Lime Street Station

[richard.h]

Very sorry to hear of your misfortune, you must circulate the list of stolen items as widely as possible, their can't be many suitable homes for EM gauge stock of that period.

 

The only redeeming feature is that the layout was not vandalised and some of your unique buildings and structures destroyed which in itself points to it being a targeted break-in whose only intention was to take the Locos for resale or re-use.

 

Regards

Richard

[beast66606]

Returned for a brief visit to post my disgust at this act - I've posted on my Facebook page, not that I have a huge reach but any reach is better than none.

 

 

[Roger Sunderland]

So sorry to hear this news. This is one of the finest model railway layouts ever built. An historical masterpiece. Surely the theft is pointless, the locos will stand out by a mile if they try to sell them?

I do hope somebody can track them down.

Best of luck.

[IvoryGreen456]

Hi all, 

Spotted this on eBay. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295017935850?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7be2LKIaSW2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=opu9hd5_spq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Kind regards,

Jacob.

[sir douglas]

they've got an L&Y tank as well

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295017876466?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818143230%26meid%3D67dfa10be88946808906a626ecd8e13b%26pid%3D101224%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D295017935850%26itm%3D295017876466%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWeb%26brand%3DBachmann&_trksid=p2047675.c101224.m-1

[Michael Edge]

That's described as a Mercian kit (although that mway not be correct) - the one used on Lime Street was from our kit.

[Les Green]

11 minutes ago, IvoryGreen456 said:

Hi all, 

Spotted this on eBay. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295017935850?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7be2LKIaSW2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=opu9hd5_spq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Kind regards,

Jacob.

Thanks for the reference to Ebay. Sadly it is not ours. Wrong number and ours is a Judith Edge kit. Surprisingly similar though, even down to the KD Couplings!

Thanks for looking and getting in contact.

Keep looking!

Les

[Les Green]

1 minute ago, Michael Edge said:

That's described as a Mercian kit (although that mway not be correct) - the one used on Lime Street was from our kit.

Yes it was one of yours. I made it for the layout. And it was the most powerful loco on our layout. It was the only loco that could pull 30 comet coaches!

Les

[Jol Wilkinson]

5 minutes ago, Les Green said:

Yes it was one of yours. I made it for the layout. And it was the most powerful loco on our layout. It was the only loco that could pull 30 comet coaches!

Les

Les,

 

appalling news about LLS. I hope John, you and the rest of the team can keep smiling despite this theft. I have put a post on the S4 Society Forum.

 

I wouldn't put too much faith in the accuracy of some eBay traders descriptions, they often know little about some of models they have for sale, especially if bought as  a "job lot".

 

Jol

[Clearwater]

On 02/06/2022 at 06:41, Barry O said:

Sad to hear but this looks like its an organised theft. The thieves knew what they wanted and where it was. There can't be many EM LMS late period layouts around who could use the locos. Any track builders aware of such a layout?

 

Just hope the locos can be found and returned.

 

Baz

I agree this looks like an organised theft deliberately targeting this layout.  If this is correct, that means whoever committed the crime must have known exactly where to go and appears to have taken some care about the break in.  If a targeted break in, then the thief will know as well as we do that ebay will be too visible to dispose of such a collection.  I don’t think it is a random as otherwise they would probably not have taken as much care to not damage the rest of the layout.

Picking up on a point made to me on Facebook, this may be for a collector and not a model operator.  If the former, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that they’ve commissioned model builders in the past as well.  I wonder if that community, as well as track builders, might be aware of those with an interest in that period?

Sadly, I doubt this crime is one the police will ultimately  have much interest in unless there’s a DS Dodds around… as such, if the crime is to be solved, the information is likely to come from within the modelling community.

[andytrains]

Very sorry to hear of this Burglary/Theft.

I will make all members of the East Ham MRC aware.

You have our sympathies.

Hope the items are recovered and the perpetrators bought to justice.

Andy Neil. 

[Pete the Elaner]

On 04/06/2022 at 22:56, Clearwater said:

I agree this looks like an organised theft deliberately targeting this layout.  If this is correct, that means whoever committed the crime must have known exactly where to go and appears to have taken some care about the break in.  If a targeted break in, then the thief will know as well as we do that ebay will be too visible to dispose of such a collection.  I don’t think it is a random as otherwise they would probably not have taken as much care to not damage the rest of the layout.

Picking up on a point made to me on Facebook, this may be for a collector and not a model operator.  If the former, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that they’ve commissioned model builders in the past as well.  I wonder if that community, as well as track builders, might be aware of those with an interest in that period?

Sadly, I doubt this crime is one the police will ultimately  have much interest in unless there’s a DS Dodds around… as such, if the crime is to be solved, the information is likely to come from within the modelling community.

 

I agree that seems most likely but there is hope...

 

A friend of mine had some locos stolen from their clubroom upstairs in a local church a few years ago. They only stole the boxed models too. Anything on the layout stayed there, so it seems they wanted to make a quick getaway & we did not expect to see them again.

Would you really break in to an upstairs room in a church for a speculative raid?

They were mainly old Lima diesels, so nowhere near as unusual as EM gauge post-46 LMS locos, but they were weathered, so this made them a little more recognisable.

About a week later, several started to turn up on ebay. With some help from members here on RMWeb, the seller was track down & most of the models were eventually recovered.

 

I hope the lot stolen from LLS do show up somewhere, maybe a model shop & get seen by someone who realises where they came from.

I will be aware in the unlikely event that I come across some of them.

[Steve Hewitt]

Many thanks to all who have sent messages of support and sympathy.

It is much appreciated by all the Lime Street Crew.

 

Below are details of the stolen items , and your vigilance looking out for them will hopefully help us to recover them.

We'll keep you up to date with any progress on recovery or prosecution of the culprits.

 

 

Disaster.............the details...

 

John has managed to get the following three lists together detailing the items stolen:

 

First the locos which were removed from the layout:

Stolen Layout Loco List Issue 1.pdf

 

Second a small colletion of 0 Gauge items:

STOLEN O GAUGE STOCK.pdf

 

Finally a list of other items taken:

Miscellaneous stolen items.pdf

 

Thanks for all your support.

Steve

 

[ardbealach]

From the published list it is worse than I first imagined - given the numbers stolen. (Alisdair)

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, Steve Hewitt said:

Many thanks to all who have sent messages of support and sympathy.

It is much appreciated by all the Lime Street Crew.

 

Below are details of the stolen items , and your vigilance looking out for them will hopefully help us to recover them.

We'll keep you up to date with any progress on recovery or prosecution of the culprits.

 

 

Disaster.............the details...

 

John has managed to get the following three lists together detailing the items stolen:

 

First the locos which were removed from the layout:

Stolen Layout Loco List Issue 1.pdf 1.71 MB · 25 downloads

 

Second a small colletion of 0 Gauge items:

STOLEN O GAUGE STOCK.pdf 42.9 kB · 22 downloads

 

Finally a list of other items taken:

Miscellaneous stolen items.pdf 259.3 kB · 16 downloads

 

Thanks for all your support.

Steve

 

 

Lists posted to British Railway Modelling and Model Rail Network FB groups.

[jcm@gwr]

I've sent a tweet about this as well. 

[Simond]

Steve,  

 

I’ll post the lists on Western Thunder later in the day.

 

atb

Simon

 

[GordonC]

Just a quick question about the list, the LMS 10000 diesel prototype loco at the top, are you sure the manufacturer for that was ViTrains? If it was brass and made in South Korea, was that not FIA Trains that made it?

[Dragonboy]

I can’t conceive how you guys must be feeling and like everyone on here hope you have success in recovering these items. 
 

I’m sure you or the police will have circulated traders and auction houses to whom these may be offered already.

 

Brian

[Les Green]

On 07/06/2022 at 09:46, GordonC said:

Just a quick question about the list, the LMS 10000 diesel prototype loco at the top, are you sure the manufacturer for that was ViTrains? If it was brass and made in South Korea, was that not FIA Trains that made it?

Definitely ViTrains!

[GordonC]

2 minutes ago, Les Green said:

Definitely ViTrains!

 

ok, I'll take your word for it. I dont remember ViTrains ever making those. I thought ViTrains were Italian and always in plastic.

 

The FIA Trains ones were in brass, a bit special and very expensive (https://www.hattons.co.uk/90312/fia_trains_10000fia_lms_pioneer_diesel_loco_d10000_brass_construction_/stockdetail)

[Bloodnok]

On 08/06/2022 at 13:37, GordonC said:

ok, I'll take your word for it. I dont remember ViTrains ever making those. I thought ViTrains were Italian and always in plastic.

 

The FIA Trains ones were in brass, a bit special and very expensive (https://www.hattons.co.uk/90312/fia_trains_10000fia_lms_pioneer_diesel_loco_d10000_brass_construction_/stockdetail)

There's no ViTrains RTR LMS 10000, but the Silver Fox kit can be built using a ViTrains Class 37 chassis.

[Les Green]

I got the Vitrains bit wrong on the 10000 kit. It is, as correctly pointed out, an FIA trains diesel.

Still missing though!

Les

[OOgaugeJaf]

Any news gents? Police made any efforts?

[Les Green]

The power of social media never fails to amaze me at times. Details of the theft of all the locomotives on Liverpool Lime Street model railway was put on Facebook and here on RMWeb. The posts had 500 shares and reached over 14000 people. Some comments
received gave us information that may help retrieve the models. This information has been passed on to the police who are actively looking into the case. In addition one of the persons we reached sent us a surplus EM gauge model of a Black 5 loco to replace one of the stolen locos. Such generosity amongst the model railway fraternity shows how we come together in the face of adversity.