tetsudofan

It's interesting watching and listening to pauln's video - a month or so ago I purchased a new Hornby Rivarossi DB-AG Cl.627 diesel railcar and it sounded just like pauln's VEP - that horrible grating sound - to which was added flashing interior lights. It took me sometime convincing Ontracks that there was something wrong but, luckily, I was able to talk to them at the recent Gaugemaster Open Day and they agreed to take it back for exchange. Hope to get the replacement later this month when I make my monthly pilgrimage to the Hobby Shop at Faversham. An interesting aside....the railcar cost £180.00 - yep, £180.00 for a single unit railcar!! The VEP seems cheap in comparison...... Keith

Looking forward to seeing Leaford at Folkestone this coming weekend.......and seeing what you've done with the 4-VEP.... Keith

Done a few more piccies: Managed to get a decoder in D5708 this morning. Getting the body off was a pig - nothing as easy as Kestrel and Lion. Wanted to install a Lenz Silver Direct (like I've put in Kestrel) but once I got the body back on it would not fit perfectly at the decoder end but as it had clipped on at the other end it was another hassle getting the body off - and this time managed to dislodge one set of cab windows. This meant prising out the cab module and refixing the window. That was the morning gone!! Have put a DCC Concepts DCC-TS4 thin decoder in D5708 which seems to work well. Lights work ok with the "Bo" end being regarded as the front when using the Roco multiMaus. So far a happy bunny. No playing, sorry, testing tomorrow as off on the SouthEastern HighSpeed to London and the Festival of Model Tramways at Kew Bridge..... Keith

OK, OK, Royal Mail just delivered the second parcel containing weathered locos - just taken a couple of quick shots: Must run, late for an appointment with my Mum at her care home. Hope to do some more pics when I get back, Keith

Thanks for the complimement Larry....amazing what cheapie point and shho bridge cameras can do these days..... Keith

Not quite sure if the parcel travelled Condor Express Freight Service but less than 24 hours after it was packed at Liverpool the green full yellow front version was delivered to the far south east corner by Royal Mail..... . Hopefully the green small yellow panel and blue versions should arrive tomorrow...... Just managed to take a few quick pics: Time now for an afternoon cup of tea and then get the loco run in before I attempt to take it apart and install a decoder. Think Hattons and Royal Mail pulled the plugs out on getting the loco packed and delivered. Just hope that the loco performs just as well as Hattons and Royal Mail have done!! Keith

....and another e:mail just arrived saying that order was packed at 15:15 today and put in one parcel .....but does not confirm that the parcel was handed to Royal Mail.... Keith

Just got e:mail from Hattons saying that they've charged my card and that the order will be picked, packed and despatched....so maybe have them early next week..... Keith

...just checked my card account.....charge has appeared......packing department must be busy today!! Great that Hatton's only charge your account when the item is in stock and ready to ship......not like the other well-known shop which charges you (or at least did when I last dealt with them) when they are told by the manufacturer that the goods are on the way. Well done Hattons, Keith

Looks as though Hatton's are getting ready for the week of September 19 when the Co-Bos are due. Hatton's phoned me this afternoon mentioning that as my card details had expired on August 31, so that they can process orders promptly as soon as the models arrive, would I like to confirm the updated card details. Not long to wait now Keith

...don't forget that Hattons/Heljan are not the first to make big locomotive models......other manufacturers, including European Manufactuers like Rivarossi have been making them for years. I'm sure that Heljan will make use of what has gone before... Keith

......and Colonel Stephens picked up one cheap for the coal trains on the East Kent Railway....the loco was borrowed by the Southern Railway to help move the big guns on the Elham Valley line during the war and later ended up on Stephen's Kent and East Sussex to help move trains up Tenterden Bank. Sure I saw the loco lurking at the back of Rolvenden Shed when I last passed Keith

Gawd, unbelievable.....but must have Think my pension fund will be suffering a further enexpected drawdown next year.....can't take it with me so better spend it and enjoy it Will this lead to another announcement from another retailer/manufacturer that they have been working on a similar project for the last few months........ Keith

Well, I'm impressed - all I can see exudes quality - the packaging, the instruction sheet, the locos themselves. Must bode well for such future Dapol releases as the Beattie Well Tanks. Oiled the gears and set the locos off around my test track - they just crawled along smoothly with minimal noise. Fantastic. All I can hope is that future releases will include Lowestoft-shedded locomotives - that's where I saw them working on the harbour and in the sleeper depot and the odds are that my Grandfather (a fitter at Lowestoft shed) worked on these locos. Can't get much closer to them than that!! Thanks, of course, must go to the guys at Model Rail for setting the project in motion.....and all the others who helped in the production of these stunning little beauties Keith

Postman just arrived as about to visit my Mum in her care home.....had to open the package......two little beauties.....quick picture attached: Will test run when get back later this afternoon. One interesting point to note is that 68184 has a more shiny finish than that of 57.....maybe they kept them cleaner in the early days of BR Keith

....just checked my credit card account and see that £135.00 is pending.....have the two BR Sentinels on order .....£67.50 (subscriber rate) x 2 = £135.00 ......maybe arrival is imminent? I wonder...... Keith

From what I remember as a kid visiting Lowestoft on holiday (where my Grandad worked as a fitter at Lowestoft shed - and got me into trains ) the Birds Eye factory at Lowestoft was on the low ground below the upper part of the old town and I'm not sure if it was rail connected. The Co-op also had a pea processing factory on the south-side of the harbour which was connected to the Lowestoft South Branch. Keith

One of the Regional Railways liveries for me please - preference would be 143-317 Keith

Just fantastic - reminds me of my summer holidays at Lowestoft where the Sentinels were seen on the harbour and fish market in addition to the sleeper works. Glad I've got mine on order....but also hoping a Lowestoft-shedded version will be done in the future...please Keith

I would like three or four different versions with dcc sound but no way I'm going to pay double to get what I want. If they can do mixed versions of the Cl.37 (like Mainline and Transrail) then surely pairs of say an original green and green syp as one pair and two different more modern liveries should be possible. Would probably involve more work for them but, I would have thought, would increase sales. Certainly don't like the idea of buying a pair and the having to flog or trying to arrange the swap of the one you don't want. I've bought a number of their commissions in the past but think I will pass on these.... Keith

I'm not interested in any of the more "modern" liveries aleady announced but to answer the question as posed I would order a Metro Train Red and Cream (broad stripe)version. However, what would get my money immediately would be one of 144013 in standard Regional Railways livery - can't understand why this livery is not being included in the first releases..... Keith

The Bachmann Collector's Club arranged a trip to Hong Kong SAR and China to visit the Kader offices in Hong Kong and the factory in China (at what used to called Canton) six or seven years ago - and I was lucky to join the group after which I headed to Japan for a tour arranged by the Japanese Railway Society. The factory was an interesting place - we were shown all the different production processes from design to building to testing. Saw one of the proving models for the Japanese Series 500 Shinkansen being produced for the Tenshodo Model Shop in Tokyo in the drawing office, saw tools being cut, valve gear being put together on Bachmann Branchline models and testing being done on a shipment of trainsets for Bachmann America. Photography was not allowed in the factory and we were kept together in small groups. Assembly work was done by legions of young Chinese girls who lived in company-owned dormatories next to the factory. In Hong Kong we visited the Kader offices to meet the Management and hear about the activities of Kader. We were able to see various display cabinets with the products produced by Kader which included some N-gauge stuff for Tomix in Japan. All participants were then presented with a Bachmann model of a Chinese diesel loco. Kader looked after well. A day trip by coach and Chinese Rail in search of Chinese steam and narrow gauge was interesting - managed to see a QJ slowly rusting away at a diesel loco depot but, unfortunately the narrow gauge that was operating when Bachmann did their research had ceased operating by the time of our visit - the stock was slowly rusting away. We caught a mainline train from the site of the narrow gauge - and Kader had arranged for the train to make a special stop at the station so we could board. The trip ended with a night cruise on Hong Kong Harbour. All in all, a great trip. Wonder if any other participants appear on RM Web...... Keith

I stopped using Rails a few years ago - was placing pre-orders for new releases early in the year and found that items were being shipped item-by-item as the items arrived with full postage charged every time but the icing on the cake was when I noticed that my credit card was being charged up to two weeks before the item was received. Rails were approached and their answer was that they were charging my account as soon as the manufacturer advised them that the items were on the way so that when they arrived in the store they could be forwarded to me without any further delay....... By this time I had located a local shop who could supply all my needs....prices may have been slightly higher but once the postage charged by Rails was figured in, the local shop was cheapest. Keith

Off to Faversham tomorrow morning for my monthly bout of retail therapy Keith

Many thanks, guys, for your answers above. Your help is much appreciated. Keith