Middlesea John

Thank you both.

I want to have a go at scribbling destinations on the sides of freight and parcels vans. Please does anyone have a suggestion as to the right pen to use ? I've found a post from 2013 from deltic17 of this parish who used a Faber-Castell Polychromos in colour Cold Grey 1. But I also remember an article in a magazine that suggested something else. I can get to a Hobbycraft or the Range relatively easily or do I need a specialist art shop ? Many thanks. John

I did this exercise a few years ago and now have 32104 and 32105 - one of each type. Sorry no photos as I don't have access to the models during lockdown. I seem to remember, though, using an E2 body but with bits - like the tank extensions - from Thomas rather than using Thomas with other bits if that makes sense. That way you're starting from nearer to where you want to finish up.

We did it a simple way. We looked at the area where our layout was set, found a few place names that weren't served by the railway than had a vote. The group chose "Ladycross" so we have had to adjust geography by about a mile.

Cheeky monkey it's weathering ! Although you do present a challenge - to model a layer of dust that's been on something stored for the winter in a shed or depot !

Here we are. I've now renumbered it (again) to 82012, which was an Eastleigh loco in 1962 and added a bit more weathering. I think I've got it to sit level at long last. A bit of padding with plasticard did the trick. Hopefully it will make a few appearances on Ladycross (Railway Modeller July 2020).

Don't forget the S15s, in particular those with a 6 wheel tender.

I've found it ! Deep in the jungle of boxes. The problem was that I've shortened it to near correct length - mainly behind the buffer beam and as such the body didn't fit horizontally onto the chassis. I did a load of carving/sawing/hacking/throwing etc until it did. I now realise x years on that I'd glued the buffer beam on an angle so the buffers were pointing slightly upwards. I (not very) carefully snapped it off and I'm going to try again. I'll take a photo if it works. Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Way way back many centuries ago, not long after Railway Modelling began......well in the 80s and early 90s, I used to have a stall every year at the Hull Model Railway Show, which was then held in the grandiose surroundings of Hull City Hall. There's a photo of one such show in the July 2020 Railway Modeller where you can see me, though not at my stand. Anyway, to get to the point, what I did was to detail and otherwise improve ready to run models. I succeeded, among others, with a Hornby Dublo 2-6-4T, A Kitmaster/Tri-ang 2-6-0 and two early Hornby M7s. Of course super-detailed RTR models became the norm and my Southern collection now mostly consists of models far better than I could hope to achieve. For the last couple of years my project was a Tri-ang 2-6-2T. I had it re-wheeled by the late Brian Latus and added all sorts of bits and bobs. I was (and still am) quite pleased with it and I'd be happy for it to run round Ladycross now and again........except for one thing. I can't get the front buffer beam to the right height - it's soo high I'll try to dig it out; I think it's at home somewhere, not locked down at the Hull MRS clubroom and put some pictures on if I can. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The buffer beam is too high by the way. Thank you and thanks especially to Cyberman for the inspiration for another lockdown project !

I also remember Adrian from my time as a junior member of Poole MRS in the 60s. A character ! But it was an article in Model Railway Constructor about parcels vans that ignited an interest in such things that is still my excuse for having too many !

Has anyone made a Mark 1 Open First from the old Tri-ang coaches ? I'd love to have one to go with Restaurant Kitchen. Photos with where the cuts / shuts / joins / mistakes were would be lovely. Not that I want to cheat or anything.

Hull MRS have an L1 on our new SR layout Ladycross. Most of the work on it was done by Richard bird . I painted and weathered it. It looks like the brake is on the left. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Richard Bird (formerly I believe of Norwich MRS) please let us know as we've lost touch and we miss both him and his modelling ability.

I've always thought that the modellers and the collectors amongst us represent two entirely different markets. It seems to me that the bulk of the 2020 Hornby stuff is aimed specifically at collectors whcih is not the market that they've been aiming at recently with their efforts to return to profitability. I'm concerned that the effort that has gone into creating replicas of items from the past that won't ever see light of day on a layout could be the start of a downhill slope which none of us want to see. I can't ever remember being so underwhelmed with a new Hornby catalogue since way before the one with Terence Cuneo's Clapham Junction on the cover. I'm usually an optimist but this lot has stretched that to the limit.

Some New Forest ponies grazing at the bottom of the embankment west of the station on Hull MRS's new BR(S) layout "Ladycross".

My memory of the VEPs are more to do with noise than comfort. The windows would rattle after about a quarter of an hour in service. Plus they were plain ugly compared with CIGs and CEPs.

Well the CIGs were OK on the Brighton Line but the VEPs - I think I'd rather ride on a Northern Pacer ! And that was when they wee about a week old. I did go on the Brighton Belle just a few days before the end. Loved it even though it was in that vile grey and blue. Inside hadn't changed and neither had the service.

30837 also had a Schools tender from Spring 1962. There are hundreds of photos of it because it worked the "Farewell S15s" railtours. I thought the tenders that went from Schools to S15s came from 30912 and 30921 because they got tenders from withdrawn Lord Nelsons. All part of the Hornets nest mentioned above.

The Hull Model Railway Show - a welcome break from the weather as well as a darn good show. This weekend - Saturday and Sunday 9 & 10 November. Be there or be somewhere else not as good !

I agree with pretty much everything that's been said on this thread. Braunton had the rebuilt 5250 gallon tender throughout its rebuilt life. There were 4 of these tenders and 2 of them swapped locos when their original partner was withdrawn. It didn't have a shield until preservation some 40 odd years after withdrawal. As a matter of interest it was usually dirty throughout the 60s ! All of this is of course irrelevant if you're modelling it in preservation. Enjoy Braunton.

Please may I add LADYCROSS - the Southern Region layout built by members of Hull MRS. 1962 in the New Forest.

Are you going to model the legendary sign "Mersey Docks and Harbour Board" to which someone had added "And little lamsy tivey" ?

Sad news. I think I learned more about Southern coaches from Terry Gough's books and magazine articles than every other source put together.

I'm coming with Steve Farrow's Pen-y-Madoc.

My wife is an arty-farty type and one of the people whose work she has introduced me to over the years is the artist Bridget Riley - she of the multi coloured stripes etc. What her paintings demonstrate is that the same colour can look very different depending upon what colour or colours it is next to. Maybe this explains why two things that are actually the same colour look different in different circumstances. Gosh that was difficult to write concisely !

I can now report that the "El Cheapo" superglue from Poundland does in fact work. Hard work on Ladycross at the York show has had no casualties - yet.