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Hornby's Best Ever Models


robmcg
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"Your Country Needs You!"

 

Lord Kitchener. 1916.

 

Or BR Standard Britannia 70043 built 1953, with air brake gear until 1957, seen here early 1958. Always a Midland engine. Withdrawn 1965.

 

attachicon.gif70043_Britannia_portrait_3abcdef_crop1_r1200.jpg

The air brake gear did not last long,Rob.By,I think 1954 both were Longsight ( 9A ) allocated and working Manchester London Road to Euston turns.

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The air brake gear did not last long,Rob.By,I think 1954 both were Longsight ( 9A ) allocated and working Manchester London Road to Euston turns.

 

Yes, I think a photo with red-cream Staniers is in order..   if I can get over this Gresley Silver A4 thing.... :)

 

It's neat seeing quality Hornby locos back in production, these Britannias, various Bulleids, Kings, S15s, D16s, Castles, GWR tanks, A3s (not all so good, but I see Minoru advertised), A4s, 700s, Crosti 9Fs, L1s, K1s, B17s, B1s, J15s, O1s, Stars, Granges, Halls, Dukes (of Gloucester)...  Nice to see Exeter.... I didn't believe recovery from the Sanda Kan debacle would happen so quickly, nor so well, now my two SK version Exeters are worth only sensible money, about a hundred quid I guess, should I ever sell.

And retailers have Arthurs and others I've no doubt forgotten. 

Edited by robmcg
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Do note valve gear in reverse.  Photo-trickery!   :)

 

As mentioned in another thread I bought 34070 Manston and 34006 Bude yesterday, passed on Axminster,  Hornby are doing very well!

Edited by robmcg
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Looking forward to seeing the Q6 amongst this lot... 

 

It would indeed suit an atmospheric industrial scene, or rural heavy mineral train, with the last underground coal mine in the UK closing now , so I hear...

 

Is the UK importing coal?

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Recently unearthed photo of Hornby's A4 2512 'Silver Fox' heading Silver Jubilee express.... possibly 1937. :)

 

post-7929-0-50079900-1450583723_thumb.jpg

 

actually spent all afternoon rendering this in full colour but it doesn't look right. Probably change my mind tomorrow! 

Edited by robmcg
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Here is what Hornby are up against, the Oxford version of the Lyme Regis BR service 1961 style... suitably fiddled of course.

 

Will the LSWR birdcage cars look anything like this?

 

attachicon.gif30583_adams_country_1ab_r1200.jpg

The rebuilt LSWR coaches look very good, and are the type Hornby have announced.

 

The only problem with your very attractive image is that IIRC the last of them were withdrawn in 1958 (replaced by Maunsell stock) and 30583 didn't get the late emblem and Adams boiler until April 1959. It should therefore have early crest and Drummond boiler to be a "proper" match.

 

They have nothing to do with birdcages, though. Those were ex-SECR and very different; models of them will arrive in blue boxes (allegedly, one day). AFAIK they never got as far west as Axminster but I would love to be proved wrong on that (though my credit card might disagree.......) 

 

Regards

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
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Thanks John, your reply has filled several holes in my knowledge-base.

 

I had wondered about Maunsells on the Lyme Regis branch, and wondered whether BR Mk1s were ever used. I presume the Maunsells post-c1958 were green.

 

Silly of me to think of ex-LSWR carriages with an SECR name, that's what comes of having family connections to Guildford, and living upside down in NZ.  

 

Edit; I will atone today by illustrating 34006 Bude in late BR grime.

Edited by robmcg
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Weathering by considerable editing....  34006 'Bude' before it lost its plates and shield, but otherwise in late-BR condition.  Withdrawn in 3/67 after 1,099,000+ miles. Never rebuilt. 

 

One of the good Bulleid Light Pacifics.

Nominally based in Salisbury after 1964 I think.

 

post-7929-0-32969600-1450663726_thumb.jpg

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Recently unearthed photo of Hornby's A4 2512 'Silver Fox' heading Silver Jubilee express.... possibly 1937. :)

 

attachicon.gif2512_Silver_Jubilee_express_4abc_r1200bw2a.jpg

 

actually spent all afternoon rendering this in full colour but it doesn't look right. Probably change my mind tomorrow! 

What a nice picture!  But, dare I say it? Too sharp and too clean.....

 

Unless it represents a maiden run, all silver A4s seemed to start looking quite ratty, even with the care you'd expect the cleaners to give such a prestigeous locomotive.  In particular, dirt seemed to accumulate in a seemingly unremovable manner along all the rivet lines and also along the top of the loco.  The shape of an A4 must have made access to much of the loco quite difficult! 

 

As for the detail in the image, to achieve the depth of field from front to back of the image with a film camera, the lens would have to be well stopped down. That means either a faster film speed or a slower shutter speed.  Now, in the late 30s, a film sensitivity equivalent to about 400ASA/ISO would probably be the very best available, but grain would be noticable and of course, with a slower shutter speed, motion blur would be very apparent around the wheels in particular and the train in general.

 

Sooooo - how about letting all the blur and grain tools in photoshop loose?   It might not be as perfect, but it would be interesting to see what the "boy with a box brownie" might have captured in 1937.......  :senile:

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Thanks John, your reply has filled several holes in my knowledge-base.

 

I had wondered about Maunsells on the Lyme Regis branch, and wondered whether BR Mk1s were ever used. I presume the Maunsells post-c1958 were green.

 

Silly of me to think of ex-LSWR carriages with an SECR name, that's what comes of having family connections to Guildford, and living upside down in NZ.  

 

Edit; I will atone today by illustrating 34006 Bude in late BR grime.

Maunsell BCK and SECR "Long ten" (100 seat 10-compartment non-corridor third) was usual in 1959, the latter replaced by a Maunsell TO circa the end of the 1960 Summer timetable. Hornby's forthcoming "2-Set W" will therefore fill the bill for 1961.

 

I think all Maunsells had been repainted green by the end of 1958; I stand to be corrected on "all", but certainly almost all.

 

Your work-stained 'Bude' looks fabulous, a good average for the early 1960s whereas ToBoldlyGo's heavily begrimed work is more typical of post-1965 conditions.

 

John

Edited by Dunsignalling
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And looking at the images on Rails website,the new Bulleid releases will need to be weathered to improve the anaemic,plasticky finish that has become all too common lately.

 

Hate to point this out Ian, but the bodies are plastic and did you really think informing Hornby at Warley about their shade of Brunswick Green would have an instant effect? Especially on locos that were already enroute....

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Hate to point this out Ian, but the bodies are plastic and did you really think informing Hornby at Warley about their shade of Brunswick Green would have an instant effect? Especially on locos that were already enroute....

NO....in a word.I did not.Doesn't make it any more acceptable though..They will look immeasurably better when suitably weathered,I'm sure.

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It would indeed suit an atmospheric industrial scene, or rural heavy mineral train, with the last underground coal mine in the UK closing now , so I hear...

 

Is the UK importing coal?

By the boatload - nasty cheap high sulphur stuff.

 

The Heritage railways had a problem with imported coal a couple of years ago, it was dissolving the boiler tubes.....

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NO....in a word.I did not.Doesn't make it any more acceptable though..They will look immeasurably better when suitably weathered,I'm sure.

If Hornby do change their version of Brunswick in the future, you can rest assured that people will complain, that the loco's don't match their older ones..

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What a nice picture!  But, dare I say it? Too sharp and too clean.....

 

Unless it represents a maiden run, all silver A4s seemed to start looking quite ratty, even with the care you'd expect the cleaners to give such a prestigeous locomotive.  In particular, dirt seemed to accumulate in a seemingly unremovable manner along all the rivet lines and also along the top of the loco.  The shape of an A4 must have made access to much of the loco quite difficult! 

 

As for the detail in the image, to achieve the depth of field from front to back of the image with a film camera, the lens would have to be well stopped down. That means either a faster film speed or a slower shutter speed.  Now, in the late 30s, a film sensitivity equivalent to about 400ASA/ISO would probably be the very best available, but grain would be noticable and of course, with a slower shutter speed, motion blur would be very apparent around the wheels in particular and the train in general.

 

Sooooo - how about letting all the blur and grain tools in photoshop loose?   It might not be as perfect, but it would be interesting to see what the "boy with a box brownie" might have captured in 1937.......  :senile:

 

Thank you for the suggestions, I have pondered the same things re Box Brownie effect as that what I was equipped with when I began train photography c1959.

 

Rather than go for the full 1/30th sec max shutter speed, or rather less on my worn-out camera, I prefer to go for the look achieved by E Treacy and other masters, also C T Gifford,  George Heiron and others, I am also much influenced by David Shepherd's photos and painting.

 

By 1963 I had a fair 35mm camera, by 1967 a 6 x 6 cm twin lens reflex, coinciding with the last days of steam here in NZ, where I had some mentors, D L A Turner, G T Radcliffe, W W Stewart come to mind. I learned darkroom techniques by trial and error at home and school, eventually a press photographer for a while. An open mind to any good technique to evoke memories and sense of 'being there'.  

 

So I think the full box brownie effect might be a little too basic for my tastes,  and admit I could never have achieved such as the photos of W J V Anderson,Maurice Earley, J Robertson W Hermiston, and others.

 

edit; have bought all 4 silver A4s so expect I shall have plenty of time to practice getting the grime around rivet lines, I am trying a pic today of 2511 with a Scotsman train. :)

Edited by robmcg
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If Hornby do change their version of Brunswick in the future, you can rest assured that people will complain, that the loco's don't match their older ones..

 

In my opinion the nature of Brunswick green was infinitely varied by lighting, grime, and above all people's memories and usually b+w photos!

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Rob: Oops!

 

Wasn't trying to teach you to suck eggs, more just explaining where I was coming from.  My first camera was a Box-Tengor from a jumble sale, and I learned black and white d&p by trial and error too, before working my way through the film formats to a 5x4 view camera. Knowing how demanding that is for landscape work, I take my hat off to the 30s photographers who used similar equipment to take pictures of moving trains!

 

Oh go on - do at least one "box camera" snap!

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