Ian Hargrave

A timely reminder to me to post my appreciation of this exceptional model. For a variety of reasons,I’ve not been able to run this until now. Beautifully detailed& weathered for me by Alex..now with Accurascale…it is cosmetically accurate and performs smoothly and silently and brings back memories of holidays in Devon & Cornwall in the late 1950’s & early 1960’s.

Couple of minor points. No shed code ? And as I’ve posted ,there’s a possibility that on a running in turn with a local working …..yes I did see 46236 hauling 3 Stanier non corridors on a Shrewsbury-Crewe stopper….it might have used that top bracket.These are indeed very minor points on what appears to be Hornby refreshed. Thanks for the close ups of the works. My 6202 will be having an identical running in turn when it arrives

Whilst trying to source an image of an Eric Treacy photo of the Turbomotive ,I chanced to find one taken at Lime Street by him while he was a young clergyman in Liverpool.Much of his early work is of the LMS in that area.6202 is heading what was a regular running in turn…..a Liverpool-Plymouth which the locomotive would haul as far as GW territory at Shrewsbury. Behind the tender is a chocolate & cream Collett.At Crewe she would of course attach the Manchester London Road portion. The sight of a Stanier Pacific at Shrewsbury was usual right up until the end of steam .Frequently,the balancing northbound turn would be a short 3 coach non corridor local stopping train. So there’s a couple of trains to think about creating with it….

For now…..🌝….just don’t overstep it with Rob by mentioning a double chimney Castle.

My acquaintance with them WR during my 1950’s spotting days is entirely Cambrian where they were a fixture for quite a while. And nowhere else I’m afraid.Certainly not on any mainline duty .They were a secondary line loco .The 1960’s saw a general dispersal of stock…hence reference to them at Willesden.BTW 78047 has arrived.

Not I sincerely hope the late unlamented George’s brewery….

The twee description of the Midlands is Middle England.Let’s arbitrarily say beginning at Milton Keynes in the South & ending at Chesterfield in the North.Western border is fairly easy-Wales. Eastern edge is problematic ,So again arbitrarily I’ll say the ECML . Howls of disagreement erupt ……

New Street has an identity crisis.Having started life as John Lewis Central ( now closed ),it has morphed into shopping mall with a subway with slimline platforms.

OK….if that’s the case,about time GWR & the city fathers spent cash on smartening it up a bit in recognition of its status. The station interior,platforms & furnishings have changed little since my days as a student there in the early 1960’s.IMHO not 21st C standards.Platform access being just one case in point.Same tunnel,same steps,same grind with heavy luggage: current platform height too low for new units: looking tired &in need of a good clean up. Try climbing steps to platform to join your train just as an arrived Paddington Hitachi is disgorging its load ….downhill . Sorry to rant but I find it sad that such a great station hasn’t moved with the times

Best current steam railway video on view by a country mile. Brilliant footage of a truly remarkable recreation.Watch and be amazed.

Looking to view it ..with I hope its chimney “top hat” after…I hope… TBG has worked his magic as I assume he will when restored to his good self. But where are the industrials in Kingsbridge ? 🙄

In summation….perhaps……we must accept that the world moves on and we must needs move with it.

I abandoned its use in 1998,having been warned of the possible damage to a Faulhaber motor installed in a recent model purchased. The issue has been around that long ago at least.

There is sound advice in the little handbook for the 15XX re controllers. But also an ambivalence in that it cautions us to avoid feedback controllers in a blanket approach not actually specifying coreless motors per se as being at particular risk of a fry up. Which made a few members of this forum start to chew their nails and wrongly assume that this model is powered by a coreless unit.A careful look at the exploded diagram of parts therein ( not for the myopic btw ) will reveal a can motor and flywheel. Audible gasps of relief all round then. Except that one has to wonder whether or not “the more sensitive to spikes” quoted components covers a wider spectrum. Maybe a wake up call to upgrade our electronic equipment ? Maybe also a wake up call to all currently in the business to finally clear up the confusion that has been generated over the issue over at least the last decade ?

Just had another look at page 8 on the little book and the eyesight destroying diagram of parts and yes there they are..the can motor and flywheel. Success at last.

Looking currently at the front cover of Western Times issue 4: Warship headed CRE at Plymouth North Road.In the foreground,back to the camera is a lad with curly hair with what looks like a camera slung over his left shoulder.The train is headed west into Cornwall having detached its dining car portion at the front from Paddington ,the locomotive working through from London to Penzance and handling the stock shunt itself before reversing onto its train….hence its platform position. I date this as either 11-08-1959 or 15-08-1959 and the Warship as one of D806:D808:D800:D802……and I’m as near certain that if the boy isn’t me,then he’s my double.

I’ve taken a look at the little hand book in the box and there is no information concerning the type of motor used .I appreciate your concern and why on earth we continue to have this controversy over can v coreless I simply do not understand. We are warned over the use of feedback units….this some 25 years ago caused me to junk mine ( I was running Trix HO with a Faulhaber coreless which was rated as state of the art ) and switch to Gaugemaster. I currently have 3,only one of which is in use .The other two are in the loft which I don’t access often due to a recent close encounter with the Grim Reaper. I have never had a moment’s problem with any of them I have to add. Why our august band of manufacturers seem to fight shy of openness with regard to the type of motor they install in their little treasures I simply do not understand.This is a conversation on this particular subject I have had endless times over at least the last decade. Or is it simply that they don’t know until boxes are off the boat and in….and out…of the warehouse ? Hence the punters are left in some state of confusion. I’m afraid that this has certainly been the case with more than a few.Why ? Is it that they take what the factory gives them and fingers crossed with a warning not to use certain types of controllers? Do they not specify the type of component to be used ?

So that means a new tooling does it not ? Er…the Dellner coupling if I’m not mistaken.

Ah,,sorry it’s no longer there . But Rapido have posted that both the 16XX & the 15XX are conventional 5 pole can motors.

If you look to the bottom of the page you will see that it is a conventional 5 pole can motor.Not a coreless .

Well believe it or not,there is still life to be found to the north of Milton Keynes. In any case ,as I understand it,this occasion isn’t meant to be completely sales dedicated,though if on offer,then gratefully received. For me it’ll be a civilised way of spending a Sunday afternoon in the company of like minded people viewing some great modelling populated with state of the art models.l look forward to it.

Too heavy for the Crumlin Viaduct

Good you got to talk.So Dapol are rising to the challenge….ambitious & brave.Good news.

Which when viewed from a WCML train is as far as the current works get northbound. Government by press leaks,media feeding & electorate grooming etc.

One bother is that it’s a strike weekend.So best to check if considering a rail journey.Though Road access is not difficult