andyman7

Or Exhaust ports................................

...and appeared in the 1982 catalogue sporting large logo blue livery!

It took me a while to get used to CIGs on the South Eastern Division but they're all history now and sadly missed (well, maybe not by the passengers...!) The grind up Sole Street bank and then suddenly everything takes off once you're over the top. The rare unchecked peak hour run down to Rochester Bridge was a joy to behold. The fastest ever Sittingbourne - London run I ever clocked was 54 minutes (including stops at Rainham. Gillingham and Chatham), then totally unchecked to London Bridge. The High Speed route nowadays is times at 58 minutes......

At Ramsgate, where I was Driver, we had 3 re-geared 4 EPBs used on the Ramsgate - Cannon St services and 1 on a Ramsgate Victoria, 5625/27/28 and they went like a rocket with CEPs attached, however VEPS gave a rougher ride if coupled to them.

I remember riding on these, it was quite an experience. They were used until the 1992 service cuts reduced the stock requirement so that it could be covered solely by CEPs and VEPs. A number of 4 CAPs were also used in the same way.

The Hattons pic states 'first painted sample' - is the pic from Max Stafford a production one as supplied? If so it seems the orange cantrail stripe has been added which is quite welcome as it broadens the prototypical timeframe these can cover. Not that I need an excuse, my text from the Hobby Shop in Favrsham confirms one is waiting.....

If you haven't read it yet you might want to check out the thread in UK prototype questions

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/53870-br-bluegrey-is-it-now-classed-as-a-heritage-livery/

A definite reminder that this period can polarise opinion!

Yes, I wasn't suggesting that there weren't plenty of uses for them! I was using the southern half of the WCML daily in the 1980s and it might be better to say that they appeared on most workings regularly except the class 1 express services, and would substitute on those if required. Also, as you say, back in the days of loco changes they would often cover the XC trains 'under the wires' . That pretty much gives an excuse for anything....

I know the more subtle distinctions between different types of trains escape the average person, but this description amused me:

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item1c2492b45e

Er, the chimmney is a clue about what type of engine this is........

Possibly of interest to a Kitmaster collector who may want better box/instructions than he already has?

Quite probably. I have to say the original comment regarding the instruction leaflet being included seems a bit churlish. Yes, it's probably sold to a COLLECTOR, but at £4.95 plus postage I hardly think there is any exploitation going on. The model fits within the original box and the period leaflet is a nice accompaniment - I'm glad they didn't throw it away!

I've got two from the first batch that have original chassis and are still working. TBH as they tested out OK I never got round to trying to get replacement chassis. If they continue to work, fine, otherwise they are likely to be turned into dummy units - after all, double heading was very common with Claytons. I must admit I still find Heljan's overzealous fidelity to the prototype's notorious unreliability amusing....even if I am saddled with 2 of the b***ers!

Does this model hold the record for the longest series of appearances in the catalogue without actually coming out?

Epton - Dick Yeo, did the rounds of exhibitions mainly in the London, and East Anglia area mid 1970's to 80's. Appeared in the Railway Modeller 1978 - ish, Dick, like me , was a founder member of the Ongar & District Model Railway Club, now defunct, I think. The trackwork (00) was all handbuilt, which included complicated LT 4-rail pointwork. It started life as an L shaped layout about 10ft x 10ft, and ended as about 30ft straight. Some help was supplied by a certain Stephen Poole, also a member of Ongar &DMRC - some may of heard of him.

I do indeed remember Epton, what an inspiration that was to an 11 year old boy! I wonder what happened to the layout?

I think despite the many differences we have round here, this is one thing most of us can agree on.

 

Back on topic, is this really rare being last year's Skaledale? http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3370f09263

It's actually from a few years back and seems quite popular on the s/h market. Unlike some of the chancers featured in this thread, £12 or so doesn't seem too outrageous!

By TOPS BR Blue days, the Class 85s were more common on freight and parcels - they might do the Northampton 'cobblers' (mk1s) or sleepers but were rare on mainstream WCML workings. Freightliners or the North Wembley BOC tankers were very common workings from my childhood memories.

Came across this by accident, great for Kestrel fans

 

 

Brit15

OK, who else spotted the departmental CoBo (D5705) in the APT-E segment

"Rail Blue" looks as varied as any other color between two items of rolling stock which have been painted at different locations and at different times then have had different exposure to daylight, washing plants and acid strengths. There would be a limit to acceptability but to define that limit may be an extremely subjective and personal decision.

Hence my original comment that the colour looked washed out rather than wrong. It does very much remind me of the rather sunfaded look that rail blue/yellow would go after a time. I do rather suspect that a suitable semi-gloss varnish would bring out the colour a bit - but as my layout is in bits and I've other projects on the go mine will stay as delivered for now!

In which case it's possible that a coat of suitable varnish may provide the necessary lustre - has anyone had a go at this yet?

I asked Harvey at the Hobby Shop in Faversham to put a blue one of these by for me a few weeks back, but then had a despatch confirmation from Kernow - I had obviously placed an order when this model was announced several years ago and forgot about it. Anyhow, The Hobby Shop's price is £105 which is considerably cheaper than both Kernow or the well known Liverpool box-shifter. I've obviously honoured the Kernow order (and they are owned by a former colleague of mine in the rail industry so I've plenty of goodwill for them), but if you want a bargain one, Harvey has one more for sale (he's fine about it as his shop gets a high proportion of my model spend.

Anyhow, first impressions are good, albeit the blue and yellow are somewhat washed out in shade - but my impression from photos is that the WR hydraulics suffered a lot of bleaching to their colour so it actually looks OK!

With their up to date stock control and large turnover, Hattons can flag if an item is going to sell out and adjust the price upwards (i.e. reduce the discount offered over RRP). They clearly feel that this version is going to sell out and are ensuring they don't give them away. They are a business after all!

I think there is a clear distinction here between Hornby's attitude to individual customers and their corporate approach to forums such as this. For example I wrote to Hornby direct re the Class 31 issue and was personally dealt with in an entirely satisfactory manner quite a long time before the offcial remedy, when the official stance was still 'on the fence'. Here, we have seen an individual approach acknowledged by Simon and remedy offered, but the general discussion seems to have been dismissed. Bachmann seem much more collegiate in their approach, whereas as Hornby seem fearful of any corporate admission of failure. I think they are missing a trick, but I would stop short of accusing them of contempt for customers because it is clear that they do enage with (and remedy) individual customer issues. What they don't do is to recognise and treat the (not unimportant) subset of serious modellers as a constituency that merits their own appropriately honest and open approach - and it is something that they are losing out from.

 

I'm stunned - you can't fault the seller - started at 99p. I was thinking at first it was a newbie got carried away in a bidding frenzy (score of 13 as I write) but the second place bidder had a score of 140+

 

I guess some people will pay lot for the right transfers (decals)?

As I sold one of these a few months back for nothing like this I'm stunned - but a quick look at the bid history reveals normal bidding up to £51 and then two lunatics slugging it out. Rails stuff also sells well because there is the added reassurance of main dealer service and security!

Lovely - another model that I would have eaten my own grandmother to have when I was a kid, so I've only waited 35-odd years for it (but at least I should have enough pocket money to buy it when it comes out!)

I pointed him towards the Hattons website for the fix...easy to reconfigure the wiring to fix the problem.

Do you have the link? I can't find it on the Hattons site. Thanks

Fenwicks in Canterbury had them for £18, well no point arguing with them as they are a department store so I passed. Tried Modelzone in Holborn today. Firstly he said they didn't have them. I got him to check the stock, 2 in stock. He still couldn't find them, eventually I found them for him. Prrice £17.99! I said that the RRP had been revised downwards but the guy said the system was down so he couldn't check. So then I asked if would price match - 'yes, no problem' - wait, no Railway Modellers on the counter, no internet, he shrugged his shoulders. No sale. This is getting ridiculous!

Finally picked my blue VEP today - although the comments are very valid, I'm still happy with it compared to my memories of 20 years+ ago trying to fiddle with MTK kits etc! One comment i haven't seen is regarding the printing of the vertical bar on the large side windows. This was an opening vent when the units were built, and although quickly sealed up, they always retained a very noticeable anti-draught flange - this is very obviously not present and is to my eye more obvious than the cab end distorted proportions.

Of all the issues raised, the most significant one is the lack of compartment internal windows, I hope this as least will be addressed when we get a blue/grey version. The only other comment I would make is that the outer card carton it is packed in is very flimsy - for the price, you would think that we could have a nice thick card box with lift off lid to store the thing in. I noticed that the second batch of CEPs from Bachmann came in a much thicker gauge of outer card box.

My blue one turned up today, definately much better looking in the flesh than Hatton's photos. Although a bit too early in period for my other BR blue locos I couldn't resist it and I've realised that it will actually go quite well with my weathered Black 5/8F/9F kettles for depicting somewhere in the north west circa 1967/68.