dibber25

Absolutely not. It's pure co-incidence. The Model Rail USA has been commissioned from Dapol, who are designing it to accommodate a variety of different details including smokebox fronts and bunkers. The HO Hornby/Rivarossi model will not need these variations as the European USAs were not modified in the same way as the Southern Railway ones. The detail variations will enable us to do many different livery variations in future, if the demand is there. CHRIS LEIGH

Yes, that's right. Richard Foster's review is pretty comprehensive. What is not clear yet, is whether Bachmann intends to simply add a fire iron tunnel to the existing body, or whether the other detail discrepancies will be dealt with, too, in which case a lot more retooling might be required. CHRIS LEIGH

I have two Heljans, one of which has one cab end modified for the article I wrote in Model Rail. The work was not difficult but does leave the roof fairly fragile until you fill it. I may eventually modify the other three ends. I currently have one Dapol (D1000) which I'm well pleased with, and several Lima which will end up on Ebay and probably sell for peanuts, if they go at all. Alongside either Heljan or Dapol they really do look 30-odd years out of date. One has Ultrascale wheels which might well get transferred to the Cheltenham Models l/e D1015 which I'll probably keep for sentimental reasons. CHRIS LEIGH

No.18 was arguably the best looking of the lot. It was known as the Lambourn Valley car as it was built to haul a tail-load (mainly horseboxes) on the Newbury-Lambourn branch. I can understand why Dapol has chosen to model one of the early cars, because there's one at Swindon that can be scanned, but Nos. 1-4 were of limited usefulness, being only suitable for main line operation yet not having enough passenger capacity for it. Would have been much better to do 5-16 which were more widely useful (though still not ideal for some branch lines) and lasted longer (generally if they didn't get burned out by their own heating system). Unfortunately there's no surviving example to scan and they are very different from 1-4, having been built by Gloucester RC&W. CHRIS LEIGH

Surely it would be easier - and cheaper - to buy the analog version, rather than buying a chipped model and removing the chip? As far as I'm aware, no chip will survive use with a high frequency track cleaner. CHRIS LEIGH

The orange had a luminescent 'day-glo' look to it on some vehicles and on others it seemed to fade quickly to a yellowish shade.

They had the earlier lion-and-wheel when it was relevant and the later roundel when that was introduced. As far as I can recall, most of them received roof-mounted horns and small yellow rectangles with the black triangle before they went rail blue with full yellow ends. Only ones that missed out were likely to have been any that were wrecked or withdrawn early. CHRIS LEIGH

......and I only said the brake gear fell off!! See you in Glasgow Dave? CHRIS LEIGH

Had 14 behind one on 630mm radius curves. The 14 included 5 Hornby Pullmans, which produce a lot of drag. Couldn't see the point in adding any more but it probably would have taken a couple, although it was the performance of the coaches that was starting to get troublesome, not the loco. CHRIS LEIGH

Perhaps someone will do a limited edition. I have the Cheltenham Models/Lima one. Champion's ochre was shiny and a stark contrast to the matt desert sand finish which we thought was undercoat when we first saw it. The curious yellow panel with the 'wings' was one end only, lasted only a very short time and it never ventured outside Swindon Works. However, I think it has run in that condition for a while since it was preserved. At least Brian's LBSCR ochre brought a bit of variety to the scene. His one-offs are a gift for limited editions. CHRIS LEIGH

I take back what I said. Some of those proposed names are actually a lot better than the ones that did get applied! There was an early artists impression with the Cheddar Gorge nameplates. I'm sure it will be in the books you guys have got - it's very well known. I only seem to have the David Birt book here and that has too many Rail blue pics for my liking. I preferred the original liveries. Western Champion was always a favourite, with Brian Haresnape's beloved Brighton/Stroudley 'improved engine green'. Brian once told me he tried to get that on as many locos as he could but succeeded only with D1015 and one Class 31. Looked a bit odd with maroon coaches, though. CHRIS LEIGH

Some of the ones they DID use were bad enough! Presumably Western Reject was among the ones that got.... rejected. Amazing there wasn't a Western Star, bearing in mind it had been a GWR/BR name for so long. Fabulous engines but they did have some stupid names! CHRIS LEIGH

Geoff, rest assured there's no guarantee that the magazine 'goo' is the same every time! I hate to think the number of times over the years that I've been assured "We're using a different glue, so the covers don't tear when you pull it off", only to get deluged with complaints from readers who've been unable to remove the free gift without destroying the magazine. It's also usually very thick and 'gloopy' - I wouldn't want to use it on a model. I'd use superglue - nothing that I glue with that stays glued for long! CHRIS LEIGH

You must be thinking of the Trix model!

But one of the biggest complaints from MR readers in recent years has been that the fine detail is either difficult to fit or falls off or both. That complaint has applied to most if not all RTR manufacturers at some point. It could hardly be left unmentioned. My view, is that the interference fit should be tighter or that the gear should be glued. Dave has apparently accommodated those who want to change wheels etc, but are they going to be the majority of purchasers? Granted, most of the young folk on RMweb may not have a problem with it. Many Western purchasers will be the same age as me (old enough to remember them entering traffic), with the same levels of eyesight and dexterity and patience as me. Maybe, our sample had been handled a lot before it reached us and that's why the brake rigging was loose. I don't know the answer to that. It will be interesting to see - when your models start arriving - whether any of you find the same problem. (And if you do, whether you'll admit it) To put a 12-wheeler on the track usually requires that you touch the bogies. In this case it is almost impossible not to touch the brake rigging. I really hope it works out fine for everyone - including me on the one I'm buying from STEAM - but it WAS a problem on the review sample and it WAS necessary to say so, and to mark the model accordingly. Otherwise, what is the point of a review? CHRIS LEIGH

Thank you Adrian, I appreciate your post. This year I actually mark 50 years of reviewing models, so the suggestion that those reviews might have been artificially skewed did shock me. I, too, have seen and held the model at Warley (I ordered one immediately) and I agree absolutely AND SO DOES THE REVIEW! The review says the model is great and unreservedly the best 'Western' by a country mile. I'm NOT THE AUTHOR OF THE REVIEW nor did I allocate the score marks. As to the other posts on here, not Adrian's: The irony of all this 'guff' on this forum is that I wrote ONLY one or two sentences of that review - the ones concerning the the detached brake rigging! All this 'supposition on here that I have somehow 'panned' this model or that the author of the review has said there's something wrong with the looks of it is simply UNTRUE. What is true is that posters on this forum have questioned the look of the model. MR has said it looks spot on. Now read the questions and doubts on this forum - windscreen pillars, headcode panels, and it's actually RMweb posters that are criticising the model, not me, not Model Rail. As I've already said - the scoring system is very subjective and I, personally do not like it. However, it is something we were repeatedly asked to do. it is a whopping good score but if all people are going to do is read a percentage mark, we might as well save paper and time and not write a review. This is not football - here the scores don't matter half as much as the actual words and pictures. I am exceedingly fed up with all this. I'm even being reminded of mistakes from the past just in case I'd forgotten. (I actually don't think it was MY mistake). By the way, I once described a Hornby Coronation as a 4-6-0 - I've remembered that one - no need to remind me. CHRIS LEIGH

I actually DON'T remember that, so you have the advantage of me. But I did say, did I not, that I don't ALWAYS get it right - evidently you do. In my job - and no doubt in Dapol Dave's too, there's always someone to remind you of your errors. CHRIS LEIGH

I won't be closing the (my) topic off but I will suggest that they should consider their comments about the MR review before posting, I'm surprised by that considering you chose to post in my review that you promoted MR and that you'd be doing a full review (inferring I'd missed information). That's not particularly fair I'm afraid. (Andy's quote - I could not transfer it for some reason) I'm not sure I see your point. I was merely promoting Model Rail but I'll refrain from doing so in future unless it's under the Model Rail thread. I certainly wasn't implying that you had missed information (you'd seen a review model and at that time I had not, so I had no idea whether you had missed information or not) I had certainly not intended to be unfair. My own reference to unfairness related to Adrian's post, in which the suggestion that reviews are somehow 'skewed' to create controversy really surprised me, as we have been friends for many years. However, I sense that I am in a hostile environment here as regards this particular model, so I'll say no more. CHRIS LEIGH

I must point out that the references in Dave's post to comments about the face, cab windows etc relate to comments here on RMWEB they do NOT reflect any comments made in the Model Rail review. We are more than happy with the looks of the model and we have said so. In order that I can get on with doing my job, rather than monitoring this thread, I would respectfully ask that everyone who intends to comment on here in response to Dave's comments, READS the review first and refrains from speculative comments about it. CHRIS LEIGH

I certainly HAVE NEVER written a review "to stir controversy and sell magazines' and I find the suggestion very unfair. I write for one purpose and one purpose only - to inform the reader. I may not always be right and the reader always has the option to decide for himself. What I find alarming is that, based on DapolDave's reaction, other people on here are jumping to conclusions about the review and assuming that we've criticised things that we actually haven't criticised at all. Read the review!! It's a good review - a very good review of a very good model. And please don't put words in our mouths or suggest that we have motives that we don't. CHRIS LEIGH

I don't normally discuss reviews but since the comment about the brake rigging was actually mine, I'm happy to defend my thoughts. Frankly, for the few hours that I had the model in my possession, the loose brake rigging drove me nuts! Some had already fallen off in the box. In refitting one bit, another would fall off. After running it, I found brake rigging on my layout and - 24 hours later, I found a piece on the stairs leading up to the layout. The model was on loan from Dapol - hence the fact that we didn't fit the nameplates etc and in the circumstances I didn't feel that I should glue the brake gear. I found it fiddly to refit and once refitted it would remain loose. Sorry, but if a model is going to be sent for review, the reviewers comments have to be accepted as valid findings. Whilst Dave asks what he has to do to get a higher mark, I might equally ask what a reviewer has to say in order NOT to be accused of bias. It's a superb model and we said so, and 92% is a very high score. Personally, I don't like scoring systems and I never used them, for this very reason. What do you do for an encore when you've given a model 100%? The Western scored higher than the NRM Deltic and only the Hornby 60 has scored higher I seem to recall that had extra features (whether you like them or not, and no loose parts). As I understand the Westerns are on their way from China, it is reasonable to assume that the brake rigging on them will be similiar, but even so, I reported a problem which afflicted the sample I reviewed and that was made plain. I have a Western on order from STEAM and we had already agreed that we will follow up the review with pictures of D1000 with the plates fitted etc (and I'll glue the brake gear - and I'll check that it is made of a 'glue-able' plastic). CHRIS LEIGH

We would always include such information with a locomotive review but not necessarily with a multiple unit, particularly if there are no dummy units for it to pull. Our test train is made up of Hornby Mk1s, simply because that is what we have always used. It does enable straight comparisons to be made with earlier locomotives, which would be much more difficult if we started using a different test train. CHRIS LEIGH

Yep, that's the one! Tried to think how I might incorporate something similar into my layout. Not sure if anything would run over Peco laid that badly, though! CHRIS LEIGH

There's movie of this that I've seen on Youtube. Wouldn't begin to know where to look for it now but I stumbled across it one lunchtime whilst browsing for Ontario Southland stuff I think. Looks even more amazing when you see a GP9 staggering over that track with pedestrians wandering in front of it. CHRIS LEIGH

No, I can assure it won't. It's something I know you're aware of and it looks like you've taken steps to deal with it, although I didn't know that at the time I wrote the comment. CHRIS