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Here's the latest blog update: https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2024/04/dusting-off-trusty-keyboard.html I have a lot of content in the pipeline so there should be more fairly soon. I'm about four months behind at present. Confirmed visitors for this year’s Cotswold Festival of Steam are as follows: 6880 'Betton Grange' courtesy of The 6880 Betton Grange Society. 2999 'Lady of Legend' courtesy of the Great Western Society & Didcot Railway Centre. 9351 courtesy of the West Somerset Railway.

I hope I'm OK to post this here, but you might like to put the following date in your diaries. GALA ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re pleased to announce our theme for this year’s Cotswold Festival of Steam; “Western Workhorses”! Join us on 25th-27th May for an action-packed weekend at our biggest steam event of the year. We’re celebrating the locomotives that worked turn and turnabout on the GWR network, with appropriate guest locos joining our predominantly western home fleet of steam engines. Look out for our first guest loco announcement this Monday, when early bird tickets will also go on sale. For further information, visit: www.gwsr.com/events/cotswold-festival-of-steam-2024

@Ultimate Model Railways are currently showing stock of the sound model: https://ultimatemodelrailways.com/products/cavalex-class-56-56055-load-haul-doncaster-dcc-ready?variant=40180993097893

Out of interest, is anyone still awaiting dispatch confirmation for any pre-ordered models or new orders placed with Rails last week? First-world problem of course, and I know they've had loads of orders to get through. Hopefully, it won't take much longer, although it does seem to be a bit random as to who gets what when. On a different subject, thank you to the Cavalex team for all the helpful info and prompt feedback/responses provided in this thread.

Now that's what I call a personal service. Well done gents. Rails still have many of the models in stock if anyone's interested, other than the DCC Fitted (non Sound) versions which have sold out. https://railsofsheffield.com/collections/cavalex-class-56 I hope my neighbours are looking forward to my new alarm clock.

I have finally made my mind up and placed an order for 56055 in Loadhaul with DCC sound. 56018, 56070 and 56120 were also on the list of contenders, but I could only justify the one (I've sold some of my other models). Having seen the videos on Hornby Magazine, I really cannot wait. I guess given the above, I've got no excuse not to pre-order 60059 now... 😆

Morning all and Happy New Year! For anyone interested, BVR has several DCC Ready Manors in stock for £135 each. https://www.burevalleymodels.com/c/241/Analogue

Here's the latest blog update: https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/12/weve-got-tank-for-christmas.html Reminiscent of the 1960s perhaps? 35006 inside the DP shed undergoing maintenance - 15th December 2023

I must confess that I double-took when I saw the offer prices. There are only a few left now. I tried to order the SFX version of D6829 from MRD yesterday, but the website kept throwing an error every time I went to add it to my basket (despite one being left in stock) - "The requested qty is unavailable". Oh well, never mind.

2807 is currently rostered on our Santa Experience trains until Sunday 17th December. 5526 is also visiting for the festive season. Here's the latest blog update: https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/12/time-to-remember-what-really-matters.html My apologies for the lack of updates. Due to recent health issues and starting a new job, updates on the blog mentioned above haven't been as frequent.

Hello All, I thought I'd start a thread for the GWSR Steam Department Blog that I have written since November last year. BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 No. 75014 'Braveheart' on shed at Toddington - 24th March 2023 A little about me. I have had an interest in railways from an early age ever since watching a collection of VHS videos about Steam Trains belonging to my late grandfather. Films such as 'A Steam Train Passes', 'Steam On The Settle & Carlisle', and '3801: A Legend In Steam' from the 'Great Trains' series dating from the mid to late 1980s just might sound familiar to some of you. Not forgetting of course, the heavily used Duplo train set that my parents bought me in my formative years (which broke down!). Unfortunately, the motor in the locomotive had failed and Duplo kindly sent out a brand-new diesel. I must stress that a steam locomotive option wasn't available at the time! Here's one of the aforementioned VHS videos on YouTube: Steam On The Settle & Carlisle Frankly, if it runs on rails then you can pretty much guarantee that I'm interested in it, whether that be steam, diesel or electric. I come from an IT support and retail background with aspirations to join the mainline, so it was only natural that I would get involved with the heritage railway movement in one form or another at some stage. I applied to join the GWSR Steam department back in January 2020 and after three years down the tracks, with a global pandemic thrown in for good measure, I find myself still here and strangely attached to the place! I can't fathom why that is, however? If I’m not cleaning, disposing, or lighting up an engine, I can usually be found drinking tea or scoffing food of some description, normally out of my rather distinctive blue picnic bag, which some in the department believe is akin to Doctor Who’s Tardis – I’m pleased to report that there have been no sightings of the Daleks or Cybermen just yet! Main Blogger link: https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/ A few of the most recent entries can be found below. https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/04/anyone-fancy-ride-with-u-boat.html https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/05/off-to-races-and-beyond.html https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/07/Dapol-announces-brand-new-oo-gauge-28xx.html Latest blog update: https://gwsrsteamloco.blogspot.com/2023/09/blimey-parky-is-that-time.html Anyway, thank you for your interest.

This is an excellent choice, although I might be a tad biased given that the Cross City line is my local line! Class 323 EMU next pretty please. You know it makes sense. 😎

Thanks McC, had another rummage in the box and found a rather bright yellow warning sheet! I must be going blind. 🙄 All sorted now! I'm evidently today's 'Darwin Award' winner.

Excuse my ignorance and I have double checked the instructions, but I can't seem to raise the pantographs? I saw reference to having to unclip them earlier in this thread although I haven't found an obvious clip point? I've gone through the various DCC Sound functions on the sheet and there is definitely a whirring noise happening underneath each panto when I try them. Thanks for any assistance as I don't want to damage anything.

I was expecting 92001 to arrive on Monday, but much to my amazement it arrived this morning... I'm simply lost for words with this model. I haven't tested it yet and nothing was broken when I opened it. All I needed to do was reattach the coupling & housing at one end. Well done Accurascale. 😎

I received notification earlier this afternoon that 92001 is on its way to me. These warehouse folk certainly don't hang around. 🙂 Well done to all involved. A Christmas present to me. Well, I have shovelled enough coal this year! 😂

Well 92001 and 92032 have now appeared in stock on the website for anyone that's interested. I need to stop looking at that GBRf one! 🤔

Well done with 92042. Just for clarification, it was the sound version of 92001 that I ordered. I reckon I must be on that list as well. It's great to have something snazzy and positive to end the year on. 😎 Seasons greetings to you all, and best of luck to those waiting for models to re-appear on the website.

I checked my emails this morning and noticed that I'd received an Accurascale notification at 01:05 to say that 92001 'Victor Hugo' was back in stock. I looked on the website at around 09:15 to find 1 in stock. Suffice to say, it's been ordered and I can't wait. I'm slightly intrigued though, given that the rest of Batch 2 hasn't yet appeared in stock. I'm hoping that I was simply very lucky and someone may have cancelled an earlier order perhaps? The order has gone through the system OK though by the looks of it.

That is 66100 'Armistice 100 1918-2018'. There is a Poppy above the nameplate and an inscription below it. For reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Armstice_100_-_DB_Cargo_66100.JPG

There are some interesting releases. I notice Bachmann seem to like rerunning the same loco (albeit with newer tooling) - 37034 is back again*. 🤔 *The same thing happened when the new Class 24s were released, namely 24035.

I'm with you there @jools1959. 55019 was on good form at the GWSR gala on Friday.

I'm looking forward to seeing this. It's my favourite Western engine at the GWSR and one of the easier ones to work on, particularly when it comes to ashing out. The drop grate is extremely useful, as is the sloped ashpan. Since it's return from the SDR over the Christmas period, the loco operates south facing as per my photo.

Ahh, the one I've been waiting for as I help out with the real thing. Looking good! 😎

I'm delighted that this project has been given the go ahead. I had eagerly been awaiting news since this was first proposed back in 2020. 😍 I’m a sucker for anything in InterCity Swallow livery and so it’s highly likely that I will order one of these. Just as a bit of interesting info, a friend and fellow volunteer at the GWSR worked on the ‘Badger’ project. He has just told me the following: “My first project at Brush as a newly qualified Engineer, just four of us designed the whole bogie from scratch, no CAD in those days, all drawn up on the drawing boards, no computers, all the stress calcs carried out by hand... by me !?! We at Brush and British Rail affectionately knew it as the Aardvark”