rembrow

Very good news. I've also just seen that TMC are showing their commissioned 24.5 ton MEO coal wagons as having arrived, so will be able to mix and match.

Have now fixed the springs on 3 of my 4 inners. I found that it helps to take the bogies off to give more room and to push the buckeye to the right using the cam that is under the bogie. Then applied superglue using a pin, running around the base at the 'pip' end furthest from the buckeye. Seems to be working and the couplings are opening ok.

The ex Ian Kirk items should be recoverable as the IK Maunsell and Bulleid kits have been in production with Colin Ashby and now Precision, so presumably their tooling has been adapted for current injection moulding, or didn't need to be adapted.

Yes, I think so, I finished putting the springs back about 11pm last night so decided to leave attempts to fix the spring until today. Will need to be careful as will need to avoid getting glue into the coils, as that will affect it's ability to flex.

Thanks for the info. All of my four inners had one spring displaced, and in each case it was the end with the spring facing the rear of the box. All springs were still in the plastic casing and I've managed to refit. The problem seems to be that the locator at one end is just a pip, whereas at the knuckle end it is a longer rod, so they can pop off the pip.

Now I'm wondering, the current largest container ship , MV Ever Ace, is on it's maiden voyage, was at As Suways at the Red Sea end of Suez on the 27th August and is due at Felixstowe this Sunday 12 Sept. Could this be the vessel carrying the Accurascale goodies that will bankrupt me!!!

I'm going to start the guessing game. It took the Ever Given 10 days to transit the Med and that was sailing at reduced speed and with 2 days sheltering off Sicily due to a storm. So I reckon that Accurascales MV Celtic Mystery must be well clear of the Med and approaching the north Spanish coast.

The Prairie has just appeared, for the first time, in one of Dapols magazine adverts, October Hornby mag, as coming soon for all dc versions

The Crossley engined ones will never make it, probably packing up around Vladivostock, or Omsk, possibly other Russian towns visited by Monty Pythons bicycling holiday of Cornwall sketch. Have just read the Hornby mag review in the Oct edition, very impressed, now can't wait for the Deltic I've ordered.

I had the same happen to me with the BR early crest version, with white and red lining completely removed, in sections, on one side of the running plate. I managed to replace and blend in with clear lacquer. I suspect the lining wasn't sealed. Edit. Just to add, it's almost impossible not to handle the running plate sides, when changing the driving wheels and trying to get the chassis back in place with the extremely fiddly design that Dapol have generated, where you need to insert the pcb assembly into the boiler and then try and get the chassis to engage with the pcb.

I believe the reason it sailed unloaded, is it is going into dry dock for repairs. It was examined at Port Said, after leaving the Suez Canal, and presumably some damage was found as it's seaworthiness certificate for the voyage to Europe required it to sail at a lower speed and some ports were removed from the itinery. The Dapol items stuck on board have been well documented and it was Dapol that posted info about delays to two new products on their website, when the incident occurred. Both arrived with UK retailers last week with some expecting them early this week. They were the 'O' gauge Class 122 models, dcc ready. DC fitted and sound fitted models are fitted by Dapol in the UK so will follow. The other model was 10 versions of the O&K Foster Yeoman bogie hopper, which I have 6 on the way to me.

Ever Given is now in the Suez Canal, bet they keep it's speed down this time.

Rails are showing the first run of these, as in stock and available to order. They have updated the product photos so that you can see the models in original FY livery and those in the later style.

Tower Models advise that Dapol are carrying out checks on the 122's and that so far, decoration, running and dcc circuit checks have been ok. They say that it's possible they will receive stock next Weds.

An RM web member has advised on the Dapol O gauge Class 121/122 thread, that Tower Models have advised that Dapol has received the 'O' gauge Class 122 railcars, that were stuck on the Ever Given, so presumably they also have the O&K Hoppers as they must have been in the same container. They will presumably go through quality checks first, due to the risk of heat damage while stuck in Suez. Addition: I've looked at the Tower Models website and they have also advised that quality checks on the Class 122s for decoration, running and circuitry have all been ok so far.

In the Autumn 2021 edition of the Bachmann Collectors Club magazine -Bachmann Tines, a new benefit for members was announced, the product warranty is increased for club members to 2 years, if the item was purchased from an authorised retailer and membership is maintained. Applies to Bachmann Branchline, Bachmann narrow gauge, Graham Farish and Bachmann Europe Thomas and Friends products. If I'm reading the info correctly, it applies to relevant products that were purchased before membership was taken out, for a period of two years from purchase.

Something worth updating from the Autumn Bachmann Times. The works report, for both Bachmann and Graham Farish new items in development, now only has one item 'in the drawing office' , which is the 'oo' (009) Baguley-Drewry 70hp diesel. All the other previously announced items are in more advanced development stages. This means anything else being researched, will only be announced at a later stage, which is Bachmann's stated method announced last year.

I do like the commercial range. Have been waiting ages for the JCB 1st generation tracked excavator, slightly less for the AEC cement mixer and tipper. Had advice from Hattons a couple of weeks ago that all three are now scheduled for early 2022.

More than something's, much of their 'O' gauge wagon range is made in the UK and I believe the plan is for the Stroudley coaches to be made in the UK, although the tooling for all these are produced in China. I also recall reading, in what must be a first, that Dapol had tooling for 'n' gauge Mark 3 coaches, already used to produce model runs in China, sent to their UK factory, so that future runs will be produced in UK. Many modellers assume Dapol only produce ex Hornby Dublo wagons at Chirk. The Dapol modern image wagons with lots of added detail as well as the powered locos are still manufactured in China.

When Accurascale started their 'Building Britain' range, covering wagons used in the building and rebuilding in the 1950s/60s, I keep hoping for the BR Anhydrite hoppers to be announced. Used to transport anhydrite from Long Meg quarry and mine in Cumbria to the production plant in Widnes and used in plaster board manufacture. Operated in rakes of single type wagons, and over the famous Settle and Carlisle line. Only 150 were built but had more widespread use when put into general hopper traffic use in the 70s after the mine closed.

IIRC it was alleged that the vessel was sailing in excess of the max permitted speed in the canal, however it was in a convoy of vessels, so presumably the speed was dictated by the convoy speed which must have been set by the pilots or on shore control. The head of the Suez Canal authority advised that the responsibility for the vessels speed and staying within the max speed permitted, was the ship's master. So seems a case of 'heads we win tails you lose'.

Has now left Felixstowe and currently stationery in the North Sea at 'the sunk'. Several vessel sites say it is bound for Suez!!

For me, the timeline doesn't tie in. Oxford, from it's previous history has not been able to produce products in a short timescale. If Oxford had been developing this model, with no interest from Hornby, they would have announced it at an early stage of development, so it would have been identified before the Rails announcement, which is when it's suggested Hornby decided to take over the project. Oxford don't do secret development, based on already announced and produced models.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. There are already two good versions of the 47 that have been sold for many years, Bachmann and Vitrains. I have completed my requirements for EWS, Freightliner, I/C swallow, RES and Virgin liveried models, and was not planning on adding to them. I don't feel the motivation or need to chop these in while they remain serviceable. With two competing models of a class that has been well served by previous models someone is going to lose I suspect, as I'm not convinced there will be a huge market. We will see.

Arrival at Trinity Terminal Felixstowe now showing as 1600 hrs today.