nightstar.train

https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/ffestiniog-large-england-locomotives

I do! I bought the Xmas train set in 2019 when my kids were 7 and 3, and they love seeing a wee steam train rattling around under the Christmas tree. I might add another wagon if I can find them at a decent price.

A serious answer for you. On my Accurascale class 92 I found a cotton bud with a drop of enamel thinners worked perfectly. Rub gently and the number will come off without damaging the paint.

That would be hilarious if they could find a distribution company in Margate for these models, and get all the packages stamped with a big "From Margate".

The loco is okay Mick, and is toned down by the grey roof, black bogies etc. But the box is LOUD! I can't imagine what the box for the Accurascale Exclusive HNRC orange 37 will be like. Might need eye surgery afterwards!

Good lord, I do hope that 97301 comes with a free pair of Accurasun sunglasses! I'm really kind of hoping that these are on a boat and not a plane. I have a Titfield Thunderbolt pack on order that is also due imminently, and I'll end up owing Rails a lot of money if the 37s come as well. (Although I do kinda sorta really want an original DRS 37/6, so that might end up added to the order).

If you're going that way then the NGG 16 Beyer Garratts of the Welsh Highland Railway look good. One unbuilt kit recently went for £591! And an assembled kit that didn't run and needed both bogies rebuilding went for £621!! Even acknowledging that the price of a Garratt would be high as it has double running gear, valve gear etc, I do believe that demand is there. I'd certainly buy one even at the £400 mark, and if they were more in the range £250-300 I'd buy at least 2.

sigh Alright, you've convinced me. I'm going to have to buy one now (assuming this one is made). Although I'm also enticed by the LMR blue and the plum 2253. I really am going to have to build a large museum on my modern image layout, I have far too many steam engines.

Did a anyone get photos of the next batch of 37s and the 97 at Making Tracks this weekend? I have a Europhoenix 37/6 and the NR 97 on order, so would love to see piccies.

It's a USA tank, as modelled by Bachmann/Model Rail. They were a class of 0-6-0 tanks ordered by the US Army during WW2 for use here and on the continent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USATC_S100_Class More details under this photo too

Click through on this picture to Flickr and it gives a brief description of how it was done, at least in the FGW days.

I'd quite like a 230. I've seen a few photos of the unit GWR are trialling for battery technology, and it is a very attractive unit. Maybe a bit limited in scope though, although a few one off/prototype liveries which always sell well I think.

Maybe in the November announcements? I'm hoping for a Blanche with the cab tender.

Finally got one ordered, took over an hour! Like the bad old days of the internet on a 14.4k modem. Obviously a very good choice by Bachmann seeing how badly the website is getting slammed. Interestingly they still have the Collector's Club Double Fairlie in stock. I expect that is maybe less popular than the Hunslet as it isn't unique, you can buy a red Fairlie from multiple shops at a discount, whereas the blue Hunslet is only Collectors Club.

Hurrah, a GWR 143 that hasn’t been dragged through a muddy puddle. That will be a purchase for me.

It’s generally possible to adjust that and fine tune a decoder to match pretty well with the wheel revolutions. But that needs the user to fiddle it, the factory settings don’t usually match.

You don't have to run your Sealink brake in a Sealink train

Isn't a large part of the problem that the numbers staffing passport control are decided by the French border agency and Eurostar have no control over them? Unlike a flight where you go through French border control over in Paris, and thus those staff can process flights from everywhere. On Eurostar you go through the French border control in London (and vice-versa in Paris), so on arrival you walk straight off the train and into Gare Du Nord with no more checks. I remember last summer when there was chaos at Dover the blame was being placed at the feet of French border service for not providing enough staff to man all the booths at Dover. My takeaway from all this is that the French are reluctant to provide more border staff over here. Another problem is that St Pancras is so poorly designed. This is just my observations from a trip in April. But the space for Eurostar is far too small. The customs hall seemed to be enormous and empty when we returned. The area for queue lanes before you even enter Eurostar seems enormous and was certainly not full of people. The customs/passport area was very cramped. The waiting area is far too small, as is the cafe. It really needs a complete redesign and dare I say getting rid of some shops to provide more room. By contrast Gare Du Nord seemed larger and not as crowded. Probably helped by having windows and not feeling subterranean. Customs area was still crowded, but didn't seem as cramped as London.

The preserved NER railcar has a new, 21st century engine/generator. So even a recording of it wouldn’t be accurate for a 1910s railcar.

Is that an Ikea Kallax? Interesting that they perfectly hold six Accurascale locos. Although if you have a 4x4 Kallax unit, fully loaded with 96 locos you might exceed the load rating of the floor!!

All Jacobite services until the end of July now cancelled. https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/news/important-travel-information-the-jacobite-1 That's at least two weeks of twice daily trains cancelled, which will all be fully booked this time of year. Big blow to WCRC.

From the ORR Prohibition notice: I think I'm right in saying that the secondary door locks on these trains are just bolts, like you'd fit to a bathroom door. They are not locking or indeed centrally locked. It seems that WCRC need to fit locks that are at the very least locked with a key by the stewards, and ideally centrally locked by the guard. They've had years and years to do this. LSL have fitted all their tour tock with CDL, so it is possible and doable.

Or EFE/Bachmann. Have you seen their weathered 143s/144s? Just awful.

That is still an occasional problem. I remember a documentary about it. Nowadays a road tanker will collect from several farms on a round. Each farm gives the driver a sample of their milk in a small (and presumably sterile) bottle. All the samples are tested at the dairy. If a farm’s sample fails the tests then the whole tanker of milk has to be thrown away, and the farm at fault can receive a fine. But this is a fairly rare occurrence as farms are well up on infection and contamination control.

If the price was good I could certainly see myself getting a few. I'd love a Hull Trains, a Midland Mainline and an EMR full Purple set.