Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?

2 Dapol Kitmaster blood & custard Stanier kits, plus some rather nice coach wheels from DCC Concepts, and Pat Hammond's fine 2 part British Model Trains catalogue.  All from the Ally Pally show today, couldn't justify £120 for 3 LMS Coronation coaches, much as I would have loved to have them!  Also met some nice people from Southampton MRS, who knew my late brother, took a picture to show my sis-in-law next week.  Their display was one of the best at the show, along with the 3 rail HD layout but the standard was, to me, as high as ever with all the displays. The Hornby stand had 2 nice layouts, but seemed smaller than when I last went, as did the Bachmann and Dapol stands, perhaps a sign of the pressures these companies are under.

I went to the model shop today and bought 4 x Railroaf MK1s in maroon for £12.95 each. (2 composites, 1 open second and 1 tourist open second). Also 2 R6712A packs of 3 BR 5 plank wagons.  Bargain at £16.50 for each pack.

That will have to be all I spend for a good while now as I have spent £220 in the last 3 weeks and its too nuch really.

Well over the last couple of days I have got myself 3 Bachmann Fish vans to go with my Hornby Blue Spot fish vans. I remember them well when train spotting as a youngster and the fishy smell they left behind. I also got my hands on a donor Britannia class Western Star, that will soon be Rising Star. I paid a bit over the odds for it but so what? If I want it I will buy it. I researched it fully to make sure that it was suitable and that took two days of looking at photos. Nearly all the earlier pictures I found had either smoke deflectors with hand rails or the WR deflectors but with a reversed later logo. The logo on the tender that the lion and wheel pointed forward. Eventually I found a photo of the logo facing to the rear as per the model. Luckily the real loco was never fitted with a speedo as per the model donor. Neither was it fitted with AWS, which I found rather strange being allocated to the WR. Small details but all that better. I was looking for a donor for Coeur De Lion 70007 and Royal Star 70028, The latter was fitted with LMR hand holds in the smoke deflectors. The donor loco, that I purchased just may have ended up as Polar Star but I plumped for Rising Star and ordered the nameplates. I am going to paint the brass handholds on the smoke delectors with brass paint as I cannot make out (YET) whether they later got painted black or left polished brass, that the WR seemed to like.

Hi Vespa

Having seen a couple of Western Brits litrally within hours of coming out of Doncaster works. I recall them having polished brass handholds.

I've seen the same thing in photos. I'm not saying they all were polished by any means but the scenario is established. The 2 I saw were 70016 and 70018. 

Hope that helps

Hello PP,  I have quite a few research photos and the vast majority show the hand holds as polished brass on the WR altered smoke deflectors, as you say. I also have some photos of Rising Star with, what looks like, the brass painted over in black. I think that I will be having my model with brass finish. I am not 100% certain but in my trainspotting days I think I got a photo of the loco that turned out blurred with camera shake, from my Brownie 127. I just wish I had all my Nikon gear then.

A couple of my Brit class photos... 

Spot the model!!

My latest acquisition, are threen of those freelance 4 wheeler coaches, that come in a range of liveries, [I was asking how dom you get the roof of, in the general section] on eBay to run with my seventies version  of Nellie. As like 7178 as my version is known, they are blue and make quite a good match. They even look good behind my Longmoor Military Railway Austerity tank

This is another of 70048. I only saw this once and managed to get a photo...

Needless to say I have used a donor loco to make this one

With being in hospital with a severe uti since last Thu morning 2am my lovely lady after hearing me read out that someone had ordered the Hornby/Arnold Pullman 5-car set said I could order one too.

To get the free shipping I had to order some spares as well which will always be handy.

Now if someone can recommend a decoder as Hornby doesn't provide 6-pin ...

Just bought a  tringang blue pullman in need of a bit of TLC and some major up grades. Think I'm going to enjoy some modeling. No way I'm going to spend £600 on a Bachmann one.