Godfrey Glyn

I think the present government has other things on its mind at the moment. Of course his sentence could be over by Christmas. We might need to have a People's Vote on whether he should be released! all the best Godfrey

However, according to the Hornby website, strangely enough Sir Francis Drake is down for release in December 2018. Of course it maybe that the website hasn't been properly updated. all the best Godfrey

Many thanks Brian and team for this fantastic piece of work, I find the results across the years particularly interesting. I can understand why the so-called oddballs are rising up, the experience of the last few years is that such items, when of a high quality, sell well enough to cover the cost of development and manufacture. I get the impression that there are many more smaller layouts being built as money and space both become tight, you can justify (well almost) an oddball on a small layout. It is also sadly true that DMUs and EMUs are a much higher risk for the manufacturer, certainly so if they consist of more than two cars. That will not stop me voting for a 442 even if I doubt it will ever appear in my lifetime! I am sure the manufacturers will find it useful, especially those that do not appear to use their reps to collect views from the people who actually sell their products to the enthusiast. all the very best Godfrey

Agreeing with CHARD, these POTs were built to Diagram 732 and completed in November 1968, so too late for the original Royal Mail red - unless of course you apply Rule 1b. all the best Godfrey

I picked up my four from Alton Model Centre last Friday. Comparing the POTs with the original POSs produced for Modelzone the body colour is slightly less glossy when looking at them under daylight conditions but not too far away and I can live with that. The yellow stripes are certainly less dense on the POTs and looking at the photos that Paul has on his wonderful site they seem to me to be outside the amount of variation shown in his selection. The bogies are certainly made from a newer moulding with much more detail on them and the crown appears to have more definition. If nobody else can do some comparison photos I will try and put some up on Monday. As Andy has demonstrated with his photo of the blue/grey version they have done a good paint job on that version. They also have quite a few additional fitting on them that were not on the original post office stock - they are fitted with footsteps for example. all the best Godfrey

Steve, if it were to be sold in shops it would raise the profile of EM gauge, encourage new punters to develop EM layouts, increase the sales (even if it cost more than when sold to EMGS members - who would then effectively be getting a discount), raise the profile of the EMGS, encourage PECO to develop more, etc etc. I really think it could be a win-win situation. I don't think anyone was suggesting that it would be giving it away, just stimulating and creating a new and much bigger market. Just a thought. all the best Godfrey

Given the number of modern image modellers on RMweb I have always been surprised how few comments have been posted on the excellence of Rail Express Modelling, and now I feel guilty at not having done this myself. Congratulations to Simon, I think Hattons are fortunate to recruit him and I just hope Rail Express can find somebody to replace him as up to now I have found it very useful reading and he will be a difficult act to follow. all the best Godfrey.

Geoff, so does mine when I put my brain in gear. Perhaps my subconscious was so keen I was prepared to wait at the door for a month! I have found my glasses and corrected the contribution above. Thanks Godfrey

Visited this morning and I totally agree with the comments above, a really excellent show. Always good to see Sidmouth and I expect I will spend quite a bit of time looking at it again at Warley. Its a bit of a drive for me but well worth it and I have already noted the dates for next year - 26th and 27th October 2019. Congratulations to the team who put it on and to the site staff at the School for their welcome too. all the best Godfrey

Is it the screen on my iMac or does the yellow seem a more 'primrose yellow' than the old warning yellow? What do they look like in reality? Sorry its a question! Godfrey

I was delighted to learn today that my 'local' - Alton Model Centre is going to stock Hatton's exclusives. I have been thinking of ordering some more Warwells and now I can pick up some more whilst making a visit to Paul for other bits and pieces. I think it's the obvious development for Hattons, this will greatly increase the exposure of their own products to the general public who do not regularly buy modelling magazines or read RMweb - and there are more of them than whose of us who do realise. We do indeed live in interesting times. all the best Godfrey

If anyone else will be at Missenden, please say hello! Tony Hello, but I am doing the signal construction unit this week-end though looking forward to catching up. all the best Godfrey

Excellent, any chance of a recipe so we can all do a bit of scratch building Mike? all the very best Godfrey

That is really good news, I remember them with some affection. I seem to recall that they made a rather nice Bristol Lowdekka which like the other kits would be useful when converting the Faller system to British outline. Good old Peco! all the best Godfrey

I don't know Jane's Trains in Tooting, I must go out of my way one day soon to visit it, thank you for alerting me to its existence. I am sure she will appreciate that, despite you taking advantage of her good service and knowledge you prefer not to buy from her. I am always amazed by the total lack of tact and diplomacy exhibited by some members of the hobby - I have visited quite a few shops in my time and have heard 'customers' in a number of shops telling the shop staff that they could have bought an item much cheaper elsewhere. If I was the owner at the end of such comments I might very well escort them off the premises!! Happy days! Godfrey

Not sure if you would class Alton Model Centre as a small model shop, it certainly has a huge stock if not a big national profile, but Paul has Heljan OO in abundance and quite a bit of O gauge stock, all of which is sold below RRP at sensible prices. all the best Godfrey

I totally agree with Gareth on this. Your local shop cannot take the risk of ordering one unless s/he has a order from a customer. A big item such as an O gauge loco with a RRP of £600 is a big investment for your local model shop and the risk is too high that s/he will end up with a large value loco sitting on the shelf for a long time tying up much needed capital. By limiting the discount there is far more chance that your local shop will take a risk and stock the loco and that it will sell. I suspect that Heljan have worked out that they will sell more O gauge locos if they prevent huge discounting by a few shops. If I as a customer am thinking of buying one I certainly want to see it before offering up the significant amount of money involved. all the best Godfrey

A few more of the shots I took at Eastleigh on Tuesday this week. It will be interesting to see if this is a one off trip by an 800 or whether it becomes a regular event. Makes me think that Hornby would be silly not to produce their model in the white livery. Godfrey

Much excitement at Eastleigh this morning as 800109 arrives on its way into the works. I gather it is there for some modifications and is scheduled to return on Saturday. all the best Godfrey PS If I have time later I will add some more shots.

Andy, Very many thanks for the update, clearly there are some very impressive models coming from Bachmann. Was there any news of the revised Bulleid coaches? They must have already done a huge amount of research for the N gauge versions so I am surprised that they have not progressed beyond the research stage, do you think there is any chance they might feature in the Warley announcements? I have just returned from a trip to Germany and had the chance to visit the fantastic model shop in Aachen - goes by the name Hunerbein(!) - and see in their window a magnificent HO crane by Marklin. OK, it is DCC but at 999.99 Euros the Bachmann - OK non motorised - seems a real bargain in comparison. Bachmann crane news would therefore be most welcome! all the best Godfrey

I agree with Mike (Stationmaster) that if an iconic building like the one made for Steam had to be sold off cheaply then it would be unlikely that they could identify any smallish building that would sell to both model enthusiasts and visitors to the museum. As Mike says, any commission must make money for the museum, they cannot afford to lose a penny on anything they launch. To be successful they need to identify the really iconic items in their collection; for me the obvious one is Rocket itself which would sell to a large segment of the public. In terms of coaches, the Dynamometer Car, was an obvious example and maybe some of the royal coaches would be worth considering. Hornby seem to have been successful with the Devon Belle Observation car, I remember being a bit shocked when the price was first announced - in retrospect it was a bargain -but it has been returned to the 2018 catalogue so they at least think that there is still sufficient demand. The tie up with Rapido seems to have hit the right spot, high quality iconic items with a premium that (hopefully) gives them a good return but also stimulates people to dig into their wallets and feel that they are getting something very special. I also agree with Legend that they should either be prepared to set up short term contracts with local staff to work on the packing and distribution peaks or negotiate with one of the major retailers, like Rails, to do it for them. Having received the Stirling safely and bought many of their releases I am, as they say, speaking as a very satisfied customer, albeit one who is prepared to pay a bit more to support the museum. I will be interested to see what they choose as their next iconic item to have modelled. all the best Godfrey

Picked up my two Hornby Maunsell Restaurant Firsts from Alton on Friday and I am very impressed, lining or no lining on the SR version. The actual coaches seem to have quite a complicated history so congratulations to the Hornby team for bringing them to the market. I'm still hoping that they will use their underframe to do the Bulleid shorties, that would really expand the possibilities. Bachmann shouldn't have too many problems with researching the longer versions of the Bulleid coaches as they must have done this in preparation for producing their N gauge versions. I suspect that one of the limiting factors in bringing new models out is the realisation that us modellers cannot afford everything we might want at the same time. The Tavern Cars - well thats another story - and another need. Enjoy! all the best Godfrey

I gather Paul at Alton Model Centre has a good supply, I shall be picking up mine tomorrow. all the best Godfrey

Sorry, another drag away from the topic but even in sleepy Somerset my school ACF had gaiters in 1962. I am ashamed (just a little) to say that I still have them. I look forward to Alan getting some guys dressed in post second war army and navy uniforms. The only question left is will they be as impressive as a young Mick Bonwick who has clearly weathered with time! all the best Godfrey

Like lochlongside above, the arrival of 10203 on Friday completed my collection of all three of the Bulleid diesels, but in my case all three are in the black livery. I am absolutely delighted with all of them, its been a long gestation period but well worth it. Very many thanks to Chris and his team down west and to the manufacturer and his staff out in the far east, they have done a fantastic job. I am afraid I can't relate any results from haulage experiments, my track availability is very limited at the moment, but I do agree that you need a piece of straight track to place it accurately on the track! If I could find an excuse I would get one of the BR green ones, but I have so much stock on order it might create a cash flow problem!! all the best Godfrey