D860 VICTORIOUS

Hi Chris, You're being more than fair 😊,but I think I'll hang on to them! They're part of the grand layout plan that hasn't got anywhere yet... Regarding your "unsatisfied demand for Polybulks",nowadays there may be cream available for that....just saying! Also realised that in that post I said the Polybulk was the best r-t-r model yet....in a Accurascale forum. Apologies to you chaps,I do have some of your fine wagons!

Rooting around in my storage crates last week,I found I had seven Polybulks,two had price labels of 28 quid! That price soon went up to around £46. For my money,they're the best r-t-r wagon yet produced...

A current-spec 42 would be great but would there be a demand for it? Then again,the Kernow D600's seemed popular. Although the Bachmann 42's may not be at the top table for detailed models,some of mine date back to 1999 and still run really well,in that respect not showing their age at all. (Unlike their owner...)

Reference the 1992 Rose Grove to Paignton service,I photographed this train a few times in Devon.Had to look up where Rose Grove was,didn't have a clue. From what I remember,and I stand to be corrected,this was a Summer SO service,maybe just six coaches,so I think unlikely to have formed a commuter service. One of the trains that made a day's photography on a summer Saturday in the early 90's around Dawlish etc. worth the trip...

Sorry to see Southampton relegated,I expect they'll lose a few of their squad. Saw some stats on MOTD showing the players they've signed in recent transfer windows,many of whom have not made one first-team appearance as yet,what's the point of that? Not as if Saint's defence has been exemplary all season... Doesn't seem a good decision now to have sacked Ralph H,not clear if Selles will stay as manager or will the club try to entice a "bigger name".... Still,I won't have far to go to see QPR at St. Mary's next season,every cloud and all that....

Received mine last week,first time I've purchased. Fine selection of "Western" pics,some previously unpublished? Interesting feature on Ball Clay workings. Very good all round.

I'd like to see a re-tooled Class 42,but can't help thinking it would have happened by now.I don't suppose there are many people who actually remember Warships and still have any rail interest. Agreed a current-spec model should include disc fitted D800-D812,and as the fabulous Kernow D600 has been produced with discs and route indicators,Bachmann should be able to do likewise,as well as cater for the different train heating boiler roof arrangement. But,as Halvarras says,with many upgrades and one-off prototype models appearing,a new Class 42 isn't out of the question.An all-over green disc-fitted D804 Avenger would be very acceptable...

24th April 1971 Southall-Paddington-Southall D817 865 D1024 D1027 D1034 D1068 1558 1584 1607 1666 1679 1681 1714 1721 1918 5539 D7046 D7088 Kings Cross 169 1508 1516 1548 5602 5622 5642 5647 5677 9012 St Pancras and Kentish Town 12 47 49 61 64 88 104 121 123 3188 3306 5182 5216 Euston 5220 E3102 E3104 E3110 E3114 E3115 E3120 E3129 E3142 E3146 E3154 E3163 E3165 E3168 E3178 E3190 E3199 E3200 Neil.

Well Mike,that was so cryptic I never would have got that in a million years,but thanks for explaining! Was never a Fab Four fan (sorry..!) ,too busy filling my head with Deep Purple,Black Sabbath,ELP,The Faces etc That's made me feel old yet again..

Nope,still none the wiser!!

Hi Mike, Can't remember if I mentioned this,but I'm knocking on a bit and I'm having trouble getting your reference. Obviously with the Beatles being a here today gone tomorrow outfit,and never being a big fan,I don't know all their songs,maybe you could explain in an easy-to-understand way to this cantankerous old geezer! Neil.

I've only just noticed this thread,what a fantastic project you're working on! I was born in Perivale,and lived in Greenford for around thirty years,unfortunately I took virtually no notice of Greenford's railway,as it was easier to walk to Southall,which was much more interesting. I lived in Ruislip for a while and got the Central line to Greenford,where I worked.A couple of random memories:on the way to work and being passed by 50007 on the only loco-hauled service,which I think at that time might have started from Birmingham or Wolverhampton.Rugby Cement had taken over most of the goods yard site for a receiving terminal,and 33's and 47's were seen on workings there. This of course is before the period you are modelling. Wish now I'd got more interested in the local freight traffic. Great choice for a layout,I will follow with interest! Neil.

Just a couple of weeks ago,I reached the age that the Beatles wrote a song about. I seem to remember hitting 40,but that seemed ok.Then 50 suddenly came along,and before I knew it 60 arrived. Funny how,when I was a kid,relatives who were over 40 seemed positively ancient.There's not much in life I take seriously,and I'm pleased to say that myself and some mates are still doing the same jokes we were doing years ago. I'm glad I can look back at how I got into playing sport in a big way,and now I look at photo's of myself playing league squash and running half-marathons,and think "blimey,did I really do all that?" Some of that has come home to roost in recent years,with two ops on my left knee and my right knee creaking like mad,but I wouldn't change anything I did.No possibility of doing any of that now... So,that sort of stuff makes me feel old,as does thinking back to some of the priceless memories I have of spotting trips around the country when I were t'lad,and how I did a couple of sessions of travelling overseas in my younger day. So yes,I'm older than I'd like to be,but I've had very little to complain about in life,which makes ageing easier to accept... Neil.

Happy Ever After - Julia Fordham

Southbound The Allman Brothers Band

Not sure if Paul was just taking a break from his Sunday Radio 2 show a while back,but I thought I'd listen to the first show of his stand-in,Rob Beckett,who is allegedly a comedian. The opening line to this show was "Today we'll be talking about the rules for eating Saturday's takeaway on Sunday morning",and various people phoned in with their contribution.Utterly unfunny,puerile and infantile,needless to say I switched off and never listened again. Paul O'Grady on the other hand,was effortlessly amusing with his tongue in cheek caustic wit,and a lot of the music he played wasn't bad either.As commented on above,his work with animals was oustanding. R I P.

Interesting,wasn't aware that 861 Vigilant was overhauled that late in the day. I have 861 logged on 23rd January 1971,when my mate and I made a trip from Southall to Slough,why we thought a trip to Slough would be worthwhile is lost in the mists of time....So from your info,it seems Swindon must have cracked on with Vigilant's overhaul for her to be released on 8.3.71! My first sight of 835 Pegasus that year was on 19th June,on the occasion of the Reading Open Day.Quite likely she was still looking fresh from Swindon.(Eight Warships recorded that day..) Yes,the further 22 overhauls seem odd,though there have been many quotes to the effect that the WR had expected replacement loco's from elsewhere,these taking longer to arrive than anticipated. Pure conjecture and wishful thinking on my part,I wonder if those recently-overhauled 43's would have been suitable power for the start of the increase in Mendip quarry traffic at that time...

Contrary to other's memories posted above,I seem to remember the 43's having a throatier "growl" compared to the 42's,however,it's now a looooong time ago.... As is known,BR needed to resurrect some stored 43's,which were given overhauls at Swindon,in 1970 IIRC. Hence some of these fortunate loco's were still in decent nick in 1971,and what a fine sight they were. The last two I saw in service were on 18th September 1971,while at the joint BR/GWS Didcot open day. 842 Royal Oak on the 14.15 Worcester-Paddington,and 855 Triumph on the 15.15 Paddington-Hereford. Many years later,my mate miraculously found a colour print of 855 on that very service,as she'd crossed onto the Didcot avoider,and,judging by the thick plume of black exhaust,power had then been applied. A photo,and a memory,to treasure... Neil

Lots of detailed info and quality photo's in this interesting topic. I've noticed in a couple of pics,what appears to be a Mk2 with half a yellow 1st Class line,would that be a Composite type,maybe confined to Scotland ? TIA, Neil.

Awful-really?? I'm fairly sure the 43's were not used on the Waterloo-Exeter route to simplify crew training/knowledge. The 43's,like every other diesel class,had faults and were not perfect,and as has been repeated many times,at the time of their withdrawal BR had more diesels than it needed. I can recall the 43's in their last year of operation,still in front-line service,with several of them having been re-instated to traffic,and outwardly looking very smart. Generalisations like "awful" remind me of the same tag being given to the 22's for years on end,when in fact their availability level was pretty good,and I think that particular myth was put to bed some time ago. Neil.

Nothing but the truth - Procul Harem

Predictably,Everton have sacked Frank Lampard.Maybe the Board think there's someone better out there with a magic cure for the team's lack of success. One line of thought could be that,in other industries,if a company continues to do badly,then the MD or whoever could be dimissed.In my view,football is very different.The manager can only do so much,once the team are on the field the players have the responsibility to perform.Various excuses seem to have come about in recent times_"the managers' lost the dressing room","so-and -so has been asked to play slightly out of position","we don't like the way the manager is asking us to play",etc etc.I don't buy any of that,the players have a responsibility to their employers,and to the fans who regularly support their team and who are often expected to pay higher prices each season. I started following football a long time ago,and at one time a player had to prove himself over several seasons before being considered a "great",nowadays a player has half a dozen reasonable games and/or scores a couple of decent goals and he's worth £50 million,and I think the media plays no small part in this. Maybe if some of these Premier League prima donnas were hit in the pocket on a regular basis,they'd feel the need to try harder,I do think some of them believe all the hype and publicity they get and all they need to do is drift through a game with less than 100% commitment. Did anyone find their enjoyment of the World Cup affected by the use of these "co-commentaters"? Just about all of them couldn't shut up for two minutes,feeling that they they had to fill any silences with their explanations,as if no one watching had any knowledge whatsoever of the game,they bored me senseless so the sound was muted a lot! Then again,these punters on MOTD and in the papers make a good living doing their level best to over-complicate what is,in essence,a fairly simple game. Rant over!

Hi all, I know this is a real "back to basics" question,but I would be grateful for any advice and other's experiences. I have one of the first Bachmann 37's,not their finest hour admittedly but it still runs really well and parts of the body are well realised.I have attempted two repaints on this model,most recently in TTG,and to put it mildly it looks terrible. In the spirit of using what I have,I would like to try another repaint into a simpler livery.The question is; what would be the definitive method of complete removal of the paint I have applied,as I want to start with as much of a blemish-free surface as possible. I know from reading on here that different methods can be used,including oven cleaner,brake fluid,Modelstrip etc,and have tried a couple of these with varying success... Secondly,I have recently acquired a few Bachmann "Whisky Blue" grain wagons,a decent model but one I think is unlikely to be re-issued to current standards due to limited appeal.I have the Fox transfer pack to re-number them,but having tried Enamel and Acrylic thinners,T-Cut,Brut 33 etc,I can't shift the printed-on numbers.I'd rather not use a scalpel to scrape off the numbers,any ideas of alternate methods? Sorry if this is going over old ground, TIA, Neil.

A few random notes: From reference to published pictures,services on the route appeared to be formed of nine coaches.I think,but stand to be corrected,that the stock was WR allocated,based at Newton Abbot. In one of the excellent "Changing Trains"(Globe Video) series,there is a superb sequence of a pair of Warships on the diverted CRE just to the west of Yeovil Junction,suggesting that diversions from the WR main line did occur,possibly bringing other classes to the route. I have been collecting Diesel Hydraulic prints and slides for many years,and I have several examples of the milk tanks from Chard Junction.Most of them are,as you say,in the hands of 22's,but I have others with Class 43's and 47's hauling modest loads,maybe the loco depot/stabling point at Exeter used whatever was available as a fill-in working.As far as I'm aware,the milk tanks from Chard Jct.,and various other loading points,were added to the main service from St. Erth to Kensington. Don't know about Hastings units,more research needed... Neil