doktorstamp

I collected mine today from the post office, on unpacking the chimney was found to be detached, however further scrutiny shows that it can be re-glued. The packaging was excellent and more than sufficient. I would suggest the problem lies with Dapol's quality control, and clearly it was not checked by Rails prior to despatch, although , to be fair, they expect everything to be ok, clearly things are not, and as stated it would appear Dapol's quality control needs tightening. In fairness I have to say this is the first item of many purchased over the course of the years that has had a problem, and I only looked because of what others had reported in this thread. kind regards Nigel

My guess is that Bachmann's crane acted as impetus for Roco to produce this. Click on the subtitles icon if your German (Austrian) isn't up to it. Price anyones guess, I for one haven't looked. regards Nigel

Can we expect a "Market Guide to Model Railway Collectables" appearing in a Smiths near you any time soon? regards Nigel

I, along with many others look forward to attending MR exhibitions, at a liesurely pace, viewing the exhibits, chatting to friends, seeking out my preferred dealers, traders, without being viewed as a pariah. I also work at a number of exhibitions in Germany, many of which have been understandably cancelled, an exhibition due to be held near Stuttgart in October, will, now not take place. We, who work there have said the rules would hamper us in our work, likewise the traders, dealers have said no, many we deal with are those who have questions, they are also, fairly elderly, many who are hard of hearing need to lip read to understand, a face mask, puts paid to that. Clear visors are not permitted. The loss to the hospitality trade is significant. We have taken the decision to see how things will be next year, rather than going forward in the hope things will be okay. We need to be patient, I understand people chomping at the bit to get going, but not at any price. My own feeling is that things are not as bad as they are currently painted, however, no one wants to take responsibility for relaxing restrictions, ultimately they will have to, for the economy has been mightily and royally screwed. Stay healthy, Nigel A paid up member of "Coffin Dodgers United".

I find the prospect of such a loco being produced in model form quite interesting, even if others have exhibited preferences for further locos to take precedence. A 100 wagon train on a model railway would be an inspiring sight, assuming (don't stone me, statitisticians do it all the time), that each wagon measures approx 3" in length, we arrive at a length of 25 ft., without loco or brake van. Then there is the weight to be considered, allowing 50 grammes per wagon, we arrive at a weight of 5kg,(about 12½ lbs in old money), not including loco or brake van, assuming our loco has sufficient grunt to pull this lot , plus itself, and the obligatory brake van, I surmise derailments would occur with alarming frequency, also, how many layouts have this kind of size to accommodate such a behemoth? The weight would also rise were the wagons to have a representative load. Perhaps it would prove necessary to motorise the tender, thus accommodating the power element of the booster, even if it's in the wrong place. A compromise, that may well prove to be necessary to protect the loco from "burn out". regards to all stay safe Nigel

Hi Matt Thank you for keeping us all informed. I hope you get the website up and running soon, I do though realise, you are operating as a sole everything, and that there is, at present only one pair of hands, and insufficient hours in the day, I wish you every success, and look forward to some of the SR and GWR wagons (4mm) becoming available. kind regards, onwards and upwards Nigel

Irrespective of their being regionally constrained, I, for one will be purchasing some. My only hope, is that the price will be sensible. Will they only be in black or will we see olive green too? regards to all Nigel

It may well be the case. I imagine they are a smallish outfit with few staff, and a cash-flow crisis as a result of the lockdown, and while much has been done to minimise effects, it certainly is not a "one size fits all solution", and a good number may well fall through the cracks. Sad, but true. Let's just hope they can rebound after things are over, and some degree of normality returns. Nigel

There is a longish video on YouTube giving a history of the 9F. Link here; Watch, listen, and digest. the real life ones suffered from similar problems. regards Nigel

When I was based in Germany in the early '70's, we noted that in one of the hypermarkets, in its screws, nails, small nuts and bolts section, together with loads of items we men buy impulsively, on the grounds they may come in useful one day, sold these pre-packaged in little plastic boxes, of several sizes. The idea being that these slotted together, ultimately forming a useful, if expensively acquired, multi drawer storage cabinet. I still have a few left doing sterling service. Viewed with the benefit of hindsight, they now strike me as being aptly Teutonic. It's an idea I can't say I have ever seen in this country. mfG Nigel

Whilst the matter of the jib runner for the GWR has been largely resolved. I, and I believe, quite possibly others, would be interested in what the other three companies cobbled together, or was something provided by Cowans. I imagine for instance that delivery took place by rail thus necessitating a jib runner. I cannot imagine them being delivered as some kind of oversize Meccano set. Could some kind soul, without fear of breaking copyright, provide photos, preferably dateable, of these. mfG Nigel with thanks in advance.

Would my assumption that some of these may have made it into preservation be wide of the mark?

Although I have no great interest in the LNER, I can envisage the purchase of one, even if it only sits in the sidings next to one of the Bachmann cranes I have regards Nigel

Well there are a few items of interest at moderate cost, so my credit card feels relieved. regards Nigel

Incredibly brave or incredibly foolish. Only time will tell. I can only say 'Steampunk' holds no attraction for me. I wish them well with this venture, in how far it will reduce their operating deficit will also have to wait and see. Limb and saw spring to mind. regards to all Nigel

Book duly ordered. Thank you for the heads up on this, it had crept beneath my radar. My guess regarding motive power for the crane based at Guilford is quite likely to have been a Q1, or am I wide of the mark? And for the one at Nine Elms??? regards Nigel

As someone who has authored a number of books and monographs, not on the subject of railway or its associated history, I am very much a print person; magazines, far too many to mention, which results in a clear-out now and then, with most being deposited at my local GP's surgery; It is of note that many, but by no means all, who publish online, are in the category of well-intentioned rather than well-informed (this can also apply equally to print, the more so the older the publication. Secondly I find it far easier to proof read from print, rather than having to scroll through lengthy PDF's or Word files etc. However, I can see the advantage of the digital media, to wit, instant gratification, at your fingertips. Nevertheless I would advise caution when collating information from the web for a future project, and not take it as gospel, until it has been verified. Even printed sources can provide divergent statements, the web the more so. I shall stick with books and magazines for now, until such time as we are forced to use a certain system. Digital media is stored on a variety of systems. Ask yourself, for how long will newer equipment be able to access those files. Recent history (the past 10 years or so), of photographic storage exemplifies this. Does digital media have advantages, most certainly, the transference of files, that can be sent many times over, without the fear of a postal system losing or damaging them. Not having to wait, while said postal system takes ages to deliver, for whatever reason, they always have one. Can anyone imagine what WH Smiths would be like if you had to stand in a queue to download your magazines and other items you wanted to read every month? I believe that print will be with us for some time to come, and long may it remain so. Trusting that all, who overindulged, have recovered and enjoyed themselves Nigel

HI Amanda I have just looked for this book on Amazon see link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illustrated-History-Southern-Wagons-SECR/dp/0860934934/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=Illustrated+Southern+Wagons+vol+3%2C+SECR&qid=1577708857&sr=8-1-fkmr1 From experience wagon books often carry a premium when in short supply, i.e. out of print. Another website to try would be Abebooks either .com or .de What the postage will be I cannot say. regards Nigel

Here we see DS 1580 in action again. Found purely by chance when reloading the side. Quite what he wasn't thinking when choosing to support it on those pallets clearly requires another mindset, I would also surmise that an understanding of physics was seriously lacking. To all have a very good New Year. mfG Nigel

I found this on YouTube, which exemplifies some of the differences mentioned above A Happy New Year to all Nigel

Mad, greedy; take your pick, the first of the two cranes I have ordered has arrived. When I spoke to the supplier a couple of days ago, I remarked, "i imagine you have sold quite a few of these". To which the rep I spoke to merely chuckled. I sincerely believe, as stated before, that a number of people are likely to be disappointed. How many Bachmann have made or will make, I have no idea, although I believe a second run is feasible. How long will we have to wait until the upgrades become available from the Model Railway cottage industry. Reviews have been good, if a trifle fawning, However, none has stated where they believe improvements could be made. To all a Happy Christmas Nigel

Like many contributors to this thread , I too, was advised by Hattons that my Bachmann pre-orders had been cancelled, result I will go elsewhere, at least on this occasion I was told, once previously I received nothing from a pre-order for Hornby's Trouts. I agree it's an eye-watering price, however along with many others, I have decided to purchase one, and look forward to receiving it in due course, hoping that the expected arrival date is realistic, and correct for once, Bachmann's lead-in times are not overly reliable. My own belief is that a number of prospective purchasers quite likely, will be disappointed. Across the Hobby today, these one-off production runs would appear to be the norm, whereas years ago if it was in the catalogue it stayed in stock at the model shop. Bean- counters and Market strategists have much to answer for. Nigel