mountaingoat

I must agree that the Sports Hall is the prefered venue, and the heat in the Bowls Hall in 2023 was oppressive, so here's hoping that both the weather and the ventilation are kind to us this year. It has always been a great show, the organisers are helpful and if the Bowls Hall is the only option, we will keep our fingers crossed.

However I am reminded that the Sports Hall also could get very warm, unless your stand was under the vents at the far end, which meant that folk at that end wore coats, while the rest of us were in shorts and teashirts.

Looking forward to the weekend.

Chris

Dear Ric (or 57xx if you prefer to be anonymous!)

Thank you for your comment re 'a complete work of fiction '. Of course you will have the same drawings and photographs as we do, so will be qualified to make such sweeping comments.

As K14 has said, the underframes varied considerably, and we have to make a choice about which one to go with. So we stand by our offering, apart from the 'missing' battery boxes which do not appear on the CAD. They will be available, in two different sizes for the purchaser to add to their choice. Photographs show that these grew in size over the years, so we may have missed an intermediate size or two, but hopefully will cover the most common. Trusses are another issue, we have an option for 2 or 4, but have not committed either way as tooling is not at that stage. Handbrakes are another variant, we are minded to go with the later type at the moment as the body is tooled first.

Finally I hope this reassures you and you can retreat up to 'Colonville' with a peaceful mind

Chris Basten

Minerva Model Railways

I have received the following message from Chris's son Nathan

As a family we would like to thank everyone for the many kind wishes, words of support and help that we have received during this difficult time. My father's funeral service will be held tomorrow on Wednesday 9 September 2020 at 11am. Due to Covid restrictions it will be a very limited family funeral but we know that his many friends from the model railway world will be there in spirit with us and will be wishing us well.

In lieu of flowers perhaps, if you felt so inclined you could give a donation to the Poppy Appeal in his name, a cause he worked for in recent years.

Chris B

Hi Richie

The 97xx will be supplied with a donor chassis/footplate and cab, all in one package.

It will have an 8 pin plug, ready for the DCC  and DCC sound chips,

Hope this helps

Chris B

Minerva Model Railways announced at the Gauge 0 Guild Summer Show in Doncaster the production of a fine-scale RTR, injection-moulded 0 gauge model of the modernised version of the Great Western Railway (GWR) Iron Mink steel-bodied goods van in 7mm scale (1:43.5, for 32mm standard gauge). It is the final phase of Minerva’s GWR Iron Mink programme and follows the Gunpowder Vans.

Iron Minks production ended in 1901 and by the late 1920s some were showing  signs of deterioration around the lower wooden frames of the iron doors. To prolong the life of the vans, from c.1927 some had their doors replaced with new wooden planked doors. This appears to have been a piecemeal programme, implemented over a long period. Significant numbers of Iron Minks were withdrawn in the 1930s, but large numbers, with both types of doors survived into the 1950s.

Minerva Model Railways is producing a limited run batch of these modernised vans. They will be available with in the 1937 GWR 6” lettering style and the British Railways unfitted grey livery.  Three running numbers will be made for each livery.

The retail price per wagon is £42.00 including UK  VAT. A discount of £2.00 per van is available for orders of five or more models, which can be mixed with the original Iron Mink and Gunpowder Vans. 

 

The models are currently on board a ship to the UK and will only be available direct from Minerva Models via mail and telephone order, the Minerva website and from the Minerva Models’ stand at selected model railway shows. www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk

A little quicker than even we expected, our limited edition ‘Modernised’ Minks have arrived safely and are now being despatched to customers who have already ordered.

To the same standard as our other two iron bodied vans, but with replacement planked doors, they offer another option to modellers building a varied train.

Priced at £42, with postage £4, they are available to order via the Online shop, by phone, or at exhibitions.

Just a final, timely reminder...

 

Dock Green will be at Railex 2018 this coming weekend at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury.  (HP21 9PP). 

 

http://www.railex.org.uk

 

Have a look at the list of layouts, it looks like being a very good show and worth a trip to see. If you do go, seek us out and say hello.

 

Chaz 

Hi Chaz

Minerva will be there as well, so if you want a sound fitted GW pannier to help out, just come to stand 43 and we will be more than happy to oblige...........

Took my Victory for some minor repairs to Sully MPD yesterday evening now sorted and running superb again! Came away with a GPV !! (can resist anything but temptation) Top service from Chris ,Thanks very much for sorting loco out in quick time!

Hi Mervyn

All part of the Minerva service, though it was a very quick fix, a little plastic swarf clipping the crosshead. Next time stay a little longer, have a cup of tea and a natter!!!

Chris

Hi,

 

Can anyone help me, Im going a bit snowblind with numbering my Minerva 'modern' pannier.

 

I hope to back-date my layout from time to time and thus run steam outline. As my line is based on the exM&SWJR I have been tracking down panniers that ran on that line and that were withdrawn in 1965. The two are not always a perfect match-but as locos were in and out of Swindon and sometimes seen on local lines a bit of modellers' licence is acceptable. Shocking how some were overhauled in 1963/64 then withdrawn in 1965....what a waste, but I digress.

 

I have two loco numbers that keep cropping up-in books on M&SWJR (and cross referred in various editions of the Pannier Papers) and I wondered-as there are so many of the panniers in many different number ranges-if they would be suitable for my 'modern' Minerva pannier?

 

The two numbers are 4697 & 3763.

 

Any comments/help gratefully received.

 

Kind regards, with thanks,

 

CME.

Hi CME,

Both are the later 8750 panniers.

Our records show that 4697 went new to Swindon in 1945, then Reading Feb 1956, back to Swindon June 1956, but then Southall 1964, finally being withdrawin from Westbury July 1965.

3763 was new to St Philips Marsh 1937, Weymouth 1948, back to SPM at the end of that year, then Weymouth again for a few years in 1949. She went to Swindon March 1956, Didcot May 62, then Old Oak 1963, finally to Southall in March 65, being withdrawn from there in July of that year.

So the MSWJR is definitely possible, from 1956 to 1962 at least.

Hope this helps

Chris

Will you be at Hardwicke Chris?

Chris B will be there, with the full range of Minerva goodies.

Despite a little worry over potential delays at Heathrow, we are delighted to report that the 57xx Panniers have arrived and will start to be despatched tomorrow (Friday 24th) to customers.

Our first impressions are extremely good, as the models appear to be as good as we could hope for.

And by coincidence, the first one was picked up by David Roberts less than 20 minutes after arrival, as he made his way to the Warley show this weekend. He kindly offered to display his model on his demo stand, so if you are going to the NEC, be sure to seek him out and admire his acquisition.

With the risk of putting a hex on it, the Minerva 57xx panniers will be arriving next week, about 10 days before the Reading 0 Gauge Trade show on the 2nd December.

If anyone wishes to pick up and pay for their advance order for the 57xx on the 2nd December and save the postage, please email us at Minerva at

sales@minervamodelrailways.co.uk in the next week or so.

We have over 200, so help with the date the order was placed or the reference number will be gratefully appreciated!!

Please note that sound and plain DCC models will be shipped week commencing 4th December, and it is very unlikely that we will be able to supply any of these at Reading.

Thanks

Chris B

With the risk of putting a hex on it, the Minerva 57xx pannier will be arriving next week, about 10 days before the Reading 0 Gauge Trade show on the 2nd December.

If anyone wishes to pick up and pay for their advance order for the 57xx on the 2nd December and save the postage, please email us at Minerva at

sales@minervamodelrailways.co.uk in the next week or so.

We have over 200, so help with the date the order was placed or the reference number will be gratefully appreciated!!

Please note that sound and plain DCC models will be shipped week commencing 4th December, and it is very unlikely that we will be able to supply any of these at Reading.

Thanks

Chris B

Hi Rich

Minerva are at Bristol, and we are sponsoring the show as well.

If you are lucky, you can win one of our Panniers, details from the show organisers on this link

http://www.bogg7mmexhibition.com/268486986

Hope this helps

Chris

With thanks to James Harrison for providing us with these images of his weathered Minerva pannier, we can admire his beautiful subtle rendition of 4614, in its last years working in the Forest of Dean.

The first 8750s have now started their journey to their final homes, and will be arriving tomorrow onwards.

The first customers will be those who have ordered the Top feed fitted versions with the late BR crests, DC only.

We expect to start sending the GW green versions, the early BR crest locos and the non Top feed fitted models next week.

DCC and DCC sound models will be sent after Telford in all probability, as the installation and testing will take some time.

Customers who want to collect DC modles at Telford are asked to email us at sales@minervamodelrailways.co.uk before Wednesday next week, so that we can swap to the 'Telford' file and make sure that we don't send you two.......

Chris B

 

The Welsh Assembly wishes to see electrification of the Valleys lines but has no money

But they want to spend £1.2 Billion in building the M4 Relief Road around the south of Newport. I wonder if that money was spent in a way that would benefit the greater public, rather than the car owners who want to get past Newport as quickly as possible, it would be be far greater value

In the same vein as 'Pecketts on Parade', a new topic showing the best of our Victory model in action.

Firstly, thanks to Dave ( a modest modeller!), a photo of his Victory at the coal stage.

The rivets are individual spots of glue, and the weathering is such that at first glance, it appears so real

Thanks Rod for your encouragement.

 

As I say, some disposal of 'OO' assets would have to be undertaken before I could even begin to think about it, but with a fair wind I think an RTR 0-6-0T would be achievable.  At any rate, I have begun to plan a possible trip to the Bristol O Gauge Group Show in January (about 2 hours away from me) which, for some reason, my wallet has taken to be a bad sign!

 

 

Steve

Hi Steve

If you are coming to Bristol, Minerva are providing a raffle prize, so you could win either a Victory ....... or an Ixion Fowler diesel.

I know which one I would choose...........

Chris

Quite surprised this hasn't been posted on here:

https://www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk/uncategorized/pannier-specification-changes/

Can't get the staff nowadays..............

We are happy to confirm that 'Victory has been achieved', and testing and packing of individual orders will start tomorrow, under the expert guidance of the 2 Chris'.

Those who placed their orders first will start to receive their models on Friday, with subsequent orders being dealt with in strict rotation, hopefully all being delivered by the end of next week.

The models either DCC or DCC sound fitted will follow in about 2 -3 weeks.

We will have stock of DC models to purchase at the Reading show on the 10th December, so please come along and introduce yourselves, tell us what you think of the models (preferably good, but adverse comment does actually help in improving our production methods, and we promise you won't get a glare!!!) and hopefully purchase one........

I have the following dates of some shows in God's country

NewGOG 22nd April at Lysaghts Institute

Swansea MRC 7th/8th October at LC2

West Wales 0 Gauge, Bronwydd Arms 7th October (With Gwili Railway Gala)

Cardiff MR Exhibition 21st/22nd October. Not sure if back at Ysgol Glantaff.

I imagine that with the conflict in dates, one or two shows may change........

And I may have misinterpreted some information, but hope these help.

Chris

Not so.

 

The URL in your signature starts http:// and if I click on the link then there is a protocol failure as per:-

 

Safari can’t open the page “http://www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk/”because Safari can’t establish a secure connection to the server “www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk”

 

Using an Apple Macbook.

Thanks for reporting this.

The address starting https takes us straight to a 404 error, but http only seems to work without a problem.

We will get on to this and see if we can eliminate the error code, but if you just use www.minervamodelrailways.co.uk for now, that should give you full access.

Thanks again

Chris

Chris,

Sorry if I'm being impatient, just wondered if you'd managed to extract the Kerr Stuart from the modelling guys in HMRC?

 

Rich

Hi Rich

Yes it arrived in South Wales on Tuesday. I took some photos and have posted them onto the News section of our website, but it is now winging its way to deepest Hampshire for Chris K to take some better shots and post them here.

My first impressions are excellent, with so many small details included, but we are in the process of a full evaluation before we go for decorated samples. (I've done my bit, Chris K has a very discerning eye, and spots things that I miss!!!)

Hope this helps

Chris