Jon020

Wonderful stuff, and a lovely read... as always Mikkel ... :-)

With or without is no problem when a sharp blade is to hand... or some microstrip if not. But yes, a BFYE would be nice... I don't want a factory weathered one (as nice as they are) as I'd want to detail it and weather it myself ... possibly quite differently... and I don't see why I should have to pay extra for a "standard" model... ... but they're the proverbial hen's teeth! Oh well... I'll just wait for a new Blue disc-fitted Bachmann 40 instead.

"Surplus" ..? really! What's a surplus? seriously though, I understand that there will be money to be "had" from limited editions if that's what they're marketed as, but there must be significant non-recurring costs to accommodate over the production run and if that run is only "limited" then the cost to each item has to be high to start with... so little profit there. I can understand of many items are produced to cover that NR cost... to keep items costs down, and then special editions can be provided using the same tooling but with other variations such as colour schemes or numbers... but let's face it, Dapol's business model must be very different from the other main manufacturers is they only envisage producing a limited run, or a few versions of a limited run, for an entire product life... I just find it very very odd. I'm no expert and I accept that the business model will be different; I just hope that it has worked out for Dapol. It's be such a shame to see limited follow-on products being produced for such a superb model. I for one have a set of ultrascale P4 wheels for one of these... but the initial QA problems led me to believe that the initial batch might best be avoided and that I'd be better waiting for the 2nd batch (which did surprise me somewhat when it was suggested... but there you go)... I've yet to see any suggestion of a 2nd blue batch. Any news on when we can finally expect to see this produced in "proper" numbers, which I'm sure the market would support, would be interesting to read. Would Dapol care to comment? Jonathan

More available than the standard models then..! I really wished Dapol would produce this product in larger numbers. All that work that went in to it, all that anticipation for a product that you just can't get. Did anyone think to ask Dapol "why?" at Warley? I'd still go for a blue FYE one if I could expect no unacceptable QA issues and there was a new batch being built; but I bulk at any silly prices being charged for a standard product that just became limited edition. J

Hi Pete, you've not missed anything as I've had nothing to post on here for quite a while. Many things are conspiring to sap all mojo at the moment and periods of enthusiasm tend to be rather short lived. Things will recover eventually I'm sure. Yes my turnout is 400mm long, I've a pair now ... C10s. They''ll be good for a main line crossing but not a depot (remember that 7mm depot layout in RM recently that you pointed me towards). depot plans keep stumbling and I'm failign to find vision... design expertise has dried up; doing the locos is easy as the end goal is already set... layout design needs vision ;-) Goodluck with the pre-christmas progress; 4 weeks to go... blimey! like I needed reminding of that ;-) Jon

Hi Pete... 7mm turnouts... what's this, 2mm one minute and then he lands on "go straight to 7mm, do not pass 4mm?" Good to see you doing some constructing... and I look forward to seeing how you get the tie bars sorted. I've just done a second 4mm turnout (Exactoscale rather than C&L but similar) but then I've lost the mojo so everything's come to a halt. I wish I had more luck/time cracking templot but I can't seem to get started... or find time/inclination to learn how-to. Anyway, as I said, good to see you doing some fine work and I'll make sure I keep an eye on progress. jon

... this continues to be an interesting project moving along at a very nice pace... to fast for us old'uns though ;-) Nice to see something of my local scenary being modelled too... although my road-journey to work doesn't pass here as I only cross over the rails just at the north end of the estate and work just north of there... before you get to the big noisy smelly place... that they call Gatwick... but it's a pleasure to see this developing. Keep up the good work and thanks for keeping us in the loop. Good luck with the comp too. Jon

Boooooo ! If it irritates... move away and make space for those of us that love it But more seriously guys, this thread's about the Western Model and not about which loco is better... that will never be settled; they were both good at doing what they were designed to do... and much water has passed under the bridge since the fleets ceased to do that. We're lucky to have members of each class around for the current generation to enjoy.. and for us oldies to savour and bolster our nostalgia. The point here is to discuss the model. We have only one real contender in 4mm for the Deltic Production class and that's now in need of update and woudl probably stand up to comparison with the Heljan Western rather that the Dapol... so let's enjoy the Western (if you managed to get one) and leave it at that. Jon

Good luck with the move.

Odd that, yes, I'd not noticed. The stripe is over the cabs though... another livery variation? http://www.flickr.com/photos/nimbus20/10377107434/ The variation in grey tone shows up well on this one too. Cheers....Jon

On the subject of grey 31s... here's 206 a few weeks ago and despite that dutch yellow band, the grey roof is certainly darker than the bodyside... and given the meticulous care that seems to have gone into preserving this loco, I'd be surprised if it was wrong.

I was wondering about the track myself; I'm still constructing some of this to do a plank... but I've just scrapped the plan and started the spare C10R kit I had to give a crossing instead.... to be worked some more once the mojo/inspiration and desire returns. Looks nice though and I approve of the diseasel ;-) Jon

Loco portraits, here's one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nimbus20/10633194016/

The clean lines of the Mk 1 were beautiful, but somehow the additional lumps and bumps and bigger engines of the Mk2 did nothing to detract from this most elegant of machines that inspired a generation of Buck Rogers spaceships ;-) Edit - and... by the way, those are lovely models; well saved

Wow that's a lot of work... you're putting the new office to good use then ... keep up the good work! Jon

... and another; not seen it for years and I think the early episodes lacked "action" but by gum did it get good towards the end!

Was quite tempted whilst in the Chelt MC yesterday to purchase one... maroon FYE and try an off white and then blue repaint and then abrade the paint so that the other colours show through... but I didn't. Would've made an interesting project, but I've enough to be getting on with for now and there were other items that I felt might need some attention too. Nice looking and a good base to work from.

Cider???? Was this the reason for the camera loss in the first instance?

I always admire the artist that can capture colour so well; Malcolm is one of them and his work is very captivating... as are many others, all with differing styles from the poster-like majesty of Matthew Cousins (on here) to the atmosphere of Cuneo and precision of others too many to mention. I'll just stick with my B&W... but I really ought to pick up the pencils again one day. Jon

Depends where you start from B) ... I parked in the car park near the pub down the road from Arley Station; you could walk there from the station. Then follow the trodden path across the fields towards and along the river (well back from the bank) towards the bridge. When you get closer to the bridge look for gaps in the foilage that look as though fishermen have used them to access the river bank... and find this one. It looked well-used. Total time from parking - about 10-15 minutes (similar from stn I guess). There are other good spots there, but I was tired and wanted to start for home. HTH Jon

One from my first visit to the Severn Valley last weekend KOYLI crosses Victoria Bridge... shattering the peace and disturbing the Mallards.

Well, I've missed out on getting one of these... I wanted a blue one, but I did get my first mileage behind one last weekend... and very nice the whole event was too. The rest of my shots are here if anyone's interested. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nimbus20/sets/72157636466940804/ Jon