Dragonfly

Out of interest, which were the other three? (googling this on my phone has not yielded results, and by the time I get back to a real computer I will have no doubt forgotten)

According to an email I've just had, the LMS crimson "Novelty" (which I didn't pre-order but ordered yesterday) is now on it's way to me. So photos to follow in a day or so, with any luck! The LNWR "Lucknow" (which I did pre-order, but only last month) still awaiting processing. Fingers crossed that'll appear soon and in one piece! As with Ian Hargrave's, these will each be awaiting a rake of Geneses.

A racehorse. A lot of the A1/A3s were named after racehorses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_Law https://www.lner.info/locos/A/racehorses.php

Be sure to get a window seat on the West-hand-side of the train, and give the original a birthday wave just North of Crewe station. Because the above sentence is a perfectly normal thing to say, not in the slightest bit strange.

Had a drive up the hill to this one this afternoon, spent a couple of hours there. Very nice show, thank you all for putting it on!

Definitely contact Hornby. You should have had a confirmation email at the time and a CCL/Hermes email when dispatched, so if you hadn't had either, your order must have gotten lost in the system, annoyingly after they had your monty. I ordered one on 28/10 and got it yesterday, so yours should have arrived by now.

I rang Hornby's Tech Team this morning to enquire about this. The guy there was certain the 7-car has one powered and one dummy. He understood the confusion (why 2 motored units for the 5+ set but only 1 for the 7+ set?) but said that's what he's been told.

Aye, it's not far. It's on top of the big hill between Audley and Silverdale, if you know that area at all. There's a nice pub with great views from the beer garden, named the Gresley Arms (named after Sir Nigel Gresley, but not THAT Sir Nigel Gresley). I've put in my diary to drop in and have a look, anyway.

I'm sure it's noted in a description or post somewhere that the packs contain different running numbers, so if you order a pack and some individuals, you won't have duplication. Had the same thoughts myself a few weeks back. (apologies if misunderstood the query. Pre-coffee browsing)

Oh yes, I forgot about the 1946 renumbering. A confusing few years, to be sure!

They would have been brand new during the end of the war, being rebuilt (from O4s) in 1944 and 1945, so depending when exactly during the war years you're modelling, it might be a bit of a stretch. The livery would apply to 1944-1948. Or just refer to Rule 1. And, just a nitpick, but it is O1, not 01. :-P

Agree with InterCity80s. I originally pre-ordered the 5-car, plus a TRB pair and a TS pair, as well as an NDM, to get a 10-car set. Then on further investigation, I worked out I could get the 7-car, plus a TRB pair and a TS pair, get a 10-car set, with an extra APT-U car on top, with the black window surrounds, for £20 less in total.

Just a note to let anyone know who doesn't already, that Les has now retired and Haslington Models will not be reopening. I was heading out that direction today, so had a quick look on Google first, and saw it was listed as "permanently closed", and a drive through the village confirmed such to be the case, papered up windows. I made a couple of enquiries and found that, on medical advice, Les has had to make the difficult (but ultimately correct) decision to put his health first, hang up the price labeller, and not reopen after the last lockdown. So (not that he reads internet forums, I'm sure), I'd like to wish Les a long, happy and enjoyable retirement, and give my thanks for all the many times over the years he's made the trip to that end of town worth it with a bargain or two. A sad loss to the hobby, particularly in second-hand stock.

They enjoyed getting tanked. Piston broke.

Or cider, given its incider cylinders.

My Henry and The Earl both arrived yesterday. Both undamaged, apparently unaffected by the QC issues many have had, and both beautiful runners from the brief test they've had. The models themselves are both very nicely done. If anything, the colour of The Earl is nicer than how it's appeared in the marketing images, so very happy with that. I wonder how many Pecketts is too many? I'm up to 10 (5 B2s, 5 W4s), with preorders for three more W4s...

As one of Stafford's team I'll be objective and not list that one (but by mentioning it here I've fulfilled my obligatory loyalty!) So (in no particular order): Derby - One I grew up with, from the Assembly Rooms, through the leisure centre, and now the Roundhouse (a great location for it). I always look forward to my trips "home" for this one. High Wycombe - been to this one twice, thoroughly enjoyed both times Weston super Mare - operated here quite a few times over the years

Topp Trains of Stafford have announced on Facebook they'll be back open on Monday the 12th. The Hobby Goblin of Stoke-on-Trent (Burslem, if you want to be picky) have put on Facebook they'll be open on Tuesday the 13th. Trident Trains of Nantwich (Dagfields Antiques and Craft Centre)'s website states they'll be reopening on Wednesday the 14th. So no excuse for those in the North-West-Midlands!

Out of interest, what's with the card with "STOP!" written on it? Might lead to breakages, if people infer this means it's hammer time.

It leaves about as much space as that left by the average cat, so it's certainly workable.

I'm spending the weekend hitting my legs with a hammer, to leave the same feeling (or lack thereof) in my legs usually attained by walking 30-something miles around the halls over the course of the weekend (including set-up day).

I think it would help if we differentiate between "wrong" and "incorrect". People's skepticism is about to be proven incorrect, once the product is here and we all see how awesome it is. I don't doubt that at all. But their skepticism was not wrong. They were right to be skeptical, given the recent-at-the-time DJM debacle. A lot of people wasted a lot of money there, so were afraid of getting their fingers burnt again. Can we really claim that fear to be wrong? No, but we can now claim it to be incorrect, and then only based on information we have now/shortly, but did not have then. People should apologise when they have been in the wrong, but not when they have been incorrect. When shown to be incorrect, we should simply learn, not apologise.

Are you sure there's no pattern to it? Could be a Morse code message, programmed in by someone being held hostage in a factory in China...

Mine would be Macclesfield, 14-15 March. Just as things were on the precipice. In fact, looking back through my photo album, it literally goes from one photo being of a layout at Macclesfield, to the next being of the working-from-home office I set up three days later as we went into the spiral towards lockdown 1.

Hattons could always produce the Barclay tanks in all different company liveries for each rake of coaches. But then, no doubt, next January we'd see announcements for some new liveries on Pecketts... I know, both are tiny industrial shunters, but the P isn't generic enough and Hattons haven't made a bigger tank engine yet.