John M Upton

Just left after an enjoyable visit. Sunday definitely quieter and far less hassle than my previous year's Saturday visits but the downside was that the second hand stock had been well and truly plundered compared to last year and the train service up from the Sussex coast is pretty abysmal. Lose the bag search nonsense, utterly pointless and quite frankly as any form of anti terrorist measure, completely useless. Do feel the layout of stands and layouts, particularly in the main hall needs a complete refresh, lots feel like that they have been just plonked down and there was no real cohesion between the various stands. Every year it seems notable who isn't there, Dapol no longer attending was a big loss as far as I am concerned (half my shopping list effectively wiped out) but noticeable how those small new entry manufacturers now have big professional stands and a friendly approach which is refreshing. Will I go again next year? Trouble is, most of the traders I used to visit Ally Pally for have gone, Dapol being about the last one of my must visit traders so, somehow I think, after twenty or twenty five years, I have visited my last Ally Pally show.

....and indeed, many never bother. I personally find nagware that pesters me to leave feedback on any site, not just ebay has the effect of me being far less likely to do so. People are suffering from Feedback Pester Fatigue I think.

377314 has been put to bed for the night right at the back of Littlehampton Shed.

I didn't realise this. Dapol's discount sales pile was my main retail reason for going this year. Annoying... Any reason for their no show this year?

That is exactly what I was hoping for!!!

What is the subject for Volume 5?

That's a good one, thanks. suggests black cab windscreen surrounds and nose top there. The trouble with most pictures is that they are so covered in grime it is hard to tell what is what. I wonder what that little black stripe on the old head code box is?

Hello I am having trouble establishing the exact colour scheme carried by WHL Class 37/4's that were repainted into Intercity Mainline colours around about 1989 or 1990. Is everything above the white bodyside stripe Exec Dark Grey or is there some black up there, either on the nose tops or around the cab windows?

Have a watch of the old BBC documentary Old, Dirty and Late which is on YouTube I believe. At least one part filmed peak time at Lewisham and its all NSE and blue/grey liveried EPB's.

I know that the WHL had their green/cream Mk1's but did any of the green/cream Mk2's every sneak down there at any point?

When I purchased my ticket online, I received an email with the ticket as a PDF document attached which my mobile can display (I still print mine out anyway) so you should get your ticket instantly. Given how bad the Royal Mail have been lately, if you wanted it posted, you would probably have need to have booked it about six months ago...

I have bought hardly any UK prototype or modelling mags for a few years now. MLI moving away from the individual subjects to a more mixed bag with each issue has seen me buy just one issue, read it and then never look at it again. The only other prototype magazine of any real worth was Traction and that is now merged with BRM, I am not interested in paying out for a modelling magazine I have no interest in to view the Traction content I was interested in. All in all, the UK magazine market has become dull, stale and expensive with patchy availability in the likes of WHSmiths which once carried a decent range and are now hopeless. I have no interest in going digital either, I prefer to look at a paper mag before I decide if I wish to buy or not.

Pretty much all postage larger than a standard letter into/out of the UK is now extortionate, mainly thanks to things like ebay's global shipping program and in general international postal charges being hiked up to cover the costs of all those cheap Chinese imports who manage to get local postal services to deliver it without contributing anything to the actual cost of the service. Try getting stuff from the US!! Postage is often more than the item now. This is the reason (other than the infamous B word) that a huge amount of overseas model rail sales and trading has all but ceased with many sellers simply deciding that the extra hassle, cost and red tape means it simply isn't worth it.

Because the DfT's crack team of Accountants are not prepared to pay for it? Yes....

Hello I have had to hard wire a modern tooling Graham Farish Class 37, two wires, one from each terminal on the motor lead to the PCB screw holes in the top of the chassis block and it works, except when I try and solder the wire ends to the chassis block, the solder will not adhere even after the paint coating is scraped away. What am I doing wrong?

Going to have to go on the Sunday this year, hopefully it will be quieter. Downside is that most if not all the bargains will have been mopped up by Saturday lunchtime and will probably already be on ebay at two to three times what they paid for it by Sunday morning!

The Scottish one is the one I want to do as well. I have scoured every single Scottish book I have trying to find another picture of it, I only found one which showed just the very edge of it, in exactly the same place next to exactly the same BR brake van and I suspect taken on the same day too, It must have got up there somehow...

Lovely, thanks! Looks like walling in the end and inserting the extra windows should be pretty straightforward.

Anyone got an engineers olive one yet? Would like to see some pictures of the actual model please rather than the duff catalogue image the retailers all seem to be using.

Another day, another shambles...

That is pretty hideous to be honest. Any reason why Large Logo could not have been retained?

I have been considering seeking out a couple of BR blue Mk1 Surburbans but am unfamiliar with the model. Are they to the modern Blue Ribband Mk 1 tooling standard or the older Poole style printed clear bodyshell design?

...except they are not working at the moment!

...or to use the correct railway terminology, there was an all mighty cock up.