Wright writes.....

[APOLLO]

1 minute ago, robertcwp said:

How about magnetic couplings? I have used some Hunt ones on Retford coaching stock and they seem to work OK.

 

 

 They look good - Thanks, I'll order a pack & try them.

 

Brit15

[john new]

2 hours ago, APOLLO said:

What we (well I) really need is an efficient "plug in" , non drooping, metal replacement for the horrible small tension lock coupling every manufacturer fits these days. And bin that swinging on corner mechanism whatever it is called., it's an even more horrid arrangement than the coupler.

 

I've just bought a small rake of Heljan BOC tank wagons from Hattons at a very good price. Superb wagons but for the above two points. Stop the train to quick and the droopy couplings over ride, sometimes causing derailments. Is a solid bar plug in type available ?

 

Brit15

 

 

Very definitely a yes for the metal coupler, and with the old style of riveted through an L flange fixing for the hook. The flimsy clip in hook design is utterly useless for layouts that have to be erected/dismantled even for home use due to double purpose layout/spare bedrooms. Up between family visits but dismantled so the bed can be used when the family come to stay!

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by john new
Typos corrected

[t-b-g]

42 minutes ago, robertcwp said:

Nothing craven or Cravens about it. It's a Swindon Class 120 Cross-Country unit.

 

I know but the front is a bit like a Craven unit and it was just about worth it for the humour.

[Leander]

5 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

I thought that - then had it pointed out to me that the cab side sheets were of different length. It's obvious once you know to look for it on a photo. 'So what?', you may say. Well, some of the things that get pointed about about differences to LNER pacific boilers seem quite hard to spot to me ... until they're pointed out and then they become obvious!

 

Of course, I only found about the difference between 5735/6 and the rebuilt Pats AFTER I'd renumbered my Hornby model up as 45736 'Phoenix. Ah well ...

From comparing photos of the two classes the lengths of the cab side sheets on the Rebuilt Patriots are slightly shorter than those on a Rebuilt Jubilee. Furthermore the side sheet lengths appear to be the same as those on the un-rebuilt members of the two classes, notwithstanding the fact that Patriots received new cabs upon being rebuilt, unlike the rebuilt Royal Scots. Is it possible to say that 'Comet' and 'Phoenix' retained their original cans? It appears that they did.

 

On the subject of 4-6-0s generally, the Bachmann Manor is extremely long in the tooth and doesn't brush up well in comparison with more recent releases.

 

On the LMS front, what about someone producing either an original or large boilered Claughton ready to run?

[Leander]

5 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

(Andy York)

That moulding looks ok for a rebuilt Patriot but not a rebuilt Jubilee.

 

[Chamby]

6 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Phil,

 

'there are a lot of other 4-6-0’s that will also come into play.'

 

Which ones have not been available RTR down the years in BR days? The ex-GC B7s? The original 'Royal Scots'? The SR 'Remembrance' rebuilds? Others?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Hi Tony,

 

Well I recall that it was only a few pages back that we were talking about B16/3's, as one example.  But if we are including Jubilee's (Bachmann) as due for a re-tooling or upgrade of some sort to current standards, then a goodly number of locomotives will fall into that category.   

 

You are right though, in that it will be interesting to see where the RTR manufacturers go next for new, big loco's.   I suspect it might be further back in time, with some of the grouping era motive power.  There are some very attractive engines from that era...

 

Phil.

[Northmoor]

It does become a problem for manufacturers when you run out of larger engines.  There is probably a bigger margin on larger locos and the (growing) collectors market tends to want bigger locos.  However, it also appears that the actual era and railway represented is less important, the loco just has to look appealing; otherwise there is no reason for so many unique prototypes or small, obscure classes being produced in RTR.

[bbishop]

Iconic 4-6-0s?  Could I propose the Urie H15 class, the first two cylinder, outside Walschaert valve gear, mixed traffic locomotive in England.  Therefore the forerunner of all the Black 5, B1 and Standard locomotives.  They were a class of 26 locomotives but of four very distinctive sub classes,  so if one wants diversity .....  Bill

[bbishop]

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

[Compound2632]

2 hours ago, Leander said:

That moulding looks ok for a rebuilt Patriot but not a rebuilt Jubilee.

 

 

To my mind, there is no express passenger engine that exudes sheer brute power more than a rebuilt Scot / Patriot / Jubilee. No Pacific can match them in that respect.

[Compound2632]

33 minutes ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

 

100% of modellers in this household. But I've several shelves of books specialising in that era so another one would probably need to be specific to my areas of interest. That's the problem: it's a bit like asking, would you be interested in buying a novel? The range is so diverse. A monograph on GER carriages is unlikely to appeal to someone whose primary interest is in the G&SWR.

[john new]

9 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

100% of modellers in this household. But I've several shelves of books specialising in that era so another one would probably need to be specific to my areas of interest. That's the problem: it's a bit like asking, would you be interested in buying a novel? The range is so diverse. A monograph on GER carriages is unlikely to appeal to someone whose primary interest is in the G&SWR.

At times yes; have bought a couple recently (one new one s/hand as out of print). How pre-grouping do you mean though is a sub-category minefield of its own drifting back into early railways. 1923 is almost modern image!

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by john new

[Bucoops]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

 

I have a lot of interest in the GER - primarily because so much stock and motive power survived until my chosen modelling period - but also because there's a story behind that stock that is very interesting.

[Bucoops]

29 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

100% of modellers in this household. But I've several shelves of books specialising in that era so another one would probably need to be specific to my areas of interest. That's the problem: it's a bit like asking, would you be interested in buying a novel? The range is so diverse. A monograph on GER carriages is unlikely to appeal to someone whose primary interest is in the G&SWR.

 

I would be *very* interested in a monograph on GER carriages

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, Bucoops said:

 

I would be *very* interested in a monograph on GER carriages

 

But would you buy a book on G&SWR rolling stock?

[Bucoops]

2 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

But would you buy a book on G&SWR rolling stock?

 

I bought a GWR book because it was joined onto one on LNER = needs must!

 

Admittedly I have to look up what the G&SWR was - so I can now say that no I wouldn't be interested in that as I doubt any of their stock ran on the GE metals. I say that because a lot of NER stock and others were cascaded to that line, therefore I have an interest in NER coaches as well

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, Bucoops said:

Admittedly I have to look up what the G&SWR was

 

Not to be confused with the GS&WR.

[Andy Hayter]

Would I buy a book on pre-grouping railways - well it would depend on which railways, the subject matter and possibly the author (known authority or just an unknown odd-gob).

 

I do have a broad interest in pre-grouping companies but it probably does not extend to Scottish ones.  Not because they are uninteresting - absolutely not - but because resources - time and cash - have their limits.  

[drmditch]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

 

Long live the NER, that's my view.

 

[Bucoops]

29 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Not to be confused with the GS&WR.

 

Yup, had to look that one up too

[richard i]

1 hour ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

I do. I will buy pregrouping books if they are on the GCR or are related to stock which ran on the GCR/ other lines which GCR stock ran on. I know that does not narrow it down much as Robinson Atlantic’s made it to Devon. London to Manchester, Grimsby to Wales. Then Gresley made more to go on the NER and in Scotland post grouping.

Result: large bookcases and a concerned wife who asks how many walls in the house will be covered by them. 
Richard 

[Clearwater]

15 minutes ago, richard i said:

I do. I will buy pregrouping books if they are on the GCR or are related to stock which ran on the GCR/ other lines which GCR stock ran on. I know that does not narrow it down much as Robinson Atlantic’s made it to Devon. London to Manchester, Grimsby to Wales. Then Gresley made more to go on the NER and in Scotland post grouping.

Result: large bookcases and a concerned wife who asks how many walls in the house will be covered by them. 
Richard 

My wife keeps saying really unhelpful things like “one in one out” referring to books particularly.  I try and limit my purchases to stuff that’s relevant to my interests.  On non-railway books, Wisden each year is a must.  For reference, I’d also buy a GCR book particularly if focused on the GW joint line.  I already have a couple of tomes but that wouldn’t stop me getting another.  I’d probably also invest, wisely, in any GW photo album particularly if well presented and annotated.

 

David

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

I'd say a very large proportion, Bill, though whether members of that proportion would buy specific books on the subject, I've no idea.

 

The reason I say a 'large proportion', is based on my own personal modelling. Several loco classes and items of rolling stock which operate on both systems of LB are pre-Grouping in design, as is all the railway architecture and civil engineering. Only the main line signals are post-Grouping.

 

So, if LB is typical of a steam-era representation of BR in the '50s, then an interest in pre-Grouping material is a prerequisite for research and construction. Indeed, I have many books on the GN, the MR and the M&GNR. 

 

Take my own home railways at Chester, if I may? In my time there, most of the structures/civil engineering were (are still) pre-Grouping, most of the signal boxes were, much of the signalling was - and this is well into blue diesel days. When I taught in Birkenhead 50 years ago, my daily DMU commute was controlled by numerous ex-L&NWR lower quadrant signals, all along the Wirral main line. 

 

Even today, infrastructure exists which is very pre-Grouping in its appearance across the railway network. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Chas Levin]

2 hours ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

One interested party here .

[thegreenhowards]

2 hours ago, bbishop said:

Ladies and gentlemen.   May I ask a question?  What proportion of modellers are interested in the pre grouping era?  I'm not asking if they actually model pre grouping, but interested enough to purchase a book specialising in that era.  Bill

Bill,

 

I think you’d find that quite a small proportion of all modellers would buy a pre grouping book. In general there is more interest in era 4 onwards and while what Tony and others have said about historic research is definitely true for some, I suspect the majority are not that fastidious. For modellers who tune into this thread I suspect that it would still be a small minority who would buy any particular pre grouping book but the majority would buy one on their particular area(s) of interest. Personally speaking, I’d consider buying books on the GNR but probably not on other railways. 
 

Andy