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Lord & Butler, Cardiff


Danemouth
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I made the trip over to Penarth Road yesterday from East Cardiff and wasn't disappointed. The shop has everything, plenty of stock and accessories. Not many bargains, but this is probably due to the rarity of some of the stuff.

A minor issue is being unable to 'rummage' through the stock - there is a mix of items hidden beneath/behind the front model but these are behind a glass door. This makes sense, but a list or something with what is in there and the price would save a lot of squinting/continual disruption of staff. Perhaps a tablet/ipad with a stock list would be useful since there isn't an active website at present.

 

Still walked out with a Cross Country Turbostar that I wasn't intending to get!

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Regarding what Andy Y says about their weathering.Have to say that it's the best "off the shelf" around.They have an artist's eye and I believe that is literally true in their case.

I have bought several weathered models from L and B and I'm very pleased with them. For what it's worth I believe that Adrian has an MA in fine art!

Edited by Linners
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Agree with Linners - I too have bought several weathered locos and trucks from them. Hope to pick up a weathered Britannia I asked them to do earlier this year from them this Saturday at Peterboro exhibition. Their weathered 16T mineralwagons are a joy.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just to stick my oar in, I too have a wide selection of weathered stock sourced from Peter and Adrian, and as above on Daveymills images, the sound fitted Dapol westerns, weathered down are the main stay of motive power on Ranelagh bridge, indeed, Adrian has "The eye", happy to recommend them at any opertunity.

post-9901-0-78337700-1415399829_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

Just thought I would keep you all updated (it's Steve from Lord and Butler btw!!). The website is up and running, around 700 items on there, only about 9000 to go!! I try and keep it as up to date as possible with news and that, plus the email newsletter for people who want it about latest releases etc. Oh and it is tied directly into our stock system so what it shows is what we have. :) Still a lot of work to do! be sure to come look at Ranelagh Bridge in the next week or so, our latest nighttime demo layout :) Thanks for all the support and kind words, see ya soon!

Steve

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In the shop earlier this week and picked up a brace of unmade K's Palbricks, currently sat on the workbench whilst the castings are cleaned up and I decide what to do with them (any or all ideas welcome !)

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Nice to stand back and listen to punters admiring "Ranelagh Bridge" now used by L&B to display 4mm products. 

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Didn't have the heart to say "'yes, it is good, my brother built it" and / but  "it's tried my patience at a few shows".......................

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This proves that there is also an enjoyable social aspect to visiting L&B.

.

Brian R 

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Just thought I would keep you all updated (it's Steve from Lord and Butler btw!!). The website is up and running, around 700 items on there, only about 9000 to go!! I try and keep it as up to date as possible with news and that, plus the email newsletter for people who want it about latest releases etc. Oh and it is tied directly into our stock system so what it shows is what we have. :) Still a lot of work to do! be sure to come look at Ranelagh Bridge in the next week or so, our latest nighttime demo layout :) Thanks for all the support and kind words, see ya soon!

Steve

 

More than happy to be kept updated - especially as I don't often get chance to get down the shop (being busy a lot of the time - and needing to catch 3 / 4 buses either way from my part of the world - might act as slight deterrents!).

 

However, when I have been able to get to the shop, it's been more than worth the trip - partly because I've always found it a pleasure to do business with the people there - partly because there often seems to be something interesting there, which I've never seen before - partly because it's possible to find that I desperately need some item(s) I hadn't even thought about beforehand ... .

 

(The fact that Lord & Butler also have a decent, good quality, second hand section also helps.)

 

OK - I haven't yet had chance to do anything with those Bachmann Junior diesels, from the other week - but I know they'll come in extremely useful (and I'm looking forward to converting / using them).

 

 

As for Ranelagh Bridge, I hope I get chance to see it - preferably soon.

 

Time will tell - hopefully not too much time ... .

 

 

A novel way to see the shop!

 

 

I also thought that video rather interesting.

 

It certainly gives some idea of the variety of items they stock - although, inevitably, it can't possibly show everything.

 

Saying that, you can be certain that, even in a very well run shop like Lord & Butler, a video like this would quickly turn into a voyage of discovery - like discovering items that had found their way into unexpected places. Easily sorted out, though ... .

 

 

It's also interesting to see how different the shop looks from this viewpoint - of course, much higher than a typical eye level - with the result that, on the video, I'm more likely to see signage and less likely to see the stock.

 

(This is something I've also noticed at trade and hobby shows - when I walk around shows, I usually notice stuff that's at or below eye level - items displayed on stands - the people stood next to them. Meanwhile, signage, however clear you'd think it would be, often seems to be as good as invisible. There have actually been a number of shows where I've been actively looking for certain stands - but haven't been able to find them, or have only realised that I've visited them after I've left the show - or, perhaps, I've recognised stands only because of people, or some very distinctive items on the stands concerned.)

 

 

However, whatever level I'm seeing this shop from, the stock generally seems to be there - a decent range of stock - decent quality stock - at sensible prices.

 

Huw.

Edited by Huw Griffiths
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Thumbs up to Steve and Adrian ( I don't think peter had his hand in it.) for the work to date on Ranelagh Bridge, nice transformation from night time theme to shop display. Some cracking extra detail items that enhance it no end.

Can't praise them all enough, an arf tidy shop that is. I'll be there now, in a minute.

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Hopefully I will be finishing off rewiring the layout for end of next week (now Peters back, I can concentrate on it). It's going to have a couple of sound logos purring around on it plus some road vehicles (lit of course!) and a panel everyone can play with to turn building and street lights on and off :) oh yes and a computer with rail master on to run the pointwork and that.

 

On another note, thanks again for all the praise!

 

Steve

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Yes the shop will be open on Monday :) Only ever closed for 2 reasons, Sunday Morning hang over recovery or the Zombie Apocalypse. :) So far the latter hasnt happened! Otherwise Mon -Sat 10(ish, give or take 5 mins) to 5:30 and Sun 2-5PM.

 

On another note, Ranelagh Bridge is up and running, lights, sound etc. Just got a couple of vehicles to to light up and they will be on then it is back over to Adrian to finish off the front facia :) 

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