Ian Hargrave

I note that the news of its release has not as yet been divulged to this forum but at the G&WR event this weekend . Whatever……it’s certainly more ( as Robin currently asserts ) of us being spoiled with some really good stuff on its way.

Don’t think the competition…as such…..has been in production for quite a long time. The Bachmann 9F which is current comes in at around the same price with the retail discount if you can really compare the two prototypes.

Now change direction and look at the Dapol website for another treat……..

I’ll endorse this. Watch the video.It’s fascinating and very professionally made.Starring Mr.Accurascale Cool and the trademark V70….which will soon get a reputation as a scene stealer akin to Ivo Peters’ famous Riley ( ? ). The video is the best possible commercial for the forthcoming ( ? ) ACC 125.

I see the arrival of the Krugerrand FS is heralded by Jadlam email .Set for October.In the range of £500 + apparently. Inflation buster anyone ? Look good on your mantelpiece 🤣

ATM,Derails are offering a10% reduction if you buy two. Which this greedy boy has just done…..just saying.

More importantly,does this mean a set of vynils for Accurascale MkV and Dapol 68 ?

Well done Alex and class judgement on Accurascale’s part .Fantastic news.About time you had the opportunity to reach the full potential that’s always been there.Look forward to seeing you on the Accurascale stand soon.

The information on the “revised” malachite Bulleids delivery is confirmed in the Summer 2023 Bachmann Times .

IIRC,45596 was modelled some years back ? Just had an online search.It was 31-176Z an Ian Allen special edition.However it was weathered and in 1960’s condition with yellow OHC warning stripes on cab sides.So maybe unsuitable for use with the support coach.

Sheringham,North Norfolk Railway,2nd September.Copy of Bachmann Times received over the weekend. ”Practically Perfect “ sale,Quorn GCR,Sunday 21st May.

Problem is that the SVR Steam Gala was only 3 weeks ago.It was well attended .I know because I went myself. So perhaps to expect enthusiasts to go there again using the SVR rail access could be a big ask for people considering the attendant cost.The Engine House isn’t that easy to access by road and parking is probably difficult anyway. It is in any case the Coronation weekend and folk may have made other arrangements.

As the first mainline diesel took to LMS/BR rails in 1947/8,even us elderly members know what a diesel looks like.And a couple of hon.members ….above…actually spent their working professional lives with them.The 66 isn’t employed for its looks. Arguably it’s the least aesthetically pleasing locomotive ever to run in the UK.The TOC’s have mitigated this to a great extent by some imaginative paint jobs. But this marketing exercise ? Pass the spittoon….

Well it’s an alternative to souvenir coins ( I still have mine from the1953 coronation),mugs,tea towels etc. But there simply is not the nationwide fervour and jingoistic enthusiasm this time around.Back then we were the “New Elizabethans” ready to give all for Queen and country,celebrating with street parties etc. Hornby got it commercially right with its purple Bulleid but I do wonder whether they’ve got a little carried away with its success with this release.Times have changed and public perception along with it. But we shall see.

And the King makes his stately way through Brent to the strains of Sir Hubert Parry’s “I Was Glad”. Which starts this morning’s ceremony .Charles is a big fan of Parry’s music. Goosebump stuff which is good to listen to but even better to sing.. If watching the service….and some won’t be….expect some terrific music..Nobody does music in churches and cathedrals better than us. On June 2 1953,we watched the Coronation of our late Queen on a 9” monochrome tv with a water filled screen magnifying glass on its front. Richard Dimbleby was the commentator on a ground breaking occasion for public broadcasting. The full colour version became available in cinemas a while afterwards. If you decide to view this morning,I hope you enjoy.

Great.And I’ve been banging the drum on a Hawksworth County for nearly a decade.But it appears that the inevitable is disappearing into the infinite.And so the world turns and another birthday slips by .

Was not in evidence at the Gala.

Ah…that’s a new take on “staying alive “. Good way to spend Coronation Day,if unusual.Tempting but involves a drive.My second “crowning “ .Don’t know quite what to make of this occasion tbh. Appropriate venue for the new Manor however.The SVR resident was in fine fettle at the Steam Gala a few weeks ago.

Just come up on YouTube: “Back Along The Kingsbridge Line ( 49:48 ) by Aarchive Films

Yee ha ! By sheer coincidence,just watched S## of the Trains appraisal of the 16XX. He is bowled over by it. Finds scratch on the finish to complain about but misses the bunker join . Seriously,the performance and mechanism on this model are exceptionally fine.

IMHO one of the very best OO rtr tanks. Meaty performance,excellent slow running and it looks the part….despite shock/ horror with the bunker “join”. Now for the Hawksworth and the small Prairies

I’ll pass your comments on to a friend of mine who is a NT volunteer and passionate Arts Society advocate for Sudbury Hall . FYI.It has for many years borne the title “Museum Of Childhood “ and remains a popular venue for children of all ages. My son,who reaches his 51st birthday shortly,remembers birthday parties we celebrated there so many happy years ago. Since then,we’ve paid visits with nieces,nephews and grandchildren and enjoyed sharing the experience with them. For myself,in my capacity as a teacher in the locality ,Sudbury helped nurture an appreciation of social history and just the pure enjoyment of widening a young person’s view of the world . Without a sense of history we lose our meaning as a society.So Sudbury isn’t a theme park.But it’s there to be experienced and enjoyed. Recent visits there reassure me it’s still doing that a few generations along. Car parking ? Busy main road ? So then where else do you suggest ? The car park is sufficient for purpose,has picnic facilities and certainly does NOT involve crossing a busy main road….that’s the A 50 which by passed Sudbury some 25 years ago. All this apart,please remember the NT is mainly staffed by volunteers who do their best to ensure you enjoy your time with them. Sorry you feel jaundiced by what you feel was a negative experience.

They always made an impression of strength at the platform in Paddington as you arrived to board your train. Rapido’s model will replicate their performance in 4mm guise. Witness the two models which paved the way…the 16XX Pannier and more recently the mighty tiny Hunslet. The latter I whimsically succumbed to yesterday afternoon and what a delight it is.

Post deleted . Apologies. Incorrect

Indeed some did,Robin. But in any case,it would have been a task to discern exactly which livery they carried. It was the era of post war grime. There remains one notable exception in my spotting memories. Sometime in IIRC 1954,a friend and I went on a day out to Pontypool Road using The Vale of Neath line ( of blessed memory ). The highlight of the day there was always the visit of a Longsight ( 9A ) LMR loco ….usually a Scot or Rebuilt Patriot…..on a North to West service. It arrived at shortly after 1:00 pm & departed after turning etc. with a corresponding northbound service at about 3:15 pm. The portions from Cardiff and the West were combined at the platform which was long and had crossovers for the purpose. On this particular day,46115 did the honours .She is still going strong on heritage excursions to this day…though apparently failed near Lockerbie with a hot box on her tender last week. But there was another highlight that day. The last Saint…or one of the last anyway…in service was 2920 Saint David a Hereford ( 85C ) loco which was something of a “pet” and was turned out in immaculate BR lined ( I think) black with cycling lion on her tender. She duly called that day with a Hereford—Cardiff stopper. Her end was just weeks away. It is high time someone replicated these beautiful locomotives in 4mm form to release our memories.