnall that's numbered 01426 is a completely ficticious locomotive, loosely based on an engine that survives on the Foxfield Railway. The class 01/4 that Hornby imagines it to be a part of is just that - imaginary!

This was my start: Shortly followed by some of my dad's old models - a B12, a 'Dock Authority' shunter, a blue/grey HST and a considerable number of wagons. We soon had a nice permanent layout in my bedroom, about 6' x 4', which got the full scenic treatment. I must dig out the old photos...

One thing that's always bothered me about DCC sound in steam locomotives are the amount of engines that have blatantly incorrect numbers of chuffs per revolution.

Sauber became BMW and then back to Sauber and then Alfa Romeo. Jordan became Midland MF1 which became Spyker which became Force India which became Racing Point which became Aston Martin ("or whatever the **** it's called")

Ivor always reminded me of a GWR 14xx with no trailing wheels

A pre-owned "Bluebell" in blue has turned up on the Hatton's website. £210 - more than double the RRP when it was new - is a bit of an eye-watering price for an engine of that size. No doubt somebody will pick it up anyway, but I can't justify it having just bought a full rake of Mk1s...

Very interested in Bellerophon. Beautiful engine and would be right at home on my preservation-era layout!

As you say, not everyone models an Eastern Region main line! I model preservation era - the occasional big guest engine is fine but the core of my fleet has to be made up of smaller locomotives. Admittedly Hornby has served me well in previous years with things like Terriers and Large Prairies, but the majority of my fleet is still Bachmann as they produce more locomotives of the sort of size that I need.

At the risk of veering off topic, I can imagine that the Rev Awdry will be turning in his grave regarding what the franchise has turned into...

I got a Hornby GWR 2-8-0 off Ebay the other week which came with a replacement drawbar. Wherever the seller had got the drawbar from, it was manufactured to rubbish tolerances and clearly didn't fit the loco! So I set about ordering a replacement. I found that Lendons had an impressive selection of spares available at competetive prices. Dispatched and delivered incredibly quickly, and the new drawbar fitted like a charm, too. Definitely recommended.

I've ordered from them every so often and I agree with the good packaging. I ordered a 1F from them - the courier had a butterfingers moment and dropped it right on my doorstep! Despite the impact, the engine inside the packaging remained very much intact. TMC are also partial to a good discount every so often, which is how I ended up buying a 1F in the first place,

It's a fair step up in price to go from Playtrains, with its lights and sounds, to serious models with working lights and sounds ...!!!

New tooling