Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

Cheers Porcy, ....have a chat with Phil at Rail Exclusives....he does some that have the clip folding over the label now....but get your sharp eyesight working first...they're pretty small. Dave

.....£38 for two from Mercian Models Andy....already stated in this thread, as were the above pictures of them. I'm not trying to trip anyone up....merely ensuring that those spending £20+ on a should have been better version are informed of the alternative. Some rivets/boltheads are formed by using a punch from the inside of the etch....Archer provided the other rivet/bolthead detailing. Dave

....would you care to compare the individual points of the Acorn kits 4mm etched brass version with the Bachmann one, feature by feature, Andy? Dave

Aft'noon all, Lovely single figure blue sky afternoon in The Moorlands for the longer constitutional. It was fairly breezy on the climb up to Morridge but nothing to compare with trying to cycle along the ridge. Leaning into the wind at 30 degrees just to stay on the darned bike was quite a challenge. No sign of any snow up here now....probably blown away. What should have been coasting downhill sections became pedal downhill sections....lovely views in the bright sunshine though. Feathered ones fed Enjoy what you do Dave

Silly mistakes like this Andy, when it is just as easy to the job right should be reflected in lower prices for bodged work and not some of the highest prices around for a two axle wagon. If I had workmen doing a job at home and they did similar, then I wouldn't be paying the full price unless they put it right. Dave

.....all modellers are free to spend their cash on whatever gladdens their heart but a manufacturer charging a high price (for a short 2 axle RTR wagon) and delivering a half hearted attempt should not be encouraged. I can't imagine that the production samples will vary from their website image. Choosing cant rail height for a roof join on a wagon of welded construction shows little understanding of the prototype and more assumption of traditional construction. The join on the prototype is more obvious because of a change of direction in body shape rather than the weld standing out. Dave

Mornin' all, Single figure cool, sunny and blustery in The Moorlands at daybreak today. One of the local blackbirds sitting in the tree outside of the bedroom window was a determined dawn chorus performer for 30mins or so at absolute first light. Head down calorie burn to catch up with two lost opportunities. Excellent bird morning at the reservoir with oystercatchers whistling, cormorant & great crested grebe fishing and Canada geese adding to the knockings of the woodpecker. Cautious optimism amongst the flora with more greening/thickening of stems etc. Now music....'Lay your love on me' by Racey Feathered ones remembered Church duties today Enjoy what you do Dave

....lovely work Jason, so much that clearly hasn't come out of a box or packet. Keep it up. Dave

Aft'noon all, Wishing everyone the very best of health. The conversion of the Sanctuary lamp from oil burning then tealight burning to 9V battery powered LED is complete....see Having tried it with the LED continuously lit (9V Duracell at £5 a throw lasted 2 weeks) the only remaining option was to run wires down to a switch at the base of the lamp, which could be reached without steps as the entire device is now chained in a fixed position. The wires and back of switch are on the altar side of the lamp and therefore very little alteration is visible from the congregation side of the lamp...just the miniature toggle switch used by the verger before and after the service. Not ideal but the only currently realistic way to keep a functional piece of church history in daily use as required. The battery is within the red globe and can be changed by lifting the globe from the top of the lamp. The 1.5V battery route involved too small an LED to be effective and had to abandoned in favour of the switched 9V path. Inner tube woes solved with a Rennkompressor German made standpump and two new tubes at £75. Dave

....the prototype joint of the curved roof with the vertical side is a welded seam...not an overlapped bodge which has to be serrated to accommodate the strengthening angles of the sides and makes the proportions of the curved roof to the vertical side appear inaccurate. A major undertaking to correct.....and at the most visible point of the model. The joint of the body halves should have been lengthways along the centreline of the roof....this would have allowed an exact representation of the key cantrail height area of this model and the roof mounted walkways would have at least partially covered the joint. The footstep replication at the ends is crude and inaccurate The strengthening upright at the 4 points at which the body angles upwards towards the ends is a crude web of plastic instead of a delicate angle. There are numerous grab handles around the uprights/bodywork which have either been completely missed off or represented by what looks like white paint Usual crude and overthick 'W' irons/running gear again due to excessive use of moulded plastic The character of the prototype generally is not well represented in purely moulded plastic I could go on but these points have already removed any notion of upgrading such a vehicle for TG. 6 out of 10 overall Bachmann.....an opportunity missed. I'll stick with my 6 Acorn kits thank you Dave

Mornin' all, A second constitutional free morn in The Moorlands....yet again the point at which the valve stem joins the rest of the inner tube has failed as I was trying to top up the tyre pressures. The old method of a flexible tube connecting the pump to the valve allowed for the inevitable movement of the pump relative to the valve whilst pumping, without placing the resultant stresses on the valve stem itself....methinks that I'll trawl the net for a better solution than just wasting more money at the local cycle shop. Not a good morn weather wise either....damp and drizzly from the off here. Conservatory now back in good nick after one of the roof panels was replaced yesterday. Sanctuary lamp to rebuild and test today after the last of the preparatory jobs was done to allow wiring to pass through the body of the lamp. Now music 'Angel of the morning' by Juice Newton Feathered ones fed Enjoy what you do Dave

....entirely unimpressed and certainly won't be reaching for any readies....at that price they were pushing it for an excellent model but for such a mediocre attempt they've got no chance. Dave

Mornin' all, Nice weather for ducks in the Moorlands just now. This dawn would have failed the 'suitability for constitutional' test had I have been setting out 15mins later. As it was I left home in dry weather and was well into the outward ride when it started to rain....and rain....and rain. Even the avian residents at the reservoir looked depressed. Joy was compounded on the return ride when the chain came off and I had to add oily hands to the soaking wet. All cycling gear stowed in the airing cupboard. Range of miniature components collected from Maplins yesterday to finish the Sanctuary lamp task. Brasswork now modified with a small internal hole and a 'U' filed into one of the fittings to accommodate the wires. Feathered ones fed Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Damp, dreary, calm, mild and overcast in the Moorlands this morning. Head down calorie burn throughout on the constitutional......much prefer sub zero and sunny. A trip to the local Maplins on the cards today to collect a 1.5V battery holder for the Sanctuary lamp mods...fits in with calling to collect a parcel from one of the white van man couriers who always have depots on the far side of nowhere...thankfully. Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Hi Robert, I'm a little puzzled that a new 9V Duracell was flattened by a single LED in two weeks....even left on continuously. I need to make the mount for the new shade anyway, so can incorporate the switch at the same time....I just didn't want to make any more changes than necessary. Thank you for the Joule thief suggestion. Dave

Mornin' all, Above zero, gusty, dry but overcast in the Moorlands this morning. Head down calorie burn for the constitutional....almost at the stage where lights aren't required even on dull mornings. More modifications to the design for the LED/battery arrangement in the church Sanctuary lamp this morning. Leaving the LED lit continuously when it is only needed for one hour on a Sunday morning gets through batteries too quickly, therefore I'm incorporating a small push to make/push to break switch at the base of the brass lamp but securing a new shade not meant for this lamp at the same time as running wires through the body of it to a mount for the battery/LED is going to have to be carefully done. Now music 'You showed me' by The Lightning Seeds Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Windchilled surface dance in sub-zero, calm, dry conditions under a clear sky this morning. Fortunately with enough ice free stretches to get stuck in, warm the muscles and burn the calories. The sun is breaking the horizon mid way through the return ride now, as the year marches on. The low temps seem to have deterred the flora that was making a bid for Spring. We've had three panels replaced in the conservatory due to misting/condensation forming inside and now await the replacement of one of the roof panels, as the one with the opening light leaks when it is shut and not when it is open. Now music by 'The Corrs'.....What can I do Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

....I've just mucked it up Ian, by adding an apparently non-classical piece title. Re Alison, you can tell her that I'd happily take her out for a trot, if I wasn't married.....she looked lovely in the picture that you showed us. Dave

'Time To Say Goodbye' by Sarah Brightman and Andre Botticelli. Always a favourite of one of my neighbours when I was a child....it was played at his funeral and will always stay with me. Ooops....just been told that this doesn't count as classical.....sorry Dave

....wasn't sure Ed but I'll happily change it. Dave

Mornin' all, More bracing than Skegness on the windchill constitutional this morning. Back to the surface dances around the various ice types mainly caused by field run off in sub zero temps. The local farmer who tried to carry on muck spreading after the last sub zero spell ended and the fields became too soft to take his machinery onto now has a plough field situation to repair, with trenches of churned up ground to roll and re-seed. Cold, clear, bright and calm for the calorie burns on the climbs....caster sugar snow sprinkled over the peaks. The woodpecker from yesterday seemed to still be hammering in the same spot....he has obviously picked a solid tree. We now have croci (usses) accompanying the snowdrops and cyclamen in the garden but the daffodils remain a closed yellowish hint at the end of a green stem. In Rye last week there were many daffodils out and the willow stems were showing distinct colouration in the sunshine. The visit to our local 'Joules ales' public house in town recently brought a funny story back to mind. The Joules brand with its little red cross emblem had lapsed with the closure of the brewery in Stone around 1980 but the brand was revived post 2000. The British Red Cross advised the new brewery...now in Market Drayton that legal action would follow if they didn't remove the red cross part of their emblem. The brewers took great delight in advising the British Red Cross that the brewery emblem predated the formation of the medical organisation by many years and any further threat of legal action may result in the medical organsation having to change their logo. Now music....'A lovers concerto' by The Toys Feathered ones remembered. Church duties call today. Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Sorry to read of the issues with your daughter Andy. We've slid back into the icy grip of Winter in the Moorlands with lying snow and regular snow flurries from the off this morning. A welcome visit from an Australian cousin yesterday afternoon meant celebrating by taking him to one or two hostelries in town, thus, the cycling had to be that much more energetic on today's constitutional. Looking across the slowly whitening landscape the falling snow was easy to spot as areas of poor visibility or low cloud. Avian activity continued regardless at the reservoir with the knocking of a Greater Spotted woodpecker carrying across the surface, whilst long 'V' ripples from paddling Crested grebe disturbed the flat calm. The snow became heavier and more persistent on the return ride causing all outdoor clothing to be placed into the airing cupboard to dry off for tomorrow, once the white stuff had been knocked off. Email exchanges with Canadian family indicate that they're battling temps of -28C under 2ft + of snow which sounds somewhat more extreme than here. Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Smuggling was apparently big business in Rye. This Rudyard Kipling verse adorns a wall at 'The Mermaid' and recalls such times http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poems_smuggler.htm Sorry to read of the injury. Dave

Mornin' all, Cool, sunny, calm and dry in the Moorlands. More calories to burn again after the fried breakfasts and marvellous ales of the last 3 days, so best energetic foot down on this morning's constitutional. Diversion required to collect the new sanctuary lamp glass parcel ordered before we left (3 inch x 5 inch cylinder of red glass), alas the company sending the glass decided to send it in a cardboard box 2 and a half feet long x 1 foot square so that they could fill the rest with sales catalogues etc....a bit tricky trying to strap such a carton to the push bike with sticky tape for a lengthy cycle ride home! Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave