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Wright writes.....


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Mr. King is your man for that, it's one of his resin castings. I'm afraid I have no idea how long they were in use for, information around them seems very sketchy.

I don't know about the LNER ones but the LMS ones were mainly used for very specific traffics to and from collieries and customers that had the right loading/unloading equipment. One set used to take coal to a power station at Stonebridge Park which I think was the ex LNWR one for the Watford DC lines. There may have been a similar working on the LNER but that is only a surmise. If that were to be the case they would possibly have worked in rakes.

 

As an aside the problem of antiquated colliery loading equipment lasted until the development of the Merry go round system and then it was sorted in a tripartite agreement between BR, the NCB and the GEGB, which by then were all nationalised.

 

Jamie

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The comment I remember was indeed in the context of building wagons - no offence intended. They certainly are gorgeous wagons. The sight of a P1 on a long coal train or a V2 on fast vans is second to none in my book.

 

I'm particularly taken with the bogie loco coal wagon. Did they last into the 1950s?

 

Andy

No offence taken, Andy,

 

I think you might be referring to my stating to you that my wagons had been built by 'minions'. Once a teacher, always a teacher....................

 

As for the bogie loco coal wagon, as suggested, the various Grantham team members have all the answers regarding the stock.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited by Tony Wright
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Regarding the Scotch goods, the BY at the front was added simply to solve a coupling compatibility problem, an RTR LNER fish van having been tried for the same purpose but its feather-weight and short wheelbase resulted in repeated excursions into the ballast. I don't think the BY is significantly heavier, if any heavier at all, but it behaves properly. A miscellaneous selection of my fruit and general goods vans sits at the rear of the train, these having originally tried to masquerade as more fish vans at the rear of the otherwise relatively short fish empties. A collective decision was made favouring lengthening of the Scotch goods instead. One or two of them are LMS vehicles, including per-group items, about which I know nothing - I couldn't even answer the question when asked if they were based on fitted/piped prototypes.....

 

In preparation for the attempt to satisfy the "appropriate locos" criteria, I've written up a summary list of all of my available locos not yet on the layout, to save head scratching and rummaging in boxes when we re-convene, and have endeavoured to divide it two categories: Too nearly pure RTR and/or not weathered, versus hand built or heavily modified. I may send the list ahead to assist with planning.

 

Customer service? Perhaps one of the problems inherent in our post industrial society is that those who would in the past only have found jobs fetching, carrying, lifting etc. or shovelling unpleasant material from one place to another now find themselves in positions that involve dealing with the public.

There are about 40 wagons now in the Scotch Goods (a bit shorter than the BR equivalent), so it's much longer than on Grantham. It does look splendid!

 

Do you have another V2 for it? As you know, I'm pruning my loco stock and my V2 in the recent pictures is up for sale (with a fair percentage going to CRUK). Anyone out there interested? 

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The only thing I can say with any certainty that the GC Loco coal wagons did was accompany 2001 to Vitry in 1934. Other than that I think I've only seen one picture of them in use and that was in GC days.

 

A number of companies tried bogie 40 ton wagons in the first decade of the 20th century and none of them were a great success.

Edited by jwealleans
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I understand what you're saying William, but I would ask then, why do they need any staff at all? Other than just a guy/girl at a desk taking money/cards, with loads of boxes behind them. 

 

Hello Tony,

Be careful what you wish for.

It may well come to pass that your all too common example above will disappear only to be replaced by "self service" checkouts, ugh!

Such checkouts are the bane of my life and I try my utmost to avoid them. The very worst experience ever was once at Amsterdam Schiphol airport trying to check-in for a flight home but WH Smiths at any UK airport are also truly dire.

 

Let's get back to your lovely railway instead.

Cheers,

John.

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Hello Tony,

Be careful what you wish for.

It may well come to pass that your all too common example above will disappear only to be replaced by "self service" checkouts, ugh!

Such checkouts are the bane of my life and I try my utmost to avoid them. The very worst experience ever was once at Amsterdam Schiphol airport trying to check-in for a flight home but WH Smiths at any UK airport are also truly dire.

 

Let's get back to your lovely railway instead.

Cheers,

John.

I think you're right, John, though I don't think I was wishing for what you describe to happen. 

 

I will get back to the railway, but I do regret the demise of the shop (any shop) where expertise in the product, with an ability to communicate, demonstrate and answer reasonable questions used to be the norm. 

 

It's happening everywhere - the decline in model shops and camera shops are particularly pertinent to my thoughts. Still, I've probably got most of what I want/need now, so 'I'm all right, Jack'!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited by Tony Wright
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I wonder who else got their start from Tony's book on loco building, now twenty years old?

 

post-6720-0-91099100-1533298706_thumb.jpg

 

 

My copy is copyrighted 1998 and I imagine I'd have bought it within a year or two of publication,

if not in the year itself. I was living in Holland at the time, so finding out practical information about

loco building wasn't easy, although I did ask a lot of questions at the one or two shows a year where

there might be a British layout running kit-built stock. At one of those shows I was advised to have

a go at a simple 0-6-0 tender engine - probably good advice in hindsight - so that settled my choice

of first kit, which was DJH's C2X.

 

I wasn't that bothered about C2Xs, I have to say, but I saw it as a necessary stepping stone on the

way to building one of the classes that wasn't available in RTR at the time, and which I wanted

to have: an S&DJR 2-8-0 and/or a 72XX. I ordered the kit around early 2001, I think, just before

we moved to a different flat in the Netherlands. At the time all I really had to go on was Tony's book,

some of his BRM articles, and possibly one of Iain Rice or Tim Shackleton's books, although I'm

not sure that they came into my possession until later. In any case, the C2X, and all the others I've

made since (there's a representative selection here) were all eventually built according to "sir's"

principles and methods, by and large, with rigid chassis and Tony's style of pickups. I'm as hamfisted

as anyone, but I've yet to build a loco that doesn't work, and some of them seem to work pretty

well!

 

I built the King next, starting it at a Missenden course, and then a 1366 and Castle (neither shown),

before eventually graduating to valve gear with an S15. In the same period I've learned to solder

white metal, and - later - how to solder brass to white metal and vice versa. Correspondingly, the

amount of adhesive used in these locos has gradually gone down! The C2X is all epoxy-resin,

whereas the Finecast Prairie, the most recent to be finished and painted, uses almost no glue

apart from the pickups and handrails. I guess that's progress!

 

In any case, I'm sure I'm not alone in finding Tony's book to have been instrumental in kick-starting

a modest side-hobby in loco building, for which many thanks are due.

 

Al

 

 

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V2s: I believe my 4772 (the better one with the full resin body and finer scale underpinnings) is already on the very mixed "parcels/NPCS" train, and I suspect 4802 (old Bachmann but with a better A3-shaped boiler barrel substituted) was last seen on the up train of fish/meat vans and containers. I'm happy to stick at two V2s for 1938.

 

GC bogie loco coal wagons, both the modelled 40 ton type and the slightly earlier 30 ton variety: Apart from the special trip to Vitry I have no knowledge of these being used for anything other than supply of the traditional coaling stages at main sheds on the GC London extension. They may have had other uses of course and wouldn't be any good for supplying some of the mechanised coaling towers when those appeared. There was talk (only) around 1913 / 1914 of the GC building similar (perhaps even larger) bogie coal wagons and using either US (Baldwin) or home-built very large locomotives to move coal efficiently in bulk from Wath concentration yard to Immingham Dock for export, but before the practical obstacles had been overcome war had put a stop to those plans.

 

I believe t-b-g can tell us of much later use of the 40 tonners as spoil carriers at a S. Yorks colliery. It would be interesting to know whether they went straight into colliery use when GC / LNER coaling methods changed, or did the LNER find another use for them first?

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Tony,     Re; Cameras, The London Camera Exchange, 6 Silver st; Lincoln. Its just by the Stonebow opp; House of Fraser and has staff with expertise who appear to know their cameras etc; Might be worth a visit.

         Mick

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Tony,     Re; Cameras, The London Camera Exchange, 6 Silver st; Lincoln. Its just by the Stonebow opp; House of Fraser and has staff with expertise who appear to know their cameras etc; Might be worth a visit.

         Mick

I agree; I use LCE at Leamington Spa. The staff are knowledgeable and they seem to take the time to listen to the customer. (No connection etc).

Tony

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A friend of mine tells a lovely story about PC world. Bearing in mind that he is a Computer programmer by trade, so he knows a bit about software...

 

He was comparing two different makes of software that did the same job, but couldn't make his mind up which one to buy, so asked the spotty youth his opinion. The youth picked up both boxes, one in each hand, and proceeded to act out the process of weighting them. His recommendation was to buy the heaviest box!

 

Andy G

 

No idea about commission at PCW, however their staff are pretty keen to try and sell extra warranty at the checkout.

As for the price of their cables/connectors........ :O

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I just need put on record what's just occurred before my memory crumbles further. 

 

I've just bought a Panasonic camcorder from Currys/PC World in Stamford. It's our most convenient store for that sort of thing. Since I've no intention of becoming a video professional, on the advice of a friend, I went for an 'entry-level' type - in excess of £200; certainly not the best, but of reasonable quality for my needs. 

 

On entering the store, my wife and I were greeted with 'High guys, how can we help' by two youths. Though Mo was wearing jeans, there is no doubt that she's not a guy! ' We're here to help' was the message on badges and on signs. Good, thought I.

 

Mo had done some internet research, and the type of camcorder was on display.

 

'May I see it demonstrated, please?'

 

'We don't have the batteries for them because they get nicked' was the reply.

 

'Do you have a spare battery, please?'

 

'Yeah, I'll get it'. 

 

After some little time, the spotty youth returned, but the battery didn't fit. It was tried in another camera, which it did fit, but the battery was dead. Another youth appeared.

 

'We're not allowed to test mobile phones' he said.

 

''I'm not buying a mobile phone'. 

 

'Oh sorry, I got confused'. 

 

'You (all) seem to be easily confused' I opined. Cue puzzled look. 

 

'I'm interested in the camera, so may I see what it comes with, please?'

 

'We're not allowed to open the boxes. Anyway, it's all on the packaging'. 

 

'Good, so it comes with a battery charger then?'

 

'Yeah, oh wait a minute, the pictures on the box show optional extras' .

 

'Can you charge the battery and show me on the display camera, please?' The display camera, by the way, had an alarm which immediately went off when the first youth picked it up. I won't mention his first name, but, in my day, it would have been a surname!

 

'Sure, it'll be about half an hour. Anyway, you don't need a battery charger because it can be charged by a lead straight into the mains'.

 

'What do I need for that, please?' 

 

'Oh, you need a special plug'. 

 

'Don't worry' said a further youth. They only cost a couple of quid'. 

 

While the battery was being charged, Mo and I went for a coffee in a delightful new eating house in Ryhall Road (the ex-Post Office; thoroughly-recommended). 

 

On our return, lo and behold, the camera was working. 

 

'How do I focus-manually, please?' I asked. 

 

I was shown.

 

'It doesn't seem to focus closely on zoom' I said, as I pointed it towards a notice on the desk. 

 

'Why would you want to do that?' said a further youth. 

 

After fiddling, I think I got the hang of it, so bought it.

 

'I'll have the adapter as well, if I may, please?'  

 

'That'll be £7.99'.

 

'I thought you said it was two quid' said Mo. 

 

'We don't have anything that cheap'. 

 

Throughout all this, I was constantly asking them to repeat what they said. Though my ears are old (older than their grandparents' ears, probably) they still work well. Their diction was awful, their pronunciation equally so and their annunciation garbled. 

 

On the desk was a sign asking 'How did we do today? Please mark us 10 out of 10'. 

 

I felt like I was back in school. Teaching 3C!

 

What does all the above prove, if anything? Though I bought the camcorder, it was in spite of rather than because of the service I've just received. They smiled a lot, but is this the modern shop proprietor's way? None had tattoos or body piercings, but I'd have gladly accepted those features if the wearers had expertise.

 

We'll see how I get on with the filming..................... 

 

Tony

 

Having just read this account of your recent shopping experience, I dont know whether we should laugh or cry!

 

This mirrors so many 'modern' shopping experiences us slightly older persons (....'aged persons'... here in NZ) have these days. Is it the school production line that gets some of our youth to this point or is it us aged persons not keeping up with the changing nature of english communication??? 

 

Fortunately, in my view, for every such youth(s) serving in a shop we are likely to find a very articulate, well educated and well-rounded young person working hard in one of our many professions, so I havent given up all hope just yet!

 

Not a topic to be pursued through your wonderful modelling thread I feel sure, but your post is a very nice illistration of an emerging gap between how young and old view things.

 

Now, back to reading posts in the wonderful world of RMweb on a wet, wintery day in NZ.

 

regards Andy R

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No idea about commission at PCW, however their staff are pretty keen to try and sell extra warranty at the checkout.

As for the price of their cables/connectors........ :O

It is probably the usual marketing approach of selling the high ticket items "cheaply" to get the consumer hooked and then making the profits on the big margin add ons. I don't know if it still applies but in pre internet days Casio used to have a Manufacturers Retail Price and a Suggested Selling Price, the former being at a higher margin and the latter at a "normal" level. So all retailers could offer a discounted price and still make a reasonable profit (such a dirty word in our society). The advent of Amazon, ebay and the "box shifters" rather changed that.

 

As for PCW, I visited a local store many years ago where a member of staff was training a new recruit in store. Standing in front of a computer monitor he waved his hand in a circular motion in front of the screen saying "that's what RAM is for, ramming the picture onto the screen". Needless to say, I don't buy any PC items from them.

Edited by Jol Wilkinson
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Having worked in a shop the rewards are not that good for such a boring job. So sometimes the devil takes hold and you act like the customers thinks you should, thick. You must be because you are in such a lowly position of serving others. That can be fun, especially when two of you are on the same wavelength. Conversely when you have a customer with what appears to be little knowledge of the product he or she is buying, well the expression "Bulls doings baffles brains" comes into play. So don't perceive your shop assistant as being stupid and useless, he or she might just be living up to your expectations and having fun doing so.  

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...don't perceive your shop assistant as being stupid and useless, he or she might just be living up to your expectations and having fun doing so.

 

Having fun at your customers expense is itself a pretty stupid and useless thing to do, if you are being paid to provide a service and make a sale. Edited by Chamby
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See Teenagers! for a more in-depth examination of this topic.

 

I'm looking forward to the Little Bytham 1938 photo gallery. Sorry to hear the somersault signals aren't hanging around - given the joshing about Little Bytham 2018 and Jonathan's work on GNR 6-wheelers, I had started wondering what would be involved in setting up for Little Bytham 1898 but reference to the OS 25" map shows that it would involve a very major rebuild!

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Having fun at your customers expense is itself a pretty stupid and useless thing to do, if you are being paid to provide a service and make a sale.

When being treated as something smelly the customer has just trodden in for peanuts? Serfdom ended a long time ago. 

 

The customer that treats the person in front of him with respect often gets a good service, and thankfully that is most customers.

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I am a bit of an odd ball compared to most who post on this thread, I like diesels and even more bizarre overhead EMUs.  But only those which saw service in the 1960s.

 

When I first joined the Witham club I was inspired by Kim Fulbrook's scratchbuilt diesels in plastic card and Pete Haywood's modifications to RTR diesels. I mentioned I would like a Baby Deltic and was told by a leading member of the club "There will never be a ready to run one". So with the Kim's and Pete's inspirations and the writings of Mike Cole about building your own diesels off I went making my own and converting many others.

 

Peaks, I done all the different nose ends and sub variations before Bachmann

EE type 4, scratchbuilt, converted tri-ang 37

NBL Warship D600, converted Hornby 21

BR Warship D812, one of the early ones with disc head code, converted Mainlaine and D870, converted Lima

Brush 4, scratchbuilt, radiator variations, open radiator (still not done by any RTR company but check out photos of moving 47s) and a class 48 conversion

BR Type 2, all body versions converted from the Hornby model, scrapped a class 24 and 25 that I was scratchbuilding when the Bachmann introduced their's.

BRCW Type 2, all body variations converted from class 33

Brush type 2, early disc headcode from both Tri-ang and Airfix, tablet catcher version Airfix converted, two coupled with gangway connectors open and a scratchbuilt one.

Metro-Vic type 2 scratchbuilt pair

Baby Deltic, whole class scratchbuilt and loads of cut and shuts.

NBL type 2, all main body variations converted Hornby 21/29

NBL type 2 (baby Warship) Class 29 converstions

BRCW Type 3, Bagpipe and Slim Jim versions converted from Lima model

EE type 3 split headcode version from Tri-ang model, and scratchbuilt

Hymek, D7000, converted from Tri-ang model (D7000 and D7001 when new differed from the rest of the class).

EE Type 1, Wren model converted to 4 figure headcode version and scratchbuild.

BTH Type 1, loads of scratchbuilt models

NBL Type 1, not so many scracthbult

Clayton Type 1, some scratchbuilt

Detiic, stretched Lima, and an abandoned scratchbuild when Bachmann introduced their model

Swindon/Paxman Type 1, Kit built

DP2, Lima Deltic converted

GT3, scratchbuilt

Lion, Scratchbulit

Falcon, scratch

Kestrel, scratch

DHP1, abandoned scratchbuild, no longer fitted what I was modelling at the time.

10001, plastic card

10203, started life as a MTK kit, body and chassis replaced body scratchbuilt and chassis Mainline Peak.

 

What is even dafter not only do I like diesels and EMUs but I have modeled them......not just bunged a sound chip in a RTR loco.

Clive, is that all you've got to show for all that time?

:nono:

 

Seriously though, were you the author of the RM article on scratchbuilt BTH Type 1s back in the late 80s?  Don't know why it sticks in my head.

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Tony, these may be of interest.

 

These were built by the late Nigel Hunt. They were salvaged after his big layout was dismantled. Obviously seen better days but will repaired and reappear on his smaller layout 'Swaveney' built in the 70s which was saved and will one day be re-built.

 

post-6728-0-51744500-1533390262_thumb.jpgpost-6728-0-06601400-1533390325_thumb.jpg

 

post-6728-0-66678100-1533390350_thumb.jpg

 

Prior to dismantling.

post-6728-0-61071800-1533390531.jpg

Edited by Re6/6
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Clive, is that all you've got to show for all that time?

:nono:

 

Seriously though, were you the author of the RM article on scratchbuilt BTH Type 1s back in the late 80s?  Don't know why it sticks in my head.

Hi

 

Sadly no. Monty Wells wrote one but his was a very good conversion of a class 20 into a BTH. He and/or RM were great in publishing one of his conversions about a week after I had just done the same conversion. I say the same, we both done things slightly different and his always looked better than mine.

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Tony,

 

It is with great sadness that I am writing this post to let you know that It is being reported on the New Forum on the "O" Gauge Guild website,that your dear friend and amazing modeller of buildings Allan Downes has passed away.

I am reluctant to start a new topic on this subject just in case it is incorrect,  although I fear that is not the case as many respected people are posting on the subject.

It is a very sad day for all of us that one of the best  old school modellers of fine buildings is no longer with us.

 

Kindest Regards,Derek.

 

PS:- despite doing a search,it would appear that Ian (Old Dubbers) has already started a topic named "Allan Downes..

Edited by CUTLER2579
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Tony,

 

It is with great sadness that I am writing this post to let you know that It is being reported on the New Forum on the "O" Gauge Guild website,that your dear friend and amazing modeller of buildings Allan Downes has passed away.

I am reluctant to start a new topic on this subject just in case it is incorrect,  although I fear that is not the case as many respected people are posting on the subject.

It is a very sad day for all of us that one of the best  old school modellers of fine buildings is no longer with us.

 

Kindest Regards,Derek.

 

Sadly:

More here

 

Mick

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Being of a certain vintage myself, I have yet to see what is so new and/or special about Internet Shopping that gets everyone so passionate.

 

We had a virtually identical mechanism back in the 1970s when I got married and my new wife, to generate a little extra income, became an agent for the "Kay's Catalogue" (there were others, such as Littlewoods, Grattan etc.).  The only real difference was that instead of computer screens you 'browsed' a dirty great thick paperback book about two inches thick and in Glorious Technicolour.  You read the descriptions, selected the item you wanted, filled-in a form to order it, your Agent submitted the form (by 'snail mail' of course), you sat back and waited, and two or three days later a Man in a White Van turned-up with a parcel ... which you examined the contents of and then, 50% of the time, immediately sent it back by a 'returns' procedure - because once you actually saw 'it' in the flesh, or felt the material, or whatever, you realised it wasn't actually  what you'd expected or wanted - and had you only gone to a proper shop in the first place you'd have known that within seconds.

 

For all practical purposes, where's the difference?  Or am I missing something? 

 

Yes, actually I realise I am - you could, if you wished, pay for the goods in instalments to the Catalogue Company, rather than as nowadays having to pay up-front and in full, with any 'instalments' then owed to your Credit Card Company instead.  Big deal!

Edited by Willie Whizz
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For all practical purposes, where's the difference?

 

Quite a lot I think. I'm of a certain age when I can well remember the greatly anticipated arrival of the latest Gamages catalogue. The big difference is that now you can easily test the voracity of the advertisers' claims with a few quick searches on the web, and it's also not difficult to find out if they are scoundrels. There's also "one click" shopping, a personal favorite....

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