andyman7
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Posts posted by andyman7
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Hornby has a history of putting wrong interiors into coaches. Perhaps we might have to tolerate compartments in an “open” coach. Then perhaps Hornby has tried to compensate by leaving the lavatories open.
Which ones were you thinking of? The only one I recall is the Mk2a BSO where the problem was not that the interior had compartments, but that the coach was decorated as a 2nd class one when it was in fact a BFK (and indeed the original Triang-Hornby version had been a BFK).
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And not too far from there was Braley's in Ealing. Never a price ticket in sight, loads and loads of second hand and I'm sure he used to price on what he thought you could afford. Never liked kids either.
While in the area - there was Ernie's in Chiswick High Road too. Remember mum buying me a loco from there as a reward for passing my school exams
Ah, Braley's. Proprietor was an oriental gentleman who didn't actually appear to like customers as the shop was festooned with notices saying 'don't touch' 'don't look' 'go away' (OK I might have made those last two up but you get the picture). His shop opened at 10.45 which I eventually discovered was because it was the earliest he could get there by using a Cheap Day Return ticket valid from Bromley South leaving at 09.30. Eventually I managed to strike up enough of an acquaintance with him to actually buy the occasional item from him but blimey it was hard work.
I visited Ernie's in Chiswick a couple of times. The two are connected because at Braley's I bought a Triang Hornby R644A E3001 train pack missing the loco, which I managed to then acquire at Ernie's, the total price being acceptable for what was a rare set.
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They look quite shiny to me
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All the posts here refer to Maidstone & District, but living in Sittingbourne from 1990 to 2007 a prominent local post-deregulation operator was Chalkwell Coaches - I'm not sure to what extent their routes went on to the Isle of Sheppey but it might be worth a bit of research:
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Basically because there isn't a lot on offer. I asked a while back about 1950s large concrete street lamps and got very few responses as there isn't anything available
I'd love some decent models of the classic CU and Stanton posts of the 50s and 60s. It's interesting that on the subject of, say, catenary there will be intense debate about correctly representing Mk1 or Mk3 spans with the correct dropper and wiring, yet the road modelled behind might have any old lamp post (normally distinctly continental) stuck beside it.
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Fifty quid!!!!!!
Worth a fiver at most, plus P&P, to break for spares.
John
True it's not worth £50 but a fully working Chinese made tender drive is worth more than a fiver.....
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Because the Government has stated that it considers the UK railway "too expensive / too much of a drain on taxpayers / unsustainable in the long term" - and as they still provide a large subsidy to the industry, many, times the pittance they gave to BR, they do sort of have a point.
However rather than address the real issues, lest they show up the inherent flaws in the rail franchising system (which was supposed to be all about transferring risk to the private sector and brining private sector ambition / dynamism to a former state enterprise), they instead commissioned the McNulty report (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/4204/realising-the-potential-of-gb-rail.pdf) - which was very explicit in who were considered responsible for this. He duly obliged, basically saying that was all the fault of railway staff who were overpaid, unproductive, hostile to new ideas / technology and had far too many retained perks compared to the private sector. Thus the agenda has been quite clear - cutting staff is to be encouraged, which was given a voice by Mr Peter Wilkinson's outburst at a Conservative party meeting (http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/department-transport-says-break-train-drivers/story-28783309-detail/story.html) which then led to the long running Southern Railway dispute.
The fault lies with the franchising system because of the government has not actually transferred either the risk or reward properly - instead it is the usual mish mash that diminishes the benefits of either full control or proper devolvement. Ironically, good old cuddly BR would have made much bigger strides in restructuring pay and conditions; but a franchisee with a 7 year contract on limited margins won't be able to take the revenue hit of a protracted dispute. McNulty did NOT say it was the fault of the staff - he observed that the pay and conditions of many staff had not fundamentally changed over the years and as a result productivity had not improved in parallel with other industries. Like it or not, no-one in the world is guaranteed a job for life on unchanged conditions - the railway still needs staff (including people to help customers), but it does not necessarily need guards and ticket office clerks in perpetuity in a digital world. I started as a booking clerk in 1987 and it was obvious to me then that the job I was doing was unlikely to last out my career...
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Thank you. I did not realise that the Wrenn Golden Arrow Pullmans were fictitious. It looks like you are an authority on the Golden Arrow with your magazine articles on the subject over the years.
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Most of what Wrenn made was fictitious
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I've always personally found them very good with this sort of stuff and it's good to hear this story.
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Not sure I understand why, but it's not the only one of the Thomas range to reach such lofty heights in value...
Wouldn't let my little one loose unattended with it at that price.
Yes, about four years ago Model Railways Direct were knocking these out at £57 each. But Hornby Thomas stuff seems to have a cult following and out of production items can reach giddy heights - only to crash back if the item is re-run.
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Talking of Bachmann coaches, the coach below was produced by this company many years ago and represents one of the "missing" types, namely an open third. I have several and all are in Replica Railways boxes...
These LMS D1915 coaches were quite advanced for their time with decent underframes. The moulded-on stepboards are far better than the (very fragile) separate fittings we have seen on models in recent years....
The undeframe features a reglator box and even the small electric box on the solebars....
Batterybox side. Even the windjammers on the sliding window vents protrude beyond the body side as on real Stanier coaches....
The interior molding has seat ends that are a separate molding...
These 7½-bay 60 seat open coaches with no luggage racks were built by the LMS between 1935 and 1937 and were classed as 'excursion' stock. Probably the railway modellers most useful coach after a brake third.
This coach was actually commissioned by Airfix but never made it into production before the collapse of the Airfix group and takeover by Palitoy, although they did not proceed with it. The tooling had presumably been completed at least up to a point but it wasn't until Replica approached Bachmann about using the old Mainline/AIrfix tooling that they owned that the model was made - which is why it only ever appears in Replica boxes. Once Bachmann introduced the Branchline range the coach never re-appeared - I wonder if perhaps the rights for this one remained with Replica? The history of the ownership of the various tools that made Airfix/Mainline/Dapol/Replica/Bachmann models is extremely complex!
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Makes Colin Craig's (currently unavailable) kits seem a bargain.
Mike.
Although if they are unavailable I'm not sure that they qualify as a bargain
Makes the triang / Hornby ones look a total bargain , and que some easy modelling to produce the end plates and buffers.
An excellent solution, they may not make ultra fine scale models but some relatively straightforward good old fashioned modelling can produce a very enjoyable set of flats.
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For a while when Hornby were messing around with their retail distribution the 10% discount was worth having. Now that the website charges premium prices it's probably not worth it - which is actually good news for the independent retail trade.
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Rapido managed to produce the Limited Edition 4 car APT-E with 2 motors and sound in both power cars for £325. This certainly makes the GWR HST power cars well over priced when you consider that they only have one motor and IMHO poor TTS sound. Maybe Rapido should buy out Hornby?
That was as a subscription model - Hornby have to maintain a more expensive retail distribution model.
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R2413B 31268 - no known cases at this time. I have one.
And R2413A (31 174) was OK too. It was just the first weathered roofbox blue one R2413 (31 270) that had the problem along with the other first releases in green and dutch livery
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Very nice, especially if 1600 (hopefully all 1300s now are scrapped and have 1600s fitted)
I helped the Avenger Estate figures down 1300 up 1600 in late 80s I think, and 900 down, 1600 up Sunbeam in 90s, flogged the little lump of alloy to a trike builder for the same amount I paid for a proper engine.
Yes I hate the pushrod 1300 but love the 1600
Especially ported, twin carb Kent cam ect
Yes the short stroke Hillman Chrysler Talbot 1600 is my favourite 1600cc engine of all time
Yes, a 1.6....
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A real rarity seen in Crystal Palace last week:
1980 Talbot (nee Hillman) Avenger estate
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Not buying models does bring the price down. For example the price of the Hornby R3376 BR green class 71 has gone down to £99 at Rails and even lower at some model shops due to lack of demand. One of the members of the Purbeck Model Railway Group bought a new Hornby Railroad maroon Warship for £30 as a Hattons bargain and is satisfied with it. It looks like a Warship and runs well.
It's a gamble - I don't think 'lack of demand' is the right phrase - it's more a case of whether the quantity supplied matches the demand. If you absolutely want a model you really need to buy when it's issued to be assured of an example. If you are willing to chance it, don't buy at full price and you may find the same item on sale at a hefty discount in a few months. However you may also find that it has sold out and is going for a premium on ebay......
In the case of the class 71, it seems that having been out a few months, Hornby are keen to clear the stock before the DJM version comes out, a not illogical move.
As for the Hornby (ex-Lima) Warship, that really is a case of paying your money and taking your choice. The Hornby Railroad model is a perfectly reasonable budget model, but the premium for the Bachmann model is reflected in it's much higher specification.
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I seem to remember that the Service Dealers were provided with instructions for fitting Seuthe type units to Pre-1961 Plate Frame Chassis Models. (I think I actually have a copy in store!)
It involved drilling a hole in the front weight block to fit the unit, and another 8BA tapped hole in the chassis and a clearence hole in the front footplate for the body fixing screw (4-6-2) or in the side of the weight block/ body for the Jinty....like the Tri-ang Post 1961 side fitting.
OR, swap out the chassis....
I have a set of these instructions, they form part of the original Service Sheet sequence. It's quite an involved operation which nowadays would be pretty pointless given the option of recovering a suitable chassis from a later loco - but I guess in 1961 if you didn't want to replace your fleet it was a choice some might make.
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INFORMATION REQUIRED, PLEASE
During the day, I have been exchanging e-mails with Paul at Hornby with regard to some of the points raised on this thread. There are a few questions with regard to dates that require clarification, please.
- When did the radio aerials appear on the locomotives.
- When did Brecknell-Willis high-speed pantographs become common.
- When did the larger multiple operation boxes get replaced by the t.d.m. cabling on the loco front
- When was the fire surpression equipment fitted to the roof.
Your help with this is appreciated.
I'm sure there will be others with more specific dates, but based on my observations living and working by the WCML in the 80s the Brecknell-Willis High Speed pantographs date from the mid to late 1980s at the earliest. 1989 also marked the start of DVT operation, and it was the DVTs that needed the TDM jumpers so I would date the changeover to then or shortly before.
I've just had a look and managed to find the following photo which I would have taken around 1986/87 showing what I think is 87024 (although it might possibly be 87034) with old style MU equipment but a high-speed pantograph. Originally the TDM jumpers were fitted in addition to the MU jumpers - although the latter equipment was later removed.
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It's been a while since an absolute 'must have' model has been announced but this is one for me. Or two, as it happens, as I will be getting both....
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Just had a look at it and I'm very impressed. Quite frankly given the quality and the fact that it's free I can't see what anyone would possibly have to complain about!
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These lights have always been provided at Croydon and on other tram systems. They light up if the system detects a signal passed at danger, and any driver seeing the lights should stop immediately (so as to stop both the SPAD tram and any other that might be in conflict with it). If they are now operating for all trams then I would think that creates a serious risk of confusion.
These are beacons, not signals and are not located in relation to the signals as they are on a drive-on-sight section
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I travelled on the tram today between Birkbeck and Croydon town centre - this section is one of those that has required augmented speed restrictions. There was new signage with more restrictive limits but most noticeable is on the approach to the point where the tram diverges from the railway solum via a sharp curve to take the route towards Addiscombe, there are now flashing beacons which activate when a tram approaches, attached to the catenary posts.
Given that the accident occurred at 6am in the pitch dark during rain, I can see that these provide a much more unmissable signal to slow down than the previous fixed lineside speed restriction plate. We took the curve very cautiously....
Hornby Class 90 (dismantling)
in Hornby
Posted
Newer versions have a totally different mechanism and underframe, nothing in common with the Ringfield design.