Hollar

Unloved of Ipswich: two J72s were foisted on Ipswich in the 1950s and not exactly cherished bythe locals. A very much modified Bachman body on a new chassis, including some lovely items from NE Models

A couple of pics to show that the LT&SR Corringham 0-6-2T I bought from Tony is hard at work on my (scale) 150ft diorama set on the Dengie peninsula. The van is an Isinglass van with a bit of extra work on the underframe (the printed steps were a little chunky). It's colour is much cerise in real life. Tony

Not everything on E4um could be taken at face value, though usually the invective fell short of firearms.

When I tried to make a paint stirrer using a device in my minidrill (at the slowest setting), two things happened. Firstly I found myself the owner of an excellent Jackson Pollock-style training top. Secondly, I discovered that if you smother a red PO wagon with Humbrol 64 and then scrub it down straightaway you end up with something that looks 15 years older. Tony

Because most of my friends think it is odd enough that I make trains, without their thinking I make wobbly ones, and to tell them they were actually wrong would just have them shift me a couple of points further out on the Aspergers scale. Tony

I've worked my way halfway through the Clan thread, and among other things learned that not all Forums (sorry, Tony, fora) have the gentle cheerfulness of this one. As soon as I opened the box I was aware that the green was ridiculously wrong; possibly Hornby are secretly developing a Highland Railway loco and the factory muddled the paint colours. As you will see from the photos I'm not one to shy away from a bit of repainting and weathering. (You may recognise the cabside numbers, bu the way.) I've found a few thin layers of Vallejo Smoke takes the edge of dodgy brunswick greens and tames RTR lining, and will try that before going Putin with a complete strip and repaint. Tony

My Hornby Clan has finally scrambled through the Royal Mail, and . very nice it is too. But I have a couple of questions. Firstly, the footplate and tender top are both green, and the colour photos look like this should be black; which is right? Of course neither would stay green for any length of time, but I would like to know. Secondly, I remember reading a piece in one of the prototype mags that BR figured out why the Clans were such indifferent steamers, but didn't go ahead with the rebuild because of the modernisation plan. I've searched my own references and can't find it. Does this ring a bell with anyone, and do you have the citation? And in particular would the modifications have been visible - a 9F double chimney, for instance? Tony

I understand the fascination with railway exotica, but top of my wish-list would be workaday Gresley corridors with a proper tumblehome, and some 5-plank opens to Accurascale standards. Tony

Recently I've been putting Bedford sprung W-irons under Parkside kits and am very pleased with the result, My main problem is that the damn things don't stay where they are put unless they are chocked. If I can get the wheels rolling with them, anyone can. Tony

I mostly remember him for his letter-writing, where the model-related topic was often shadowed by fairly reactionary views, trenchantly expressed. It seemed as though he was well to the right of [insert favourite back-bencher's name here], but then it occurred to me that he must have been the son (or conceivably grandson) of the formidable Mrs Laura Ormiston-Chant who was a leading light in the Moral Rearmament movement and thought that light entertainment (and much 0f the rest of Creation) was a Snare of Satan. Not a house I would choose to grow up in, certainly, and it softened my view slightly. Tony

Though Presflos were commonly seen in block trains, there were exceptions. Some time ago MRJ ran an article on Presflos which (to my surprise) said that they could be seen in penny numbers on many branchlines, being unloaded using rudimentary-looking machinery in odd corners of station goods yards. Tony

The Hollar labels are now available as free downloads on the Scalefour Society and GOG web sites, and many of them were in use in the late 50s. Tony

I agree with you in general, but the sound chip in the Sutton Class 24 is a startling confirmation of what can be done - easily the best UK RTR loco I've seen. Tony

An old friend of mine is a composer. and his advice was to listen to the silences between the notes as well as the notes themselves. Works for me most of the time, but I agree it's not something you can have on in he background while you're trying to get an imperfectly-made chimney on straight. Tony

All this talk of W1s has revived a memory of the late Roy Jackson when he was duty Truculence demonstrator at Railex some years ago. On his table was an exquisite P2, with the Bugatti nose and resplendent brunswick green livery. There purely as a wind-up of course, but it looked absolutely wonderful . There and then I decided there and then that if I should ever have a mainline railway a BR P2 would be well above any wretched Thompson pacific on my priority list. Thereby proving, perhaps, that I shared more than a surname with Roy. Tony

With the excellent weathering, it looks great, and very credible. Just a thought. Nothing shouts out GWR as loudly as those G-shaped grab handles. Easy to cut off and replace with something more local, which only leaves the signature lookout ducket of course. Tony

Thanks for the suggestion - I have a morning of research ahead of me . . . Tony

Does anyone know of a supplier who makes the smaller cylinder cases for the Tilbury 2-6-4Ts? Neither the old Hornby Dublo chassis nor a modified Hornby Stanier chassis really look the part. Tony

The full 4mm range of Hollar Models posters is now available as free downloads on the Scalefour Society at https://www.scalefour.org/hollar/ The downloads are available to everyone, whether or not you are a S4Soc members, although it's excellent value even for those who, like me, model to OO or EM standards There are three, themed PDF sheets. All you need to do is to download the ones you need and print it onto standard paper or, ideally, self-adhesive labels. Use the lightest paper you can find - normal envelope labels works fine. The 7mm range can be found on the Gauge O Guild’s site, also free to all-comers. Tony McSeán Prototype and General Notes: In the 1950s and 1960s some heavy users of rail freight services would stick posters on the sides or doors of vans or containers carrying their products. These were a everyday sight on British Railways in the steam and early diesel periods, and almost every main line and pick-up goods train of the period showed at least one example. They gave a splash of colour and authenticity on otherwise drab bauxite vans and provided a touch of colour in a drab, industrial environment. Their characteristic period design will add authenticity and variety to your models. Hollar Models posters represent the originals as accurately as the imperfect photographic record allows. Many of them are based on dimensioned sketches done at the time. Others have been produced by research using photographs, and by using other resources for evidence on the tricky subject of colours. The whole 4mm range is available to be downloaded free of charge from the Scalefour Society website, to members and non-members. The 7mm range can be found on the Gauge O Guild’s site, also free to all-comers.

Members of the Gauge O Guild and the Scalefour Society may already know this, but the whole Hollar Models range of wagon posters is now available as free downloads. The 4mm range is on the Scalefour Society's web site (https://www.scalefour.org/hollar/) and the 7mm range from the GOG's site (https://www.scalefour.org/hollar/). Tone

I hope that I can now provide a definitive answer the question posed in the title of this thread. The whole Hollar Models range of posters is now available as a free download. The 4mm range is on the Scalefour Society's web site (https://www.scalefour.org/hollar/) and the 7mm range from the GOG's site (https://www.scalefour.org/hollar/). Just download, print onto sticky labels, cut them out and stick them on your vans. Tony McSean CEO Emeritus The Hollar Model Corporation

I'm a bit behind, but I couldn't resist asking about making scale models of imaginary prototypes. Flawless modelmaking, but what happened to the old saw about never making models based on other people's models? Tone

Lovely work on the chevrons, which are the devil to get right. I forget how many evenings I spent trying to get an acceptable result on my snowploughs - and as the photo shows in the end I settled for less than perfection and retaining my sanity. (I claim.) Tone

A friend of mine went to school with the daughter of a Mr and Mrs Branch who was cruelly saddled with the name Olive. Tone