Forester

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Brighton built large numbers of pacifics.......

Just to add more confusion, in my "neck of the woods" we used to call them "Bull-yuds" (rhymes with).

I'd take bets on a new Manor being announced within two years. It's been consistently high on all the wishlists forever. There's a parallel with the Lord Nelson, where Bachmann didn't want to invest in a replacement but Hornby held back for fear that one was in the pipeline. Eventually it became clear it wasn't and Hornby filled the resulting large gap with considerable success. I would bet on Hornby repeating that with a new Manor.

Agree with Kris. Try hard to sell to the "trade", by which I mean others who exhibit or are passionate exhibition-goers, are possibly familiar with the layout and are particularly attracted to it. Once it goes out to the general public via eBay or similar, they are willing to pay very little for layouts, even exhibition standard, and certainly not willing to pay for the time and effort going into construction. At that stage they can be worth more broken up for parts. Sad to say.

Theyhave flooded the market with the Rebuilt MN over many years and they now sell poorly when new identities are released. Why would they want to produce another which could be ony a minor improvement on the current one?

The audience will of course politely stand well back exactly in the space on the plan marked AUDIENCE so as not to block the operators' view and not invade their personal space or get in front of them or knock them about with their bags..... .. or have I just had a rough day?

Astonishing how far out Bachmann was with the Lemaitre chimney location and its shape. Markits must have made a fortune in brass replacements. Otherwise it was an excellent model for its time.

Hard to recall how many times I've upgraded all my stuff over the decades as more accurate and better detailed models come on the market. I was only able to do that by selling the old items. Doesn't matter if they've been modified repainted renamed or lost bits, someone somewhere wants old items for cheapness/spare/repair/modification/kids. There is a market for everything and anything. But...... to get the best prices, necessary to afford the very expensive new stuff these days, you need the boxes.

Argus and Car 58 are shown. Both are K Type Pullmans like the previous two. Strictly speaking the kitchen window on Argus was cut to half size in height in the late 1940s, not as shown. Apart from that both are shown in early post-war wood-panelled conditon with appropriate matching crest. Good for running together and with Minerva and Car 34 until those two were rebuilt. Divergence from the condition modelled occured in 1959 when Argus was flush plated to a more modern look and was used as an extra on the Golden Arrow when needed, Similarly Car 58 had the upper half flush-plated around 1958 so would also have looked a little different after that. Car 58 spent most of its time on the Eastern Region, while the others were mostly Southern. But in general you can run them happily together. Best to use BR early crest locos, unless you are in the Big Four era.

How accurate do you want to be? What period are you modelling? Both are K class Pullmans of similar age. These two Pullmans are interesting because they were both modified for use on the Golden Arrow in 1951/2, in which they were flush-plated and given square toilet widows to match the then new U Class Golden Arrow Pullmans, Minerva becoming a Guard Parlour - so both were not as modelled shown on trackshack after 1951. Car 34 is in immediate post WW2 condition late 1940s to 1951, and was used on the Devon Belle. Minerva was damaged in WW2 and I'm not entirely sure when it became a GP, but assuming that dated from 1951also then both could have run together as shown in late 1940s.

Silver coupling rods! We're back to the 1970s. Has anyone ever seen a silver coupling rod? Newly milled? Polished for a museum? Stewarts Lane couldn't make them look silver. They didn't even chrome plate a set for 45552. Why?

But I did see and hear it, and no. it didn't sound quite like aircraft jet engine (because it was tucked away inside) but I can't truly recall how it did sound - except it was different to anything else I ever heard.

Speaking of which: I don't need a model of it. But I'm desperate to hear the sound chip ....

There is an almost insatiable market for the WC as many people renumber them - and there were so many. Also the different crests are very seductive and people seem to want a fleet. I get around this by having stacks (literally) of different bodies. As OP said, Bideford will sell. Also stand by for price rises on the Unrebuit MN. I think the LN will take off also, judging by the number of Bachmanns which have been ofloaded on eBay over the last year.

Always ruined by the chimney. Fitting a Markits one totally transformed it. Not much could be done with the tender, though So sorry to see mine go. Wating for the new Hornby Lord Nelson.

On the other hand: Last year I had a model stolen In its box by a postal worker. I believe it was broken up into parts and sold without the box, but couldn't produce sufficient proof. I wouldn't worry about the ethics of selling boxes. They'll always get around it some way.

No one is whinging. The Lord Nelson turned up within the year -- in a red box.

So. Hornby don't have too much to fear from Bachmann this year then. They deserved a lucky break - and they seem to have received one.

Is this the first sign that Bachmann are backing out of new 00-steam ? So much low-hanging fruit they could have picked: updated Manor, more Atlantics, a SECR D 4-4-0 instead of a re-run of the C in SECR livery, lost the Lord Nelson to Hornby, - but apparently not worth the investment?

It is probably one production batch split in two, just giving the second half a different number and nameplate.

You buy so many models, Rob, that if you haven't by now been contacted by a model shop owner here with the offer to check over each item, price-match (or nearly) the main box-shifters and send a guaranteed runner and looker to you as your regular supplier, I think they are all missing a good business opportunity. Hope someone takes note.

Can't get them through the door for all the broken secondhand models stacked inside.

This is all good news on pricing.. But will it last until the Brunswick green ones arrive?

The subject of the catalogue cover has a lot of yellow on it but somehow I don't think it's the Jones Goods..........