Wright writes.....

[Andy Hayter]

I knew that, but it makes a point nevertheless.

[t-b-g]

How about Falsgrave Tunnel at Scarborough. Most unrealistic. No hill, no building, no nothing above it!

[96701]

Gisburn tunnel. Look it up.

 

[micknich2003]

Falsgrave tunnel.

[t-b-g]

8 hours ago, micknich2003 said:

Falsgrave tunnel.

 

Everything about that photo is just wonderful.

 

The loco, the carriage, the signal and signalbox, all the little details like lamps, the hut and the retaining wall and tunnel mouth all shouting "model me!".

[jamie92208]

8 hours ago, 96701 said:

Gisburn tunnel. Look it up.

 

Built at the request of the landowner to pacify him IIRC. I believe that several other structures were built for similarcreasons such as the fovered way on the Matlock to Buxton route near, I think, Hadden Hall. Though in thevlatter case the current owners are being just as obstroculous in relation to reopening plans.

 

Jamie

[LNER4479]

28 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

 current owners are being just as obstroculous in relation to reopening plans.

 

Jamie

Wow - an early contender for 'word of the day' there from Jamie. I'm off to look it up in the Dick n Harry ...

[thegreenhowards]

19 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

 Often, the prime-mover is at fault.

Tony,

 

As a loco doctor, I’m sure you’re right in that statement. However, in my experience of rescuing kits from eBay and toy fairs (remember them!) the problems are far more often (in this rough order):

• Pick ups - probably more than all the other faults put together;
• Short circuits
• Binding coupling rods;
• A badly put together chassis (the one I struggle to sort out);
• Valve gear;
• A dislodged wire (easy one!);
• Dodgy wheels (i.e. not Romfords);

The only times a motor has been the issue was a couple of GWR locos which I spotted had Portescaps but were jammed solid. A soak overnight in meths (gearbox only - removed from the motor) and some oil and the motors ran sweetly - the pick ups still needed sorting though! I kept the motors and sold on the locos without a motor.

 

Regards

 

Andy

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by thegreenhowards
Adding short circuits - how could I forget them?!

[gr.king]

59 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Wow - an early contender for 'word of the day' there from Jamie. I'm off to look it up in the Dick n Harry ...

 

It must be regional, being a word I heard regularly in my childhood, yet notably absent from standard dictionaries in which I have looked.

[jamie92208]

34 minutes ago, gr.king said:

 

It must be regional, being a word I heard regularly in my childhood, yet notably absent from standard dictionaries in which I have looked.

It was certainly well used in Yorkshire when I was working. I do like it as a word.

 

Jamie

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

Tony,

 

As a loco doctor, I’m sure you’re right in that statement. However, in my experience of rescuing kits from eBay and toy fairs (remember them!) the problems are far more often (in this rough order):

• Pick ups - probably more than all the other faults put together;
• Short circuits
• Binding coupling rods;
• A badly put together chassis (the one I struggle to sort out);
• Valve gear;
• A dislodged wire (easy one!);
• Dodgy wheels (i.e. not Romfords);

The only times a motor has been the issue was a couple of GWR locos which I spotted had Portescaps but were jammed solid. A soak overnight in meths (gearbox only - removed from the motor) and some oil and the motors ran sweetly - the pick ups still needed sorting though! I kept the motors and sold on the locos without a motor.

 

Regards

 

Andy

 

Good afternoon Andy,

 

I've had gummed-up Portescaps brought to me at shows. I've always been able to release them by moving the driving wheels by hand (with some force!) and then let the motor do the rest using crocodile clips. It would appear to be the fault of the original red lubricant. Some proper oil after that and they were fine...........

 

I like your description 'rescuing' kits from various sources. Unless they're effectively 'given away', I'd never touch them. Why not? Because every one I've had through my hands has taken me longer to undo and put right than it would if starting with a virgin kit. And, the end result (despite that extra time) rarely (if ever) matches the 'standard' I set myself when building a pristine loco kit. I say 'given away', and by that I mean considerably less than the component parts' original cost. That way, in the same way that car enthusiasts use the term 'spares or repairs', I might well recover things like wheels and motor and use any recoverable body bits as spares. 

 

However, all the above said, on occasions, I have 'resurrected' locos built by others............

 

Cases in point.....

 

 

This DJH A1 was largely-built when I acquired it from the estate of a deceased modeller. It didn't go very well, but the cure was relatively simple (just some minor tweaking to pick-ups, motor/gearbox mount and coupling rods - like your list). I completed it and Geoff Haynes painted it.

 

Initial cost £50.00. Worth it?

 

 

Another DJH A1, this time with the bodywork built by a good friend. I built the chassis, adding the cost of the motor/gearbox. This one was painted by Ian Rathbone.

 

Initial cost £100.00. Worth it? 

 

 

Built from a virgin DJH kit by me; painted by Ian Rathbone.

 

 

And another from the same source.

 

Viewers might draw their own conclusions.....................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Wright]

5 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

Tony,

 

As a loco doctor, I’m sure you’re right in that statement. However, in my experience of rescuing kits from eBay and toy fairs (remember them!) the problems are far more often (in this rough order):

• Pick ups - probably more than all the other faults put together;
• Short circuits
• Binding coupling rods;
• A badly put together chassis (the one I struggle to sort out);
• Valve gear;
• A dislodged wire (easy one!);
• Dodgy wheels (i.e. not Romfords);

The only times a motor has been the issue was a couple of GWR locos which I spotted had Portescaps but were jammed solid. A soak overnight in meths (gearbox only - removed from the motor) and some oil and the motors ran sweetly - the pick ups still needed sorting though! I kept the motors and sold on the locos without a motor.

 

Regards

 

Andy

 

 

duplicate post

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Tony Wright

[Chamby]

On 07/10/2020 at 08:11, Tony Wright said:

Retford's locos should receive lamps before too long!

 

 

These are superb (thanks Dave). 

 

A few hours' work ahead drilling wee holes (for those locos fitted with brackets) and out with the white paint! 

 

 

 

I've also got something of a lamp factory going on today.   More lamps from Dave at Lanarkshire Models, a mix of LNER and ex-LMS versions, the quality I agree is superb.   Just a small moulding 'pip' to remove from the base of a few of them, and then straight into the spray booth.  It was quite a surprise when I calculated how many I'd need to 'top and tail' the balance of my Loco fleet and rakes of rolling stock!  

 

 

 

[jwealleans]

Quote

Initial cost £50.00. Worth it?

 

On the whole I think so, Tony.    Probably not financially, but if you're looking to gain experience in kit building, rescuing a basket case, whether you succeed or not, is a very useful learning exercise.   If you do decide it's beaten you then at the very least you haven't spent the cost of a full kit and you end up with a handy source of spares.    When I'm doing my wagon building demo at shows  - remember those? - I often have a few wrecks as examples and suggest people look out for them to practice on if they don't want to risk messing up a new kit.  If you do succeed the satisfaction is enormous.

[Tony Wright]

4 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

On the whole I think so, Tony.    Probably not financially, but if you're looking to gain experience in kit building, rescuing a basket case, whether you succeed or not, is a very useful learning exercise.   If you do decide it's beaten you then at the very least you haven't spent the cost of a full kit and you end up with a handy source of spares.    When I'm doing my wagon building demo at shows  - remember those? - I often have a few wrecks as examples and suggest people look out for them to practice on if they don't want to risk messing up a new kit.  If you do succeed the satisfaction is enormous.

I agree entirely Jonathan,

 

There is a satisfaction in making something reasonable out of what was once a basket case. As long as the initial cost wasn't too much. 

 

Since I know nothing about the workings of ebay (nor want to), I cannot comment from personal experience; only second-hand, on observing what others show me. From what I've seen, it appears to be extremes. Fantastic value on one hand and, on the other hand, folk shelling out for rubbish (the latter usually after a 'feeding frenzy'). It's not just part-built/stuff, either. Someone I know bought a D&S kit for twice the price of what a phone call to Dan Pinnock would have achieved. 

 

Isn't there a thread on here called 'ebay madness'?

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Willie Whizz]

9 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

“Someone i know bought a D&S kit for twice the price of what a phone call to Dan Pinnock would have achieved. 

 

Isn't there a thread on here called 'ebay madness'?”

 

 

Mmmm ... but bear in mind that of course not every modeller will know who ‘Dan Pinnock’ is, how to reach him by telephone, or that he can still supply some D&S kits. But they may still want a model of that particular vehicle very badly; enough to pay what to those ‘in the know’ will indeed see as mad prices; but if you don’t know any better (or know someone who does) may seem worth it to ‘obtain the unobtainable’.  

 

The psychology of e-Bay is quite complex, and more goes on below the surface than is apparent sometimes. 

[thegreenhowards]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Andy,

 

I've had gummed-up Portescaps brought to me at shows. I've always been able to release them by moving the driving wheels by hand (with some force!) and then let the motor do the rest using crocodile clips. It would appear to be the fault of the original red lubricant. Some proper oil after that and they were fine...........

 

I like your description 'rescuing' kits from various sources. Unless they're effectively 'given away', I'd never touch them. Why not? Because every one I've had through my hands has taken me longer to undo and put right than it would if starting with a virgin kit. And, the end result (despite that extra time) rarely (if ever) matches the 'standard' I set myself when building a pristine loco kit. I say 'given away', and by that I mean considerably less than the component parts' original cost. That way, in the same way that car enthusiasts use the term 'spares or repairs', I might well recover things like wheels and motor and use any recoverable body bits as spares. 

 

However, all the above said, on occasions, I have 'resurrected' locos built by others............

 

Cases in point.....

 

 

This DJH A1 was largely-built when I acquired it from the estate of a deceased modeller. It didn't go very well, but the cure was relatively simple (just some minor tweaking to pick-ups, motor/gearbox mount and coupling rods - like your list). I completed it and Geoff Haynes painted it.

 

Initial cost £50.00. Worth it?

 

 

Another DJH A1, this time with the bodywork built by a good friend. I built the chassis, adding the cost of the motor/gearbox. This one was painted by Ian Rathbone.

 

Initial cost £100.00. Worth it? 

 

 

Built from a virgin DJH kit by me; painted by Ian Rathbone.

 

 

And another from the same source.

 

Viewers might draw their own conclusions.....................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Tony,

 

To my relatively untrained eye they all look very good, so the cheaper ones look like good value to me.
 

I think the equation changes for you as a professional. Your time is money and if a basket case takes longer than building the original kit then clearly that costs money. 
 

In my case, I enjoy playing with old kits and getting them running. Unless it’s something I really want or it’s come from a good source (I.e. via you) I never pay more than £100 and generally nearer the £50 mark. This GWR engines I mentioned earlier cost me £160 for 7 of them (last year) although only three had portescaps. That’s what I call a bargain! I still find it quite stressful starting a virgin kit and knowing that I may make a mess of £200+ of material. Playing around with £50 worth of old kit which I know I can strip for the parts if I make a complete mess of it is comparatively relaxing but can still give me a buzz when (if) I sort it out.
 

Andy

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

Tony,

 

To my relatively untrained eye they all look very good, so the cheaper ones look like good value to me.
 

I think the equation changes for you as a professional. Your time is money and if a basket case takes longer than building the original kit then clearly that costs money. 
 

In my case, I enjoy playing with old kits and getting them running. Unless it’s something I really want or it’s come from a good source (I.e. via you) I never pay more than £100 and generally nearer the £50 mark. This GWR engines I mentioned earlier cost me £160 for 7 of them (last year) although only three had portescaps. That’s what I call a bargain! I still find it quite stressful starting a virgin kit and knowing that I may make a mess of £200+ of material. Playing around with £50 worth of old kit which I know I can strip for the parts if I make a complete mess of it is comparatively relaxing but can still give me a buzz when (if) I sort it out.
 

Andy

'This GWR engines I mentioned earlier cost me £160 for 7 of them (last year) although only three had portescaps. That’s what I call a bargain!'

 

Indeed!

 

The cheaper A1s were very good value. Cheaper than my buying all the necessary bits brand new, so they were worth it to me. And, because I had to do a fair bit on both, I accept them as 'mine', though not quite to the same extent as if I'd built them completely. Perhaps if I tried to learn how to paint to a professional standard (or the standard I insist upon) my models would be completely 'mine'. However, that's a skill possessed by only the few......................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

Mmmm ... but bear in mind that of course not every modeller will know who ‘Dan Pinnock’ is, how to reach him by telephone, or that he can still supply some D&S kits. But they may still want a model of that particular vehicle very badly; enough to pay what to those ‘in the know’ will indeed see as mad prices; but if you don’t know any better (or know someone who does) may seem worth it to ‘obtain the unobtainable’.  

 

The psychology of e-Bay is quite complex, and more goes on below the surface than is apparent sometimes. 

'The psychology of e-Bay is quite complex'

 

Too complex for me, and I'm happy for that to remain the case.................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[rowanj]

For a buyer, I believe Ebay is only as "complex" as you want to make it. If you have a maximum price for the object you want, and don't get sucked into a silly bidding war which goes beyond what you think is reasonable, then Ebay is no different to any other auction. The main problem, especially with things like built kits, is that you are buying "sight unseen" and rely on the description or reputation of the seller, who often is not a modeller.

As far as I know, most OO  D&S kits are not currently in production, ..certainly in the case of NER coaches, so getting them from Dan is problematic to say the least. As a result, prices for unbuilt kits sell for a good bit more than Dan would sell them for. What ,then, is a reasonable price?  Isn't it what the market dictates? If folk pay more than other folk think is reasonable, surely that,a their business,

What I do object to are those  Buy it Now prices which are clearly exhorbitant . But my solution isn't complex..I just don't buy them.

Finally, I think Ebay is handy. I have just bought flux, some wire lengths of various SWG, and a couple of wagon kits, using Paypal. Once, i would have got them from a show or local model shop. Those were the days....

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

I use E-Bay quite a lot, for a few reasons, it's easy to see what your buying (reasonable pictures) I have a son in the UK who hangs onto everything I buy and then parcels it all up and sends to me. I would buy from other sources........But, when a supplier has this as a way to 'PAY', E Mail us a time and date to phone us with your credit details, and you are living the other side of the World with time differences, it makes your Brain melt.

With others ( Mainly Trains) it was so so easy (Sadly missed), but today we have Peters Spares, and again we have a But, there postage prices have got up to an eye watering 40 pounds, per order, I was making up an order, when the new postage came into force, it went to my son and not straight to Australia, it may take another month before I get.

 

Terry (aka manna)

[nerron]

I used to buy on Ebay until they introduced their extortionate Global Shipping Program (GSP) which costs two to three times what previously individual sellers were charging. Additionally a charge for GST is added at a rate that is well above the actual rate of 10%, even though GST does not apply to second hand sales! Occasionally a seller is found who does not use the GSP but this is now very much the exception. All this makes purchasing D&S kits on Ebay a very expensive proposition for us antipodeans. 

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Fantastic value on one hand and, on the other hand, folk shelling out for rubbish

All auctions are like that - it's how they work.

 

7 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

The psychology of e-Bay is quite complex, and more goes on below the surface than is apparent sometimes.

Yes, in the online world, strange things do seem to happen.

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, nerron said:

I used to buy on Ebay until they introduced their extortionate Global Shipping Program (GSP) which costs two to three times what previously individual sellers were charging. Additionally a charge for GST is added at a rate that is well above the actual rate of 10%, even though GST does not apply to second hand sales! Occasionally a seller is found who does not use the GSP but this is now very much the exception. All this makes purchasing D&S kits on Ebay a very expensive proposition for us antipodeans. 

Another problem with the GSP is that it prevents sellers combining lots to save shipping costs. Like you, Ron, I refuse to use it. You're right about GST, too. I note that they never deduct the 20% VAT (for UK sales) though!

 

Just wondering, could we claim back the GST in some way (assuming it ever gets to the Government and isn't just another way to line eBay's pockets...)?

[nerron]

John, I would be very surprised if the GST ended up in the Australian Government coffers.