PJT

There's a lot of us have always had a very big soft spot for Peaks and of course that's precisely why emotions run so high over this new model. Anyone who's travelled behind a Peak that was (as an example, remembering my own runs with them) being urged heroically at speed over the South Devon banks, couldn't fail to have a soft spot for them. Wonderful memories. Pete T.

Yes, sorry, another off-topic digression, not exactly the first I've ever been involved in either. Just to set the record straight, I would hope there wouldn't be any deliberate errors at all set as copyright traps in a detailed model, where fidelity is so important and infringing copyright would be hugely more difficult anyway than copying and republishing an image without permission. Pete T.

I don't know if that's the case with Ordnance Survey maps but a deliberate error certainly was (still is? Don't know) deliberately put in A-Z street maps as a copyright trap. Every technical illustration I've ever drawn (e.g. exploded diagrams for car parts catalogues etc.) have included a copyright trap, too. Pete T.

Speaking from my own experiences, I checked prices beforehand and was very satisfied that the discontinued rolling stock kits I bought from him were at prices directly comparable with currently available similar products, when actually I expected to see rather higher prices because they were no longer available from the manufacturers. The loco kits I bought from him, most of which are still available from the manufacturers, were considerably cheaper than current market prices. Because of this, I was genuinely a bit surprised to see your responses to my previous post. Please understand that by saying so I'm not disputing your comments, not at all. However, I would say if you find his price too steep or downright wrong on a particular item or items (as you've pointed out with the Slaters kits) then tell him so and make him an offer. In my estimation he's not greedy, he's very affable to deal with, certainly capable of admitting to a pricing error and quite willing to barter - as I've seen him do on numerous occasions at shows for several years. Pete T.

Andrew at WM Collectables has a considerable number of unbuilt D&S coach kits available at present, from a huge collection of kits he purchased. Try this link to a 6 wheel GNR full brake: http://www.wmcollectables.co.uk/index.php?pg=cj&cat=549 Is that what you're after? I'm not connected to WM Collectables in any way, other than being a customer who's spent a lot of money with him recently! Pete T.

Hi Roddy, When my Stirling Single arrived from Locomotion it was DCC ready, rather than DCC sound fitted (by the label on the box and by what I'd ordered, it should have had DCC sound). A quick email to Simon at Rapido Repairs (rapidorepairs@shmodelmaking.co.uk, also rapidorepairsuk on RMweb) and he rectified the situation straight away by popping a sound decoder in the post to me, so certainly he had stock of sound decoders at the time. I don't know how many Stirling Single sound decoders Simon still has in stock, if any, or if he can sell one, or whether he has to retain all the stock he has for warranties or spares replacements, but it might be worth contacting him and asking if he has one you can buy. It'd be a good first move in your search, anyway. Pete T.

As with many others, my loco arrived with one of the finer, original chains detatched and in two pieces. The heavier duty replacements included in the box turned out not to be required, because I managed to reassemble and refit the original. To date, no more problems with the chains have been encountered (I hope I'm not tempting fate there!) and they do look a lot nicer than the heavier duty items. I admit it took a bit of time, a steady hand and holding my breath while I was manipulating the chain links to reassemble and refit the chain. Also, I wouldn't have wanted to put unwanted pressure on my time by trying to do it in a two minute slot before I was supposed to be doing something else. It is however very definitely achievable with basic skills, fine tools and a good portion of patience - the latter you've already shown you have already. And it will be again, if you manage to stick with the original chains. Pete T.

David, You might just be lucky as far as moving the smokebox number plate is concerned. I've noticed that several of the Hornby releases in more recent years (and even later identities of the same model, for instance the A3) have a separate number plate moulding with a tiny rectangular lug on the back that locates in a small piercing on the smokebox door. The latter of course means that making good the shape and finish of the smokebox door after removing or resiting the plate is a great deal easier than on earlier models where you have to carve the plate off the door. Here's hoping. Pete T.

No, Daniel, it was me who got confused last night at a time when under normal circumstances I'd have been asleep for a couple of hours! I obviously had the picture in my head of one of the Consett hoppers after seeing it on this thread in the last few days. That's my excuse, anyway. To make up for it I went through all the MRJs mentioned in the on-line index with reference to hoppers this morning (a very enjoyable 20 minutes or so - I could have stayed there reading half the day) but couldn't find what you're after. I looked in Geoff Kent's 'The 4mm Wagon - Part 1' as well and that turns up a photo of a Diag. 1/142 hopper, but that's all. Didn't help you much, I'm afraid, but I thoroughly enjoyed looking and several issues of MRJ have been put aside for a re-read as a result. Pete T.

Just a suggestion - try searching on Tim Shackleton. I seem to remember many years ago he did something in MRJ about the Tyne Dock-Consett hoppers. Actually, I just did myself. A second search on 'Consett' instead of 'Tim Shackleton' turned it up: MRJ, issue 117 (year 2000). I've looked in my copy of the magazine, too, and it's a good four page article where Tim builds the Dave Bradwell kit and reviews it. Pete T.

For DCC ready and DCC fitted I'd agree with you; however for the earlier factory fitted sound locos (i.e. all the ones with ESU Loksound, not the TTS fitted ones), 21 pin was used. It caught me out some years ago when I went to transfer the factory sound decoder from one Hornby Class 50 to another. Pete T.

I've really enjoyed reading through the posts on this thread, both before and after posting my own expression of interest. What a lovely outburst of really happy, unalloyed enthusiasm for a great new product. What a lovely tonic for the times we're in. Well done, Mike. Pete T.

And one here for a Bachmann chassis, please, Mike. Thank you! Pete T.

A bit like using a 'cup' wire brush in an angle grinder: you end up looking like a porcupine. I stopped doing that twenty-odd years ago when I stopped restoring old cars. I certainly don't miss having little red puncture marks all over me the next day after using one. Pete T.

That's a really, really useful tip that never entered my head before but, now you've said it, it's such a very obvious one. Thank you! Pete T.

Me - carry on using it Me too; it will trim itself naturally and surprisingly quickly, too, without any further help from you. Just in case you haven't yet discovered, make sure you clean your workbench scrupulously after using one - the splinters the worn-away fragments give you are small in size but big in discomfort. Pete T.

You could be right, but a few weeks back I was idly wondering how they might have come about and came up with a different scenario. It's all hypothesis, I know, but I wonder if the release of the Gaugemaster Collection 33s using old-tooling bodies is not unrelated to the fact that Gaugemaster have just (from March this year) taken on the Heljan spare parts distribution from Howes. It's easy to imagine, at the same time as the spares contract was being negotiated, a deal being done to 'do a favour' by building up a batch of old type bodies that were taking up space and gathering dust in a warehouse somewhere into complete locos - especially if the finish could be modified with a bit of weathering (therefore different from other releases of those identities) and they were sold at distinctly lower prices under a different, slightly distanced brand, rather than as straight Heljan product. Unfortunately if the plan was indeed something like that, the superior observational powers of RMweb saw through the ruse straight away... What still doesn't add up, if what happened was actually something like the above, is why Heljan would risk undermining their own new releases by making the same locos, with inferior body mouldings, for Gaugemaster at lower prices (but not well-distanced Hornby Railroad type lower prices). What have I missed? Or did Gaugemaster 'make them an offer they couldn't refuse'? Just to prove Heljan's own goal, if that's really what happened, as someone who was born and bred in 33 territory and who is more relaxed about the old Heljan 33 roof profile than some, I bought the Gaugemaster Collection ones. I won't therefore be buying the more expensive, but admittedly better profiled, Heljan latest-tooling ones. Pete T.

Crikey, it is, at a very reasonable price and it's apparently in stock. Well done for spotting it (and a big thank you for pointing it out, too). I must admit I didn't bother checking Gaugemaster's Heljan spares listings (i) because it takes a while to pore through it, unless there's a technique I haven't discovered yet; and (ii) I assumed that having been unavailable for so long it would continue to be so until there was a new production run of O2s. Lesson for the day: Don't make assumptions (and I know that, of course, but still I trip myself up with it from time to time). Making assumptions doesn't take into account stock that came to light during the handover between Howes and Gaugemaster, or stock delivered from Heljan to Gaugemaster that Howes never had, does it? My order has been emailed already. Actually - just thought - I wonder if they've got the OO diesel wheelsets back in stock again? Pete T.

I've been through all the books I have which would be likely to have the answer to that and I can't find it. Very frustrating because I know I've read all about it but can't remember where or, more importantly, what the answer actually is. My brain seems to periodically chuck away little snippets like that to make room for more new incoming facts! Can someone out there put us out of our misery, please? Pete T.

I'll second that. I really love mine, too. They run beautifully and their haulage ability is prodigious - they outstrip by far any other RTR steam loco I have. I've ended up renumbering and re-logo-ing mine to get rid of the oversized number printing and wierd coloured logos (not a huge job) and with a coat of Klear the finish is now what I would always have liked it to be instead of having that somewhat offputting plasticky sheen. One day I'll use some Mainly Trains brass chequer plate (from Wizard - really useful stuff!) to make fall plates and then the transformation will be complete. I bought one of those! Came in very useful and the sprue it was part of was a remarkably reasonable price, too. Unfortunately when I had second thoughts and went back to buy another they were out of stock (unsurprisingly) and remained that way for several years, right up to the point where Howes ceased to be the Heljan spares stockist. In the meantime I checked Howes' website every couple of months, just in case... Pete T.

Beautifully put, Tony, in my opinion. Pete T.

You forgot Lord Lucan and Shergar. ...and Bernie Madoff?

You're quite incorrigible, Robbie. Something about glass houses and throwing stones here... I won't tell you how many of both Hornby and Bachmann B1s I have, except to say that I bought yet another one yesterday (a repairer, like most of my B1s). Looking at 61243 above, I find the Scottish radiused strengthening gussets under the footplate corners visually really fascinating. There seems to be an endless battle going on between an old fashioned, graceful, flowing line under the footplate and the 'modern' sharp-angled corners above it. A bit Gresley/Doncaster underneath and Thompson/Darlington on top, if you like. Or am I just getting a teensy bit OCD about it? Good luck with the arrival of your latest! Pete T.

Just been upstairs and checked 61243 again and you're quite right. The drawer it sits in isn't in the best light so the conduits must have disappeared into the blackness of the smokebox when I looked this morning, but this time I tried feeling with my finger and, lo and behold, I could feel the one to the top lamp. I got the loco out to have a good look and, sure enough, all conduits are present and correct on 61243. Not so on 61267 though, which I checked again, too: just the same as 61270, its missing the conduits both on the smokebox side and running up to the top lamp. Well, that's one less I've got to make up some conduit for. Full marks for looking a bit harder than I did! Despite sometime-missing conduits and things like the dome and chimney shape being a bit contentious on some of them (but much better on others), I think we're still all agreed the Hornby B1's a truly lovely model, though. Pete T.

I must admit, reading your comment and the more I think about it the less logic I can see in omitting the smokebox conduits. Maybe I gave Hornby too much benefit of the doubt; maybe it was just a mistake after all. Ah, I wondered if Klear was involved. It works like nothing else for that 'slightly work-weary sheen', doesn't it? That's not to detract at all from your skills; you did a really nicely observed job in leaving the right amount of grot in the right places. Pete T.