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Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1


Nearholmer
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On 20/01/2021 at 13:42, Nearholmer said:

Too busy today to play trains, but I thought I’d post a ‘test card’ picture.

 

After Ace made the 4-4-4-T and 4-4–2T Hornby replica tanks that I so like, their next loco was this, inspired by the Hornby No.2 4-4-0. It wasn’t Ace’s finest hour, in that these locos were factory lubricated with thick ‘marmalade’, which will cause the mechanism to self-destruct if not washed-out. The aesthetic wasn’t popular either, so the secondhand market is now awash with them.

 

1D895878-B105-4D98-89D9-AFD4B36509D0.jpeg.0bc3602d2819d9215fd3549dce64ba7a.jpeg

 

This one has never turned a wheel, bought reasonably cheaply, and not used pending a wash out, which I never get around to. I put it on the plank to remind me to deal with it when I get a few hours to take it all to bits.

 

Entirely freelance, of course, and a pity it has paddlebox splashes, because otherwise it is only 10 000 miles from a Brighton B2X, rather than a million.

 

 

 

Looks to be one of these, looking pretty wonderful in LMS crimson on eBay at the moment.  If I had the time, budget, or somewhere to run it, I'd be tempted.  I actually rather like the loco, even if there is something a little odd about the splashers.

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1 hour ago, Ben B said:

in LMS crimson on eBay at the moment

 

Well over-priced!

 

The biggest dealer in the country currently has three LMS red ones in stock, each at £250, and he will usually do a deal for a repeat customer.

 

I reckon the real going rate for these is c£200, except perhaps for the pre-grouping liveries, and don't buy one unless you are sure that is has either been de-marmaladed or never run, because the marmalade will wreck the mechanism after even a tiny bit of use - its like putting UHU in the gears!

 

 

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On 20/01/2021 at 23:13, Nearholmer said:

I should subject to a full resto, a minor fettling, or use as the basis for a flight of fancy

Flight of fancy :scratchhead:  David

image.png.c764adc2e526f0b70b28ee96292190f5.png

 

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That is really interesting isn't it - a very clever design concept using "tiles" of track supported by a framework. If I hadn't already filled my space, which is just the right size, I would be seriously tempted to take the core of that on.

 

I will circulate to others as daft as me.

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Wow!  That would very much be my 'cup of tea' except that export to the colonies would be out of the question even if I did have insane amounts of spare cash to hand.  I hope this layout will go to a good home and be properly cared for and preserved as there can't be all that many of this age left that have survived.

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Experimenting with magnetic-paper “windows” to turn brake coaches into driving trailers in a reversible way.

 

I tried photographing a window with reflection of the sky in it, but plain black seems to look less unrealistic.

 

Not the final version (I simply coloured this with a pen rather than printing them) but do you think it has potential?

 

 

E76C1210-C1A2-4848-8BA6-D5DDE2692035.jpeg

9307BDA5-ED51-4408-9510-6A56BE6385BD.jpeg

Edited by Nearholmer
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18 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

do you think it has potential?

Yes, definitely.

 

Many years ago a fellow member of the Mill Hill and District Railway Circle made brick buildings using the rough face of hardboard and with glossy black window panes. Surprisingly effective.

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When I get a bit more time, I'm also hoping to try making entire overlay-ends for driving trailers using the magnetic paper. My daughter came up with an idea beyond her tender years too, which is to cut the windows of the overlay-ends out, and sandwich a sheet of very thin plastic, painted black on the back, between the substrate and the overlay. Fiddly, but worth a try, I think.

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On 28/01/2021 at 22:49, Nearholmer said:

When I get a bit more time, I'm also hoping to try making entire overlay-ends for driving trailers using the magnetic paper. My daughter came up with an idea beyond her tender years too, which is to cut the windows of the overlay-ends out, and sandwich a sheet of very thin plastic, painted black on the back, between the substrate and the overlay. Fiddly, but worth a try, I think.


If I’m following this correctly (your daughter is way ahead of me), then this sounds a bit like something I tried and got away with a couple of years ago on a 2019 cakebox diorama:

 

I had windows made from thin sheets of clear plastic sandwiched between the brickpaper used for the wall and the actual window frame, which is also printed on paper (with solid black window panes).  The ‘glass’ is in front of the window frame.  I was happy with the overall effect.

Edited by Keith Addenbrooke
Edit for text only as photos no longer available
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If I get time, and you know how that’s going, I will draw-up a standard coach-end, with a couple of window styles.

 

Once drawn, printing them onto magnetic paper takes no time.

 

Couldn't do this on our old printer, it wouldn’t take the paper and was too poor quality anyway. We had to buy a decent one to cope with all the home-schooling work-sheets, so that cloud has a silver-lining.

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On 20/01/2021 at 13:42, Nearholmer said:

Too busy today to play trains, but I thought I’d post a ‘test card’ picture.

 

After Ace made the 4-4-4-T and 4-4–2T Hornby replica tanks that I so like, their next loco was this, inspired by the Hornby No.2 4-4-0. It wasn’t Ace’s finest hour, in that these locos were factory lubricated with thick ‘marmalade’, which will cause the mechanism to self-destruct if not washed-out. The aesthetic wasn’t popular either, so the secondhand market is now awash with them.

 

1D895878-B105-4D98-89D9-AFD4B36509D0.jpeg.0bc3602d2819d9215fd3549dce64ba7a.jpeg

 

This one has never turned a wheel, bought reasonably cheaply, and not used pending a wash out, which I never get around to. I put it on the plank to remind me to deal with it when I get a few hours to take it all to bits.

 

Entirely freelance, of course, and a pity it has paddlebox splashes, because otherwise it is only 10 000 miles from a Brighton B2X, rather than a million.

 

 

 

I rather like that.  It is an attractive and entirely credible 4-4-0 in any livery.

 

My problem with this particular one is the fact that it appears to be wearing three different liveries at once! Early SR lined goods black, GW/WR number plate, SR 1940s Sunshine black. Not a good mix, IMHO.  Will she be visiting the paint shop at some stage?

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29 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

My problem with this particular one is the fact that it appears to be wearing three different liveries at once! Early SR lined goods black, GW/WR number plate, SR 1940s Sunshine black. Not a good mix, IMHO.  Will she be visiting the paint shop at some stage?

 

Really, criticising the accuracy of the livery of a fictional model? 

 

Oh, wait...

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38 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

Will she be visiting the paint shop at some stage?

 

No.

 

The painting criterion is very simple in this case: is it really, really shiny?

 

As you can see, it has been met.

 

You are right, though, the livery is very mixed-up, and the tender-lettering slightly irritates me. At least Hornby in the 1920s/30s used green lining and serif-lettering on the tender.

 

When you get to the SR coach, you will see that this is malachite(ish) green, but with yellow lining. The defence in that case is that is how Hornby did it, and actually I think it looks rather nice.

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On 06/10/2020 at 07:32, Nearholmer said:

Rambling on the theme of comparative tank wagons, here are some green ones.

 

I think I’ve shown both before, but the 1930s one is the sibling of the milk tanker, and in better mechanical condition, although the other side is in poor cosmetic condition, almost certainly due to sun damage. It cost a princely £17 from a house-clearance chap who thought it was the much more common Hornby version. The ETS ones has milk-tanker boards, which is a bit peculiar.
 

9E192246-86C2-4963-9962-257CC6B7CCFA.jpeg.4e7e63ab795053667abeab04fe0a469e.jpeg


The weakness of the single pressing including sole-bar and W-iron must have become apparent by WW2, because post-war wagons have a much stronger arrangement, with the W-irons fitted to a sub-assembly. I think the postwar steel is better too - I reckon it is a slightly higher carbon grade, less mild, and the tooling seems to have been capable of sharper bends. I wonder if they acquired hydraulic tools to replace fly-presses when engaged on war work.

 

EAECAC20-4E0F-40C9-A658-E371BADBE1AE.jpeg.4437882f7abf31dfe9fb7d2229b08c1e.jpeg

If you are quick, there's one of those Gargoyle tankers on ebay right now, Only about GBP 425 from memory. I'd hurry though,it was only about half that at auction a few weeks ago.

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Just seen this article about the .303 Lee-Enfield rifle still being in use. While interesting in itself, take a look at how they are moving the targets:

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britains-100-year-old-lee-enfield-rifle-is-still-a-big-shot-in-the-worlds-conflict-zones-sklqww5lx

 

Cheers, Ade.

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Brilliant!

 

Hornby No.1 Special Tank and a rake of bogie wagons. 
 

Regarding eBay prices: I’ve noticed a major shift from private sellers towards dealers, and an incredible increase in asking prices over the past year. Now, a lot of stuff winds-round, unsold for weeks on end, so the prices clearly aren’t right, but I do wonder what is going on.

 

It seems unlikely that too much money is chasing too few goods, although I suppose that might be the case as younger collectors get drawn into old-0.

 

It will all become clear after lockdown, I think, when the tables at meetings are open for trading again, because they, and auctions, are where prices are really set.

 

Last year, before first lockdown, prices were definitely falling, and I think that’s the real longer-term trend, except for super-good stuff.

 

 

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I believe a few eBay trade sellers regularly post very high prices in order to “set market expectations”.  


Not just model trains, I might add.

 

if the dealers have boxes of the stuff, and space to store it, it’s probably an effective strategy, particularly as we are all getting older, houses are not getting bigger, and children often neither want to inherit dad’s workshop, nor know what to do with it, or what it might be worth.

 

my guess is that the demand for steam era models, particularly in larger scales, will drop significantly as those who remember steam fall off their perches.  I’m 63 and barely remember mainline steam, so I guess whilst there will always be some enthusiasts, there won’t be a mass of 50- and 40- somethings racing out to buy stuff.

 

and model engineering seems to have declined somewhat in popularity too, sadly.


ho hum

 Simon

 

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Posting the odd highflyer to drag the market up is a well known technique, but I really don't understand a few who have started selling (well, advertising) recently, who have a great deal of stuff for sale at BIN prices that are double the BIN prices of biggest on-line dealer in the UK ........ it is just plain strange, and I wonder whether non-specialists have bought-in large collections, and simply have no idea of how to price.

 

Anyway, their business not mine - I've got too many toy trains already, and might stand to benefit in the vanishingly unlikely case that they do drag the market up!

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I have seen a very useful riveting tool (I know, I know, very finescale, not tinplate at all) being sold on eBay for considerably more - like 50 quid more -  than a brand new one would cost from the chap who makes them.

 

and the amount of stuff that should be "bin" rather than "B.I.N."...  well, caveat emptor.

 

S

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My favourite at the moment is what is advertised as a ‘vintage coach under frame’, bin at £12.50 I think. What it really is is two bits of wood joined at right angles, greatly encrusted with old glue and paint.

 

It may once have been part of an O gauge coach, a very long time ago, but now it is a useful bit of kindling.

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On 29/01/2021 at 14:10, Nearholmer said:

The painting criterion is very simple in this case: is it really, really shiny?

 

I believe the same criterion is applied to boats & ships:-

"Pointy end forwards & shiny side up."

 

All is then well with the world... :mosking:

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7 hours ago, Simond said:

I believe a few eBay trade sellers regularly post very high prices in order to “set market expectations”.  


Not just model trains, I might add.

 

if the dealers have boxes of the stuff, and space to store it, it’s probably an effective strategy, particularly as we are all getting older, houses are not getting bigger, and children often neither want to inherit dad’s workshop, nor know what to do with it, or what it might be worth.

 

my guess is that the demand for steam era models, particularly in larger scales, will drop significantly as those who remember steam fall off their perches.  I’m 63 and barely remember mainline steam, so I guess whilst there will always be some enthusiasts, there won’t be a mass of 50- and 40- somethings racing out to buy stuff.

 

and model engineering seems to have declined somewhat in popularity too, sadly.


ho hum

 Simon

 

 

Just a youngster then.

 

I just buy Model railway stuff for pleasure much too risky buying it as an investment. If it turns out to still be worth something when I am gone it will be a nice surpprise for someone.

When  the in laws had to go into a nursing home because we just couldn't manage the 24hr care they needed any longer. It did make me think could you take a small layout with you into a nursing home. 

 

Don

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