cessna152towser

Can understand there is a market among collectors for empty boxes in good condition, but have to wonder who would buy a box in this condition for a run of the mill Hornby wagon. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-Railways-R106-Edwin-Badland-6-Pank-Wagon-OO-Scale-Box-Only-First/174338070636?hash=item28975bd86c%3Ag%3A1HcAAOSwHeRfALWh&LH_BIN=1

I had one like this a few years ago. Sold him a Hornby 47 on eBay in the run up to a Christmas. Some time during the ensuing January, after I had left positive feedback, the buyer contacted me asking for a price reduction of £7 for a replacement armature. I pointed out that he had the use of the loco throughout the Christmas holidays and I could not be responsible for faults which developed later. As a gesture of goodwill I offered return for refund. He refused to return the loco, said he wanted to keep the loco but maintained his demand for £7. I reminded him that asking for a discount after winning an item was unfair to the next highest bidder but as a gesture of goodwill I sent him the £7. He left negative feedback - "Unhelpful seller accused me of breaking the item". Needless to say I blocked this chancer. Annoyingly he still has 100% positive feedback because he only buys on eBay and never sells.

Thanks for the pics. Great memories and just as I remember it. We were in Llandudno on holiday in 1961 and 1963 and Penmaenmawr in 1966 so would have visited Lou Nadin's a few times.

Our 1961 family holiday took us to Llandudno where I was fascinated by Lou Nadin's extensive 00 gauge model railway in a loft in Garage Street. I remember there was a large continuous oval, with a hump yard in the centre, and an industrial end to end line in the foreground. While there my dad bought for me a Wills Track Cleaning Wagon kit. I recall we assembled it once we were home and it was painted a mid blue colour with gilt waterslide transfers either side, which had been intended for kitchen jars, so it was lettered "sugar" on one side and "pepper" on the other, or something equally similar and incorrect. The cleaning filters were actually cigarette filter tips. When I started university in 1969 I joined a model railway club in Glasgow and soon sold the track cleaner to another member. I had long forgotten it until last year I spotted among an eBay spares or repair job lot a Wills Track Cleaner. Job lot duly purchased complete with one unpainted track cleaner, fitted with the optional Triang type couplers, but missing its cleaning filters and with two holes in the floor where it was missing the imitation metal taps above the cylinders which would have held the cleaning filters. Last week while browsing for something else, I happened on an eBay listing for Wills Track Cleaner accessories, boxed, for £4.99 plus postage. This arrived this morning, the correct box, complete with original typescript instruction sheet and accessory bag containing cleaning filters, the whitemetal taps and the alternative pin type couplings. This afternoon the Track Cleaning Wagon has been up and down my layout behind a Wrenn 8F 2-8-0, doing the purpose for which it was originally intended.

Am I missing something here or are we talking 2 different units? - first one I see as an Arriva XC 3-car unit and the second one as a Central Trains 2-car unit.

I've been following this thread for a while. I was hesitant to buy the 121 because of some of the less than fully positive comments, however £79 for the Highland Stag version from Hattons finally tempted me. It arrived today. Runs nicely (I even took it round the goods loop with its 2nd radius curved point and no derailments). As others have pointed out, it does draw quite a current and the motor buzz is loud by comparison with modern Bachmann and Hornby (but nowhere near as noisy as my vintage Grafar 00 gauge 94xx tank from the 1970s.) However I only have a small fiddle yard to branch terminus layout so the 121 is never likely to be run far and fast enough to overheat. Overall I am quite pleased with it.

I buy trains with the intention of running them, but they don't get run much as I only have a small fiddle yard to branch terminus laout. Most of my stock spends the majority of its life back in its box. There are a few trains which are a bother to couple and uncouple and on which the non-standard couplings would be prone to damage. For example the Dapol Megafret pair, the Realtrack class 142 and the Bachmann Windhoff MPV. These are displayed permanently coupled and unboxed on sections of track on a shelf when not in use on the layout.

I've been trying to get to the Perth show for the past few years but it always clashes with other events. Sod's law I actually had firm plans to attend this year for the first time in several years.

Also missing one coupling and missing the hook from the other coupling.

Sometimes the result of making an offer can be a pleasant surprise or a disappointment. I recently offered 90% of the buy it now price on an item and my offer was immediately accepted. Yesterday evening I bought an item and wanted to buy a second item from the same seller but received a message that this seller does not offer to combine postage. So I put in a best offer on the second item at just £2 less than the buy it now price with a note saying the seller could send both items together. My offer was rejected. Won't buy from this guy again.

At £125 plus postage for one wagon, you would need plenty money to buy a decent rake of those:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bachmann-38-427-Covered-Bogie-Hopper-Wagon-Traffic-Services-Ltd/372888144965?epid=0&hash=item56d1dd8c45:g:BCcAAOSwAHFeASHE

My suspicion too. Bidders are of course anonymised nowadays by eBay, but comparing the feedback scores it seemed almost certain to me that the unsuccessful bidder on the other item did not then become one of the seven bidders on mine.

I have tended to follow the eBay tip of starting the bidding relatively low to attract interest from potential bidders. This time it failed to pay off. Ten days ago I placed a set of Bachmann for Murphy Models Murphy Bros of Waterford set of three 7-plank wagons on auction at a start price of £24.99 plus £3.99 postage. Someone else had placed an identical set as a new listing within the previous 24 hours with a start price of £60 plus £4.50 postage. I thought the other seller was being rather optimistic. His was a seven day auction and so I decided to make mine a ten day auction so that both auctions would not end too close together. The other set attracted two bidders and went for £67 plus postage at the beginning of this week. Mine attracted seven different bidders and sold earlier this evening for £43 plus postage. I am happy enough with the price I received as it was roughly what I originally paid for the wagons, and probably a fair price. I have to wonder though whether it is worth starting bids at the lowest price I would be willing to accept or whether to start higher in future.

I had a similar issue when I sold some Hornby-Dublo to someone in USA. The items went via Global Shipping Programme and the seller complained he never received them. I followed up the tracking and the end courier claimed to have tried to deliver but nobody was at home. I contacted the buyer with this information and he said he had received no notification from the carrier. After that he made contact with the carrier and eventually received his item.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triang-Hornby-Model-Railways-OO-Gauge-Joblot-4-x-Insulfish-White-Vans-Unboxed/373037830813?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144 Four old Triang Fish vans in mediocre condition recently bid up to and sold for £23 plus postage. Their only claim to fame is "Previously owned by a top link, steam days LMS / BR engine driver.". I've accumulated plenty of those in job lots acquired over the years and usually sell them on for a couple of quid each at our local show. Perhaps I should dig out a rake of them and flog them on eBay seeing we aren't holding our show this year!

"Trainbay". I put an old Lima Sprinter on eBay for a start price of £9.99 earlier this evening. Within minutes I was messaged by "Trainbay" asking if I will consider a Buy-it-Now price. My answer is sorry but no, the auction will run its full course. I have also now blocked him from bidding on my items in view of the hassles he has caused to Simon B.

Too late, unfortunately. I waited around three weeks and when he had still not left me feedback, I left him a positive, to close the transaction (or so I thought). It was only after I had left positive feedback for him that he messaged me asking for a discount.

I had one like that several years ago. I sold to him a Hornby 47. Several weeks later the buyer came back to me saying it needed a new armature and asking for a part refund of £7 to meet the cost of this. I pointed out that he had already had the use of the loco for several weeks and if it was faulty he should have notified me at the time. I offered to cancel the deal and refund, but he insisted he wanted to keep the loco and just wanted £7. I wrote back pointing out that it was unfair to other bidders for the winner to seek a rebate on the price aftewards but as a gesture of goodwill I sent him the £7. He left negative feedback - "Unhelpful seller accused me of breaking item". I blocked him from future bidding.

Thanks for the warning. I recently closed my Google account, which I believe also included my YouTube account.

I had a similar experience. After much patience I eventually reached the Checkout page to find I had two in the Basket. When I clicked to remove one the page disappeared, and I had to start all over, only to find they were now sold out. Luckily the production number was increased and I was later able to log in again. Big sigh of relief and much joy when that pre-order for one loco was eventually confirmed!

The Peco Setrack curved point is (or was) exactly the same geometry as the Hornby one. When I built my layout here in 1989 I used a Hornby curved point at the station throat as it was the only option to give a long enough run round in the limited space available. I replaced it some years ago with a Peco Setrack point. The curves are second radius, which is the tightest curve on my layout and should always be negotiated at low speed. Some Bachmann and Hornby steam outline locos are left or right-handed and will only negotiate the curved point when running chimney towards fiddle yard or running tender first towards fiddle yard. Trying to remember which locos are right-handed and which are left-handed can be challenging at times.

Praise for both, Dapol for sending the items quickly and the Royal Mail for fast delivery.

Dapol ordered last weekend, delivered today, excellent service.

Delivery services seem patchy at the moment, depending on where stuff is coming from. I already received yesterday from Manchester a wagon which I bought on eBay last Saturday, but a Peco point sent Royal Mail 48 by Frome Model Centre on 22nd April has just arrived this afternoon (9 days in the post).

I had always assumed that Graham Farish 00 vans were all of a standard bodywork style, like the NE van which I have illustrated and which has an identical body to various others in advertising liveries, Knorr, Terrys, Zoflora, Fyffes, Railmail, in my collection. I just realised this morning that the vans which were produced for Beatties carry an entirely different body moulding, My Beatties pair have horizontal planking, double side doors and double vents on the ends, whereas all the others have vertical planking, single side doors, and ends with single vents and horizontal corrugation. I am wondering whether Beatties went to the expense of asking Graham Farish to produce a separate moulding for their vans.