papagolfjuliet

How come Hatton's are selling Kernow 205s?

The line's home based IC fleet consists of two diesel shunters, along with a petrol shunter which has been there since the Sixties. The 09 and the Sentinel have saved a great deal of money at a time when the Bluebell has faced a variety of operational challenges, and outside of very lucrative diesel days in the low season all scheduled passenger services continue to be steam hauled. From the point of view of a regular visitor the line's character has not changed in terms of the kind of motive power on offer. Yes, it's arguable that the shunting turns worked by the two resident small diesels could be worked by, say, the B4 or the NLR tank and yes, it's true that since being demoted to light duties 'Nettle' has not actually turned a wheel under its own power, but at a time of motive power shortage it is vital that the MPD concentrates on steam engines which are capable of earning revenue in peak times. I'd go further and say that overhauling 'Baxter' and carrying out the intermediate overhaul of 'Stepney' even though it so worn out that it was no longer in a fit state to work passenger trains was probably not the most sensible use of resources in the run up to the opening of the extension, and that the fact that Bluebell overhauled them anyhow demonstrates an ongoing commitment to maintaining what on other big lines would be considered unremunerative small locos.

It wasn't. Also on that tease of a cover were 'Rocket', A4 'Sir Ralph Wedgewood', 'City of Truro', and an LBSC 'Jenny Lind'. 'Rocket' of course had been produced by Tri-ang but had not been available for some years, the A4 would have to wait until 1979, and 'Truro' was considered for production but rejected by the DCM board on the grounds that it looked too much like a Dean Single (!). The two Brighton engines were never planned. This was part of a run of Tri-ang and Hornby catalogues whose covers featured engines which were not then in the range and in many cases never would be: 1970 featured a 'Castle' and a 'Jubilee', 1972 a Metrovick Co-Bo, 1973 had a 'King', and in 1974 there was yet another 'Jubilee'.

The answer in the case of the well tanks is 'not very far'. This is what they looked like as built: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamessquared/8221411133/

So called because there were three Lines Brothers, and three lines make a triangle. In case you'd ever wondered.

On the subject of inaccurate press reporting, here's a Guardian article which is accompanied by a photo of a mail order catalogue set from the early Seventies. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2016/feb/15/lego-up-and-Hornby-down-whats-what-in-the-world-of-toys

Apparently it really is 'shoo-in'. Until today I'd always thought that it was 'shoe-in'. 'Shoo', it turns out, is an American term for the moment in a fixed race when the leading horses would fall back and allow the fixer's chosen horse to take the lead. Every day's a school day.

I'd say that with his record he's a shoo-in for a senior leadership role in higher education or local government.

Not sure I go along with that. As I've said, I think one of the real problems is that the differentiation between products for beginners/kids and products for 'serious' modellers is very poor, both in terms of the way the ranges are designed and in terms of price. There is much in the main range - especially in terms of track and accessories - which belongs in Railroad, and as I mentioned upthread when a scale model costs less than a toy there's something wrong somewhere. IMO Hornby needs to sort out which products belong where, and if it wants customers to progress from buying a train set to turning that set into a layout then it also needs to significantly cut prices on essentials such as track and plastic buildings, even if that means a compensatory slight increase in the price of 'serious' models.

Wasn't the brief disappearance of the Thomas range a result of difficulties in recovering some of the tools from a Chinese contractor? I have a feeling too that some more recent toolings may also have been lost. There has been no sign of the Stanier tank, the Q1, or the Scot and Patriot in the range for a few years.

Especially when all but two of those components are from stock. And that's what I don't understand: a lot of their excellent high spec products are very reasonably priced, but at the same time they're charging top dollar for rubbish.

Is anybody here gloating? Is anybody here wishing for the demise of a firm which I for one think of as almost a childhood friend?

It's not just cost but inconsistency of cost. For example, a finely detailed main range blue spot fish van to modern standards costs significantly less than a basic, freelance Railroad four wheel coach from a forty year old tooling. You can pick up two good quality Skaledale resin straight platforms for around the same price as two of the 1960s vintage plastic straight platforms with the dirty great moulding nipple in the middle. When products for kids cost around the same as products for modellers something is very wrong somewhere.

Astonishingly, there's one item of the original Binns Road factory clearance stock which they still haven't sold out of: http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/1000440/1000588/1000638/0/Hornby_Dublo_OO_Gauge_1_76_Scale_Track_Points/prodlist.aspx

That shade of green is certainly correct for 64 as preserved, although 64 has never to my knowledge carried any kind of BR crest while in green livery on the Bluebell.

I've noticed on several occasions that the Kernow/Model Rail offers website will mark pre-orders as available within 28 days. What seems to happen then is that the money is taken from your account when you place the order and, if the item is not due within that period, it is immediately refunded and then taken out again when the item is in stock. Perhaps somebody from Kernow can clarify?

I think I'm right in saying that the four genuine USA tanks in preservation (as opposed to the two Yugoslavian copies currently at Shillingstone) have carried the following liveries since acquisition from BR: 64 - BR lined Brunswick green; WD grey 65 - KESR green; Southern plain black; BR late crest plain black 70 - KESR green; BR departmental lined malachite green; WD grey 72 - KWVR ochre; BR lined malachite green

Presumably 30064 is in the lined brunswick green which that locomotive has carried on the Bluebell.

DS237, currently running in BR black as 30065. Sister engine DS238 "Wainwright" is due to return to service in departmental lined malachite green later this year.

Worth Valley one ordered, to go with the Bachmann Worth Valley 2MT. Now all I need to complete the opening day train is some funny coloured Mets and a Swindon DMU buffet with a silver stripe down the side.

Come to think of it, that Lima Plymouth diesel shunter is the same model as the very first loco I ever had, back in 1975. It was practically bombproof.

Thanks for the condescension.

That white Lima diesel with the green roof looks suspiciously like the old HO Class 33. Correction: it's probably this. http://www.Hornby.it/giocattolo/naviga-per-marchio/hobbyline/hl2302.html

There was a train set to go with that range too - basically the standard clockwork set with 'Pound Puppies' written on the side of the engine.

It's worth noting that the SECR one (the preserved "Waddon") carried that livery until 1930, so it's justifiable on early Southern era layouts too.