Helmdon

Hmm - I *think* that's an optical illusion. It looks green to me and (not pulling rank) I'm a still-youngish (40) ex-military type who needed perfect colour perception for my role. Of course, as has been pointed out upthread it's difficult to do colour properly via a screen image, but I'm happy that's a green running plate right along to the top of the first step. To my naked eye anyway - whether decent image enhancement would change my view is a different point. I will do likewise with 72004 when it arrives today.

another one here - I bought the house to build the model railway in and we moved in in July this year, but I've known what I wanted to do since 2017 and have been stockpiling since then on a blend of decent second hand and new when there's no alternative. I dread to think what it's all worth, and what it would cost me to start now.

well mine has reached the packing stage and the money has just been handed over, so the wait begins

If mine, when it turns up, looks like that then I'll be delighted.

I’ve seen some pictures from the various shops where it looks ok certainly

must confess with the later pictures I've been warming to it - I think I can get a bit of weathering on 72004 and sort out the running plate. I don't believe I should have to, but I reckon I can. actually, as a returning modeller, am I better off paying someone to sort out the running plate in this instance, or doing it myself? And, if the latter, what's the best way?

Thanks - I’m actually a member, you just don’t see many colour pictures, and every previous model has had black….

Actually they look better there. Still not convinced by the green running plate.

you say that - it will be my first experience of putting paint anywhere near a locomotive for 20 years, I was never very good at it the first time, and it's costing me £200 plus paint....

what's the expert consensus on the green running plate? for me, that's mostly what's making it look like a toy, but if it's prototypical...

FFS

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I await your phone call!

although Derails says December now, which I'm sure wasn't the case earlier

I was just about to ask if I should put my money back in my pocket! Anyone know who can make me a set of Clan Alexander nameplates? They would be fictional, as it wasn't even part of the unbuilt run.

I'll be 42 and share some of them... Anyway, intensely relaxed about the 5 LNWR I've got on order. They're to go with a specific locomotive that I've always loved and wanted something for it to pull. Otherwise they're out of period and geography for both my line and my club's line (and also obviously they're generic but I've literally bought them for the beautiful livery), so when they come they come.

I've had my eye off the Hornby ball since the Hattons debacle cancelled pre-orders, but just re-ordered one of these through one of my (and apparently Hornby's) favoured smaller retailers. Obviously I can read a website as well as anyone else, but anyone got a steer on when we're looking at roughly for these? I suppose what I'm asking is to what extent have Hornby release dates been jumping around this year?

given I've ordered an unexpected A5, the LNWR coaches to run with a Precedent that hasn't arrived yet either can wait a bit.

Does anyone know of a source for ready made running in boards for London Extension stations? I can/have made totems photo-reduced, but the island platform stations have very distinctive name and poster boards at the bottom of the steps which are rather beyond my scratch building abilities!

well this is it - as delticman shows it's quite straightforward if you're in a bit where nothing changed (which Killamarsh was) but on the London Extension it's a trap for the unwary because LM were *very* fast to repaint. Almost unbelievably so actually, because even as someone who models it I struggle to understand sometimes why they bothered.

I did think about saying that, but Killamarsh is definitely wrong for that far south!

For completeness, because my Killamarsh is having to do duty in the Northants bit of the London Extension in about 1958 (I know, not right for an extension signalbox, but it is at least GC and I needed a short term stand in), I've gone cream and maroon after the pattern of the colour photograph available on an image search for the last years of the box at Culworth Junction.

Just as a spanner in the works, I'm not an expert on the northern end of the GC - my knowledge is concentrated between Leicester and Calvert - and I can never remember whether the BR(LM) takeover got all the way to Sheffield or not. If it did, then be aware that LM did a rapid 'we've vanquished the old enemy'* repaint of most GC structures into their colours - which the link provided doesn't mention. So if you want to be late 50s or later then you might be looking at maroon rather than green. *more prosaically it might just be that BR(LM) had to repaint because BR(E) hadn't bothered, and it was all starting to look a bit shabby, which is ironic given quite how shabby it was going to look within about 5 years of the takeover....

Basically my own rule of thumb for second hand is Hattons or a small number of Smaller retailers I trust. I’ll buy stock from EBay individuals, but not locomotives unless I fancy a challenge (without necessarily knowing if I’m going to get one!)