YesTor

Absolutely.

That was my point, the wear around the centre axle does look odd. I'm not so certain that the glue is necessarily an indication of a second attempt - depends how neatly it was assembled in the first place, some of them do look like that when the covers are removed. Anyway, previously owned or not is not really my concern, I was simply trying to help @SirTophamHatt hopefully get his loco running, as I could tell he was undoubtedly a little frustrated by now. It's not my place to split hairs over whether the loco is previously used, or otherwise. That should be a discussion between the buyer and Hattons IMHO. Best Al

You cannot present this as fact. When the axle-box covers are removed there is generally dried glue on the tip of the axle, after all that's how they are assembled in the first place... I'd agree that circular recess around the centre axle does indeed appear particularly worn. Al

It's caked-up with glue, that's for sure. I think you'll find if you scrape away the dried glue that the axle length should be fine - they aren't overly long anyway - just enough to clip the cover in place. You might find that you need to tidy up the axle-box cover itself too before re-attaching as that will likely have excess glue on the attachment end...? Here's one of mine minus axle-box covers, as hopefully you can see the axles only protrude by a small amount: Probably worth checking to see if the derailing bogie is catching on anything underneath the chassis, or hanging/sitting differently in comparison to the other bogie, or in any other way appears unusual...? Best Al

From your second photo it looks to me as though you need to remove the hardened glue from the axle end before attempting to refit anything. Scrape gently with the very sharp tip of a blade and that hardened glue will flake away. I think you'll find that will reveal the axle to be the correct length? Is it derailing on the same bogie or/and same axle each time or/and when running in both directions, or just one way? Best Al

Agreed, which is why I have always avoided the GSP option (when I remember that is!) - I do think it's quite sly of eBay to set GSP 'on' by default, so when listing you need to consciously remember to 'opt out' - caught me out a couple of times on that one. Another thought is what happens upon receipt if a buyer claims that an item has been 'damaged in transit' - ie. How can it be established whether the damage occurred whilst in the care of GSP or/and their delivery agent, or whether it happened en route to GSP whilst in the care of the seller's nominated courier? Which courier is liable...? I could see that kind of scenario ending in a right old mess... It's a good while since I looked at the extensive terms and conditions of GSP, and I'm not quite sure now what happens if a buyer wants to return an item, but from memory it all seemed to point toward the seller losing out big-time in terms of return shipping fees, deduction of eBay's fees etc etc, even if the return wasn't due to seller error... Although maybe it's moved on since then... Al

Fair enough, so eBay assume responsibility for any package once delivered to the GSP depot. It sounds as though @Colin_McLeod would need to pursue via eBay directly. Interesting though if a buyer should raise a PayPal dispute at any point, as that dispute will be raised against the seller and not eBay directly... ...although an educated guess says that it is highly likely that all tracking info would be automatically uploaded via the eBay listing and thus to the PayPal transaction, so it might possibly be that the seller has very little to do to intervene at that point. Interesting.

Quoting myself here, but just thinking to myself a couple of weeks ago when I telephoned PayPal customer service only to be informed that my call would be answered in 7 hours, 40 minutes! Similarly, I think eBay's telephone customer service telephone was simply 'not available'. I've no idea how long it might take either of them to respond to email enquiries...

Ultimately, the seller can help. Simply because the item has been shipped via eBay's GSP does not mean that the seller can wash hands of all responsibility. Overall, it may simply be a case of remaining patient under the current circumstances, as I do think that we all need to cut a little slack at the moment with regard to shipping times and in many cases simply sit-tight, as many services really do seem to be struggling. That said, if I were in your position right now I would politely throw the ball back in the seller's court (so to speak), contact him/her and forward the message above that states, "Please contact your seller etc...". I'm not overly familiar with GSP, but it would be remarkably strange if there wasn't some form of system in place to provide information to buyers and sellers in the event of a problem. As said already, I wouldn't be overly-demanding at this point due to current circumstances, but as an eventual last resort if your seller outright refuses any responsibility then your final option would be to raise a PayPal dispute, at which point the onus is on your seller to resolve the issue. Again, if the item is shipped via what is effectively eBay's own system then eBay themselves should very much be able to pursue any tracking data and resolve any issues. If they cannot then there is something horribly wrong with the system... That's the line of fire I would pursue anyhow... Best Al

Looking at the general info here... http://parcelsapp.com/en/shops/ebay and it would appear that GSP pass on packages to an appropriate courier/postal service for the final leg of their journey. Your tracking above states Pitney Bowes as being the delivery agent, have you tried entering your tracking code here... http://parcelsapp.com/en/carriers/pitney-bowes Maybe that could provide a more detailed breakdown? If it offers any consolation, I'm shipping packages daily as part of my business, and taking Royal Mail as an example whereby many packages are taking anything up to 3-4 weeks to arrive with my customers, and many of those are sent via Royal Mail 24 or 48! Okay, I know that's perhaps of little significance to your dilemma, but it does highlight that there are quite significant delays in some areas and with many delivery services. Another factor with Airmail, or international shipments in general is that there can be quite significant hold ups at airports , as there may be no staff, no available plane etc etc, meaning that lots of mail and packages are backlogged at airports awaiting handling. On a positive note, and again from personal experience, few packages seem to actually be going astray, the main downside being that deliveries that would normally take 2-3 days to arrive with customers seem to be taking 3-4 weeks in many cases. Al

Hi Ben May I kindly ask when the 'earlybird' pricing ends for the OO gauge Ecofrets and also Caroline? thanks Al @Ben A

To be honest, I don't think it really matters - whatever you are most comfortable working with, it's effectively 'touching in' so no big deal either way? For what it's worth, I generally prefer enamels, mostly because I find enamel easier to work with and generally more adjustable later on should the need arise. The Fox transfers I've used have all been superb, indistinguishable really from factory-printed. Bobby dazzler! Al

Yeah, I get all of that and I'm not disagreeing with you at all, in fact I totally agree. All covered really by: Is there sufficient demand for the proposed model? Obviously it's going to vary case-to-case, eg. whilst everything has limits, logic tells me that there is likely to be more longer-term/ongoing demand for prototypes such as 66779 'Evening Star' than say 66747 in Newell & Wright livery (more of a one-hit wonder perhaps?), and so on and so-forth... I kind of stopped buying Bachamann 'sheds' when the limited editions began hitting £180 or so, for what to me already seemed like a model well past its sell-by date, and this was well before Hattons announced their 66. And for that latter reason I held back on 'Evening Star' - as much as I'd like a model of 66779 - but of course I fully appreciate that not everyone will have done similar... Best Al

Let's be honest, Heljan make glaring errors even when there are umpteen photos of a livery. O gauge Loadhaul Class 60 anyone...

Naturally, a forward-thinking ethos is always to be congratulated. It could be argued that as part of that ethos it is also reasonable to request/hope for/expect new versions of previously issued liveries, if indeed the newer model itself is perceived as being superior to, or at least substantially different from its predecessor. Moreover, it seems unlikely that producing 'Evening Star', Stobart, Bardon etc liveries again is somehow going to be at the sacrifice of producing other more recent one-off variants, especially in light of the seeming current trend of mass simultaneous releases (37 x Class 66 variations) is to be considered. Another perspective - If the Hornby Collectors Guide is in any way accurate it would appear that Hornby first released 'Flying Scotsman' back in 1981, and seemingly thirty-one consecutive times since? It would be a little unfortunate if the 1981 release were the only ever release of such an iconic machine. Whether any of our favourite 'sheds' will ever fall into similar iconic status is a total unknown (unlikely perhaps... ), but ultimately whether a livery is the first time or hundredth time produced, any future release is always going to be dependent on a number of conditions being met: Is there sufficient demand for the proposed model? Do we have permission to reproduce said livery? If not then can we obtain permission and is it cost effective to do so? If the answer is "yes" to all of the above questions then there is profit to be made, whether there are previous versions already on the market, or not. Nothing revelatory in any of the above really - whether it's 'Flying Scotsman', 66779 'Evening Star', or some obscure paint scheme on the back of an ice-cream van, the conditions are always going to be the same. Best Al

I remember reading somewhere that a locomotive repaint cost somewhere in the region of £10k. Al

I dunno, the Bachmann version of 66720 was superb livery-wise. I'd hope that others could achieve a similar standard...? Are we certain that Hornby have the correct shade? It may well appear darker, but that doesn't necessarily equate to being correct...? Al

Definitely all of those, particularly 'Evening Star'. And also 66623 with original Bardon Aggregates branding. A few others as well that would be definite purchases: The Stobart 'twins': Ideal companions for Cavalex's JGA Bardon hoppers, I'd certainly bag both of these: And to be honest just some good old 'plain jane' EWS (with correct logos), Freightliner (bug-eyed with correct lights), GBRf etc are always gonna be good... Endless possibilities... I could go on all day, but I'd best stop already... Al

Hmmm, so is this the etched grille mk2? Still looks rather 'clunky' and overly-recessed to me...? I think the marketing as a 'retool' is a bit cheeky personally - call me cynical but it feels like little more than an occasional 'retouch' here-and-there, perhaps just enough to put off any competition from tackling an all-new 33 perhaps? Either way, as above, it does all feel a bit slap-dash, especially if Heljan have reintroduced the flat-roof 33/0? Somewhat bizarre. And sadly not encouraging a purchase from me, as much as I'm up for a few 33s. Al

Am I missing something, or is there a reason as to why Heljan would revert to the old tooling? cheers Al

I can echo @Anadin Dogwalker here one-hundred percent. There are so many factors involved - is the medication the right medication for you? Is the dosage the right dosage for you? What else may, or may not, be having an effect on the medication and/or your mood/mindset? We are all different and have different needs at different times, and even when you find the 'right' medication it may not be the same scenario in a few months time when things may have changed in your life. Some years ago I went through a period of being prescribed 4 or 5 different types of meds - some made me feel absolutely awful, some worse than the condition itself, and overall it took quite a long time - not to mention elements of trial and error - to find something that 'worked' for me. I've learned that treating depression, anxiety or related conditions is in most cases an art, as opposed to a science. @DagworthThe key thing from your comments above are that at least you are able to recognize those changes within yourself and take action - and that's a huge positive. Seek help wherever you can, or indeed feel comfortable doing so, even if it's a simple chat. I'm not suggesting that this is definitely the solution in your specific case, however all of this may come down to finding the right combination of meds with the right dosage, over the right period of time, and from my own experience I know that this can be an extremely challenging, and at times seemingly laborious, yet delicate balancing act. If you have supportive family members that's going to be a huge help, but above all stick with it and keep battling on, and on particularly 'bad' days, try to constantly remind yourself that it's 'just one bad day' (easier said than done, I know!), and that things rarely stay the same, and that there will be better days when you'll be able to smile again and feel that you can get on with the things that you need to do to function, and of course the things that you enjoy too. And it's on those better days that you'll gain strength and actually begin to feel the benefits (however small they may be) of your inner struggle. Above all, take care and never be afraid to speak out or ask for help... Al

That's interesting, as I'm likely to be retro-fitting sound to some of mine and it would be fairly useful to hear a comparison... although I appreciate it is often difficult to make a judgement via video... cheers Al

A useful video interpretation, and to echo @atom3624 in that this is pretty much as discussed back in March, in that greater tolerances in general around the axles are required: ...particularly to reiterate super-extending the axle itself (so that effectively the axle and axle-box cover become one solid engineered piece with little scope for error), whilst also incorporating sufficient tolerances in order to render the entire arrangement 'engineered' to at least the same degree as the rest of the gearbox/axle arrangement: Whilst super-extending the axles themselves in order to increase the level of precision - as opposed to relying on what are effectively at present cosmetic axle-ends - is perhaps part of the solution, I do think that this would likely create the possibility of too rigid an arrangement of the bogie itself - which again could create a new environment for uneven running. Thoughts are that the tolerances on the centre axle - whilst being made greater than the existing design, should also perhaps be slightly tighter than on the outermost axles, these having greater room for movability so as to allow for a smoother ride. Perhaps a little additional 'spring'/movement might be required in these outermost axles too?: Just an idea really... Maybe others have different ideas...? Maybe Hatton's have different ideas? Or no ideas? Who can say... cheers Al

Ahhh, fair enough. Simply out of curiosity, where in fact is BR Gulf Red applicable?

Not sure if they'd have the exact piece of equipment pictured, however https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/ had a whole wealth of interesting 3D-printed modern items last time I browsed their exhibition stalls - pretty sure there'd be something depot-orientated in their range... well worth a browse even if you don't find the exact thing you want... Best Al