Trainboy and company

GNR-Gordon-4, I liked Arthur, and yes it is a shame that a Hornby model of him will unfortunately never be created. I just hope that Bachmann will someday create an Arthur model. I wouldn't have minded having a Hornby Fergus the traction engine either, but I could imagine that Hornby would have had a hard time trying to make him. I do have an ERTL Fergus the traction engine, and I either put him on a flat bed so that he can be pulled along by a Hornby locomotive, or I sometimes put him on the track as a non-moving locomotive with some wagons behind him to make it look like he is pulling a line of trucks.

ThomasTankEngine, I couldn't agree more. I liked Ringo Starr's narration the best, and even now I still like to watch Thomas the tank engine episodes as a guilty pleasure of mine. I personally view the old-style Thomas as suitable for all ages and a prorgamme you can never be too old or too young for, wether you are one year old or 103 years old. 😀 I haven't seen any of the new CGI episodes and I know absolutely nothing about the new characters, but I have purchased a couple of the newer battery powered trains so that I could use the shells to make custom models.

GNR-Gordon-4, I personally thought it was rubbish after series 5, but that is my own personal opinion. I did watch a couple of series 7 episodes on Youtube. Fergus and Emily got on my nerves a bit, but I quite liked the look of that big red LMS Ivatt Class 2MT called Arthur.

I was quite into Thomas the tank engine when I was a young boy. I read all of the Railway Series books, and I watched the older episodes narrated by Ringo Starr and a couple narrated by Michael Angelis on the television. I think Thomas the tank engine is what inspired me to take up my Model Railway hobby. I only watched episodes from series 1 to series 5 as a young boy. I have quite recently watched a couple of series 7 and series 8 episodes on YouTube, but I personally wasn't too keen on them, because they seemed too modern for my liking. I didn't like the look of the new characters like Fergus the traction engine, Harvey the crane engine, Salty the dockyard diesel etc, and I hated how they got rid of the original opening title and changed it to the "They're two, they're four, they're six, they're eight" as heard today. I prefer Ringo Starr's narration, to be honest, because I grew up watching the series 1 and series 2 episodes narrated by him.

GNR-GORDON-4, Will I need to have a word with Adam?

GNR-GORDON-4, Please don't be disappointed when it arrives. It is used, and it does have some wear. I will have a look for it tonight. If I do find it, I will send you a picture of it to give you an idea of what it looks like.

GNR-GORDON-4, What is the administrator?

GNR-GORDON-4, I would give it to you for free as well. It is my way of saying thank you for making me feel happy in this forum. 😀 If I can find it, I will give it a good clean, I will repaint the worn areas and I will send it to you in the post.

GNR-Gordon-4, If I can find it, I will send it to you in the post.

GNR-Gordon-4, I bought my Ertl Lady Hatt around 2003, when the Ertl range was relatively new and you could get them in places like toy shops, post offices, newsagents etc. It did come in a double pack with an Ertl Fat Controller figure. If you really want the Lady Hatt figure only and don't want to buy The fat controller as well, it may be worth looking at different car boot sales across the UK (assuming you live in the UK), because I have seen quite a few Ertl trains and figurines knocking about in quite a few car boot sales. Or, I would be more than happy to give you mine, though mine is in quite bad condition and smells quite musty. If necessary, you could always repaint it.

GNR-Gordon-4, I just use a standard 1:76 Hornby flat bed, and that can carry my Ertl scrap Trevor. I also use some of the Ertl people figurines for layout as well. For instance, I have Ertl figurines of The fat controller (Also known as Sir Topham Hatt in the USA for political correctness) Lady Hatt, Dowager Hatt, Mrs Kyndley and a driver. I use all of those in my layout, and they have a lot of detail and are quite robust to say they are considered toys.

For example, I have put my Ertl scrap Trevor on a flat bed and had the Hornby Thomas pull him along, so as to recreate the Ringo Starr episode "Saved from scrap".

One thing I do with Ertl vehicles and some of the smaller Ertl trains is that I put them on a flat bed that is being pulled along by a Hornby loco with their goods train, which makes the Ertl train/vehicle seem like a non-moving locomotive that is being taken for repairs.

GNR-Gordon-4, I go there every Saturday. It is just five minutes from where I live. It is a shame you live too far away from it, because yourself and the other forum members would probably like it there. The man who owns it is lovely, and all of the stock is reasonably priced, hence why I got the clockwork Thomas passenger set for just a tenner! 😆 Also, if you are saving up for a certain locomotive or other model that is in there, the man willingly keeps it at the back of the shop for you to collect when you have enough money.

GNR-Gordon-4, It is called JRS Models in a town in the North West called Ashton Under Lyne.