SteamAle

Neil. Yes. They will be advertised in CRA Lakes Express. I hope to sort things out, whenever I can find the time. These have taken SIX years to come to fruition. I can do direct sales if you want. philip@steamale.co.uk

Well, not before time! Thought you had abandoned us. Andrew and I were just commenting on the fact that you seemed to have gone into hibrnation. I've been working on an O gauge M&C Chauldron wagon. Master by Mike F. Body cast in resin. Chassis in Whitemetal by Paul B. Lost wax brass break gear by Sanspareil. Etch drawings by Mike P. Assembly and mistakes all my own work! Will be on sale at Preston MRE 2&3 March 2019. £45 each with a discount for CRA members.

If you are into kit building the CSPModes.com CSP41, Henry Court, looks like the right one!

Alex Reminder to renew web hosting came in over the Christmas break and slipped off the radar. Should be coming back online very soon. I can't even get in as admin to the online shop to update bits! Philip for CSP Models

Exhibition Costs DH Pleased you thought about the costs of layouts at exhibitions. It is a fine act making sure income exceeds outgoings and most of us exhibition managers do our best. In over 40 years of organising exhibitions the third one I did made a loss. Accommodation was the killer. The first two I was in a position to accommodate exhibitors, remember the days when we slept in sleeping bags at peoples houses? Nowadays everybody wants a quality B&B or hotel. A house move and then being 300 miles from the venue did not work.I had to put six people up in B&B and it broke the bank. Have you ever tried to organise an exhibition 300 miles form where you live? I ended up doing it a second time when I moved just before the actual exhibition and traveled back to oversee everything. We covered all our costs that time round. Things have changed and visitors expect so much more for their money nowadays. The one exhibitor that is not welcome is the one that asks for more than his outgoings. I had one who said he needed the money to pay for the cost of buying the models and materials to build his layout. When I exhibit I rarely ask for my actual costs. It is my hobby and I do it because I enjoy it not to make money from it. Needless to say the said person did not get any invites from other exhibition managers within the area. We all talk to each other whenever we meet up. Philip

Permission to panic please Mr Manning?

Workington Model Railway Exhibition 2018 Sat 17 & Sun 18 November. 10- 5. 10- 4. Energus Building Blackwood Road Lillyhall CA14 4JW 14 layouts 9 Traders 6 Demonstrators 8 Society/Support Groups Train Computer Simulation Model Railway Engineering display 250 Free Car Parking spaces ON SITE Fully accessible Full refreshment facilities www.solrail.co.uk Z gauge – NEW – Japanese Bullet Trains – 12’ x 4’ - Chris Wright – High speed at its best with Thunder & Lightning storms N gauge – NEW – Llwyn Grug – 15’ x 4’ –Les Nehrlich – based in mid North Wales somewhere along the line between Raubon and Dolgellau. OO9 gauge – NEW – Loch Ewe Harbour – 10’ x 3’ – David Johnston – a narrow gauge masterpiece OO9 gauge – NEW – Keswick Light Railway – 7’ x 2’ – Andrew Holland – set on the trackbed between Keswick and Threlkeld a ‘might have been or could be!’ HO – NEW – Jacksonville Yard – 7’ x 3’ - Terry Tasker, Southport MRC – a switching yard just south of the Canadian border sees a variety of trains being sorted for different industrial units HO – NEW – 1950 – 60’s West German lines – 14’ x 7’ - Rod Moore – another chance for visitors to take the controls of some vintage models getting a new lease of life OO gauge – NEW – Aikbank Junction – 15’ x 8’ – Andrew Butler, Solrail – local modeller brings his latest layout to his local show for the first time. OO gauge – Loch Syd – 8’ x 8’ –Dalegarth Modellers – a Scottish layout featuring DCC sound makes a return in its completed finish or is it? EM gauge – NEW – Seahouses – 14’ x 2’ – Ray Stewart – based on the real place in Northumbria a striking model of a real location as it used to be EM gauge – NEW –Stopgap – 18’ x 2’ – Cleveland MRS – appearing as a North British Railway station or even a Border Counties one! Ong – NEW – Caroline Concrete Works – 8’ x 2’ - Graham Morfoot – based on Tallington nr Stamford on the East Coast mainline a works that will produce track parts for HS2 O gauge – NEW – St Georges Dock – 8’ x 1’6” –Alan Gray – evocative scene of how things were in a small coastal village O gauge – NEW – Bobbin Mill Halt – 26’ x 16’ –Richard Elton – using the new club test track a small section depicts, well a halt! Probably in Great Western Territory with a small line side industry for good measure. OO gauge - Thomas the Tank – 8’ x 4’ - WTHT - back in all his glory for the younger visitor to operate Supported by: - Trade stands selling everything you need for your modelling including: - C&M Models – Carlisle - New RTR British and Continental Crafty Hobbies - Barrow-in Furness - New RTR and second-hand CSP Models – Carlisle – New Industrial locomotive etched brass kits Grosmont Books – North Yorkshire – New and second-hand railway books Kyles – Secondhand trains for the younger enthusiast! MTFG - Reeth, North Yorks – new and reconditioned, hard to find spares and plastic kits etc. North Road Trains – large selection of second-hand models Solrail – Workington – second-hand models from the organisers Squires Tools - Bognor Regis - any tool you need you'll find here Stevenson's Carriages & Millhome Models - Dumfries - Brass Coach & Whitemetal Locomotive Kits and bits to help you build what you want, especially Cumbrian ones! Demonstrations Trainsimulator 2018 - Computer simulation for you to try HO – John H Wright – Modelling American prototypes using DCC OO – Ian Blenkinsop – construction of shipping staiths and Tyne Dock arches EM/General – Jean King – building model trees EM - Chris King - track building using laser cut bases and C&L components EM - Andrew Wright – working on his new layout if not running it! P4 – Bob Hetherington – Modelling the Stockton & Darlington locomotives Societies and Groups West Cumberland Railway Museum Cumbrian Railways Association Derby Lightweight Preservation Group Derwent Railway Society Eden Valley Railway Trust Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Sian Project Group West Cumbria Guild of Model Engineers Workington Transport Heritage Trust Organised by Solrail Ltd, a not for profit company. Basically a group of railway enthusiasts who want to ensure an exhibition is held in West Cumbria, none of whom are paid. This is the biggest model railway event in the county and has steadily been building a reputation for the quality and variety of the layouts that appear. A truly family event with lots for the railway enthusiast as the trade covers almost everything one could want. Please visit the website for more details.

Well, the Cumbrian Railways Association will be attending with their stand. Copies of the books they publish, lots of photographs to delve and spend an hour or two looking through. 4mm scale etched Furness Railway Squirrel seats to purchase but for those in the senior scale then 7mm available as well. If all goes to plan CSP Models may just have some of their 4mm Industrial locomotive kits on sale along with exquisite lost wax brass locomotive tools in 4mm scale. Lots of 7mm brass castings for the larger modeller as well. Philip

Well!!!! 1361 Instructions are near enough complete. Need to start looking at stock and see what parts need ordering/casting. 1366 Instructions - written words look about finished but diagrams need lots of work to clean them up so is a bit further down the line, excuse the pun. Hopefully after the school holidays and Telford GOG event (Iain will be working flat out on getting a new locomotive ready to launch there) I'll be in a position to move these and another kit a bit further forward. They have not been forgotten. Sorry it is not more positive news. Philip for CSP Models

Ian In my haste to get the kit in the box before Iain goes on holiday for two weeks I forgot to sort out the labels then realised I had not actually printed any!!! Will try and get them in the post next week. The sprues contain more bits than you need as it is quicker and easier to put in a full one rather than cut bits off. As and when you get started please contact me if you need anything else or I have missed bits out. I've had to make up a packing list myself and not being a GWR man not certain if I've got everything right. Any errors you find in the build instructions or suggestions for improvements will be most welcome. I'll be at ExpoEM North and Wigan MRE's with the Cumbrian Railways Association stand if you or anybody else wants to meet face to face (let me know if I need body armour!). Happy modelling Philip for CSP Models

Lost and Foundry is the place to go for lamps, tools and lots of other bits still to be listed! They are within CSP Models http://cspmodels.com/abante/index.php?rt=product/manufacturer&manufacturer_id=23 Philip

Official Posting by Pete on his Facebook page 'Railnuts' as follows: - As sole director and shareholder of Just like the real thing, last week I made the agonising decision to close down the company and appoint a receiver to liquidate it. I was no long prepared to fund its annual losses and could not see any way of making it profitable. My passion for model railways remains undimmed. I will concentrate on my Leamington Spa layout. In the coming months,I expect to announce new plans, so watch this space. I believe there is a small niche for a high quality designer and manufacture,and that will likely be my focus. The best models for discerning modellers and collectors.

The following was received 20 minutes after I sent my e-mail to him! Need we say more? Hello Philip Thank you for your message. No, we have most definitely not stopped trading but we stopped taking our sales stand to exhibitions nearly three years ago, most of our business now being carried out through our website. We have had some serious family health issues to cope with over the past year which disrupted production for a while but everything is back to normal again now. We make most of our transfers and pre-lettered P.O. wagon kits to order nowadays and our range now covers over 1000 different liveries. Regards Robert Robert Tivendale Powsides On 2017-09-12 16:16, Philip Tuer wrote: Hi Robert I was told at Expo EM North at the weekend that you had stopped trading. Is this correct as I would not like to pass on false information?

Castle Not good news I'm afraid. Stock sheets show - nil. Can't find any copy of build instructions or kit packing lists. No sign of the test build model either. There is a box of 'bits' that I will have a rummage through when I can find time but it is not looking good at the moment. Please bear with us but the crystal ball is looking very hazy at present. Philip for CSP Models

WEBSITE - working again! Well after a bit of jiggery pokery we have managed to get the site up and working, again! For some reason it keeps expanding by itself and going over our limit. This causes it to crash and so far we can't see where the extra mega-bites are coming from nor even where they go to. They just keep growing and then it all comes to a grinding halt. We are looking at a new provider and site but as those who know, it all takes time so we will keep going with what we have for now. Any problems please let me know and I'll try my best to help. Philip For CSP Models

Horstan We have a couple of orders for both of these kits. I'm struggling to keep up with everything at the moment, due to family problems, but will add them to my list and let you know how things progress. Philip for CSP Models

For some reason the site keeps 'going down'. We do not know why but have engaged somebody with more experience than us to 'have a look' and try and sort things out. We do need to make some changes so hopefully the 'expert' will be able to do them. One is to ask what gauge of wheels is required when ordering. At present we have to go back to the purchaser to ask! Keep checking back to the site please? Philip for CSP Models

Andy Castings arrived and the ones we have in stock are not the best so are sorting through the masters to see what we can do about getting news ones done. Philip for CSP Models

All Yes we are very busy and unfortunately I keep forgetting to check this site on a regular basis (I do have it book marked). As they say 'the best laid plans' etc. SWMBO has broken her drinking arm and I am now full time cook, dishwasher, housekeeper 'et all' as well as looking after two kids a 14 and 4 year old, the latter being 'full on'. This after I retired several years ago. For some reason the online shop went down and then we could not get logged into the site to sort it. Took professional help to get it back to where it is now. We have no idea what is happening to e-mails, Iain is the only one who can see them, when they do come through! Andy - please send the castings to CSP Models, Unit 13, Carlisle Enterprise Centre, James Street, Carlisle CA2 5BB and I'll go through what we have and find a better set, remember kit number as well. Our whitemetal caster has told us that a couple of the moulds need to be renewed and having seen the quality, or not, of what is coming out of them I can only agree. Paul - A. Send me a PM with your details and what you ordered and I'll go searching for you. We have managed to fulfill some orders but not as fast as I'd like. Philip for CSP Models

All On behalf of CSP Models I can only apologise for the current problems and length of time it is taking to get everything sorted. I am currently working on digitising the instructions as all we inherited for the early kits were a very old set, which were just photocopied as and when. They are well past there best! We have received a batch of etches, that we ordered, as well as whitemetal castings. Lost wax brass are being cast this week. Wheels and motors are on order. Unfortunately we have lists of what should go in each of the older kits but no positive means of identifying which bit is which. There are some boxes marked up with a kit number as well as sprues but they do not match the instructions. Some sprues contain parts for several kits so they all have to be cut off and sorted. I can only manage one day per week actually sorting and packing at the moment and Iain is working at his full-time casting for his customers. Not certain what the problem is with the e-mail. cspmodels@outlook.com is the one to use. Our tests with it are working OK. PayPal has dropped its link and is being repaired. Hayes Development should be transferred to a new owner if negotiations go to plan and yes, they will be marketed by him. Fingers crossed things get better soon. I'll be at Preston MRE this weekend on the Cumbrian Railways Association stand if anybody wants to talk to me. Philip, for CSP Models