Rambling On

[lapford34102]

When Heljan first appeared on the scene with the legendary TubbyDuff my first reaction was to be grateful that someone had finally taken it upon themselves to do a half decent model of this iconic class. It wouldn??™t have mattered to me had it come from some firm working in a yak skinned yurt in Mongolia, it was here.

I was rather less impressed when they did the Hymek on wholly selfish grounds. I was really proud of my heavily tarted up Tri-ang version. Now having one of those wasn??™t exactly a rarity but neither were they that common and hearing someone comment on it did engender a rather smug glow. Suddenly anyone with the appropriate readies could possess a model a quantum leap better than my 60??™s vintage based effort and not even have to touch the toolbox. By the time they??™d ticked off the Westerns and then the Cromptons I was beginning to get seriously hacked. This was becoming expensive as well destroying that essential exclusivity of having stuck a few bits of brass, white metal and plasticard on that made the somewhat dodgy original look like nothing else on the planet. They didn??™t even have the decency to stick to a couple of colour schemes and least give an excuse to daub some paint about. In fact they did so many different ones that I??™m sure there??™s a totally fictitious one in there but no one??™s noticed!

Now I could have probably forgiven them had they stopped there but it looks like someone??™s given them a copy of Early Learning Centre??™s Big Book of Diesels and like some hyperactive youngster they??™re determined to tick them all off before they get sent to their room and give the grown ups a rest. To be fair no-one could accuse them of not having a sense of humour. After all who would expect a RTR model of a class where only one was built and that resplendent in a fetching livery of lark??™s vomit green and chocolate brown........... at least I hope it??™s chocolate! At least the blue one can be seen in polite company. It looks like they felt it was a success because they followed this up with Kestrel which meant they only had to find one unused number in the catalogue. It does at least look impressive which is not something you can really say about the Clayton. They must have been counting on the sympathy vote when they decided to do that one, I can??™t see any other reason why someone would want one.

For 2010 they really look to be excelling themselves. Not only do we have the imminent Class 14 which, and let??™s be honest, looks like something only a mother could love but also Lion which I??™d always suspected had some washing powder money put into it??™s development. Now you??™ve got to give Heljan some credit for diving in where others have definitely not wanted to tread. The last model of an AL series electric appeared in the last century and are long overdue for a makeover so that least seems to make commercial sense even if most of them will run around with their springy bits waving around like dodgy TV aerials. You might justify a Baby Deltic on the grounds of historical unimportance and an enthusiastic if totally misguided following but the Class 15............. Now I was half expecting the 2010 programme to have something with a least a little gravitas such as a 10000/1 or 10201. What do we actually get ? A bunch of railcars that have all the charisma of a Transit van. Anyone predicting that these would be on the RTR list even a few years ago would have probably been locked up in the interests of public safety. Heljan, I??™m speechless in admiration.

[Oldddudders]

Crikey! I bet you feel better for that! I'm ill-qualified to discuss the detail of your submission, because I'm pathetically out of touch with modern-era models, and even have difficulty with TOPS codes for some of the diesels - like Baby Deltics - that I numbersnatched as a young teenager. As for some of the gricers' nicknames for them, well I'm just lost. Nevertheless, I recognise your right to a darn good rant, and can see that it has some substance, although I'm a little unclear whether you wish Heljan a nice day or a small thermo-nuclear event. The vagaries of the trade often know little rationale when viewed from our side of the counter.

 

RMWeb has introduced me to a number of colourful characters. Given your nom-de-web, you will have noticed one chap who has an acute case of BAS - Bulleid Acquisition Syndrome. When another contributor puffed out his chest the other day and proclaimed he'd got 10 or 12 Bulleids, our friend listed his 40 or 50 pacifics - kicking the other fellow into touch, if not actually out of the stadium. Impressive.

 

In my yoof I recall reading that 34102 Lapford once made it all the way to Birmingham New Street, probably the first of the very few that did so under BR ownership. Perhaps that "outside the box" attitude attracted you to the locomotive?

[Mallard60022]

Crikey! I bet you feel better for that! I'm ill-qualified to discuss the detail of your submission, because I'm pathetically out of touch with modern-era models, and even have difficulty with TOPS codes for some of the diesels - like Baby Deltics - that I numbersnatched as a young teenager. As for some of the gricers' nicknames for them, well I'm just lost. Nevertheless, I recognise your right to a darn good rant, and can see that it has some substance, although I'm a little unclear whether you wish Heljan a nice day or a small thermo-nuclear event. The vagaries of the trade often know little rationale when viewed from our side of the counter.

 

RMWeb has introduced me to a number of colourful characters. Given your nom-de-web, you will have noticed one chap who has an acute case of BAS - Bulleid Acquisition Syndrome. When another contributor puffed out his chest the other day and proclaimed he'd got 10 or 12 Bulleids, our friend listed his 40 or 50 pacifics - kicking the other fellow into touch, if not actually out of the stadium. Impressive.

 

In my yoof I recall reading that 34102 Lapford once made it all the way to Birmingham New Street, probably the first of the very few that did so under BR ownership. Perhaps that "outside the box" attitude attracted you to the locomotive?

 

Well Lapford. You will see from my title that I am older than you and therefore appreciate your rant even more than duddersoldythingy.

Not sure what all these box things are that run around these days as I had already almost given up looking at stuff when TOPS came into force. However TOPS did sort of help track down elusive shunters which created a short resurgence of shed bashing and stabling point hunts! Scotland tended to be the most interesting of hunting grounds.

Following on from dudd's comments, I would be interested to know who does Heljan's 'market research' or maybe they have a closet bog cart fan in their ranks?

On the subject of BAS, what about the bloke from the SAS I saw a few years back at Donny I think. He had an amazing collection of A4s (Streaks hence the SAS .. work it out) with all loco's in original form and later guise including livery variants. I believe he had all the class, including the ill fated York Shed bomb victim although I might be mistaken?

I have decided to contract BFAS and go for all 842 of the Stanier and Ivatt variants (easy to work out this one) and claim the largest single collection of one class of loco in the world! Then I might try the 57XX collection; hours of fun!

I will now return to my cell.

Sincerely, S.E. Dated

[Pennine MC]

A bunch of railcars that have all the charisma of a Transit van.

 

You make that sound like it's a bad thing

 

Nice post Stu B)

[298]

I'll see your selfish point regarding the Hymek, and raise you my selfish view that it's a bit daft that yet another obscure prototype will be out before a class of 100 locos, some having been in constant service for 44 years in a multitude of liveries and others being renovated for use in the UK and abroad. How can 86's not be popular when they have the highest mileages of any class still in service in the UK through numerous population centres...?

 

Don't people model what they see anymore, or does that only happed in the magical world depicted with the trainset in the Lloyds Bank advert...?

[lapford34102]

Hi,

I wrote this with tongue firmly in cheek in the hope it raised the odd smile. I meant it when I said I have nothing but admiration for them as they've taken the "what shall we do new next year" rulebook and thrown it in the bin. Anyone predicting what's coming for 2011 would probably be better employed guessing Lotto numbers. As to how they decide what to do next I've no idea. They might well have a closet bog-cart fan in their ranks but I wouldn't discount illegal chemical substances. I can't imagine that many putting a Class 15 top of their "must have" list.

 

I think the choice of railcars stunning. Can you imagine Hornby or Bachmann going for something so obscure and mundane. If you listen carefully you can just hear the sound of motorised Airfix/Dapol kits hitting the bottom of the wastebin.

Being serious for a second I have no insight into why they would pick an backwater class instead of some of the seemingly more obvious choices such as an 86. As Olddudders has already mentioned it may be blindingly obvious to us but they must have a different perspective.

As for my Lapford moniker she was the only Spamcan I got on at Weymouth in '67. Unloved and unwashed she looked like she'd already spent 5 years on the scrapline. A bit of a wreck with leaky glands, dodgy clack valves, sloppy controls and a very hit or miss steam reverser what she did have was sheer presence....................

 

Stu

[edcayton]

I'm just very glad that I'm not the onl one around here that thinks of loco's etc introduced in the 50's and 60's as being "modern era" !

 

G'night all, Ed

[Mallard60022]

I think the choice of railcars stunning. Can you imagine Hornby or Bachmann going for something so obscure and mundane. If you listen carefully you can just hear the sound of motorised Airfix/Dapol kits hitting the bottom of the wastebin.

Being serious for a second I have no insight into why they would pick an backwater class instead of some of the seemingly more obvious choices such as an 86. As Olddudders has already mentioned it may be blindingly obvious to us but they must have a different perspective.

As for my Lapford moniker she was the only Spamcan I got on at Weymouth in '67. Unloved and unwashed she looked like she'd already spent 5 years on the scrapline. A bit of a wreck with leaky glands, dodgy clack valves, sloppy controls and a very hit or miss steam reverser what she did have was sheer presence....................

 

Stu

 

Actually, the Railbuses are a stunning move. So many folks can only afford/have room for a small layout and these are the ideal piece of kit. Those bigger layouts will be adding a branch just for an excuse to have a 'bus'? Huge layouts probably already have a branch so can justify several! It is a fact that single examples of rolling stock (e.g Auto Coach) are very popular, even in kit form, 'cause people feel capable of dealing with them so I think the buses will sell well.

I think it will be Heljan that produce the 76/77 Electric(s) if not an 86?

34102 (the original in 67 at Weymouth as you describe) sounds a bit like a description of certain women I have met (although the steam reverser is a bit difficult to place).

Actually I was also in Weymouth several times in the spring/summer of '67 (a woman to blame again I'm afraid, but she was a Llandore Engineman's daughter - sounds like a rugby song title) and saw my last live (and sadly not so alive) BR steam on shed!

I do like to have some fun on this site; well done Lapford; keep em coming.

Sincerely, Phil Ex 83D/83H/72A