250BOB

I appreciate your position Matt....buying from abroad, you have few options, and Hattons is certainly well up there. I hope your dealings continue to be happy ones.

Perfectly put Mark......well done.

My understanding is the dealers dont usually offer more than one third of the new price for second hand goods. If they then sell for two thirds the original new price....thats a 100% profit. better than Hornby can give dealers on new stuff. No wonder dealers are stocking more and more second hand. My figures were supplied by a dealer with shop premises.....not made up by me. Its risky enough I would have thought buying new by mail order when overseas........but to buy second hand....that scares me. Is there any come back if its not as new as you had expected.

Eggington Jnc was where the line went off to Derby Friargate, then that line latterly used as a test track.

John...... Wigginton...??? Do you mean Eggington, which is close by.

Hi John, Have a look at this thread I started a couple of years ago......I passed it in my car regularly, and thought I would take a few pics before it went. In the sixties, I used to pass by on the train, when off on a spotting trip somewhere. There were usually one or two locos parked up outside as we went past. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/53439-what-were-made-here/ Bob.

Surely if he has said that openly on a Forum.....he would be instantly removed........that would happen on here I'm sure.

Hi Martin, Its a nice little project replacing the motor........not quite a drop in fit, but with a bit of ingenuity it works ok. Bob

Hi John, My Clayton expired in a cloud of very acrid smoke a few years ago....motor burnt out. replaced with a Mashima.....ran perfectly eversince.......as you say.....its a lovely little model of the prototype, and the Danes need commending for providing it for us. The prototypes were built in a village called Hatton near Derby....only 10 miles from where I live in Uttoxeter.....hence I have a bit of a soft spot for them. During the past 12 months or so, the Clayton factory was finally demolished. Bob

I did think that Crewe might be a bit of a distant memory judging by your work pattern. I shall look forward to popping in one evening this summer to watch the trains running. Bob

Brilliant photograph................but if that is your happy face Jim.....would hate to see you miserable...!!!!! Bob PS......do you get home much these days..?? Not seen any progress on the layout for a while.!!

I agree.......Hattons should be aware that this practice could end up giving them a bad name.

Jim, Have any Colas locos pulled any Charter Tours at all....??? My pal was wondering, as he needs haulage behind 4 of the 5 class 60's that were towed to Toton last week.???

hi Jim, Who owns the refuelling points..........and how does payment etc get done by the different companies........I assume you dont have to pay with credit card, or get green shield stamps etc., Bob.

Lovely videos, and a nice bit of sound. I notice that both locos tended to shoot off when then started.......have you adjusted any of the CV values on the sound decoders, or are they straight from the box so to speak.?? Perhaps a higher value for CV3 would smooth the acceleration. Not being critical....just trying to help. Were both locos bought with sound already fitted, or are they special projects..?? Bob Bob.

Perhaps you could ask Colas if they could retro fit you something more comfortable Jim..??

B*gg*r...........they passed right by I work in uttoxeter, and i didnt know....!!! Only 100yds away from the line , with a clear view.....Damn.

Where exactly are they being taken to for restoration.?? Which route did they take out of Stoke.............heading for the WCML or Derby direction..?? Bob.

Here we go again......!!!!!!! For what it's worth , I'll give my two pennoth again. TCS and DCC Concepts decoders are, in my opinion, not as good as a Lenz Standard. The TCS ones are not cheap either. The DCC Concepts may well be cheaper, but perform similarly to the TCS. My problem was running a train up and down my gradients, 1 in 80. A train doing a scale 40/50 mph at the top of a hill would speed up to a scale 50/60 mph at the bottom. Looks ridiculous, going round a curve through a station at that point. I operate alone generally, keeping 3 or 4 trains going at the same time. I can't DRIVE each one at the same time, so rely on the decoder. The Lenz performs perfectly for the way I want to play trains, the other two are POOR in comparison, FOR THE WAY I WANT TO PLAY TRAINS. But that is me...... Others find them acceptable......I don't. That's why I fixed on the Lenz Standard decoder. And in the UK , a price of about £17 or £18 each is acceptable to me for a £100 loco. If you want to save 4 or 5 pounds, buy the cheaper item.....!!! However, ALL my TCS and DCC Concepts decoders have failed over the last three or four years........ everyone single one( over a dozen). Never had a Lenz fail yet. So to me, buying cheap was false economy in the longer term....... But that is purely my own honest experience. Bob

Cant we get a pic posted on here then, seeing as you know who our resident Rembrandts are....??

Yes.......I saw one accelerate away quite recently too....impressive to say the least.

I just want the smoke........we'll just have to hold our breath.......they are really good vids, and as Biff says, the synchronised smoke is fantastic.

I only use the following...... 1st or 2nd class Recorded Delivery......which is not tracked, but is signed for or Special Delivery, (next day before 1pm)......which IS tracked and signed for. I'm struggling to find the service which is tracked but not signed for........????? Can you tell me which service it is on the Post Office website....????

Doesnt a tracked delivery have to be signed for.??

Agreed.............tracked/recorded delivery is more expensive, and most people are reluctant to use it for that reason........UNTIL ONE GOES MISSING.