Tony Teague

Or his frigging of the rigging.........

Just fab Adrian! Having been brought up in south London in the '50's and '60's (not far from Westerham) this truly evokes memories of Kent past. Great modelling. Tony

Example attached:

I agree and will get to it - eventually. I was just trying to be clever! 🙄

A couple of pages back I reported on the arrival of EFE Rail / Bachmann Set No.253 and a couple of improvements were suggested to me, in that it was missing the 3rd class designations from the doors of each of the brake vehicles, whilst all of the wheels needed blackening. I have now completed this work - but not entirely to my satisfaction! I applied a gloss varnish to each lower door panel before fixing the 3rd class decals and then a matt varnish on top, and as you can see, this has altered the colour of those panels quite significantly. I imagined that I was being clever in only touching those panels and whilst some weathering is needed, I think that I shall now have to varnish at least the complete lower half of each of the two brake coaches before any weathering is applied. The composite centre coach is of course, untouched! Perhaps just a light coating of track dirt might help, but at least the wheels look OK! The Set is seen running here with a Hornby bogie luggage van The train is being hauled by ex-LSWR class D15 No.467 by OO Works Tony

That's a shame! Unfortunately I am at least as allergic to F-Book as it seems Simon is to RMWeb - and I never have any trouble with ads, but hey-ho, each to his own.

I didn't go, but I felt exactly the same at Doncaster - no large, star layout(s) and far too many box-shifters. I'm hoping this desn't become the norm.

Despite a thorough search I have been unable to find 'shovel flambe'd pigeon' amongst the ready meals in M&S or Waitrose - are ther other sources???

Wow! How wierd is that? I don't think it is for me but thanks for drawing my attention to it. Tony

Totally agree; I never really understood why the etch tools were not sold on when Adrian wanted to cease production.

Just one coaching set this morning, as it is a longer one: Set No.309 is an ex-LSWR panelled 54', 56' & 57' corridor set by Adrian Rowlands / Northstar; bringing up the rear is 56' brake composite no.6530: This is closely preceded by two 57' and one 56' thirds, nos. 701, 706, and 678: Ahead of these three are two 54' composites, nos.5077 & 5122: and then 56' first, no.7164 Finally, 56' left-hand corridor brake 3rd no.3100 completes the formal set. The set is currently augmented with 56' passenger van / full brake no.675: and the train is posed here with Hornby Battle of Britain class no.21C169 'Hawkinge': In case anyone is getting bored with SR coaching stock, we are already about 1/3rd of the way through.....................🥱 Tony

May I suggest that you don't buy one?

I doubt if Hornby are confused - so long as hey make a profit, that is their obligation to their shareholders, and if people keep buying, then at least someone is happy.

That surely ain't John Lennon???

That was certainly my experience until I got a loco building lesson in more recent years from Tony. As an SR modeller there were very few RTR locos available (like other regions!) so I thought I'd build a K's Adams Radial - what an error of judgement! Until recently the part glued together body was in a drawer here along with the twisted white metal chassis that never ran - but now both have been used as 'ballast'! Tony

So it looks like I'll have the pleasure of your company two days of three a row, as I shall also be there! Tony

Not sure how you find the time, but it all looks good!

Thanks Podhunter, and that certainly looks like a nice example! I already have a J class model and since there were only 5 built I think it would be overkill to have another! Tony

Thanks Graham Very helpful - and in fact I had illustrated Set 45 a page back from here but never made the connection! This pair will remain 'loose' and without a set number. Tony

Back to the carriage sets, and Set No.660 is an ex-SECR 2-coach pull-push set built from Roxey Mouldings kits by Ian Willets & painted by Larry Goddard: This set was sensitively weathered by the late Mick Bonwick. At the business end is ex-SECR pull-push Driving Coach No.3505: Which is coupled to ex-SECR 60' 'Birdcage' composite No.5473: The pair are inapropriately posed here with ex-LB&SCR E4 class No.2473, by OO Works, in wartime black livery: Our 2nd set today is a pair of Hornby non-corridor Maunsell coaches that has no Set No.: Despite extensive searching through my reference books, I have been unable to identify whether a Set No. was ever applied, and if so, what it was - which is probably why Hornby didn't apply one! - but I am open to any suggestions from the wise. This pair comprises what was an ex-LSWR 48' coach, extended by Maunsell / SR to 58' in 1936 to form 6 compartment lavatory brake 3rd No.2626. This is coupled to No.304, a similarly converted 58' 9 compartment lavatory 3rd; as running here, they are also coupled to a Hornby passenger guards van 'C', no. 441: Whilst the train is posed with another ex-LBSCR E4 class loco, No.2505, this one being built from a Branchlines kit by Chris Phillips: Tony

Kevin On my layout a similar gate protects the private gasworks siding and it is remotely operated using a servo from Heathcote Electronics. A single lever / switch on the panel changes the point, trips the signal shown to red isolating the track beyond it, opens the gate and clears the shunt (ground) signal to allow reversal into the siding. So it shouldn't be in the 'too difficult' box! Tony

Finally, I have reached the point where the terraced housing in front of the new, low-profile Stowe Manufacturing building is all but complete: There is just a little fettling to do - phone & post boxes, some people, lamposts, and a small amount of paving remain, but the overall scene is there or thereabouts. This has taken far longer than intended, despite my spending quite a lot more time in the railway room recently, but I have always had an aversion to what I see as 'doing things twice' - so when I go back to re-do something that I already did before, I just resist and find something else to do! (Some of which I'll cover in separate posts). Some additional delay was caused by my deciding to build a replacement wall & gates at the right hand end, so as to match the building - leaving the pre-painted one just didn't look right with the new building in place. So now that this development is done it will leave the way clear to start some work in front of that area - particularly the installation of the semaphore signals that were delivered here more than a year ago! Tony

A memory stirs.........!

Both looking good - and I think Mike was especially good at making models of the obscure, less numerous prototypes (of all regions) which makes it such a shame that he is no longer able to operate. Tony

Evening Graham. Is that from Mike Radford's etches or is / was there aanother source. Tony