MrWolf

Hopefully someone else out there has removed the body shell from a Bachmann 45XX prairie tank? I have one, cat. No. 32-129 and there doesn't appear to be any advice in the paperwork that accompanies the model on how to do this. Could anyone out there advise please?

The bogies have arrived from 247 Developments, along with a few other bits and pieces. I am currently keeping this project on the back burner whilst I get the layout up and running, (first train ran tonight) I realised that I needed another left hand point, so hopped on the bike and shot off to the local model shop. Idly browsing the secondhand shelves I spotted these two future projects at a fiver each.... This Triang clerestory addiction is escalating... I hate you all....

It could be a case of people wanting the locomotives that they remember, people who went train spotting in the 50s and 60s remember the late versions of those locomotives, a generational thing if you like. Many of the people who remember locomotives in pre nationalisation condition are no longer with us, and those who model an era before their time are a smaller sector of the market. I happen to be a fan of the original Great Western, although it ended decades before I was born and I have noticed that prewar liveried GWR locos are offered generally cheaper than the same thing in late British Railways livery. It's the same way with many things, 1940s cars are comparatively cheaper than 20 years ago, as the generation that bought them as a reminder of their first car have passed on or given up driving. For now, cars from the 70s and 80s are commanding higher prices. Good news for those of us who are different / awkward!

Thanks for sharing your work, the building construction is quite inspirational. It would make sense for me to construct the key buildings for my layout now before I go any further with the scenery. Any excuse, I'm quite looking forward to it!

£200 isn't a lot nowadays. I do think it's a bit steep for what is basically a toy made in the third world, having worked in the aircraft industry, I can tell you that even safety critical parts are still made by the lowest bidder. £200 was more than I earned per week in my first post graduate job in 1990. But £200 does keep two of us fed for over a month, or pays the mortgage, or insures £30,000 worth of vintage motorcycles for a year. Much as I might want to, there is no way I could justify to myself paying someone to build, paint and weather a brass locomotive kit. I prefer to buy secondhand built kits as other posters or secondhand rtr when the dust has settled behind the collectors. As for stock, it's much the same, although I enjoy building kits or modifying rtr as wagons in particular still look a little chunky to me. Money wise, I consider myself quite fortunate, my gripe with the increased price of rtr is that I feel it discourages newcomers and particularly youngsters from the hobby. I'm not tight, I just like to keep a perspective and as much as I love railways, I have a couple of other things in my life that I love more.

Cars were, until well into the 1980s a 'luxury' item, by the standards of today rather crude and basic. But, they weren't throwaway items, people kept them going and did so to keep putting bread on the table. Once cars became relatively cheaper in the early 80s, more people bought them - to the further detriment of the railways. The payoff is, although modern cars are better in many ways, the scrapyards are full of the things thanks to planned obsolescence and irreparable little black boxes that cost more than a used car. If we really are going to 'go green ' and save the planet,we had better start making things that we can fix again. One 1967 Viva, bought second hand by my father in 1971, ran for 186000 miles with only routine maintenance and a salvaged gearbox until it was rear ended by a parcels lorry in 1982. Not a bad return on £350, even 40 years ago. I have worked on the 1970s incarnation of the Viva, mostly welding, they weren't good, nearly as water soluble as contemporary Datsuns, Fords and Fiats and of course, the 21st century bogeyman, plastics, were creeping in.

I think that Middlesea John is also right. The problem with instant collectors items and their inherent price is that once the "Got to have it" brigade have spent their money, there will invariably be the rest of the production batch gathering dust, only to be sold later at a knockdown price. I was at a toy and train fair recently and we saw some of the latest steam cranes for sale at over £200. (not of my money, ever!) Looking around around the secondhand stalls, every one of them had piles of old steam cranes, boxed for about £25 and unboxed for as little as £5. I think all manufacturers should be looking at how they can attract the next generation of modellers and collectors.

Fair point, it does show how money has lost its value. I had a 1960 Bedford camper van which when it was new, cost £1500, the price of a 3 bed semi at the time, I paid £200 for it 20 years ago, even allowing for them climbing in value recently, £5-6000 is all it would be worth. You can easily spend that on renovating one in your own time. At least I am not one of those fools who must have a new or new looking car to show others how well I am doing. As my late father used to say: "Two BMW's on the drive and b****r all in the fridge." I buy things that aren't essentials simply because I like them, that way I won't ever be disappointed.

I remember being in awe of the Japanese brass American steam locos as a child, particularly the complex mallet and Shay types. I am sure that there was also a GWR Castle (Tetsudo?) My father was more in awe of the prices at the time. It was relative, back in 1967, you could buy a brand new Vauxhall Viva for about £670. You can add a nought to that figure now, because nobody put those in a glass case. The good news is that we can pick up some interesting models at a reasonable price and if we wish, run them as intended.

My take on a milk train, as yet unfinished, cut and shut Triang / Ratio V5 PBV and a pair of second-hand K's 6 wheel siphons. Having read this article, I have been reminded to get them all up to scratch. In between a billion other jobs of course.

It was inspired by this old magazine page a friend gave me. I'm sure I have seen the photograph before, but can't remember where it was taken.

Thanks all for your advice. Here we have the loosely assembled results in primer grey, before any detail painting. Although no particular prototype and cobbled together with a few Wills bits, DAS clay and plasticard, it's meant to represent a former timber structure that has had its centre piers raised in blue brick and three iron spans fitted.

A light coat of primer after filling is all I have had time for as I have been busy with the layout and constructing a couple of river bridges but I think I have got away with altering the panels either side of the luggage doors.

Hm, that isn't who I had in mind and I suspect you knew that! Insert list below of all Hollywood actresses you would like to show round your railway room....

Speaking of D&S, the last time I bought an obsolete white metal kit of theirs for an outside framed GWR toad brake van, it cost me £15 on Ebay, I have just watched one hit £64. Is it worth that much? Not to me, but two people who have got to have it and the price isn't important, I guess it was. It's probably more to do with the fact that nobody makes one anymore, but I am convinced that something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it and in some cases, to make sure someone else doesn't get it. I go to a lot of antique auctions with my work and find the whole auction fever bidding war scene just like being back in junior school. It's amusing because it's costing me nothing. Of course, if there's a bidding war over something I found on a junk pile, it's even more amusing!

She didnt like railways or motorcycles either. I became very happily divorced after three years!

It didn't happen when I got married either, it was a gradual process over the next two years.

Or anything advertised as an "Instant collectors item" "Investment quality" or "Heirloom piece" like all that tacky china on the back pages of Sunday supplements or magazine flyers. You will see all of it on the car boot in a year or two where you can buy it for 50p and then invest in an air rifle....

I couldn't agree more. American car collectors have a saying: "The more there were, the less there are" The workaday items that 30 years ago were everywhere, are now gone. Most people know that Mk1 Ford Escorts are now silly money, initially the 2 door saloon, everyone wanted and other variants were mercilessly broken up for parts to the point that there were virtually non existent. This has caused their values to rocket in comparison. My models are bought to use as intended (otherwise why bother putting electric motors in them) I remember a workmate in the 1990s collecting all the limited edition Lima diesels, when he decided to sell, he found that everyone and his dog had done the same thing and struggled to get his money back. I have vintage bicycles and motorcycles, I ride them all, regularly. I remember a complete stranger at a petrol station indignantly telling me: "You shouldn't be thrashing that about! It should be in a museum!" No amount of reasonable argument that I had pulled it out of a hedge and spent three years rebuilding it to perfect running order and if I blew it up, I would rebuild it again made any difference. So my parting shot was: "Would you marry a Hollywood actress and then sleep on the couch every night?" Just my $0.02!

It happens. If it was any other sort of addiction, doubtless charities and the state would shower you with help (and cash) but our affliction remains unrecognized. I have been honest with my significant other from very early on. She even knows how many motorcycles I have (though possibly not how much I spend on them!) In my defence, just how many shoes she owns is one of the great mysteries of the world. She collects antique bayonets and military knives. Maybe I should be worried. I dunno... In reality, we only have to justify our hobbies to ourselves. If you like it and it isn't robbing food off your table to do so, buy it and run it. My layout can be run by two locomotives to be prototypical. There's no law about which two though!

Change that seven locomotives to eight as of ten minutes ago. Curse you eBay!!!

Thanks for clearing that up, didn't think I was going daft. I lived over in west Wales for a while, near Ammanford and a lot of motorcycle trips involved tracing the remains of disused lines. A lot of the ex miners I knew used the term paddy train for anything that the miners rode in, including the underground trains that took men to the coal face, so you'll excuse me for that one! If it helps, I thought I only had five locomotives. Change that to seven.

The Ynysybwl branch being a good example to research if you want an excuse to run loaded / empty freight past your normal traffic terminus. There would also be paddy trains ( good excuse to run outdated, ramshackle stock, as if I needed one!) and a good number of supply trains bringing up timber, spare parts and the occasional outsized loads of machinery. Of course you will need more locomotives and probably another one or two belonging to or assigned to the colliery / quarry. Any excuse. Just don't tell the domestic authorities. My friends wife thinks he has "about ten" vintage motorcycles. It took two of us a week to shift everything when he moved house.

That is pretty much all I have ever seen bridges painted in. I am ignoring bridges that have had a revamp in the last thirty years because they are a landmark, such as the long disused Derby Friargate bridge or the bridge that crosses Lancaster LNW station. Thanks for your input everyone. I will also have to look at some way of giving the paint that faint sparkle over the matt finish.

Thanks, that will save a bit of work! I have seen a few bridges on layouts over the years with fancy paint jobs. I had a feeling that even Swindon wouldn't be OCD enough to give bridges in the middle of nowhere a tricky to maintain paint job.