Ian Hargrave

Indeed….which could be vexatious on certain occasions,such as excess ale consumption before & after an international rugby match at Cardiff Arms Park when Valleys trains,a standard 5/6 Collett/Hawksworth load ,were packed with returning supporters.No toilets until you got to Ponty…if you were lucky enough to achieve relief before the train headed off to Treherbert or Merthyr.If not it was a wait for the next train.

Bless you Rob and all who cherish the nicer things in life on this live chunk of rural railways. A joyful Christmas to all.Thanks for helping restore me to better health and contentment.I have been one of the more fortunate ones.I’ll keep it that way….fingers crossed for 2023 and onwards to a world inhabited by Manors.

Just to add to that.every stage of my recent order was tracked by both email to my iPad and text to my iPhone.In addition to DHL,who were exemplary and actually delivered 30 minutes earlier than the time slot allocated,Accurascale themselves similarly communicated with me from initial order to arrival. I ordered late last Thursday evening…..a spur of the moment decision ( one of my better ones )…..and the beast arrived at 10:00 yesterday morning . Considering the time of the year and the current chaotic state of post /parcel deliveries I’d say that’s pretty damned good

Or in the case of DPD outside the porch in full view of the surrounding neighbourhood.

A truly Dickensian Christmas then….but definitely no turkey this. The loco is aptly named because Dickens was a pioneer of cross Channel travel by train and ferry. He was a passenger on a train involved in a major fatal derailment in Kent whilst returning from Paris after a visit ( it is assumed) to see his extra marital friend ,the actress Ellen Ternan. He apparently gave assistance to the injured but didn’t give his name.Wonder why ? Fast forward over a century and we now have a somewhat smoother and faster experience of rail travel and the Tunnel for our Class 92. This model…once again… raises the bar in quality and fidelity . Now where did I store those Cargowaggons ? Bravo Accurascale.

And indeed they have.An electric loco to match the quality of,for instance,Roco. Arrived this morning. I dare not reveal what I actually paid for it . Let’s just say I’m unlikely ever again to achieve such an astounding bargain. IMHO the best current electric model in OO by a country mile

And yet I’ve had an item purchased from Amazon a week ago on the 16th but delivery via RM ( true ! ) Tracked 48 arrived this afternoon. Amazon’s prediction for it was between 17-19 December.Thus on schedule. It came via Bristol btw.

FYI . Just worked well now for order of a Class 92. A substantial discount achieved which made the purchase outstandingly worthwhile and lessened considerably the self indulgent seasonable pain. An avenue financially well worth pursuing.. I’m just curious to see whether or not Acc.have matched our Continental HO friends in oh electric ((particularly pantograph) design and operation. So…What the Dickens? Happy…er whatever…😇

Neatly hit the proverbial nail the right way up. In my case a list of models all dressed up and nowhere to go include a couple of Terriers, ditto Precedents a Coal Tank and an Adams Jubilee from OO Works on order. The arrival of the Genesis coaches has meant that there is now work for models idling their time away..and yes I know all about Rule 1.🤭

I have just received my NE No.1.from Locomotion.The buffer beams are metal and match the buffer housing.It’s a sweet,solid little piece of metal which performs well at slow speed & glides along nicely . I’m now looking forward to the Accurascale NE wagons to run behind it.The panto is of necessity quite tiny and needs careful handling but it is at least representative and personally there’s nothing to quibble at here.

Cheers.. pm me if you’re still interested as & when. It’ll still be here.

My card was plundered by a phone call from Shildon yesterday pm. On their way. Nice.

My 75070 (dc analogue) runs well.No problem there. That’s no help to you though,is it ? However,I also have 75072 (single chimney e/c) of that ilk which does have issues but of the cosmetic variety not the drive/gear ones.Namely,one cab window awol and rear wheel set of pony adrift due to irreparable plastic crumble. It’s one redeeming feature is that it does actually run and without noise too.Again dc analogue.In fact I have just given it a run . Any use to you ? ATM best ….if you want it…..to leave until after the seasonal mayhem has gone away. Unboxed.

Many thanks for the nod. I’ve just put Hardwick on my LBSC 4-set. Looks suitably vintage & antique,if not quite authentic, I would prefer LNWR Genesis but Hattons cupboard is sadly bare. ATM is appears it’s Hornby alone have the field. A nice cash return for Hattons it seems,which is really good for us all.

Much mud has been flung in Amazon’s direction.I simply could not have managed without their deliveries over the last three years. In many ways ,they have been a lifeline.This kind of service will make me look anew at Hattons…who also coincidentally come in for some stick on occasion. Returning to the the Genesis coaches and particularly my Terrier hauled LBSCR 4-set, I found sufficient Hunt magnetic couplings to equip A to D but not either end of the set. After the initial fiddle…..the NEM boxes don’t look too secure.. I set them to work. The effect is of very near buffer to buffer coupling. My tabletop is a 28” radius roundy and at first there were derailments with the buffers fouling.Eventually though the ensemble settled down smoothly without further problems;the magnetic heads operating off centre between B&C and D&E without seemingly any difficulties. IMHO,their use transforms these coaches into near prototypical use & appearance .It rids them of the toytown barn door gaps and those dreadful tension lock things. Just my experience anyway.

So how do they run ? Unlike Thomas with Annie and Clarabel,Boxhill is having a smooth glide with his set. One step I will take in due course is to equip them with magnetic couplings.They will look that much better and tbh the fitted tension locks could be improved upon.Be that as it may,excusing the dreadful pun,I am chuffed. Now 643 is barking for his turn. I must not disappoint.

My LBSC set duly arrived via Hattons judicious choice of using Amazon delivery which provided up to date tracking.Left for me securely in front porch as requested with photo shot emailed to me.I arrived home just 5 minutes later. In common with everyone,I am impressed with the finish ,presence and quality feel of these coaches and with the neatness of the packaging they come with. Well done Hattons.By coincidence,I passed their old premises on Smithdown Road a week,or so ago.

An interesting observation.I too have a supply of nicely lined out Hornby Maunsell SR stock and am currently seriously contemplating an OO Works Southern Adams Jubilee. ATM I think I’ll stick with the Maunsells tbh,unless I opt for the Jubilee in LSWR livery in which case the expected Genesis in that livery will be the choice.Aren’t we fortunate to have such choices ?

Has there yet been a sample of this aired ? I’m also in a quandary before placing an order. If successful it could be the icing on the cake ….excuse the description…..and should work well on dc analogue as Kernow assert. It would certainly add a whole new dimension.

Ah yes…those boxes. The epitome of fine taste.From the same provider,I strongly suspect,of a certain high end variety of European HO locomotive and coaching stock. Usual disclaimer applies 🤫

But not Standard 4’s…4-6-0 or 2-6-0. They didn’t get beyond Yeovil Jct …normally.I remember Salisbury as being a great place for the 2-6-0 variant.

So then ,time to give those Terriers something to get their teeth into ? Well,that’s my excuse anyway. 643 is rarin’ to go…..😀

I am an Octogenarian Octopus and have been one for quite a time. Smart meter installed last Feb.I rarely read the thing. Makes me nervous 😩. I opted for one as I’d just come out of hospital & was uncertain of how I’d cope with the domestic “management “.The sm takes away a monthly chore anyway & that in itself is a bonus. Being on a cocktail of medication which includes a blood thinner plus an impressive weight loss tends to make me feel the cold much more than I used to so I’m not turning the heat off when darkness comes and certainly not sitting in the dark. That seems to me to be uncivilised. Boiler fires 7:00-10:00 and 16:30-22:00 . My house is as well insulated as it can be but is in an exposed position ( possibly the highest point in the area) and has solid brick walls…built 1936.Happy day 😀

But could be a heap of trouble in both terms of running capabilities ( free running,minimum radius ? ) and of course weight…can your rtr motive power cope ? I’d need a demo and a hands on before making a bid. Which ,at least in my case,is a pipe dream. Thanks but no thanks. A deal of high quality rtr GW stock is now coming on stream and doubtlessly more will gradually appear that will better kit built examples.They will certainly run better.

Have recently equipped a rake of 7 new release Bachmann Bulleid coaches with magnetic couplings . I am highly delighted with the results.Easy fit & problem free. No worries here then I think.