Model Railway - What's your latest acquisition?

By Airmail !

Just arrived all the way from Britain despite Covid 19, and the unreliable Spanish Post even on a good day. Haven't seen a vapour trail in weeks, and there are usually a few dozen every hour over this part of Southern Catalonia. So I was rather surprised when the parcel arrived in just 5 days. What did it contain ?

Four items. A second hand Hornby Black 5 (current version non DCC fitted) which had locked up valve gear for £70. A second hand Class 43 Warship in green (roughly 10 years old) with a scratched roof & damaged buffer for £72.00, and 2 new Hornby Maunsell Brake 2nds from set 399 at £43.00 each. And the story only gets better...   

Above: The Hornby Black 5 with the jammed valve gear. That problem took just 10 seconds to fix. So as it was on the workbench I thought I might as well start my usual modifications to virtually all tender locos. My stock will run on a large exhibition layout, (Basingstoke 1958-67) and full length trains up to 13 coaches are operated. So certain "improvements" are necessary to make the models suitable for their tasks. Firstly most tender locos are too light as supplied, so this one has now had an extra 25g of lead weight added. The Hornby accessory pack was missing, so I have already fabricated cylinder drain cock pipes in brass wire. Front footsteps have been produced in plasticard. The front bogie has had its excessive front end cut back to the correct size. The loco has also been rewired, so that the loco can be put on an electric loco wheel cleaning block without the tender having to be present, but can still collect from the tender wheels when coupled. The missing rear part of the cylinders have been fabricated to fill that awful looking cut out space, necessary for people who use sharp radius curves, or the bogie bashes the rear of the cylinders.  A more realistic Kadee magnetic coupling applied to the tender. It now just needs a proper screwlink front coupling, some real coal in the tender, and the new parts to be painted. These locos were used on Inter-regional workings through Basingstoke (between 1964-67) which is why I need LMR locos on and otherwise Southern Region layout.      

Above: The Class 42 Warship D820 "Grenville" which they said had a scratched roof, can't find a mark ! The damaged or missing buffer, I found a spare in a little bag included, so that was fixed immediately.    

Above: "Grenville" again. The model was virtually mint boxed, and the accessory bag was still in the box. As I use Kadee magnetic couplings I'm able to add the front skirt to these models, having cut a little slot in it, into which I superglue the coupling. Kadee's have their own pivot built in behind the Buckeye jaw, which works perfectly. The smallness of the coupling also allows all the brake & jumper hoses to be fitted, except the vacuum pipe, without these items interfering with operation of the coupling. The only thing I don't like about these older Bachmann Warship models (I already have two) is the rather unrealisitic headcode panels. Often with a totally unrealisitic headcode. A couple of hours work and I have replaced the original headcodes with the correct headcodes for a Waterloo-Exeter express (1V43) printed on the computer and stuck to a bit of plasticard. Then over this a proper "glass" window. The Warships worked the Waterloo-Exeter services from 1964. As supplied the headcode is simply printed on the outside of a piece of black plastic - yuck. As Diesels & Electric loco models are usually over 400g each, they don't need any extra weight to haul 13 car trains up my 1 in 100 gradients. As both models work perfectly I'd say I got a couple of bargains....... 

The Duke 71000            

Finally located the last Flying Scotsman I needed to have for each era it was issued by Triang-Hornby or Hornby!  Found a 1976 set on ebay which ended bidding at only $50.00 US (that's where I am).  Has everything in the original box, but the main reason I got it was for the Scotsman with chuff sound!  Looks almost new, including the sandy patch on the metal inside the tender for the chuffing!

Got her running today with all the set accessories up: cardboard tunnel, station with waiting room, level crossing, etc.  Great way to spend a rainy Sunday!

EdMarra, out of interest, what is the product number / code, for the Tri-ang Hornby Fying Scotsman Train Set that you have recently acquired? Are you able to post an images of it please? Thank you in advanced. 

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

Hornby Railways R.032 'Shell' Petrol Tank Wagon (TTA).

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

X1 Hornby R6986 Hornby 2020 Centenary Year Wagon - LWB Box Van

My pre-ordered Hornby 2020 Wagon arrived yesterday (Monday 27/04/2020), surprisingly in a Hornby RailRoad box! I was expecting it in to be in a standard Hornby range box, but the LWB Box Van tooling has been part of the Hornby RailRoad range for many years now, so this is probably why.

This is the first time a year wagon has been part of the Hornby RailRoad range. Will this be the case every year, from this year on? Also, before I opened the box, I was worried it would have plastic wheels, as I have neevr come across an Hornby RailRoad wagon that has metal wheels; This oned oes, however!

GNR-Gordon-4 (HF)

Thought I would treat myself and wanted something different, so bought this and a loksound decorder  to go with it, Hornby's done a lovely job on the livery. 

Looks great - fantastic model locomotives.

Al.

Cheers Al, I got a email few weeks ago about the model and had on my mind. and on Sunday I thought way not and it turn up this afternoon. 

I like the thing where if you have function 5 on (breaks) it won't move untilll you release the breaks. 

Hornby R2412 Mainline Co-Co Diesel Electric Class 37. + Dummy.

..

I think I paid over the odds, but a nice addition to the growing collection.  Slightly weathered, and not overdone.

Hornby R471 Class 90 131 Railfreight Livery.  Boxed.