Jol Wilkinson

My wife and I were nearly run down on a local seafront pedestrian promenade last year, by a bunch of Hooray Henrys and Henriettas in C5s. It turns out there is a C5 "specialist" locally who also hires them out, presumably to any daft pr*ck.

When LRM took over the D&S LNWR 4 wheel 10T Brake Van, Danny continued to supply the etches for the underframe, for the reason polybear has mentioned. After a time Danny stopped supplying the etched (perhaps because he didn't need the other items on that etch tool?). I had to design a new etch in n/s for John at LRM, which then had an etched veranda wall and other additional parts for the NLR version added. The original D&S kit had, IIRC a printed outline for the wall, so you could cut it out from plasticard. I don't know about the MR Break Van, but it is possible that Andy Walker, who designed several MR kits for LRM, added the Brake Van Veranda to one of those other etches. I think it is Danny's approach to his etched tool artwork that has made it a bit difficult for other suppliers to adopt sections of his much missed D&S range of kits.

It seems like the almighty $, Liberty's overwhelming priority , wins again. More races, especially in the rich nations who want to do some sports washing, to increase Liberty's income. The summer break was introduced to give team staff a much needed rest in what was already a busy calendar., but that has been eroded by the lust for more races and income. Add to this the unending failure of the FIA to manage the sporting aspect of F1, explains my increasing disillusion and disinterest in the sport. It is just becoming entertainment for those who want crashes, trumped up drama and have only a short term interest. It is rather summed up by the Orange Army.

Andrew, thanks for clarifying that. The only NER cattle wagon kit (which is what I thought it was) that I can find is a cast WM version from 51L, which is currently out of stock. Tony described the NE and GN models in the photo as white metal which is what I searched for. Jol

Firstly, yes the loco is a Precursor, built from a Brassmasters kit with a custom etched frames. Secondly, I was interested in one or two of the wagons especially the GN van, but modelling in P4, wouldn't want to have to butcher it to fit compensation or springing if that was even possible. If it has MJT or D&S etched underframes that was probably not necessary. Modelling LNWR pre-group also means I have to research other companies stock for suitability. The NER cattle wagon has a "Large" designation but looks like the Wizard/51L Medium van, the Large Cattle wagon kit is from Parkside, hence plastic, and looks quite different. If fitted with etched (preferably compensated) then it would be of interest. Should you continue with reselling wagons? Yes, if they are inexpensive enough for you to be able to make a contribution to CRUK that is worth your time and effort. By which I mean, doing so doesn't detract from doing something more beneficial for the charity such as sorting out a loco that would create a greater contribution. Jol

The GWR Horsebox is most probably a D&S kit. It is listed in the D&S 1986/7 and 2005 price lists I have, as a GWR N4 Horsebox. I have one, together with a D&S GER Horsebox, both built(?) and painted by Ian Rathbone. They can be seen in the background in this photo. I don't often look at the D&S price lists, it depresses me.

I wouldn't ever recommend them. My one and only experience of a Shapeways product was very poor, a LNWR van with vertical striations across the planking, especially at the ends. The images on the Shapeways site are all digital images, not what you actually get. The prices are often high for what you get, the NER D162 Driving trailer costing $92.00 (plus whatever Shapeways charge for P&P, etc.). compared to other 3D printed product suppliers (Mousa Models, Isinglass, etc.)

When I was the Promotions Officer for the LNWRS I was also a Trustee and attended the regular committee meetings where decisions were made about the operation of the Society, which is an Educational Charity. A look at the Society's website will show the status of the current Officers and Trustees.

SLA resin printing can produce very good finishes, but is slow and messy. The finished product usually requires washing and UV curing. That is the system Bill Bedford (Mousa Models) and Modelu use (as do a lot of amateur 3d printers). High quality SLA 3D prints are sometimes used for master patterns for resin casting, as in the boiler/smokebox/chimney/dome/safety valve casting in the London Road Models LNWR 0-4-0T and 0-4-2T Crane Tank kits Filament printing uses a heated plastic filament extruded through a nozzle and generally doesn't produce such a smooth finish. I believe that is the system that Isinglass use. I think 3D printing is in a similar situation as early etched kits were, where the benefits and best application of the technology is still being understood.

Chas, I think that there were about 8 Trustees/Committee Members, but another 8 or so "senior" volunteers. Currently there are 12 Trustees although some may not be so heavily involved in the day to day running, plus another five Officers with specific roles. So the overall number remains about the same. The LNWRS was/is heavily committed to maintaining as much information about the Premier Line as possible, which takes a big investment in time and money. That includes scanning and digitising as much as possible. I don't know if other Societies are as heavily committed to that, so could possible operate with fewer numbers. The LNWRS also has it's own Study Centre, where the archives are kept, scanning is carried out and regular events/meetings are held. Jol

Attempts to disprove it don't get much traction (see what I've done there), much the same as for the Small Engines Policy I suspect. Other myths such as I K Brunel being Britain's greatest/only Victorian engineer are also too well established.

Denys, I am currently re-reading the Railway Race to the North, by O S Nock. In the early days of the competition for the London to Edinburgh traffic, he references the Midlands interest in partaking but they didn't persist. Jol

When I was a committee member of the LNWR Society (2008 - 2014) the Society's membership rose from the high 600s to the low 700s. I believe it is still around 700. New members joining is still fairly strong but is balanced by those leaving this mortal coil and those resigning through age and illness.

As a LNWR enthusiast I think it should be left, to keep the myth alive😆

The LNWR Society is healthy and I believe that membership is steadily on the increase. It has a active group of volunteers scanning and digitising its archive, which is accessible online. The Study Centre at Kenilworth is regularly open and the Society runs and attends a number of events and shows. It has a strong Facebook presence which is regarded as effective in promoting the Society and gaining new members. It also produces both a quarterly Newsletter and the Journal as well as the twice yearly "Modelling the LNWR". So it would appear that good accessibility is an important factor.

Hi Stan, great to hear from you. Sorry about the delay in replying but today has been rather busy with long phonically from various people and then Hilary monopolising the pc on her various charity activities. Tomorrow I have a S4 Area group daytime meeting but will get back to you in a pm soon. Jol

While we will never know exactly what the colour should be for an accurate representation, I think that we could accept that the model designer and manufacturer will have researched this as far as is reasonable. Of course that is not too say that they have got it right, but it comes down to personal opinion unless someone can produce an example of original NER locomotive paint as applied. I am well aware that the manufacturers can/do get it wrong, e.g. the Hattons and Hornby rendition of LNWR carriage lake. An example of the actual colour on the LNWR Picnic Saloon under restoration at Quainton. It is a darker colour than the Hattons/Hornby colour, as is the Phoenix Precision colour. That is one reason why I put more faith in their original research years ago, rather than the "opinions" expressed here and in other threads where colour "accuracy" is debated. I believe we are very rarely in a position to be definitive about colours manufactured and applied over 100 years ago "Yet I think we are able to point to a given colour and take a view as to whether, for us, it lies within a reasonably acceptable range for the prototype colour it is said to represent". What do you take as a start point to inform your view as to what is an acceptable range? That is surely fundamental to whether you believe a colour is correct. Actually I agree that the colour depicted in most of the images of the model isn't very "appealing" (too yellow?) but I can't say whether it is accurate or not. Others however, seem to like it. So who is right?

This NER G1 (from a London Road Models kit) was painted in cellulose paint, which was matched to PPP525 NER Loco Green. The previous owner(s) of Precision Paints had gone to some lengths to research railway colours and that is probably the best guess we have available to us today. Here is a close up photo of the tender front, taken during the build. The colour appears darker. Same camera, different lighting? Several thing I learned, from a career in the motor industry with three different car manufacturers is that; Colour memory is very short term (normally reckoned to be about 20 minutes). The scientists at Standox used to prove this by asking you to look at a paint colour, and after a suitable break, select it from a number of samples. Rarely did anyone pick the correct colour match. Paint samples were kept in light proof safes and regularly used to check production paints to ensure accuracy and check for variation. Women are far better at colour matching than men, so you all have a built in disadvantage on this subject. The "same" colour can look different under different light, especially when mixed from different formulations, applied with different techniques and over different substrates, undercoats, etc. See my previous reference to Metamerism. So much of what is written on this and other threads about correct/accurate colour rendition is, frankly, unreliable (a more forceful word springs to mind). Even where original paint mixing formulae's exist (such as those for LNWR locos and carriages), the actual make up and colours of the ingredients isn't always known. For example, exactly what is Drop Black or Lead White? The different rendition on individual screens also clouds the picture. Do different camera sensors produce different colour renditions? I queried that with a friend who was taking a Degree course in photography before Covid interrupted his studies. He is firmly of the view that it would have little or no impact, although software and subsequent image processing could. Colour photos taken years ago on film can be markedly different, faded, etc., so what we may think is an accurate record cannot be guaranteed to be so. My view is that accurate colour rendition of a paint produced over 100 years ago is impossible and no amount of wishful thinking will change that. So while this doesn't help define what is the correct NER colour for this model is/should be, neither does any of what else has been written.

Perhaps not the most customer friendly approach. As the retailer/supplier I though they would be responsible for delivery of an order, so does the "At your own risk" claim legally apply. However, having known the owners of PPP for some years I am sure that they will have researched it. Getting their paints elsewhere isn't always easy, especially with such a large range. Roxey Mouldings were selling of some of the range they had stocked at Railex in May, as they were too slow moving to carry in stock.

PPP and other responsible suppliers follow the "rules" for shipping what are deemed by the authorities to be hazardous substances (how dangerous is a small tin of enamel?). On the other hand there are no shortage of eBay sellers who will ship Humbrol enamels, MEK or Butanone by Royal Mail. Makes you wonder what you can get away with.

If you want to use wood, then Marine grade plywood is the best way to go. However it is expensive and still needs a properly designed support structure i.e. girder style side rails and plain cross bearers. That will make it rigid. Then paint it all with a good wood primer and top coat.

Nope, I got that wrong, the early open LNWR D20 Small Cattle Wagon was modified from the castings for the roofed version. I have however suggested to John Redrup that the open version would be a popular option. The LNWR Loco Coal wagon kit will be for the dumb buffered one, as Airnimal's excellent model.

I built two M&L kits, the LNWR Coal Engine and 5' 6" Radial Tank. Neither came with wheels. The Coal Engine needed the splashers sides thinning drastically to take P4 wheels. The tender needed widening for P4 (and probably EM too), so was replaced with a George Norton/LRM etched version.

AFAIK, the early open D20 on display was from new castings creating by modifying the patterns for the closed version. I don't yet know when it will be supplied as a separate kit. Also in the pipeline from LRM are a LNWR Ballast wagon and a LNWR Loco Coal wagon.

While extensive, permanent layouts can be said to never really be finished as there will always be a degree of maintenance and possibly upgrading/improvement, how many of the layouts created by those who enjoy serial layout building are ever really finished either? When do you say stop, that's enough? And while the next layout will possibly be more "up to date", will it be noticeably different in terms of realism, operation, or whichever criteria you choose. I prefer the former sort of layout as, over time, the details that create a more detailed scene, are often added.