stewartingram

Do they maintain it then?

I once had a Farish Black 5 in for repair at my local model shop when I did their repairs. We usually got Triang/Hornby/HD, it made a change!. I ended up putting an X04 un the tender, driving the loco wheels, but can't remember the details now. Customer was well pleased though.

Emphatically YES. When I lived in Chesterton (Scotland Road), I habitually parked (with permission) on the pub frontage in High St (?) - was it the Yorkshire Grey? When I moved I chose a house with a driveway. Nowadays, for one-offs, I park sensibly and walk to my destination. Why? 1) I'm not lazy. 2) I'm not selfish and have respect for others. 3) I have respect for the law and its rules, so try to keep to them.

One of my wheel cleaning methods involves using an XACTO knife blase (probably an old discarded one), applied to the wheel surface, whilst power is applied.

I wouldn't worry - he's probably nailed the ladders to the woodwork.

But when will this thread finally close?

I wonder what will be next?

My BR green one has a black (or dark grey) cab roof.

We had quite a number of mixed colour dmus in the Cambridge area. Our local Derby LtWts and early Met-Camms, along with 105s; also 'foreign' intruders such as 101s & 104s. In fact, despite my modelling being the green era, I have both a 101 3-car and a 104 3-car, each with one car in blue.

Our local PC (over 20 years since I moved away from there) was old school, and used to enforce it on our estate. Seen him issue tickets. Also cars parked on the wrong side of the road (facing traffic). Sadly he retired shortly before I moved. That's how it used to be, but times have changed.

Gasbag at Carnforth is my favourite fireless. Why? Because, as a working loco, it was based at Cambridge, and a friend of my best mate bought it for preservation. Now off my head I can't remember if it is the same as the model (I'll look later), but I would buy it. Not in the Gasbag livery mind, but in its workaday livery which I've forgotten!

Anyone checking on tracking from Kernow, don't rely too much on it. Having been accustomed to Hattons methods, the Kernow method is a tad unreliable. (Not an accusation at Kernow, just an observation, my method is "It will arrive when it does". Last week I I received my pre-order LMS Model Rail shunter from Kernow. Unexpected, and still showing on the orders page. I had however received an email quoting a despatch, but with the order number relating to an Oxford car. (Still showing despatched, but none received). Time-wise this was tracked by Royal Mail, and coincided with the shunter, so they mixed up the orders! Previously, when the Hornby A2s were released, I had 2 pre-orders sent (separately), which are still shown as outstanding orders though I have received them. Yet other orders have had reliabily, showing tracking and order completion. As I said, not a complaint, service from them otherwise is great. Edit to add: I had a recent conversation with them, concerning combining the postage of the MR loco and a normal shop item, I was in no rush and thought the postage would be cheaper. Their reply basically said "No Can Do, 2 separate businesses" Fair do I suppose, but then they seem to have combined my orders for the Oxford & MR loco in the process!

GE also. As a pre-teen we lived in the Isle of Ely, so trips in the car usually meant a wait at LC gates, or maybe a pause alongside the ECML at somewhere like Offord. And Saturday days out on the 137 bus to Cambridge, ending up with a trip to the station to watch the trains. Age 10, we moved to Cambridge, near Chesterton Junction. My home base, which then expanded, as High School at 11 saw me at the Hills Road school, with daily lunchtime visits to the Cattle Market (Cambridge South box area). And the school had a trinspotting club, with a coach trip to London soon after I joined. All the London sheds, and my firs tlone escapade! Then on it expanded.

Are they? I have 7 Hornby models in my E.Anglian collection (plus 1 Lima yet to be replaced). ALL my Hornby ones have had the fan linkage removed, lights disconnected, and all dcc wiring removed to simple DC standards. All unwanted extra complications and expense. If I was screaming, it wasn't to include them, but ignore them.

Bump? Not wanting to faff about and miss my train, as I have no phone with an app.

I'm guessing that the battery powered ones are saving energy (ie they last longer) by flashing,

Last time I went it was on the rhs as you enter from the railway station (don't know the stand number), I've seen it used on other occasions (such as racedays) on the same one. Otherwise their is a more frequent regular bus or two on the lhs, uselful if you are an official Grumpy Old Git with a free bus pass. I think (but check) 55 is one of them, and possibly stand A3 or A4 - I've always thought those numbers are significant, but do check.

I'm off to the show on Sat, parking at Grantham station. Anybody got details of the parking (esp how to pay), or is there a beterr close alternative?

Regarding the 'high' price on 20 year old models, Hornby are a business, whose aim in life is to make a profit. They design a new loco, the cost of design and the making of the tooling has to be paid for in the selling price. (Don't forget this is normally to the retailer, who then adds a percentage on top to ensure he gets a profit; though today with direct interne sales the retailer can be out of the loop). After a period of time (and sales) the development costs are paid for - the manufacturer plans this in the initial pricing, hopefully getting this right! After this he gets more profit on each sale. In days gone, the product would sell for years and years, but in todays fast moving world, much shorter runs happen, which means the setup costs have to be covered in a shorter period, thus increasing prices. And if the shorter run is then dropped, there are no higher profits later, as a newer item replaces it. Hence the business has lower profits (or even maybe losses) overall. So an older item when back in production has to also have price increases to keep the firm viable. In the case of a model loco, any changes to the design will have development costs to add in as well. Note I have mentioned 'business' & 'item', not 'Hornby'' & 'model loco', as this is a fact of being a manufacturer. I'm not condoning a large increase in a particular price btw, just explaining things, the manufacturer has to decide prices himself.

Always makes me smile shake my head, the number of drivers that go forward into a parking space (I was taught by the Police to always reverse in, as the Highway Code states), but they can't make it in one move - they have to shuffle in and out - which makes it a 3 or 5 position move. Its only like turning a corner! Can they not manage that as well? And if the bay in front of that one is empty, they don't pull forward, which saves a reversal when they leave!

11001, 34B Hornsey, from 6/56 -9/56. Taken from Shed by Shed, part 7, by Tony Walmsley. Something different for ECML followers?

I'm sure I read in a book somewhere this week, that 11001 was allocated to Hornsey (34B) for a short period in the 50s. I'll have to have another look.

As I've always said, driving is not the supposed 'right to drive', but a 'privilege to earn', and risk having it withdrawn (but sadly it doesn't work that way).

Nice surprise from RM this morning. I was expecting a small parcel from Kernow (a single Oxford car on pre-order which I transferred from Hattons - they emailed me oat the end of last week and the order number was that of the car). It wasn't that though, it was the class 11 (no notification received though). Unpacked it, quite impressed by the extra bits of packing behind the steps and on the underside. Took the packing out - and promptly knocked that step off!. but its back on ok. Tried it on the workbench test track, superb runner, good slow runner and quiet. I usually strip out lighting and DCC wiring, but I do like the shunting lights and controllable cab lights. I may leave them. I then added the small number of details, the holes needed opening out for the front bar, I found the plastic hard to drill out but I did it ok. However the screw links are a disaster. The hooks were upside down, and refused to move without breaking. I shall source some different ones. I needing to renumber to 12134 (one of two at Cambridge), I tried to remove the last 2 digits, which were very stubborn. Eventually decided to remove all the numbers back to green with a fibre pencil, but the 1st pair of '0's went back through green to white plastic, I need to touch that up. However, all in all a superb model, just the couple of minor hitches.. Now, where is my Oxford car....it is shown as despatched and due today (they must have mixed the 2 orders up).

I bet the platform wasn't crowded with onlookers back in those days just to view that A3!