rembrow

I've got a couple of songs in a loop while waiting for my two to be dispatched: 'sitting on a dock on the bay' Otis Redding 'i've been waiting for a girl (deltic) like you' Foreigner 'waiting in vain' Bob Marley

I've just had an order delivered, which was ordered at the beginning of May, two sets of Prairie etched cabside numbers. With the order was a letter from Jim apologising for the delay. He and Elspeth contracted a virus in May, which kept them away from the business for 3 weeks. They returned in early June and have been catching up with the backlog for the last 2 weeks. Jim says he has caught up and cleared the backlog.

According to the 'blood and custard' website, the Southern allocated 64 footers that were in the sets for the Exmouth branch, were not repainted into green until 1960, they had received an overhaul at Lancing in 1958 but were revarnished. Possibly due to priority for repainting into green, being given to mainline stock. Two years later, these 3 coach sets and most of the 64ft seconds were transferred to the Western, with the boundary reorganisation, and were early withdrawals. The SR did receive 12 64ft seconds from the WR in the early sixties (one of which was withdrawn immediately due to it's poor condition), none of which were the previously transferred coaches. They were used on Basingstoke and Winchester semi fasts. Most of the long suburbans that worked on the SR had further lives after withdrawal as carflats.

It did say June/July when I looked, but is now back to late Autumn. The lonk to the Dapol release info still has it listed, interesting to see what gappens. No use to me as I have a latr BR one on order.

The dcc ready SECR grey version has been updated to June/July , the sound version is Autumn.

Yesterday, Rails provided details of Dapol's expected release programme for June/July and the Manors are included. Interestingly, so is the SECR grey version of the D1.

Yesterday, Rails provided details of Dapol's expected release programme for June/July and the SECR grey version of the D1 is included, but not the other versions.

The last update from Dapol, in the Dapol digest, from mid April, advised that production was underway 'slowly' due to the effects of Covid and electrical supply shortages in China. They advised that the models were about to start manual printing, which would indicate that all plastic moulding is done and painting is complete.

I wouldn't make any judgements based on the comparison image, as the two original images are not taken with the models in the same plane. The lower photo of the Dapol model, is not taken straight on at the mid point, but from above the midpoint, evudenced by the front running plate and buffer beam being higher at the rear. This will have distorted the smokebox, boiler, firebox and cab in comparison to the Acc model. The wheels of the Dapol model look ok, as photos of the prototype show manors with wide height tyres on main and bogie wheels, enhanced by scalloped (recessed) spokes. Dapol has already represented this on the mogul and prairie models, so expect the manors to be the same.

My BR black ones also arrived today, many thanks to Richard at Footplate for getting this sorted. Also surprised that these were fully finished wagons, as had expected to transfer the bogies from the 'shorties'. I assume we can keep the 'shorties' as if so I will donate them to a young modelling friend, if he can use them.

Always in these debates, two UK manufacturers are omitted and I'm surprised that railway modelling journalists too, omit them. Dapol and Peco. Both have plastic injection moulding machinery and painting, printing facilities for volume production and have a production workforce, in the UK. Now while you may argue that their ranges don't have the detail fitted parts that are a feature of Chinese made models, that is changing, with Dapol having invested in new machinery and who now produce 'n' gauge coaches in the UK, I believe they transferred the tools from China. They also produce most of their 'O' gauge 2 axle wagons in the UK, and the new Stroudley 'O' gauge coaches were advertised as being manufactured in the UK, and those are full of additional detail. So it is not correct to say that rtr plastic model manufacture is not being made in the UK, but it is limited. However there is concern that China made models may be changing to have more detail fitted by the buyer. While it's not a certainty, as it's been seen in only one recent model, so I can't say it is a trend. The model is the Bachmann vanwide, which when examined, had most of the chassis detail to be fitted by the buyer, 12 pieces of brake parts. This type of brake hanger and connecting rods had previously been factory fitted e.g. the lner fish and general vans. So maybe we are heading into a cycle where the buyer has to fit detail, a la ViTrains Class 47 (I have done 4 of those)

As long as postie/DPD/Evri etc don't also get into the Christmas anticipation spirit, and shin up the drainpipe before dropping AS Deltic down the chimney. I wonder if AS included that possibility in their packaging robustness test, including its resistence to a log fire. I'm also not leaving sherry and mince pies out!!

Easy tiger.

It's an M&S wagon.

Brave, brave, brave.

I recently buckled and ordered my second, Nimbus, named after a racehorse, however just looked up 'Nimbus', it's latin for dark cloud. Hope it's not a premonition!!, maybe it foretells my wife's reaction when she finds out I've got two arriving. So Fran and all at Accura, if you can send mine in one box I can blame you for using excess packaging for one.

I can't see that one is 'streets ahead' due to the appearance of a smokebox number plate, it's a small feature, hardly noticeable in this scale. I have one of each on order, as I wanted two and also wanted to support both businesses. I know the Dapol mechanism from the Prairie and it is a slow running and smooth piece of engineering, now the gear ratio from the 43xx has been sorted. I also like the tender to loco connection, which is wireless and very neat. If it follows tbe Prairie, the Dapol manor will also have good weight. Overall I believe both will be excellent models.

Yes, the changes are quoted in the Rails info about the new run versions.

The main issues are, as Oldddudders has advised, slow running which is due to the gear ratio used in these first releases, which was about 18to1. This does improve with running in. Dapol changed the gear ratio for the Prairie model. The other issue was more visual, the motion slide bars have an upturn at the ends. If you can wait, Dapol have announced a further run and 4S-043-016 is BR late crest green, which has changes to correct the gear ratio to 30to1 and improvements to the slide bars. Also the firebox flicker/glow is low intensity and is being changed on the next run. I'm not worried about tge firebox effect.

I've now had my 4th Hornby retailer in the last 6 years, cease offering Hornby on pre order. My local model shop ceased, primarily due to the frustrations of Hornby's systems and stock being offered to a select retailer group, that undercut his stock price.(I'm good friends with the owner over 30 years of using them). Switched pre ordering to Hattons, and they were unable to supply as they went on to Hornby's naughty step, so switched to Rails, who fell out with Hornby, so switched to Kernow, who have now advised me that they will not be offering Hornby new items on pre order, due to the uncertainty of final stock allocation and price. So have decided not to bother pre ordering Hornby in the future. If items are sold out on delivery, so be it, I've just become so frustrated with Hornby's attempts to not sell to me, or force me to buy direct. I've reminded myself that this hobby is meant to be fun. There are many alternatives out there now, if you don't want a particular type of rolling stock. Having made this decision have pre ordered a 37 and 30 from Accurascale, via one of their retailers.

Have now appeared in Dapols advert in the June Hornby mag, as 'coming soon' and are listed as part of the next tranche of 'oo' model releases.

I've decided to stop trying to pre order items from Hornby's new announcements, as the third retailer I've used, in the last 3 years, has advised me that they have decided to stop taking pre orders for Hornby products. I had a long conversation with a really helpful person at Kernow Models yesterday, regarding one of my pre orders that has been delayed after being advised it was imminent, and accepting a revised price. This may have been mentioned before, but apparently due to the continued uncertainty of what volume of product they will receive and at what price, they are no longer going to advertise Hornby products when announced, but when they are received, which means no pre orders from them. Now Kernow is believed to be a Tier 1 retailer in Hornby's system, yet they are unable to satisfactorily indicate how many pre orders they can satisfy until close to release. I'm not sure if this, for Hornby, is an example of the law of unintended consequences, or is part of a plan to curtail pre ordering at their retail customers. I don't intend to go down the direct ordering route, and will now wait to see what arrives and is available at my preferred retailer. This is likely to mean more orders go to other sources, as they seem to be able to manage both direct and retailer pre order stock expectations.

Have constructed a simple formulae for buying a Deltic. Birthday yesterday + more money than expected = Nimbus ordered. Found a photo of Nimbus on the Scotsman, at 4 months old with syp. So Nimbus joins my existing order of Black Watch and I said I would only buy one!!!

Thanks for the photos of 20308, they show for the period I'm interested in, that the logo wasn't central on one side. I was aware that the first 5 could not easily be modelled from the Bachmann model. Seems Mike Wild was in error with this renumbering. Will keep my spare bodies in the cupboard.

Hard to find photos of 20308 in early DRS livery with the cab at the left of the photo, but have found one on Flicker with 20308 leading a 37, going through Preston station. The bodyside DRS logo is definately one panel back, compared to 20306.