MG 7305

Lode Star now due mid July according to the STEAM website.

I saw that the WSR at Bishop's Lydeard have stocks of both the GWR 2-8-0T's in stock with a useful discount over the weekend. Best regards

I have a black MG TC. It regularly is seen by others as dark green, particulary when it is reflecting a green background. The photographs show a clean(ish) locomotive and the green hue could be a similar reflection. Best regards

I have a feeling that Bachmann have not released (m)any GWR locomotives with the roundel in recent years. I have 3 such Bachmann locomotives but all are old split chassis types and I have been waiting for an 8750 with the roundel for ages but I believe it has not been released with this livery. Does Bachmann market research conclude that GWR locomotives sell slowly with the roundel? However their recent Collett coaches have been released with the roundel. Best regards

Dear Bachmann I note that the painted sample of the GWR Dukedog (3203) is shown as brunswick green, carrying the 1942-1947 G W R and running number 3203. Earlier reports gave it carrying the 1932-1942 roundel, brunswick green and running number 3203. The painted sample would have existed for a very short time indeed, if at all. GWR locomotives other than castles and kings were painted black during the war and the Dukedogs were renumbered in 1946 to the 90xx series to make way for the last Collett 0-6-0 locomotives which you also model. So the painted sample shows a condition which could only have existed for about a year, late '45 to mid '46 (I do not have my RCTS book to hand for the exact renumbering date of 3203) and this only if the locomotive was repainted in that time. Please release the model as originally indicated, brunswick green, 32-42 roundel and running number 3203. Nameplates optional so long as they can be removed without damaging the model; they were carried for less than a year from building. This is another but more amusing story. Best regards

That's nice, but one small point, Western locomotives are right hand drive, your footplate crew need to swap sides.

Dear All Is there a correlation between the stock of the old type Castle models and the production of new type Castles? Hornby are just not going to make new type models of locomotives where they still have stocks of the old ones. Customers are not going to buy old types when they want new ones! The good old mexican standoff comes to railway modelling!

I agree. In fact I must be in a minority of one when my overall impression of the model, while a fantastic moulding etc, seems to have been designed around the detachable valences. They have gaps between them and between the valances and the main body, neither feature being prototypical. When fitted, some keep dropping out. My interim solution is to use double sided sticky tape and fix them to the body. Cut off the little fixing lugs from the chassis (these are plastic) and shave the standoffs in the body shell slightly. The result is an aligned set of valences as close to the body shell as possible which will stay put (and you can leave one out if you like) and a body shell which sits lower on the chassis. The door kick plate section of the body shell holds it all together. In the long term I will be gluing the valences on the body, filling the gaps and repainting the whole shooting match (6326) with railmatch blue.