Quote from: cmason on March 26, 2026, 03:38:29 AMYes - excellent news! And the email says NER hoppers are here as well! ( @icairns )

Ordered!

Ian

Quote from: cmason on March 26, 2026, 03:38:29 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 25, 2026, 10:34:23 PM

Quote from: thebrighton on November 20, 2025, 02:49:13 PM

Quote from: Newportnobby on November 05, 2025, 11:18:09 AMNot often I post in here 'cos I'm a miserable old git, but in the latest Farish announcements they're doing another run of the C class 0-6-0 tender loco, INCLUDING THE GORGEOUS SECR  LIVERY!!

I just wish they'd bitten the bullet and gone for the original Wainwright livery rather than another run of the simplified version but at least another run suggests there is demand for pre grouping liveries 

Rails advised today they have the C class in stock so my pre-ordered SECR liveried should be with me in the next few days

Yes - excellent news! And the email says NER hoppers are here as well! ( @icairns )

 

Hmmm... Rails have taken my money for the pre-ordered hoppers already - but no news yet on the C-class. Hope I have not been gazzumped ( I did pre-order...).

Quote from: cmason on March 28, 2026, 12:44:13 PMHmmm... Rails have taken my money for the pre-ordered hoppers already - but no news yet on the C-class. Hope I have not been gazzumped ( I did pre-order...).

No news on my C class either, Colin.
I checked the Bachmann website yesterday and it didn't say 'Arrived' so maybe Rails jumped the gun a bit

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 25, 2026, 10:34:23 PMRails advised today they have the C class in stock so my pre-ordered SECR liveried should be with me in the next few days

No monies taken so no delivery advice
Have e mailed 'em

Meanwhile, on the SECR front and huge thanks to @Bob G for signposting it, I paid what is probably over the odds for one of these but I really wanted one and it was £30 cheaper than the last one I saw on FleaBay.
It's on it's way so here's a stock pic........

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 30, 2026, 12:53:52 PM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 25, 2026, 10:34:23 PMRails advised today they have the C class in stock so my pre-ordered SECR liveried should be with me in the next few days

No monies taken so no delivery advice
Have e mailed 'em

Hoping that they are just behind in getting their backlog cleared. They have taken the money for my hoppers and those have moved from pre-orders to order history, however the order is  currently marked as "unfulfilled",

Colin.

Have been advised the pre order will be processed and despatched shortly. They appear to have been swamped with arrivals

This probably ought to go in the "Phew! That was lucky!" thread, but as we don't have one, this will have to do.

A note on the family calendar reminded me that the house insurance was due tomorrow, but I thought it odd that I hadn't had a renewal notice. I searched through my paperwork and emails and found I didn't get one last year either. That was when I started to worry. I had taken out a 3-year fixed rate deal in 2023, and got a renewal notice in 2024 but stupidly I thought the deal meant it was renewed automatically. Reading it again, more carefully this time, I found I was still expected to actually respond to it. So..., we have been uninsured for the past two years! What a good job the house didn't burn down.     

Thank the Lord for instant cover, even on Easter Sunday.

Cheers,

Chris

I'm just happy to have got through Storm Dave with no damage to my little bungalow.
I have to say in all the years I've been here that one was the worst, I reckon.
I'm sure at least twice I felt the property vibrating!!

Well, here's a pleasant surprise.

Taking another break from the (characteristically slow) layout build, I've decided to reduce the number of locos in the 'To Be Repaired' box. I have 3 Minitrix Britannias which I don't think need much attention apart from a good clean, so I thought I'd start with those. I have Boadicea, John of Gaunt, which I renamed and numbered myself, and Firth of Forth which I bought at a show with the intention of bringing it back south of the border and renaming Hereward the Wake. But what's this?

  A fourth, reliveried as 71000 Duke of Gloucester! I have absolutely no recollection of acquiring this, and I certainly didn't convert it myself. Unfortunately, it has been in the wars a bit. Someone has cut the cab roof off for some unfathomable reason, and it is missing the chimney and one smoke deflector.. I've acquired some Midland carriages and it would be ideal to haul those, so I would like to repair it and keep it as it is but it may be too much effort. I knew very little about the prototype until I looked up the restoration website. I did know that it haunted the WCML, so I don't expect I even 'copped' it when I were a spotter. DoG nameplates are available from the NGS and I think I have a spare smoke deflector somewhere but I may just bin the body and use the chassis for another project which has been in cold storage for 30+ years...

Something may appear on my workbench thread at some indeterminate date in the future.

Cheers,

Chris

A model of DoG would be unusual so, if you can repair the damage, I'd like to see the finished article

Meanwhile, I had a Farish ref 4101 maroon BG with a busted chassis and my appeal for one resulted in @Bob G stepping up to the plate and sending one c/w bogies and wheels. It was received today and I've replaced the pizza cutter wheels with more modern ones (379-412) which is an easy way of improving the looks. The maroon is somewhat dark and the lettering is a little faded but it's back in revenue earning traffic so big thanks to Bob

Quote from: Newportnobby on April 23, 2026, 01:44:31 PMThe maroon is somewhat dark and the lettering is a little faded

You can say that about most of us! Glad the chassis fitted!
Bob

I just happened to be in the garden and a Spitfire has just gone over and done a slow roll
Instant emotional goosebumps

Supermarine or Triumph?

Cheers,

Chris