Wright writes.....

[Woodcock29]

London Road Models is currently not trading ... John Redrup is I believe recovering from an operation .... hopefully back up and running towards the end of the year.

I must have been very lucky then as I got an order from John Redrup only a couple of weeks ago after some delay. However, I can't say the same for Dart Castings from whom I have not even had any form of response to an on-line order placed two months ago which I followed up by email.

 

Andrew

[Jol Wilkinson]

Lon3don Road Models is currently not trading ... John Redrup is I believe recovering from an operation .... hopefully back up and running towards the end of the year.

Tim,

 

if you follow the LRM thread in Small Suppliers (and also on the S4 Forum) you will see that John should be back in action within a week or so.

 

Jol

[Lecorbusier]

Tim,

 

if you follow the LRM thread in Small Suppliers (and also on the S4 Forum) you will see that John should be back in action within a week or so.

 

Jol

Thanks Jol,

 

Excellent .... I hope his recovery goes smoothly. 

 

Tim

[Chamby]

I'm not sure whether it is the done thing to post this information on this forum, but...

 

Rails have just sent out an announcement about Golden Age Models coach sets that they now have in stock, including Coronation sets and Gresley teaks.  Some lovely stuff, though you will need deep pockets if you want them!

 

Phil

[unclebobkt]

I trained on 105mm Abbot self-propelled guns and 105mm Pack Howitzers. A lot of the theory on artillery was done using a 25 pdr and a 5.5 inch. 

 

The army in their wisdom sent me to a field workshop where I done fitting and turning. I also done a lot of welding. I was sent on detachment to 1 RTR, Scorpion tanks and 4/7 Goons, Chieftain tanks. We then had a major modification to Scorpion and Scimitar tanks. A trip to Northern Ireland. Then on to Marchwood, more fitting and turning with the odd bit of work on a landing craft. I did get to check that the guns on some Centurion AVRE's had been stowed correctly for shipment overseas. Then on to 47 Fld Regt RA. By this time the army had issued the field regiments with the then new 105mm light gun. The more senior gun fitters showed me the basics of it but as each new fault/problem appeared we were teaching ourselves. By the time I went on the equipment familiarisation course I had more experience than our instructor. Thankfully he was someone who I got on with and was willing to learn from those of us working on the guns. I enjoyed being a gun fitter, and being part of a gun crew when they were short but not being a soldier.....well punk rock and the army were not friends in the late 70s.

 

           A small niggle, if I may - it was the Snr. Svce. that had guns' crews, the RA. had detachments. 

 

  Clearly you enjoyed an interesting range of experiences and of eqpts..

 

  My initial & gunnery experiences were with OQF. HAA. 3.7. Mks. 2c., 3a. & 4, (Probertised barrel.),.

  Also the 5.25s. with both Longhand &  Shorthand automatic loading systems.

  Then In GIBRALTAR, in the AA. Regt., we had 5.25s. with the olde fashioned & manual loading; 3.7s. Mks. 2c. & 3a., and Bofors 40mm.. 

  I was shewn around the 28 Coastal Artillery's 9.2s., (with 1902/03. and the govt's. broad arrow stamped on their breech-blocks, (fired once per annum using paper shot to check the recoil & run-out systems.), also 6". for harbour defence and the twin 2pdrs. for defence against small & fast moving enemy craft.

  Finally, in PLYMOUTH, the Fld. Arty's. 25pdrs.,  which, even though I wasn't a fld. gunner by preference,  I  must acknowledge that they served the British, and many other armies, very well.

 

        

[unclebobkt]

The Luxembourg army rebarreled their 25pdrs  with 105mm barrels so they could fire the US Army Nato standard 105mm ammunition. The 105mm pack Howitzer also fired the US ammo, as does the M119 (L119 in British service) 105mm Light Gun. The Yanks tried several of their own designs to replace the M2 howitzer from WW2 before settling on the British 105mm light gun using their ammo. There was one British regiment that had the L119 and we borrowed a battery of their guns. To start with the old hands were glad to be playing with the pre-WW2 designed ammo as they had with the Pack How but the novelty wore off and when we got or L118s back they were happy with the British ammo.

 

For most standard Nato ammunition it is odd that the first users are the Americans, despite many European counties having developed something slightly better. Compare the US M14 rifle with the British EM2 rifle but we adopted the US 7.62mm round as the Nato standard, instead of a very advanced and good rifle. 

 

           I remember reading that during the re-occupation of the FALKLAND'S ISLANDS, 1982.,  the British & reserve stocks of 105mm. ammo. started to become dangerous low;  so the British gov't. approached the Belgians' govt, as manufacturers, for fresh supplies, which the Belgians' govt. declined to do - citing some Treaty of Friendship, or whatever, between Argentina and the Belgians.  

  It was at this time that the Belgians were setting-up an exhibition of one of the early & Flemish artists and approached Earl Spencer for the loan of a couple of his pictures to flesh-out their exhibition.

  His Lordship's reply was terse and to the point: ' No ammunition - no pictures.'.  :-)

 

          

[Tony Teague]

I must have been very lucky then as I got an order from John Redrup only a couple of weeks ago after some delay. However, I can't say the same for Dart Castings from whom I have not even had any form of response to an on-line order placed two months ago which I followed up by email.

 

Andrew

Just received an order from Dart Castings - about 2 weeks after placement.

[Bucoops]

Just received an order from Dart Castings - about 2 weeks after placement.

 

Same and I've had recent emails on queries.

[St Enodoc]

I must have been very lucky then as I got an order from John Redrup only a couple of weeks ago after some delay. However, I can't say the same for Dart Castings from whom I have not even had any form of response to an on-line order placed two months ago which I followed up by email.

 

Andrew

Perhaps they don't want to deal with you on account of the GST shemozzle...

[Tony Wright]

Tim,

 

if you follow the LRM thread in Small Suppliers (and also on the S4 Forum) you will see that John should be back in action within a week or so.

 

Jol

Thanks Jol,

 

When you see John, will you please pass on my best wishes to him for a speedy recovery?

 

 

 

I've not much more to do now in completing this LRM D3. I'll have it with me, along with several other models recently featured in these pages, at the CMRA event at Parmiters' School, Watford tomorrow. 

 

It really is an event worth attending. If anyone takes notice of what I'll say to them about this kit, John should have plenty of orders to speed his recovery. 

[Tony Wright]

I'm just completing my latest submission for Bachmann Times; this one is on Southern headcode discs.

 

For obvious reasons, I'll be mainly using Bachmann products to illustrate the piece. 

 

 

 

However, since Bachmann doesn't make a Schools or earlier-style Pullman cars, it's down to kit-built stuff to illustrate certain routes. As here, with my SEF Schools heading a Pullman train from the Kent coast to Victoria. Except, it's actually heading north on the ECML! 

 

Those Bachmann discs are really rather nice, and available as spares in packs. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

Re the SR headcode discs, shouldn't they have handles on the top?

 

Mike.

[Northmoor]

           I remember reading that during the re-occupation of the FALKLAND'S ISLANDS, 1982.,  the British & reserve stocks of 105mm. ammo. started to become dangerous low;  so the British gov't. approached the Belgians' govt, as manufacturers, for fresh supplies, which the Belgians' govt. declined to do - 

 

          

Was this also the case that the late David Penhaligon MP raised in the House, that the Belgian ammunition was manufactured using Russian steel - "Could the Minister assure the house that in time of conflict, there would be continuity of supply?"

[mullie]

Progress at last, the EM J70 runs on my EM track, hope you don't mind me posting. Now just need to convert some rolling stock and wire up the fiddle yard. Still a layout this small doesn't need much.

 

 

Martyn

[Tony Wright]

Re the SR headcode discs, shouldn't they have handles on the top?

 

Mike.

Most did, but they were mainly folded flat - and, as such, in model form, all but invisible. 

 

Just check most pictures of SR steam at work. 

 

The Bachmann discs are moulded in plastic, and to incorporate a raised handle would be impossible. There is a sort of mark on them which, I suppose, represents the folded handle. 

 

From normal viewing distances, they look exactly like the discs in prototype shots. Although many had a number on them. 

 

And, the Schools should also have a shedplate!

Edited July 20, 2018 by Tony Wright

[Tony Wright]

Progress at last, the EM J70 runs on my EM track, hope you don't mind me posting. Now just need to convert some rolling stock and wire up the fiddle yard. Still a layout this small doesn't need much.

 

DSC_0003.JPG

 

Martyn

Martyn,

 

Please, post away..................

[Tony Wright]

Just a quick note to thank all those with whom I spoke with today at the CMRA Modellers' Day at Watford. Most interesting and entertaining. 

 

Thanks, too, to the organisers. 

 

And, a very special thanks to all those who donated to Cancer Research. I raised over £100.00! 

[St Enodoc]

Tony, sorry to barge in here. I tried to send you an email early on Saturday afternoon (your time) concerning the Convention but I got two "bounce" messages saying it had been intercepted as potential spam. Would you mind checking please if you received anything from me? Thanks.

[Tony Wright]

At the CMRA modellers' day yesterday, Geoff Haynes handed over the A3 he's just painted for me. 

 

 

 

Here she (he?) is romping through LB on 13 kit-built bogies. I think he's done a splendid job, capturing that 'in-service' look. I built it from a SE Finecast kit and it's (in some ways) not as 'crisp' as the RTR equivalent, but it'll pull such a train with ease - which the RTR ones won't, under any circumstances (we've been here before, of course). 

 

I need to check the style of the '6' on the front 'plate. It's the one provided by 247 Developments, but 60102 might have had the correct style. 

 

 

And, leaving the scenic section. The camera has cruelly highlighted the slight difference in parallelism between the cab and the tender side - something not unusual on A3s! 

 

 

In the next issue of BRM, there'll be an article of mine describing my building of two V2s. On the right is one of my Graeme King/Comet ones. I wrote about this in my Crowood book, but have expanded on it for the mag. On the left is a Jamieson V2, built by way of a comparison, which Ian Rathbone painted. 

 

 

Not much more to do now on the LMR D3 (which I won't be writing an article about). 

 

I hope the above locos, along with all the others, will be of interest to the members of the Milton Keynes branch of the HMRS who are visiting LB today. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

And, leaving the scenic section. The camera has cruelly highlighted the slight difference in parallelism between the cab and the tender side - something not unusual on A3s!

 

As with Great Western engines, all LNER mainline engines, the door stops apart, look the same, so which is which please!

 

Mike.

Hat, coat etc and off to the nuclear fall out shelter.

[teaky]

As with Great Western engines, all LNER mainline engines, the door stops apart, look the same, so which is which please!

 

Mike.

Hat, coat etc and off to the nuclear fall out shelter.

Since there's only one locomotive in the picture to which that caption refers: it's the green thing pulling the train along, Mike.

 

I believe the GWR liked to do things their own way, but I thought that was true even on their lines?

[Tony Wright]

Just a quick thank you to the ten members of the Milton Keynes branch of the HMRS for visiting LB today. 

 

A great time was had by all, with some wonderful humour. 

 

The railway ran very well, with just two derailments (my fault) during over two hours continuous running. 

 

Thank you all, too, for collectively donating over £70.00 for Cancer Research. And, for buying my lunch. 

[Chamby]

 

I need to check the style of the '6' on the front 'plate. It's the one provided by 247 Developments, but 60102 might have had the correct style. 

 

 

Yeadon’s volume 1 page 47. Photo of Sir Fred with RHD and early crest logo on the tender, so pre-dating your model, she’s carrying the correct Gill Sans six on the smokebox number.

[Tony Wright]

Yeadon’s volume 1 page 47. Photo of Sir Fred with RHD and early crest logo on the tender, so pre-dating your model, she’s carrying the correct Gill Sans six on the smokebox number.

Thanks Phil,

 

I'll change it.

 

The correct/incorrect fonts with regard to the '6's and '9's on BR's front numberplates is most-interesting. With regard to ex-LNER types, some got the correct-style from new, others got the incorrect-style, which was eventually corrected on some, though not all. All the Thompson/Peppercorn Pacifis eventually got the correct-style, except 60119. I wonder why this 'escaped'? 

 

None of the ex-SR locos ever got the correct-style as far as I can tell.

 

As I say - most-interesting.  

[unclebobkt]

 

   ......... .   

 

    Ambleside 22.jpg

 

        Or a Precursor? 

 

 

 

       As a matter of interest is there a MINIMUM length for bridges & for viaducts longer then which Check rails have to be laid between the Running rails to limit any possible de-railments and succeeding damage should the leading bogie or pony jump-off the running rails?