The Stationmaster

Because the cake was only of a certain size and it wouldn't stretch that far is probably the most likely explanation. But then you could arguably advance an even better answer for keeping one of the Bulleid diesels ... and then it goes on. The simple answer is that sheer economics does not allow everything to be saved, and probably never will.

While galas undoubtedly bring in crowds they don't happen every weekend on every railway, or on every weekday during the tourist/summer season's daily operation. Virtually all the preserved/tourist railways only manage to survive financially because their main market is not railway enthusiasts. In most cases they have to be tourist attractions in order to survive, and the ones that are good at that can even manage to get by without any volunteer staff. And the railways have to provide what the tourists and casual visitors want because they are the people who cough up the 'baseload' cash. Railways do make money out of enthusiasts at gala times and to some extent on the more expensive items in their shops but they don't sell them much film nowadays and an awful lot of 'enthusiasts' are often only there just to take pictures.

Wasan't there some sort of ad years ago about 'turning your hobby into income' - now you have your opportunity because one man's scrap box contains another's collectable, especially if it's for sale on Ebay.

Is that 'white stuff' on it flour, or mould? Simple process of weathering - place loco in a damp box and store in a musty old cellar for 3 months, remove, clean off any mouse droppings (just teh lumpy bits - dn't want too much texture), and carefully dry under a 200 watt lamp (not too close of course), photograph and then advertise. I wonder how many more are brewing away below stairs?

Judging by past involvement and 'standing & listening' in more recent times the main things the public want nowadays are - 'Thomas' (basically a pale blue tank engine will do, seeing 'Percy' as well is a bonus for many). 'a train ride' (not too long, a bit of smoke & steam, clean coaches, possibly a cuppa etc on a longer ride) toilets (at the place they entrain or detrain - must be clean and properly equipped; they are a major factor in encouraging 'non-enthusiast' punters to return) buffet (everyone wants a decent cuppa and a nice cake or a hot snack - must be clean, keenly priced in the local market, and offer good grub etc, another major factor in encouraging return visits) shop (preferably lots of goodies for the children and keepsahes for the crockles) and finally an overall clean & tidy appearance (where the punters go and can see - again it encourages returnees). Interesing comparison on a sunny summer Sunday last year at Buckfastleigh - on the platform/looking at the loco etc, a handful of people; in the (large) tea room, very few empty tables; the shop, heaving.

Basically identical but take care over the matter of top feed (or not) and ATC fitment (or not).

I think - judging by one of the pics above - that it might be possible to convert the 'L' shape handrail to a straight one as it appears to already go into the cabside just before the bend. When I get a chance I'll have a closer look at 'Ince' and see if it is a practicable solution.

An interesting debate this but the real point - as several have already touched on - is the 'scrapyard/pile of junk' syndrome which lets down so many preservation sites. It's as I have often been tempted to post on another thread, 'what would I like to see on a preserved railway?' - on all too many of them the thing I would most like to see is a bl**dy good clear-up! But as Phil has said above many (most?) railways are pushed for space; after all most sites were originally small country stations with limited facilities. So the big tidy-up might be nirvana. I do know one line which is unashamedly a 'tourist railway' - and not a 'preserved railway' - and they have indeed had that 'good tidy-up' with the departure of various preservation groups and a physical clean up of the site the visitor sees. And such is the standard of their approach that I could find nothing to fault in that area when doing their first operational safety assessment last summer while my colleague is giving them good marks on their H&S etc assessments for the areas where the public have access (and that can often be a major difficulty when assessing preservation sites). So I do applaud site tidiness - it looks better and for most visitors it is far more attractive than rusting hulks etc. But I do appreciate that getting to that state can be extremely difficult for many railways although at least at Alresford yesterday the overall impression given by stabled stock was not too bad (a shame the same could not be said for the over-priced buffet ),

Perhaps I wasn't heavy enough with the irony Larry My whole point was that it is so good that if you want to be churlish (and I wouldn't even say 'objective') you have to pick on some very minor things indeed; things that probably 90% of modellers might not even know about or where to look for. You will know - probably better than most of us I'm sure - that getting the correct detail on any particular 'Castle' is a task which requires a lot of research. I long ago wondered if Hornby could come up with the goods in that respect and they simple fact is that they are delivering excellently individually detailed locos - even minor items of the cab fittings on 7034 are correct for locos with mechanical lubricators (and just how many purchasers will even know what to look for in that respect let alone what it looks like?). It might not be quite to Beeson, Williams, or Reynolds standards but it's pretty darned close, especially when you consider it's a mass produced model. And I reckon it's a bargain at the market retail price of arond £95 -110, and it's why I've got two (with another on order, and a 4th lined up for purchase later in the year). And there's no way on earth I could build a kit to that standard - let alone line it.

WTH does 'chromatic' actually mean in this context I wonder? No doubt at all that some of Swindon's early blue repaints came out in a colour which was definitely not bog-standard Rail Blue - it was (or looked) a paler and 'brighter' colour and was very definitely gloss in finish. Now whether standard Rail Blue came out looking different because it was brush painted, or went over a different undercoat or primer, or was mixed with something else to eke out the supply, or whatever I don't know. But it definitely looked a bit different from the blue finishes appearing elsewheres

I'm going to have have a good look round for a replacement Rob. The top of the stand pipe doesn't look quite right either and it is a very distinctive feature. So if it is replaced it will really have to do the job properly to improve on Hornby's 'passable but not quite there' effort. The Markits turned brass one also doesn't look quite right but I'll put it on a shopping list for Ally Pally and have a good look at it.

I collected my 7034 today and it is even better than it looks in pics already published on here. Brilliant piece of work which captures a double chimney 'Castle' to perfection (the chimney itself is superb - a very difficult item to capture but done marvellously well). Critical of anything? Well the front vac pipe stand/bag doesn't look absolutely right - lack of ribbing and the red batch number patch on the vac bag itself. And the ATC bell fitting in the cab looks a little undersize and is not mounted tight against the window. Oh - and as I mentioned before - the spacer bar on the slide bars is a bit 'heavy'. But to be completely blunt it really comes to something when the only 'criticisms' are very minor things like those; from the sublime to the faintly ridiculous in the blink of an eye Alton Model Centre also has 'Beverston Castle' in stock - arrived from Hornby yesterday but I didn't look at it out of the box (one 'Castle' a day being quite enough for me - well that sounds good, and I had bought 'Earl Cairns' at the Abingdon show last Saturday ). I think The arrival of 'Beverston' leaves only 'Tintagel' and the Swindon loco as outstanding from the original list I'm told the Hawksworth coaches - if the sample seen by Bob is any guide - put the Maunsells to shame in terms of detailing etc.

Probably something similar to what happened with some BR diesels - where at one stage they were officially being described as 'suffering teething problems' then, with no obvious gap in between, they were described as 'suffering age related defects and difficulty in obtaining replacement components from the manufacturer'

In what year/condition? Once they were fitted with a double chimney they were probably very similar but when single chimney they had different size superheaters and thus different size (and number of) oil pipe covers between the boiler and smokebox although, I think, otherwise generally similar.

You'll have to change the name and number of course - but otherwise it looks like an exact match although I can't find a pic to check the speedo drive so you ought to check that out. Even the step under the smokebox (over the inside cylinder casing) is correct for 5069 with double chimney The lubricator looks ok to me except for the colour of the pipes (I'm pretty sure they were copper, and in any case they quickly got dirty on most locos) but I do wonder about the pipes which come out horizontally near the footplate edge - they look to be wrong (and don't show on a good detail pic of 5069).

It's probably down to the angle of view Rob - it certainly looks odd but the side view is spot on, and those double-chimneys on GW 4-6-0s did look very big.

Swindon Museum couldn't tell me which tender it will have - it ran at various times with either type in its final mechanical condition (as far as I can ascertain from photos).

Robin - judging by the early pics of the loco the lubricator is a separate moulding.

See my previous post about 'Swindon' - it explains the finish it will have (i.e. in 'as withdrawn' mechanical condition/livery - but clean of course ) and now due in April they say.

Looks a bit of alright does that - I wonder when it will percolate through to the non box-shifters?

Originally steam engones assisting failed dieseasals were simply attached on the front as that was the quickest way to do the job. Nett result = the occasional broken winsscreen as lunps of coal fell off the back of the tender hence a nationwide Instruction to put thh steam engine 'inside' to avoid breaking the nice new shiny (broken) diesel. (that formation could also be advantageous to the diesel crew where water troughs were involved ).

Going back to my earlier comments does anybody know a source of the correct colour paint for the cab please. While I agree with Pennine that it's not too far off I would prefer the proper colour - before it gets a new number and emblem plus some some mild dirtying.

Sensible approach I reckon Cap'n. Interesting comparison in that while testing facilities were close to hand I also unboxed my recently acquired Bachmann 3MT. I reckon the quantity of separately attached detail is roughly comparable but the quality of attachment and overall impression of manufacturing/packaging quality control is in a different world - no scrabbling around for the bits that have fallen off is a great starting point in my book and it also delivers the confidence that nothing else is going to fall off.

Thanks Jamie - always best to ask before driving 50 miles (that is round trip tho' ) to stock up with whatever folk suggest.

Ah, that's what they are! Mine arrived yesterday and is an interesting curate's egg of a loco. In terms of overall looks and 'capturing' the prototype I reckon it is pretty good and I'm definitely satisfied although there are the 'picky' issues of the cab rainstrip being slightly too low (not a spoiler for me), the nose ends looking very slightly set back (again acceptable for me because they are otherwise excellent), the snap-head rivets on the cab window frames (they do look very obviously wrong, and in a prominent place) and the strange colour of the cab with that weird BR emblem and running number (not welcome but fixable - anyone know who does the correct paint please?). What was alarming was the standard of assembly, or was it Heljan's packing? One bottom foostep lying in the bottom of the polythene along with two unidentifiable objects and the step is an absolute b*gger to refit as it doesn't (if you see what I mean - I presume that's why it came adrift in the first place?); one cab footstep flapping about and hanging on more by luck than adhesive, and one lamp iron in a near horizontal state. Now with all the packing I can but think it was put into its various enclosures by some ham-fisted soul who grabbed it in the wrong places - not an encouraging start. Put it on a length of track and wary of previous comments here delivered some power to it - and it ran like a dream, quiet and smooth, absolutely superb but me rather concerned about what might drop off next (nothing as it happene ). The only odd thing was the peculiar way in which the lights worked - but they do work so that might be a fixable niggle. Rang Hattons about the problem areas - 'we'll take a note, we're keeping a list and will see what happens'. Hmm, definitely not what I'd expect from a retailer so this is one first-time customer who might not shop again, but then maybe they don't apologise as a matter of principle? Now does anybody know what cement/adhesive/whatever works on Heljan plastic please?