LCDR

Hear hear! I totally agree PP. Some more branch line locos please. However I have seen Bullied Pacifics sort of shunting. They used to bring empties from Waterloo to Clapham Junction via the washer, if a smaller loco wasn't available, then sometimes they would go into the sidings to fetch empty carriages and work back to Waterloo. Always tender first. Looked odd. And not all little engines were black. Some of the small passenger tank engines got a colourful livery in pre-nationalisation days. Certainly on the GW and Southern, I can't speak for the others. Postman Prat said: Don't you think we have enough 'glamour locos'? There's a far greater need for small, everyday locos of the type that operated 90% of the railway. When did you last see a Merchant Navy shunting in a goods yard or an A4 at the head of a pick-up freight? Certainly post 1923, if not earlier, they were painted black so you wouldn't have fancy liveries but if you want a model railway, as distinct from a train set, they are even more necessary.

Very good. Excellent condition! I note the red steeple cab has a working pantograph. Mine still has most of the original plastic one (non-working)but the collector strip is missing. If I could get hold of an original to copy I'd try three=D printing to make a replacement. The son of Triangman said: For my friends here, a little of the collection I inherited for you all to see http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0289_zps79b929fe.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0290_zps0d1ed42a.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0288_zps201bce73.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0286_zps7e6a35c3.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0292_zps475e5950.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0293_zps0a924507.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0294_zpscfebc2a5.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0297_zps90eeb118.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0299_zps084dca25.jpg http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t43/thetriangman/DSCN0298_zpsea476c03.jpg

Unboxed, fair condition, very few chips, but minus masts and derricks. I have just made out an order to Steve Flowers for replicas. Carinthia is a bit dusty but Ivernia is clean. I restarted collecting them only recently but have done well in toyfairs where some dealers really have no idea about what they are. They can sometimes turn up at the bottom of a box of die-cast cars. I do buy the new ones, but agree that they are not as good as the old Triang ones. walkingthedog said: What condition were the Minic ships in LC? I've stopped buying them now, got the one I didn't get when I was a boy SS France a few years ago. Sometimes get the odd Navis warship. Last one I got was a Navis LCI(L) and a Mercator Normandie. I forgive you for buying Polly.

Actually today I went to the Harrogate toy fair, and got - R355R No 9 'Polly' (Sorry WTD) R54/R32 Class 23 Pacific in excellent condition R38 Spare tender for 34051 Jouef 1-4-1R Jouef 2-3-1K - I did threaten to start collecting French stuff. The detail is very good, better than I expected. M709 RMS Ivernia M711 RMS Carinthia There was a boxed original Rovex train - set (pre-Triang) for £180. The coaches were showing signs of Banana-ing, but the box itself looked OK. Didn't buy it though. Already have the contents unboxed and in better condition.

Thanks Ray, I haven't tried either yet, but I will. rayarpino said: Judith Edge models have a number of different pantographs available. Have you looked at the Sommerfeldt range?

I have got a few Steeple Cabs including the red one, but the pantographs are the thing that suffers and it is hard to find one with a good one, hence the high prices. I have some non-Triang pantos that can be made to fit, but they are incorrect of course with double collector strips. Similar story with the EM2. I have one of each original - fortunately I got these before the madness set in. Hornby no longer make a locomotive with diamond pantographs, it would be nice if they did (E5000 electric perhaps).

That being the one on the Steeple Cab / Nellie chassis? Buz said: Hi My latest acquisition is a Triang 0-4-0 diesel shunter in BR green. I need a reliable small loco for a station pilot that's going to be up to the job. I have found the modern small locos don't have the weight to do the job. regards John

Sorry Vespa, I realise your acquisitions were new. And very nice models they are too In the above post about the boxes I was in fact replying to SoT. Vespa said: No I meant I bought them NEW but never really did anything with them. I have had a look at them out of the box and put them away again. Both are very nice models. Hornby Magazine states the 16 has no moulded drivers steps on the bogies but they are there just not pronounced enough.

All this adds to my preference to deal with the local shop rather than by mail order. The son of Triangman said: The Postal service is getting worse since the government decided to privatise it. They have lost 4 of my customers parcels in the last six months. One parcel was returned to us as the customer was on holiday, they didn't put a card thorugh my door or my customers but sent it back to my local post office. It sat there for a month before I went into the post office up the road and then the postmaster mentioned he was holding a returned parcek for me. Both myself and the customer were totally mystified as to where it had gone.

Thank you. Coming on nicely!

The link didn't work for me I am afraid. The son of Triangman said: http://s157.photobucket.com/user/thetriangman/media/DSCN0271_zps635cdaf0.jpg.html?filters[user]=43692067&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0 http://s157.photobucket.com/user/thetriangman/media/DSCN0272_zpsd60142bc.jpg.html?filters[user]=43692067&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=2 Here's the loco, just got to top coat the other deflector and fit it's nameplate and then detail up the deflector handrails. The loco body is coming along nicely with just touching in and minor varnish issues to sort. The loco chassis is a different proposition and needs two new driving wheels which of course I have in my stocks.

I'm very tempted by the Class 16 myself, a chunky little loco. Vespa said: Well i treated myself to a Baby Deltic and a class 16, just because I liked them and to get my interest back. (they are still in their boxes)

Yes there are still some boxes to be had. However I did invest in a load of Triang Society repro boxes for rolling stock, well worth helping to keep my stuff from getting dirty again once I have taken the trouble to clean them up! The little cardboard tubes to protect the couplings were harder to find, but the centres from rolls of cling film and cooking foil etc. cut into slices do service. By the way there is another 'Triangman' doing the shows round the North East, well I am presuming he isn't you. Were you aware? He gets a nice selection of collectables.

I rather like these 'sad' restoration jobs myself. The advantage with Triang / Hornby is many of the interior parts were interchangeable or could be modified. Local toy fairs still have those wonderful stalls that have crates containing packets of 'bits' for very little, always worth a rummage. I am gathering up the Triang SR EMU which seems to be coming down in price since the 2Bil appeared. The Triang motor bogie is a wonderfully solid bit of design. The son of Triangman said: Latest personal aquistions are a tired 1974 Margate made Hornby Britannia, bought as a rainy day restoration project along with 6 Maroon MK1's and an LMS brake Van, and two of those cheapo part work magazine Mk1's. The Britannia was on a model shops "graveyard" shelf in Sheringham, and I took pity on it. It's slowly coming back to life, I airbrushed a spare set of smoke deflectors gloss black yesterday as one of the oiginal gloss black ones had been bodge repaired at sometime and looked terrible. New nameplates and a full paintwork overhaul await, along with a full chassis and motor rebuild. It had one side of broken valve gear and the cylinders were tired, the motor is in good fettle but will be fully overhauled, still have to hunt out from the stock of parts I keep a tneder ladder. Going to be a nice loco.

My trip to York Toy Fair the other weekend got me a Wrenn BR 4MT 2-6-4T, and a load of Bayko. Also a Hornby E2 in SR lined black. A subsequent visit to the model shop in York got me a Midland 4F and a black diesel shunter.

If you do not subscribe to this forum, and do not buy the catalogue it is quite possible that a new purchaser will in ignorance of the limitations make the mistake of buying small radius curves and then wonder why their expensive new super detail locomotive bought from the same firm (and I don't just mean Hornby) doesn't negotiate the curves on the layout. This will be much more likely now that most purchases are made either from non-specialist shops or by mail / on-line orders. Hornby, and the other makers, need to wake up and adopt a much more responsible position. The packaging and sales material needs to distinguish more clearly what is compatible. Perhaps it needs to be clear by identifying first radius curves in packaging as 'Suitable for Railroad only' and ensuring that all Railroad editions will operate over first radius, after all the original models were compatible first time round. As an aside somehow I must admit I do find the use of set-track to run super detailed locomotives and rolling stock a trifle incongruous. SkyCube said: There's nothing wrong with 1st radius so long as you're properly aware of the limitations. Problem is Hornby don't really go out of their way to point it out to newbies. Yes loco boxes have the minimum radius on them, but that's easily missed, and no good to people who plan/build a layout before buying any such locos.

WTD if the models are X04 (or even X03) and 40 - 50 years old then it is most likely they will be R052 (service sheet 84A) or R300 (service sheet 84B).

That method applies to models produced after about 1984 (SSSP motors). If the chassis is an X04 motor then the screws were at the front and the lugs at the back except for the diesel shunter and saddle tank. walkingthedog said: If I remember correctly remove the screw at the back, I think it holds the coupling in place, lift the cab and the slide the body slightly forward. The front is attached by a couble of lugs that slot into holes just above the buffer beam.

Depending on the age of the model the body is secured either by a small screw through the chimney (jinty), or by one in the body below the boiler on one side or the other (jinty and 57xx). The body should then lift away although, front first, there will also be a couple of lugs at the back of the bunker. Bag said: Apologies if this is not the right place in the Forum for this. My 4 year old son has got into trains and rekindled my interest. I’m attempting to repair the x04 motor a Triang/Hornby Jinty and Hornby Pannier Tank that were mine and are probably 50 and 40 years old respectively at a guess. I can’t suss out how to get the bodies off. Anyone point this amateur in the right direction?

Perhaps I should have qualified my original specifications as 'certain heavy freight engines' i.e. ones I like! Postman Prat said: Hi LC&DR You said recently that you collected Heavy Freight Engines - well, surely these were heavy??Sounds like discrimination to me. Seriously, I've lurking at the back of my mind that I read somewhere that they sometimes got south of Westbury, which would mean next stop - Salisbury. Mind you, possibly could have been 72XX instead. However, this is only vaguely in mind, no more than that. I'm expecting to see your reply to "What is your latest purchase?" as just the Southern Region!!

Went into my local model shop and saw they had super detailed Schools 'Blundells' on significant discount, nearly as cheap as the Railroad version. Ideal candidate for new name and number so I bought it. At this rate I'll have all forty by 2015. For those who are interested the GW eight coupled tanks were in pride of place in the cabinet. Won't be buying them however as they never came on to the Southern and don't fit my collecting policies.

Oh and a goodly colection of Minic diecast ships and harbours, and an extensive collection of diecast road vehicles in 1:43 and 1:76 scales.

I don't regard the 2Bil as a high priority for me at present, it was not a regular type on the Eastern section, which is the main theme of my layout, so although I will eventually get one or two, I shall wait until I can pick one up cheap. I already have three Kirk kits planned to become 2Hals with Branchline etched sides. If I can get some Hornby motor bogies for them so much the better. I do also collect Tri-ang. This runs on a different (portable and loose laid) layout, and I decided that a mint boxed 3Sub would be a good buy, they rarely come up for sale in that condition. My garden railway is collection No.3, coarse scale O gauge following Bassett Lowke practice, three rail electric. I run both vintage and modern China made BR outline with a mixed LT/LNE and SR theme, no real pretention of scale, just a huge round and round double track. A second 'Hornby Series' friendly line with flush level third rail is planned. I have a small collection of OO heavy goods locomotives, because I like goods wagons, and I need something beefy to pull them, I also have a few NCB and APCM industrial locos and scratch built rolling stock. London Underground is another interest, but as few people make stuff for that I just have a unmotorised tube train, and a pannier tank goods set. Now if there were more RTR underground stuff I could get seriously diverted. I do have the 1950s Ever Ready set which is what started my interest, crude as it was I loved it, but it has stopped working although I keep it for sentimental reasons. Lastly I have some Lone Star OOO diecast, push along, again another nostalgia thing. the ferret said: Hi, LC&DR, Yes I too would have been torn between the 2-BIL and the 3-SUB. Now that I have had a chance to run the 2-BIL on the layout I can confirm that it runs to perfection, can be made to creep even over three double slips in succession thanks to there being pick-ups on both bogies of the motor-car. On starting away there is just the faintest purr from the 2-BIL that is so true to life! So I am absolutely delighted with it.

Actually I took delivery yesterday afternoon of five Gauge 'O' pullman cars 'Thanet Belle' complete with lights worked off the third rail. I am now waiting for warmer weather to run them on the garden railway behind either 34066, or 30907, both of which I bought earlier this year. These are my first Southern models running on O gauge. I do love tinplate! My latest aquisition in OO was a three car Tri-ang SR 3Sub, late roundel, nearly mint and boxed. (York toyfair, Sunday). That makes six (or is it seven?) of these, although I am a bit light on centre cars. The son of Triangman said: What's your latest aquisition?

As Graskie touches on above rigid wheelbase locomotives will also find track imperfections quicker than a locomotive with a front bogie or pony truck. As well as checking the back to back measurement (14.4mm) also check that the points are level and the track leading to them is correctly laid. What you need to look for is a 'light' wheel, or one that is raising above the railhead, especially bad if it is one of the front ones. Real locomotives overcome imperfections by having all wheels supported on springs, but on a model there is little or no 'give'. Any 'twist' in the track either through points or at the start of a curve will be a source of derailment.