Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Regarding collecting, I have to admit it's something I've never understood. 

 

Some years ago I participated in the making of a DVD at the Bassett Lowke Society's get together at Tewin, near Welwyn. 

 

I was astonished to learn that an O Gauge loco from the 1930s (which looked to me to have been made out of lots of pieces of bent tin!), because it was rare, in mint condition and in its original box with original documentation was worth five or six times more than a hand-built, professionally-painted equivalent. One was crude, fitted with steam-roller wheels, totally lacking in fine detail and the other was as good an example of loco-building as one might ever see. 

 

I can understand the notion of recreating one's childhood by 'playing' with train set stuff from one's youth (after all, that's what it was made for!), and, I agree, Bassett Lowke railways were never cheap train set material, but to value 'crudity' so highly I cannot understand at all. 

 

I believe the following items are worth a great deal of money! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone can explain exactly what some of the above items actually represent, I'll be pleased to hear. Or, what this lot might be worth. 

 

 

 

Though I don't have any actual figures to hand, these are RTR examples of O Gauge A3s. Are they close in price (the forthcoming 60072 will be about £700.00)? 

 

Thanks in anticipation.................

 

 

I know it's not the best of form to respond to one of one's own posts, but some of the locos/stock illustrated in this one are some of the most 'hideous' I've ever seen in my view. 

 

And, since this is a modellers' thread, much more than a collectors' thread, I'll get back to building that Gibson 517 Class....................

[APOLLO]

Hornby O gauge clockwork was great fun for my brother and me back in the 60s. Dad was given a whole load of the stuff, and bought some very cheaply, you could not give the stuff away back then. One station in mum and dad bedroom, one in ours and we sent trains to each other, occasionally having a head on collision on the landing ,

 

Then we both went electric, Triang OO for him, TT for me  No more head on smashes, a lot less fun ! The O stuff, bashed and bent was given to neighbours in return for  couple of nicely made baseboards  Horse trading at it's best !!

 

Brit15

[Adam88]

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQ_GXnO6xKc2fWb4fgkwBw

 

Here though is a garden railway which runs collectors' items yet operates in a more realistic or credible manner than many fine-scale layouts.  Is it the interpretation and setting which makes the difference?  I doubt that this would this work with contemporary, semi-detailed, RTR stock (often with non-scale wheels, stamped or moulded valve gear, etc).  Where the SDJR 2-8-0 appears on these films, fine model as it is, the spell breaks.

[Long John Silver]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks John,

 

I once photographed part of a whole collection of the Hornby-Dublo range. The guy who owned it had acquired EVERY single item ever made for HD by Meccano. It had taken him years. Every time he obtained an item, he'd look for one which was better/mint, especially with regard to the boxes. That done, he'd then sell the 'inferior' item (exchanging boxes, if necessary), until everything in the collection was 'mint boxed'. And it was, including the track-cleaning wagon. Then what? Bit by bit he sold the lot! To him it was the 'thrill of the chase'. 

 

As to what some folk 'value', WMRC once exhibited Stoke Summit at a show in S.Wales. Overnight, the show was broken into. On being informed of this on the Sunday morning, my heart dropped, expecting our locos/stock to have been pinched. Not so. Nothing on SS was disturbed at all. However, the rarest items on a Hornby-Dublo display had gone! Clearly the low-life responsible had visited the show on the Saturday, saw what was there and planned accordingly. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hi Tony, I guess it's an achievement to collect an entire range, but as you say - what next. That thief must have had specialist knowledge of the HD range to target the most expensive pieces, a real shame that people do these things.

 

On a lighter note I remember seeing Stoke Summit at the Rhondda Show, I'd never taken much notice of the articles about it in the model press, other than those about the locos and stock. However it was the first layout I remember seeing that was much  better in the flesh so to speak than in the magazine photos. I spent 20 minutes absorbed by the scene and the passing trains, something that I've never done before or since with a continuous type layout. I thought the palette of colour on the layout was particularly convincing, and of course the variety of trains passing. I would have spent longer but had to get back to our club's layout and earn my keep.

Regards

 

Jon

[Tony Wright]

2 hours ago, Long John Silver said:

Hi Tony, I guess it's an achievement to collect an entire range, but as you say - what next. That thief must have had specialist knowledge of the HD range to target the most expensive pieces, a real shame that people do these things.

 

On a lighter note I remember seeing Stoke Summit at the Rhondda Show, I'd never taken much notice of the articles about it in the model press, other than those about the locos and stock. However it was the first layout I remember seeing that was much  better in the flesh so to speak than in the magazine photos. I spent 20 minutes absorbed by the scene and the passing trains, something that I've never done before or since with a continuous type layout. I thought the palette of colour on the layout was particularly convincing, and of course the variety of trains passing. I would have spent longer but had to get back to our club's layout and earn my keep.

Regards

 

Jon

Thanks again, Jon, 

 

Ah yes, Stoke Summit. I'm glad you liked it. It did about 70 shows in some 14 years, so others must have liked it as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Wolverhampton Model Railway Club members built it, we had no idea how 'revolutionary' it would be. No station, just trains passing by. A 'watch the trains go by' layout, but those trains were 'right' and all had been built, apart from a few much-modified RTR examples. All the locos and stock seen in the pictures above now operate on Little Bytham, apart from the Mk.1 'Tees-Tyne Pullman'.

 

Stoke has now been sold-on and operates to the delight of its new owner, but its locos/stock are mainly RTR-derived now, and it's no longer exhibited; the latter is a good thing in my view, for without the scratch-built/kit-built locos/stock, Stoke Summit would have little meaning to WMRC. Or to viewers.

 

Its successor, Charwelton, has also been sold-on, but it carries on in exhibition form - in blue diesel mode and DCC! The thinking is that the line never closed, and carried on into the British Rail era. Interesting to some, perhaps, but Charwelton will always be steam to me and to the rest of its builders. 

 

Just think if Stoke Summit had been latter day 'dieselised'. I think not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did operate Stoke in diesel mode from time to time, but 'proper' ones, from the '60s and '70s.

 

 

 

 

 

These were much more RTR-derived (building diesel-outline models is much harder than building steam-outline!), and, for many, were just as popular as 'Stoke Steam'. 

 

One thing which strikes me about all these shots from the last century (though the GNER HST might just be from this one) is how poor they are in comparison with the shots I take now. Digital cameras have certainly improved.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Tony Wright
typo error

[polybear]

I overheard a story of a couple of guys who went to see  the widow of a vintage 0 Gauge collector (rare stuff, in vg/mint cond.).  Widow says "I threw away the boxes", along with "...and the wagons, because I didn't think anyone would be interested in those".  Turns out the "wagons" were the loco tenders.... 

[Compound2632]

23 minutes ago, polybear said:

I overheard a story of a couple of guys who went to see  the widow of a vintage 0 Gauge collector (rare stuff, in vg/mint cond.).  Widow says "I threw away the boxes", along with "...and the wagons, because I didn't think anyone would be interested in those".  Turns out the "wagons" were the loco tenders.... 

 

Moral: talk to your spouse about your hobbies.

[polybear]

1 minute ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Moral: talk to your spouse about your hobbies.

 

But:

(a) The cat will be out of the bag with regard to how much you've been spending.....

(b) She'll know what things are worth in the divorce settlement....

Tough call....

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, polybear said:

 

But:

(a) The cat will be out of the bag with regard to how much you've been spending.....

(b) She'll know what things are worth in the divorce settlement....

Tough call....

 

Count your spouse's shoes.

[polybear]

1 minute ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Count your spouse's shoes.

 

You're Special Forces trained, aren't you?

[Ian Smeeton]

3 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Count your spouse's shoes.

 

I did,

 

There seems to be an odd number!

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Theakerr]

Tony,

Tried to send you a PM but got message saying not available.  So a condensed version although I think the thread is pretty secure.  I realize that other videos are out there of LB but I dont't think any of them show the level of stock the way this one does. 

Regards

 

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, Ian Smeeton said:

 

I did,

 

There seems to be an odd number!

 

Regards

 

Ian

Try counting handbags then.....

 

Jamie

[richard i]

As an aside this thread has just surpassed ANTB thread which up until now I think had the most pages. This is not about number counting but more to show that as much as people say it is all focusing on  rtr in the hobby, it is a thread about building stuff which is the most popular (from what I can see unless someone knows of a thread with more content.) 

well done all who want to make stuff and keep the hobby interesting. 

Long may this vibrant thread last.

richard

[grahame]

4 hours ago, richard i said:

As an aside this thread has just surpassed ANTB thread which up until now I think had the most pages. 

 

Interesting, but for the ignorant of us like me, what is ANTB?

 

G

[timbowilts]

4 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

Interesting, but for the ignorant of us like me, what is ANTB?

 

G

A Nod To Brent, I believe

Tim T

[A Murphy]

A Nod to Brent........

[5 C]

9 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Try counting handbags then.....

 

Jamie

Only one pair of shoes can be worn and (normally) only one handbag can be carried at any particular time.

 

Locos on the other hand...

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, Theakerr said:

Tony,

Tried to send you a PM but got message saying not available.  So a condensed version although I think the thread is pretty secure.  I realize that other videos are out there of LB but I dont't think any of them show the level of stock the way this one does. 

Regards

 

Sorry about the PM situation,

 

Apparently my inbox is full, but, despite instructions on how to empty it, it's beyond me. I used to be able to do it with ease on the old RMweb.

 

I think the two DVDs I made which went out with BRM last year show the level of stock on LB, at least with regard to the number of different trains and locos run. As I said in a previous post, it's in as secure an environment as one might hope for - alarmed in my absence, with high-security bars on windows and door (made by our local blacksmith!) and plenty of locks. It's not a fool's paradise situation, but a pragmatic one with regard to security. 

 

The layout has featured so many times, anyway; on here, on U-Tube (how does one spell that?) and in the press. I even wrote about its building being erected some time ago. 

 

But, thanks for your concern.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

12 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Moral: talk to your spouse about your hobbies.

A very good idea,

 

Such is the support given to me by Mo (my wonderful wife) with regard to my 'hobby', that I couldn't participate in it without her. 

 

However, not all wives or partners are as understanding. In my professional loco-building days, I had to sneak in any models I'd made for a particular friend without his wife seeing them. Despite the fact that they were well-heeled (they'd never had children!), she thought it was all a 'complete waste of money'. Such was his concern (they were both getting on) that he might pre-decease her, he'd hand the models back to me and other friends - 'Just for safekeeping; you know what I mean' - knowing that if that were the case she'd just chuck the lot out. And, all his original documents, books and drawings as well. Our various houses bulged with the stuff! She loathed railways in every form - sad really. As it happened, she died first, and though my dear old friend has subsequently died, his collections are now in safe hands. Attending his wife's funeral, a few mates and I wondered whether the choice of plot for her grave was deliberate or arbitrary. It was as close to the West Coast Main Line as possible! We all smiled...................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Tony Wright]

5 hours ago, richard i said:

As an aside this thread has just surpassed ANTB thread which up until now I think had the most pages. This is not about number counting but more to show that as much as people say it is all focusing on  rtr in the hobby, it is a thread about building stuff which is the most popular (from what I can see unless someone knows of a thread with more content.) 

well done all who want to make stuff and keep the hobby interesting. 

Long may this vibrant thread last.

richard

Thanks for your thoughts, Richard,

 

However, as you say, it's not about number-counting. If this thread is as popular as it is, it's because it bulges with examples of personal model-making. Yes, I post pictures of what's new RTR - it's a privilege to be given the models to photograph - but very often they're subsequently followed-up by improvements/alterations/weathering to those models. 

 

It would seem that 'popularity' is important to some, though. Though nobody seeks 'unpopularity' (or do they?), I don't think the numbers matter. It's not a competition, and if anyone is concerned that their thread 'isn't the most-popular', then that's very shallow in my opinion. Andy York compared it once to 'their 15 minutes of fame', with regard to the presence of some on the interweb. Without it, they might never have been known. And, in many cases, it's now good that they are.

 

I certainly don't 'own' Wright Writes, and it's nothing without the considerable contributions of others. Please, keep them coming.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[grahame]

44 minutes ago, A Murphy said:

A Nod to Brent........

 

44 minutes ago, timbowilts said:

A Nod To Brent, I believe

Tim T

 

Thanks.

Not a thread I would have frequented. A little too Greasy, Wet and Rusty for my taste. 

 

G

[Dave Hunt]

15 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Despite the fact that they were well-healed .......

 

Sounds as though their relationship could be quite physically turbulent then Tony?

 

Dave 

[Clive Mortimore]

Like Tony I have a wife who allows me to undertake my hobby. In fact when we were looking to leave Essex the "railway shed" was as important as the stables. One property she liked, well the stables, didn't have a "railway shed" so I told her that I would camp in garage until such time we got around to building one. She viewed the stables and bungalow on her own. I had a telephone call "The garage is no bigger than you already have, would you like the living room?" 20 feet by 15 feet room, near the kitchen, warm in the winter, and cool (north facing) in the summer, it would have been rude to say no.

 

Don't worry we do have a living room which had been called the family room by the estate agent, it over looks the stables and horses.

 

How lucky am I?

[Chamby]

51 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Sounds as though their relationship could be quite physically turbulent then Tony?

 

Dave 

 

Of course, if they had been well-heeled, then he would presumably have counted how many shoes she had...

Edited June 24, 2019 by Chamby
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