Commissioned by Modelfair.com, Hornby are to produce their A4 4-6-2 locomotive model as 60027 Merlin. It will be in British Railways 1948 experimental purple livery, fitted with a double chimney and a corridor tender with 'British Railways' on its sides. The model will carry a pair of special plaques which were presented by the Captain of HMS Merlin during a ceremony held in 1946.

This is a limited edition model, to celebrate 60 years since the establishment British Railways in 1948. It will come with a set of etched metal nameplates (which can be fitted if so desired) and a limited edition certificate from a run of 1000 models. The model, which is due to be released in October this year, will also be packed in a special commemorative box and will be priced £119.

No. 4486 'Merlin' was completed in March 1937 at the Doncaster works and based at Edinburgh's Haymarket. The LNER livery was replaced in 1948 by British Railways experimental purple/dark blue when it was also renumbered 60027. At this time the round plaques, depicting a flying Merlin that had been fitted to the cab sides in 1946, were moved to the boiler sides. The loco was displaced in 1962 by the Class 55s and 47s and Merlin was first reallocated to Edinburgh St. Margaret's, then later to Glasgow St. Rollox for a further few years until finally being withdrawn from service in September 1965.

This will be held on 21st and 22nd June at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, Garn-yr-Erw, Blaenavon, South Wales NP4 9SF. It will be open between 11 am and 5pm and the entry charges will be - adults £3, children £2 and families (2+2) £8.

By John Cherry

Hitchin, March 1954 to May 1957. Something a little different for East Coast Main Line modellers. Two Fowler 2-6-4Ts (42328 and 42374) arrived at Neasden shed from Plaistow in March 1954. 42374 was soon passed on loan to Kings Cross and worked through to Hitchin on passenger trains in early April 1954 until a failure occurred. In January 1955 both Fowlers were ‘pushed out’ to Hitchin where they took their turn on passenger workings amongst the L1s between Kings Cross and Cambridge. They left for Gorton in May 1957.

By Martin Walls (Belmont, NSW, Australia)

In noting Richard Whitmore's item I would recommend a websitewww.ukmodelshops.co.uk in which, under 'Events and Clubs', there is an 'Exhibition Calendar' showing future exhibitions from the current date and for a considerable number of months in the future. Many of the entries have further links to the club or organisers and often full details of the show and location etc. Very useful.

John Cherry

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Whilst I hate to blow my own trumpet, I have maintained and developed The UK Model Shops website (http://www.ukmodelsops.co.uk) since August 1997 providing what I think is exactly the type of site and information you have detailed. During that time I have publicised something like 400 to 500 exhibitions per year, the vast majority of which have been posted by the exhibition managers or associated club members themselves on my submission forms. In fact, I would go so far as to say that may of them have become very good friends, even if only via e-mail.

Now I am not saying I am perfect, as I am not, and in some cases the organisers of even the largest of shows do not get in touch, but I try my utmost to ensure that all shows are listed, small or large. In the worst case, I will always put a provisional entry in for a show, hoping the organiser will get in touch. Of course, if I know the contact details of a show organiser, I will always endeavour to get in touch with them for further details. The same goes for all the other information on the site such as the 'Clubs and Societies' listing, the 'Model Shops' details and the 'Manufacturers and Suppliers' details.

As always with such directories, I am totally reliant upon information submitted by the organisers or owners and, of course, all you modellers. So, if anyone does have any details that I am missing, or if any of the information I have is incorrect, please get in touch and I will get it sorted, as I am always receptive to being corrected.

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Richard Whitmore makes some very good points suggesting a centralised exhibition site. However, someone has already got there - several years ago!

Adrian Hall's UKModel Shop Directory has been claimed on this magazine site to be the most complete site for all things relating to model railways in the UK and includes a most comprehensive exhibitions calendar.

I have never met Adrian in person, but he is always most friendly and helpful when contacted by e-mail. He is continuing to expand and develop this calendar and encourages exhibition managers to provide information up to one year in advance, i.e. as soon as this year is over, get the information to him for next year's event. There is no charge for this service, Adrian makes his money from general model railway advertising throughout the site and from hosting several companies' websites.

He provides a separate page for an exhibition if he is provided with additional information, such as a list of layouts and/or demonstrations and trade stands. He also includes things like availability of parking, whether the venue is suitable for wheelchairs and so on. I don't think the size of each layout has been included, but that is a good idea, from Brian Macdermott, which I am sure Adrian would want to take up.

He also supports model railway clubs and provides full information about the clubs, provided he is given the material. He has developed a fairly automatic system to handle everything, provided people use the on-line system within his site to communicate with him. However, if there is any doubt, a personal e-mail is sent to clarify specific points.

His web site is http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/, with the calendar at http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/other/events.php

David Temple

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Thanks to Steve Grantham and Johnny Haynes for drawing my attention to the UK Model Shop Directory site: http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/other/events.php . Having immediately looked at the site, I thoroughly concur with both the above contributors that it is an absolutely excellent site that deserves all the support it can get.

If I lived in Great Britain, I would not only be more likely to have been aware of its presence (it was probably admittedly presumptuous of me to think that something like this didn't already exist), I would certainly use it regularly. In its existing form it is very much along the lines of what I was suggesting, as the amount of detail and illustrations of the club layouts advertise the efforts of the participating clubs very well.

The only possible further steps that my original letter suggested would be more details of visiting layouts (to maximise the attraction to potential attendees, which is the main point of the exercise) and to list other local attractions to reinforce the concept of a family day out.

I buy most of the British model railway magazines regularly. Living in Australia, I guess the pages that I spend least time looking at are the UK exhibition diaries, as obviously it's very difficult for me to attend! In my original letter on this subject, I did commend these magazines for supporting exhibitions as much as space commercially allows them to. However, what I am not aware of is whether they then regularly give readers a further reference to this excellent site for more in-depth information. If so, it would obviously receive increased usage. Perhaps any print editors reading this could consider this point.

In any case, I hope that my letter (erroneous as it was in overlooking this site) and informative responses provided, makes more readers aware of that website with the result that more clubs support it in the future. Like MREmag, it is definitely providing a valuable and informative service to the hobby and needs to be utilised to its maximum benefit.

In passing, I hope that British readers do not think that ideas from correspondents in Australia are intended in any other way than to provide helpful input. We are all, just like British modellers, enamoured both with British prototype and model railways. It is also in our interests if British railway modelling, wherever it is carried out, is as commercially successful and as well publicised as it can be. As someone who is not an expatriate and accordingly have no local knowledge or first hand recollections of the British prototype, I am extremely grateful for what I learn from the contributors to this magazine.

Richard Whitmore

I was interested to see as many as 23 respondents to the P4 survey. While this may not be a statistically significant sample it is surely high enough to draw some conclusions. However, I must admit I am amazed to see even one P4 enthusiast request ready-to-use points, let alone four.

Surely the whole point of P4 is modelling with the least possible compromise in the wheel-rail interface. Why on earth would any modeller who is sufficiently keen to model in this scale seriously believe that ready-to-use points in the necessarily limited range of dimensions could possibly be acceptable?

As a died-in-the-wool coarse-scale 00 modeller, even I have become irritated at the limitations in ready-to-use pointwork and, if I had to make one change in my modelling habits that would have the greatest impact on realism, it would certainly be to make my own junctions (or, equivalently, if I had the money, to specify the geometry and let somebody else assemble them). Note that I don’t say ‘points’ here, for it is the flow of the track through a set of points or a complex junction which is the most difficult to achieve with separate points and the one area where great layouts of the past (Buckingham Great Central, for example) did so well.

Even a simple siding on a curve needs a purpose-designed and handmade point to look right and this is before we try to model the differences between the styles of different companies pointwork. Now, I would never criticise an 00 gauge modeller for using ready-to-use pointwork as there are many good reasons why he or she might do so, even when its defects are so readily apparent. But surely we should expect P4 modellers to eschew such conveniences and to follow the path of prototypical righteousness, however stony and difficult to follow.

Otherwise what are they for?

If we must accept even P4 modellers as people who go down to the local shop to buy a ready-to-use model or point, to discuss in learned detail Hornby’s Skaledale range of buildings and to complain that they are tired of building Bulleid coach kits and want Dapol to make some for them in injection-moulded plastic, then we will have no alternative but to shake our heads sadly and search for some other group of knowledgeable, argumentative and annoyingly smug modellers to make us all regularly feel angry/confused/inadequate (delete as applicable) and strive to try harder.

So, any applicants for the vacancy?

Anthony New

Yes, I know it is a long way off, but I also appreciate that many who attend this show buy their tickets well in advance. Just a word of warning that, if you travel by rail from anywhere south of Rugby, be very aware that Network Railcard are planning a considerable number of weekend closures of the West Coast route as the modernisation work at Rugby is well behind schedule. They have already hit Saturday services in June and July. It is a strong possibility that the Warley show weekend is one that will be affected. It would be wise to keep a check on that situation.

John Cherry

I hope Richard Slippers suggestions was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, but it most certainly is not easier to measure 18.5mm rather than 18.2mm. Both are measurements to the same precision of 0.1mm. It is harder to measure 18.83mm since we now need a precision of 0.01mm.

You would never use a ruler "with half mm graduations" to measure track gauge, even for course scale.

Andrew Crosland

I dearly wanted a Bachmann 'Jubilee' and had saved up my pennies to get one at Railex at Aylesbury. Then I saw large Bachmann adverts in the major magazines stating that they were fitted with 21-pin decoder sockets, much to my consternation. The Railway Modeller review of this 'Jubilee' in their March 2008 issue stated quite clearly that a 8-pin (NEM652) socket was fitted.

I bought Hong Kong and, lo and behold, it has an 8-pin socket - thank goodness! However, I wonder if this was merely a mistake from Bachmann's advertising department or if they are going to change over to the 21-pin socket. This would be a great shame as steam locos, not having lights, horns and all sorts of other gubbins like the diesels and electrics, don't require 21-pin sockets. Add the fact that the NMRA have not as yet decided to standardise on a 21-pin or a 22-pin socket only adds to the confusion. I trust that Bachmann will continue with 8-pin sockets for steam locos. It is a major factor in considering whether to buy or not; I really do not want to rip out a 21-pin socket and hardwire my decoder. It may be convenient for Bachmann but it is not for me and may well affect my decision to buy a locomotive in the future.

On another aspect, I ran-in my 'Jubilee', as per instructions, on my H&M locotester and she ran well but I did notice that she drew a fair bit more power than the other Bachmann locos that I have (all similar size or larger and Chinese built). Not having a layout, pending a house move, a friend programmed the decoder for me and ran it on his continuous layout. It behaved perfectly, as we have come to expect, but he too noticed that the 'Jubilee' did draw more power than his other Bachmann stock. Do you know if Bachmann have changed / altered the motors from the norm in the new 'Jubilees'?

Alvar York

I've inherited an old CCW model kit of a Stanier 'Black 5' (kit ol/mo72) and, in various moves, a few of the pieces have gone astray. I was wondering if anyone could steer me in the right direction to find the pieces to complete the model. I should like to complete it as I inherited the kit from my father and he has now passed on.

Parts that I have identified as missing are: the plans and instructions, the bogie truck, pistons, coupling rods, backhead and cab fittings.

Help in this tracing the parts (or their modern equivalent) would be greatly appreciated.

Also, would anyone be able to suggest a supplier of 0 gauge number and shed plates for various locomotives. I also inherited various other 0 gauge models that I would like to complete and detail. These include a 'Hymek' and Class 33.

Ian Jennings

I have two queries.

1. Can any one help with information, pictures or drawings of the American locos used on British Railways around the 1900s. Baldwin and Schenectady loco works provided 2-6-0 used by MR, GCR and GNR. I am looking for sufficient information to build a model. All I have at present is a picture of two versions in the Midland Album by H C Casserley & C C Dorman.

2. I tried to get in touch with Q Kits, before coming out to Cyprus, but failed to get a reply. Has this company ceased to operate? Has anyone else taken on the business? They produced diesel kits and some SR steam outline at a very reasonable price.

The signal debate is very interesting I still have a Tri-ang signal and two Hornby signals. It would be great to be able to get a signal kit that could be adapted to provide at least some of the variations that are required.

Peter Hardacre - Cyprus

Further to my recent message, I have now located the information to confirm that Jubilee 45595 Southern Rhodesia was photographed and filmed by Gavin Morrison departing from Branksome on an Up 'Pigeon Special' on 7 September 1964. So, for all you South Western modellers of that period, you now have a good reason to include a 'Jubilee' amongst your 'Bullied Pacifics'. Interestingly, 45595 was transferred from Crewe North to Llandudno Junction during that month.

John Cherry

I'm all for the illusion of model railways, but well done and well thought out to Mr Richard Slipper. A bounce of .5 or 1 inch or even 2 is of course perceptible on the prototype, but is 0.2mm, 0.4mm or 0.8mm. Worth the effort to try to replicate? In an ideal situation the signal would not bounce anyway.

Are we going to ask Peco to have the odd lifting dog-spike on a yard of track, randomly spaced of course? Are we going to ask Hornby to make the odd loco seize a bearing on one axle as happens on the prototype? Of course not, but where does it stop? Rather than worry about this, maybe we could get our trains to start more smoothly and give the feeling of mass etc. and carry on our 'ideal worlds' and operate our trains more in keeping with the prototype rather than what might seem the peripheral stuff which, while it is nice to know it can be done, acts as a diversion.

Trevor Gibbs - Melbourne

Model train and tram enthusiasts can now ensure their final journey is a fitting one by pre-ordering a personalised coffin designed with pictures of their favourite. Colourful Coffins, specialists in bespoke picture coffin designs, has just launched a new service which, for the first time, allows individuals to work exclusively with its expert designers to create a very special and unique coffin.

The move captures the increasing trend away from traditional wooden coffins toward those that help commemorate a person’s life, their family, friends and hobbies. Managing director, Mary Tomes, said:

"Many families tell us having a Colourful Coffin is seen as a unique way to celebrate the life of a loved one and make a sad day a little more bearable. "Model trains and trams are one of our most popular designs and we’ve done some wonderful ones. "We’re able to personalise every little detail, such as names and colours, so each picture coffin can be a very special and personal tribute to a much-loved individual and that’s what makes our service so different."

Until recently, families have been able to order a Colourful Coffin only once a loved one has died, but the new pre-design service gives people the chance to plan their own coffin design in the same way as they would leave a Will or choose their funeral service in advance.

"Although no-one really likes to have to think about these things, it’s a very practical approach and in many ways, it’s a very special gift to leave behind for your family because they know they are fulfilling your last wishes," added Tomes. "If you’ve loved modelling trains all your life, then what better way to go on your final journey than in a coffin which depicts one of your favourites."

This is on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th June at East Halton Village Hall, Town Street, East Halton, Nr. Immingham, Lincolnshire DN40 3QA. The opening times are 11am-5pm on the Saturday and 10am-4pm on the Sunday.

The admission prices are £3.50 for adults, £2.50 for and £2.50 for children.

By Brian Macdermott

On 18 March 1957, Jubilee 4-6-0 No.45561 Saskatchewan came to a stand at Hathern with injector trouble while working the 10.15am St Pancras-Manchester Central. She managed to struggle on to Sheet Stores Junction where 9F 2-10-0 No.92052 was attached as pilot as far as Derby. They were both replaced by Standard Class 5 4-6-0 No.73065.

(Source: Railway Observer, April 1957)

I am a bit at a loss as to the point Nick Stanbury is trying to make or have I missed something?

The organisers obviously are trying to provide a show which will not only satisfy the public but hopefully cover the costs incurred by the participants. They cannot be held responsible for the cost of travel to and from their venue.

There are many shows each year that I am unable to attend being resident in Scotland and therefore much further away from the "hub" of the larger exhibitions, although I do travel down to York and Wigan and other northern venues when possible. No doubt there are many others who cannot afford the travelling or the time to visit some exhibitions. That's life!!

Rarely does the financial outlay, in the cold light of the day, seem appropriate but you have to offset that with the sights seen, experiences and information gained and the enjoyment (hopefully) of your visit.

Please do not blame the providers for their choice of location if it is suitable and, it would appear in this case, successful, or indeed the entrance fee as I understand that on occasions the participants do not make much out of the venture.

On my way into work today I popped into the local model shop and spotted the new Classix Jensen Jen-Tug mechanical horse. Two versions were on display and I immediately bought the BR liveried box van version. What a lovely little model. Later I thought it looked a bit small but as I can't recall the real things, only the Dinky Helec version, I assumed it to be right.

I got to work and the July issue of Heritage Commercial magazine had just been delivered and, guess what, there was a feature on the small Jensen commercials, and yes, they were small. A chap alongside one stands just under roof height; and there is also a photo in the magazine of the actual vehicle modelled by Classix.

Coincidence or what?

If you want one, I suggest you get one quickly. It was a fairly obscure machine but one with character. I doubt they will hang around for long.

Bob Fleming

Younger readers might also like to know that Bill Haley was the first rock'n'roller to die of old age.

Regarding surveys other than for 00, I see that EM got more votes than P4. The surveys show that in the 1:76 scales: most people model in 00 (because it’s easy with stuff off the shelf), fewest model in P4 (because that’s hardest) and some model in EM (presumably because that’s less hard than P4 and the track gauge looks better than that which is 16.5mm wide).

The EM and P4 modellers are unlikely to both be catered for by the ready-to-run market and, therefore, many will remain unhappy to some degree. What is needed is a good old British compromise.

If a gauge of 18.5mm were to be agreed then there is a good chance that many modellers would accept that as the British Standard. OK, it’s as wrong as EM at 18.2 but it’s a somewhat easier to measure half a mm than .2 or .83 – I have a rule with half mm graduations. Actually, 19mm would be even easier.

Two track standards could be agreed: 18.5mm coarse-scale and 18.5mm finescale.

The difference between what I propose is called 'RSR gauge' (Richard Slipper’s Railway) and accurate 4mm scale (in imperial prototypes) is .33 a mm (or .17mm in 19mm RSR gauge if easier to make. Even the most ardent P4 disciple might be able to ignore .17mm). For anybody wishing to model the really old GWR I propose 'RSR(bg)' at 28mm (bg standing for broad gauge in case that is not evident).

The coarse scale would be for ready-to-run and the finescale could be used by those for whom this is not good enough - replacement chassis/wheels etc.

Richard Whitmore might like to look here: http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/other/events.php Adrian does his best to list every show but needs to be informed of them first. There may be other similar sites but I doubt they are as comprehensive as this one.

Steve Grantham

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If you want a centralised exhibition website - try The UK Model Shop Directory? It is good to see Richard Whitmore's thoughtful letter providing a first class plug for The UK Model Shop Directory website - and from the other side of the globe!

Unless I'm mistaken this addictive site provides a link to almost everything in UK railway modelling, from suppliers to events and much, much more. Like all these digital gems, the webmaster can only provide information reliably supplied and regularly updated. My personal opinion is that The UK Model Shop Directory webmaster seems to be doing an excellent, though unenviable, job!

Johnny Haynes

I thought I’d logged onto the wrong website this morning when looking for my daily fix of MREmag, that wonderful daily publication that caters for the interests of railway modellers of all gauges, ages, social backgrounds, income levels and academic achievements. But no, I had somehow been sent to a website that was giving tuition in the art of written English and website presentation.

These are commendable activities but can I suggest that it is outside the brief of this 'forum'. Furthermore, can I suggest that correspondents should resist from publicly humiliating those people by name who may not possess the same level of writing, spelling or typing skills as themselves.

I stress that I have nothing but the utmost respect for Pat in having to spend, no doubt, a vast amount of time editing correspondence into a presentable format for publication. It comes with the territory of being an editor but we should all do everything we can to assist Pat in making his job as easy as possible.

Now can we get back to model railways please?

Dick Flower

How far does a signal bounce? Do different signals bounce different amounts? Do they bounce different amounts at different times? How much would this equate to in 1:76 scale? Is it worth the bother?

Richard Slipper

I suspect this question has been asked (and answered) before. Can you run a DCC-fitted loco on a DC layout that uses Relco track cleaners. If so, what happens? I did inadvertently run one briefly recently on a friend's layout, with no ill-effects, but am reluctant to try again.

As ever, MREmag is great!

Lou Burns

All four exhibition Halls within the Fleet Air Arm Museum are now fully booked for the South West Model Railway Show on 14 and 15 June. Interest from traders, manufacturers, clubs and associations has exceeded expectation.

The new show has attracted support from Hornby and Peco and will feature some of the UK's most impressive layouts, including the N gauge 'Moorcock Junction', the 40 ft long 'Tarrant Valley' layout and a 59 ft long layout by the Westford Modellers Group.

The event promises to be quite a spectacle as it will be set among Europe’s largest collection of naval aircraft and the first British built Concorde.

Doors will open to the public at 10.00am and normal museum entry prices will apply. So, when not looking at the show, visitors will be free to see the whole museum from the award winning Aircraft Carrier Experience to going on board Concorde.

Following the completion of this year's Wish List Poll for 00 modellers we were asked to consider running similar polls for those modelling in N gauge and 0 gauge. With the help of GPP Software, throughout May we ran polls for both these gauges as well as for P4 and EM modellers. May I take this opportunity to thank all those who took the trouble to vote. Hopefully your contributions will help to guide manufacturers with their choices.

As expected, the response in the N gauge poll was much higher than that of the other three polls and we are not yet in a position to release the N gauge results as they are still being collated. However, we can reveal here the findings of the 0, P4 and EM polls.

Also as expected, voting numbers in these three polls were very low when compared with the more than a thousand who voted in the earlier 00 Wish List Poll. There were 42 voters in the 0 gauge poll, 24 in the P4 poll and 47 in that for EM modellers. In each case, voters had a total of 10 votes they could cast if they wished and, again, as in the past, not all votes were used.

0 Gauge

Looking first at the 0 gauge poll, a total of 289 votes were cast but these were spread far and wide. The greatest number of votes was for Bulleid coaching stock which received a total of 13 votes. Only three other subjects received more that 3 votes and these were an LMS Ivatt 4MT Mogul, SR West Country 4-6-0 (unrebuilt) and an LSWR M7 0-4-4T - all of which received 4 votes.

Subjects that attracted three votes were: LSWR 700 0-6-0, LSWR T9 4-4-0, LNER B1 4-6-0, BR 4MT 2-6-0, BR 4MT 4-6-0, BR 7MT 4-6-2 Britannia, Class 26, Bulleid-Raworth 1Co-Co1 Diesel Electric, Class 33, Class 31, Class 205 Hampshire Unit (2H/3H), Maunsell coach stock, operating semaphore signals (general) and a Cowans Sheldon breakdown crane.

Looking at the number of votes cast in the top ten items in each section of the poll, we can reveal the following: GWR steam received a total of 10 votes, Southern steam 23, LMS steam 16, LNER steam 15, LT steam 5, BR steam 19, industrial steam 6, diesels 23, electrics 5, DMUs 14, EMUs 5, GWR coaches 2, SR coaches 20, LMS coaches 1, LNER coaches 3, BR coaches 5, GWR wagons 6, SR wagons 1, LMS wagons 9, LNER wagons 8, BR wagons 11 and lineside and miscellaneous subjects 19.

With such a low level of voting it is difficult to draw many conclusions. However, amongst those who voted, there was a bias towards the Southern Railway, especially Bulleid coaches, but also with specific interest for BR steam and diesels (again with a Southern bias).

P4 Scale

With 6 votes, not surprisingly the most wanted subject amongst the 23 P4 voters was ready-to-use P4 turnouts. While 6 votes may appear small, those voters say that together they could use 111 points. In second highest vote of 4 went to a Bulleid-Raworth 1Co-Co1 Diesel Electric locomotive.

Subjects that attracted three votes were: LSWR T9 4-4-0, NER (LNER) J21 0-6-0 NER (LNER) B16 4-6-0, GNR (LNER) J6 0-6-0, Bulleid coach stock and cheaper P4 loco wheel conversion packs. The last of these is more significant because the three votes together wanted a total of 51 packs.

Looking at the number of votes cast in the top ten items in each section of the poll we can reveal the following: GWR steam 9, Southern steam 18, LMS steam 8, LNER steam 20, LT steam 2, BR steam 5, industrial steam 1, diesels 17, electrics 7, pioneer locomotives 1, DMUs 7, EMUs 13, GWR coaches 2, SR coaches 8, LMS coaches 1, LNER coaches 3, BR coaches 5, GWR wagons 1, SR wagons 6, LMS wagons 1, LNER wagons 1, BR wagons 6 and lineside/miscellaneous 13.

It was suggested to voters in this poll that items they voted for would more likely be produced if the models already existed and/or could easily be produced to be converted to 00 and EM gauges. Those models voted for in the P4 poll which are already available in 00 gauge therefore fall into this category.

Once again, the low level of voting makes it difficult to draw conclusions. Because of the number required by each modeller, of particular relevance are the turnouts and wheel conversion packs. Amongst the voters there was strong support for 'modern image', which did not come as a surprise, but also for SR and LNER steam.

EM Gauge

EM gauge drew the greatest number of voters of the three polls and the 47 who did vote in this poll wasted few of their votes. In fact, a total of 435 votes were cast and, remarkably, over a quarter of these were for LNER locomotives! The most popular item was a GNR (LNER) J6 0-6-0.

Taken from the top ten of each category, the following subjects received more than 3 votes (the votes for each are given in brackets): GNR (LNER) J6 0-6-0 (26), NER (LNER) B16 4-6-0 (23), GCR (LNER) D11/1 Director Class 4-4-0 (20), GCR (LNER) C4 4-4-2 (17), GER (LNER) D16 Claud Hamilton 4-4-0 (17), Blue Pullman (15), GNR (LNER) C1 4-4-2 Atlantic (14), GNR (LNER) J50 0-6-0T (13), LMS Garratt 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 LNWR George 4-4-0 (13), LNWR George 4-4-0 (13), Class 76 EM1 (12), GCR (LNER) O4 2-8-0 ROD (10), NER (LNER) J21 0-6-0 (8), GER (LNER) B12 4-6-0 (7), LBSCR H2 4-4-2 Brighton Atlantic (7), LNWR Precursor 4-4-0 (7), LNWR Precursor 4-4-0 (7), GWR 29xx 4-6-0 Saint (5), LNWR Prince of Wales 4-6-0 (5), LNWR Webb Cauliflower 0-6-0 (5), LNWR Prince of Wales 4-6-0 (5), LNWR Webb Cauliflower 0-6-0 (5), Class 23 Baby Deltic (5), LMS Garratt 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 (4) and ready-to-use EM turnouts (4).

Once again it was suggested to voters in this poll that items they voted for would more likely be produced if the models already existed and/or could easily be produced to be converted to 00 and P4 scales. Those models voted for in the EM poll which are already available in 00 gauge therefore fall into this category.

To compare the relative popularity of each section of the poll we can reveal that the number of votes cast in the top ten items were as follows: GWR steam 22, Southern steam 20, LMS steam 42, LNER steam 155, LT steam 1, BR steam 6, Industrial steam 0, diesels 15, electrics 23, Pioneer locomotives 2, DMUs 20, EMUs 12, GWR coaches 3, SR coaches 6, LMS coaches 5, LNER coaches 6, BR coaches 4, GWR wagons 4, SR wagons 0, LMS wagons 0, LNER wagons 0, BR wagons 3 and lineside/miscellaneous 14.

Amongst the voters in this poll there was a very strong bias towards the LNER and virtually no interest in rolling stock. Modern image subjects were also poorly supported in comparison to steam (the electric loco and DMU sections were much boosted by the high number of votes for the Class 76 EM1 and the Blue Pullman). The heavier voting means that better conclusions of demand can be drawn from the poll results.

We are grateful to GPP Software for the time and effort in managing the polls and asked them to comment on the polls:

"We always recognised that none of the lists could be exhaustive because we don't know every vehicle which ever ran and, of course, many locos never reached BR ownership, so we provided the facility for voters to send suggestions to us for items to add to the lists. The feature was widely used and we updated the lists accordingly. The net result has been that we have been able to provide the poll results far quicker than before."

By Brian Macdermott

On 5 February 1957, a special train was organised by the Daily Mirror to meet Bill Haley at Southampton Terminus. Hauled by West Country 4-6-2 No.34020 Seaton, the train comprised 8-set 351 with two Pullmans. The loco wore a full-size smokebox headboard ‘Daily Mirror Bill Haley Special’ (black lettering on yellow background). Similar roofboards were supplied for the coaches. Apparently, there was a near-riot when the train arrived at Waterloo’s Platform 11.

For the benefit of younger readers, Bill Haley and the Comets were the ‘pop-stars of the day’ following their No.1 hit Rock around the Clock (1954).

Many thanks to both Kevin Lee & Graham Bucknell for their responses to my enquiry. It was very disappointing to find that none of the Romanian babes carried the Dutch livery, but my layout is a 'preserved' line and so a little airing of the old modellers licence could see one in this guise for a short term. Perhaps a themed season on the line.

Bob Hart

Whilst I note Chris Wright’s comments as per Modern Railways, at the start of 1966, only 14 Jubilees were left. It is agreed that some of these did work Summer Saturday services from Leeds area but I doubt if many got further than Sheffield or Derby and certainly not as far as the Southern.

I am puzzled by '45186' as that is a Black 5 whilst 45633 Aden was withdrawn in October 1965. Not even Railtours brought Jubilees to the Southern, as far as I am aware, although 45595 Southern Rhodesia did get deep into the Bournemouth area on a parcels or pigeon working in early 1960s. However, I cannot at present locate the picture taken by Gavin Morrison to provide a more exact date. Gavin also filmed that working and it is on one of his excellent DVDs.

John Cherry

I must apologise to David Fairgrieve, who asked if I had ever considered modelling the (pauses for a reflexive and entirely involuntary rage-induced spasmic clench of the jaw) Long Island Rail Road, for not responding to his implied question (posting on Monday 19.5.08).

The answer is that I’ve often considered doing a LIRR module or a diorama, especially at those times I come across locomotives and rolling stock already detailed for the road. There are very occasional releases of stuff in H0 (usually) in LIRR livery and local interest is high enough that a visit to area model shops can often result in a 'spotting' in the display cases.

To partly make up for not responding in a timely manner (in all honesty I missed the original post because I was too busy arguing about signals and track) I would like to offer my services to David as far as supplying descriptive matter and pictures of the railroad as it stands today (at least, the parts they will let me photograph in today’s 'everyone’s a terrorist' atmosphere) for any model railroad he is considering. I can also reach into the dubious corridors of Mr Memory and fish out stuff. In the meantime, Here is an LIRR modelling website I came across that may be helpful.

A major attraction of the LIRR, as a modelling subject, is that it offers several types of scenic terrain opportunities, but all of them are just about as flat as can be as far as the trackbed is concerned. There are routes that run near open ocean, routes that run entirely out of sight of any large body of water and a route that is elevated for the majority of it’s length. The scenery undulates, the track doesn’t (at least, not intentionally). Anyone could lay track for this model without too much trouble.

Another attraction is the relative paucity of rolling stock types (at least as far as the modern era is concerned). Third-rail EMU running along with the very occasional 'duplex mode' diesel, is the order of the day.

Twenty five years ago (the period I would choose today if I were modelling the LIRR) the rolling stock had more character (read: was old and decrepit) but now it is (mostly) spiffy. Even in the eighties the loco roster was quite restrained as far as types went, allowing the modeller on a shoestring budget to bring realistic operation forth with minimal investment. Not only that, there are actual trains running with only three carriages so this is one of those rare times that a small layout can host a prototypical train length without breaking a sweat. Put a reasonable facsimile of a DM30AC in front of four double decker Kawasaki C3 coaches and you have an absolutely accurate scale model LIRR train. Don’t drive it too fast (ducks for cover). I have seen the mid-80s era M3 and M1 EMUs available in H0 (I remember them as being pricey though) but I have no idea where you would find the newer M7s.

While the LIRR offers mainly passenger and MoW traffic during the day, there is a lease arrangement with a third party railroad to move freight during off-peak periods these days, and a number of small trackside industries that would be a delight to model and use (the LIRR used to move its own freight but decided it was more fun to torment people with its signature passenger 'service'). Actual examples from my own commute include a tiny multimodal facility (now defunct but operational in 1990) many freight houses (again, defunct for the most part but it wouldn’t be a stretch too far to keep a couple open for business), a liquid propane distributor connecting directly to a rail tank car (an ideal real-world industry to model and the one that inspires me to think about an LIRR module every now and then) and the largely-decommissioned Grumman plant (the one they built the Lunar Module in).

If David is interested and willing to supply an e-mail address, we could take any discussion of his plans and requirements off-board.

Steve Mann. Riding With The Devil to NYC on a daily basis.

In Reply to David F Newby, I have swapped bodies only on classes 20 & 37. The donor body needs the fan housing unscrewing to accept the speaker.

The sound itself would be great for running around a rake of coaches, especially the coupling up noise.

Paul Smith

Nearly 50 years ago, Kitmaster made a superb plastic model of a GNR Stirling 'Single' 4-2-2 but there hasn’t ever been a ready-to-run version. The Thomas the Tank Engine series of characters includes Emily, which in the stories is based on a Stirling 'Single'. However, the Hornby representation of this is a compromise based on a domeless Lord of the Isles GWR single.

While Hornby holds the licence to make models of the "Thomas" series in the UK, Bachmann hold the rights in the US. Their representation of "Emily" is in fact a very good and completely new 00 (not H0) model of a Stirling single, with 8 ft drivers and an appropriate livery (item number 58748). Unlike the Kitmaster model, it is of the final series with larger cylinders and a backward extension to the cab roof (see illustration on p 26 in C Fryer: Single Wheeler Locomotives. OPC, 1993 ). The model is of course not super detailed, but is comparable to the cheaper ranges now being marketed by major manufacturers.. All one needs to do to convert it to an acceptable model is to replace the face with a suitable smokebox door (I found one in my scrapbox) and apply some GNR numbers and lettering (HMRS). A coat of black paint inside the cab also helps.

The model is surprisingly sophisticated mechanically. Unlike the Hornby singles, where only the main driver is powered, the Bachmann model is in fact a 2-4-2, with the rear wheel of the front bogie fixed in the chassis and driven by a gear train together with the much larger main driver, so its tractive effort is pretty good. (The front wheel of the leading bogie is also fixed to the chassis but has a large transversal movement…now there’s a clever use of our too narrow 00 track gauge).

As the small can motor is mounted in an insulated plastic casing with two wires leading to the brushes, conversion to DCC is simple too. It doesn’t seem to be easily available in the UK, but can be got by mail order from the USA. Perhaps Bachmann could consider releasing it as a "proper" model of a Stirling single, without the face and without all the licensing restrictions.

David Bourne

Subsequent to recent comments about exhibitions, it was interesting to read Brian Macdermott's exceptionally positive comments about Railex 2008. In particular, it was thought provoking that Brian took the forty mile trip in very poor weather conditions because he knew exactly what layouts were on display, including the approximate size, scale, prototype and era of such. This gave him enough information to deem the trip worthwhile. The fact that Brian came away an obviously satisfied customer, having seen what he expected to see, with some obviously friendly operators thrown in for good measure, does make one think that Railex have an excellent formula for attracting people to exhibitions.

As those of us who buy model railway magazines (both in the UK and here in Australia, where the price of petrol is also seriously affecting our travelling habits) know, the model railway press does its very best to support the publicity of exhibitions with regular diaries and details of layouts included. Both clubs and attendees are surely grateful of such and it would be unreasonable to ask them to allocate more space than they already do in what has to be a commercial publication. But is there something more the clubs and organisers could do themselves?

I will thoroughly accept it if readers feel the following idea is either impossible to achieve or totally 'daft' in the first place. But what about the idea of a centralised model railway exhibition website which, for a fee, all clubs could submit details of their upcoming exhibitions? They could provide information such as that which Railex 2008 did on the actual layouts attending (as quoted above) and could actually provide some promotional layout photos, which can be far more enticing than the very brief description that it is only possible for commercial magazines to give. Certainly, some layouts are so famous from the press and other exhibitions that this is not always necessary, but I am sure there are many other excellent layouts that would draw people to exhibitions if properly illustrated or publicised.

The club could also advertise parking and transport facilities, and any other nearby attractions which could make a real day out of it.

The question of course is who would organise and administer such a website. There would of course be original costs for the creation and initial advertising of the site. I am guessing that if a set computer format and protocol for postings was established, this would assist in reducing administration costs and accordingly the costs to clubs. Revenues to the operator of the site would come from the clubs, probably on the basis of the quantity of advertising space used. This is of course similar to advertising in a printed magazine, except of course in this case the advertisement does not have to be mass produced in print, so it can be a lot less expensive and accordingly contain the requisite detail and illustrations clubs would want. As most exhibitions are only annual, I don't believe that the administrator would have to update more than weekly - even with the support of most clubs.

Personally, my own business sense tells me that this would be an ideal 'link' to a website of a manufacturer, retailer or service provider who already has an Internet site. Just think of all the modellers you would be regularly attracting to your current site and the marketing advantage that this would give you for a very low outlay. To me this seems a situation where everybody wins.

Richard Whitmore

Without, I hope, broadening the subject too far beyond MREMag’s usual boundaries, I think readers should take note of Ian McMurray’s wise words on website presentation. What he says is, of course, equally applicable to all forms of media, including postings in a forum like this.

My own work has included many writing and editing tasks and I so often see material that is so poorly presented as to need a complete rewrite. The writer may well have had complete mastery of his subject and be of high intelligence but simply failed to convey his message in a clear, unambiguous and ‘readable’ manner. The main problem was often little more than a failure to check spelling, punctuation and such obvious things as subject-verb agreement.

I once had occasion to write a ‘style guide’ for a former employer’s staff, the aim being to identify, and therefore eliminate, as many of the common errors in writing as possible. It was treated with some scepticism; most people either do not recognise that their writing skills may be creaky or at least will not admit to it – much as we all think we are good drivers. A significant number felt that ‘casual’ (i.e. sloppy) writing was perfectly acceptable, even in a business context, and that no-one on the receiving end would really care. I said then (and say again now) that maybe only 20% of one’s audience would indeed notice, and only half of them would be irritated, but in my view that was at least 10% too many. And, as Ian rightly suggests, all this has a wider adverse impact on the image of the business, and its employees. It is unlikely that the effects of this will ever be fully identified and it may be very difficult to correct.

Although all language is alive and does develop, the process is neither as speedy nor as drastic as many would believe. We have not yet reached the point ‘like’ when we can rightly say that we are ‘bored of’ something or that an amount may be ‘debited from’ our account (to quote three very common current horrors), nor do we all want to communicate in lazy ‘text speak’.

No, I am not trying to suggest that those who post in this forum are commonly at fault – although there is always room for improvement. It is not fair to expect Pat, or the readers, to have to read between the lines in order to extract, if they can, the intended information. And it helps if the writer has read and truly understood any previous postings before dashing off his reply. A wise man once said, in relation to answering exam questions, that one should read very carefully what the examiner actually says and answer accordingly. Few marks will be gained by answering the alternative question the candidate thought was being asked, or would have preferred to have been asked!

Nick Stanbury

To quote Raymond Embleton: "why should I take the time and trouble to send corrections to 30 plus errors when the site owner himself does not appear to have made much effort to check them before launching the site".

As he has gone to the trouble of listing them for MREmag readers - why not!

In relation to the total number of nameplates listed on the website involved the number of errors is trivial. In any case, as long as the spelling is correct on the actual nameplates, is it really so important. In fact, as Gary states on the website, "This has been a long and painful (two fingered) exercise. It is not perfect, so if you find any blindingly obvious mistakes please do e-mail me and I'll put them right."

Raymond also appears to suggest that many of the errors could have been avoided by using a Spellcheck facility, however, this the Spellcheck facility in Microsoft Word fails to recognise UK placenames and when working in a professional capacity in the Travel Trade I discovered it queried the spelling of places such as York and London so it is unlikely that any of these programmes will recognise the names of small villages or winners of classic horseraces.

Unlike Mr Embleton I will take the trouble to e-mail Gary if I find any errors/omissions.

Years ago I made a mechanical device to do this. A low geared motor drove a circular cam, into which the displacement of the signal arm, including bounce, was cut. A lever transferred the motion to the signal. A simple push button operated the motor. The speed of operation was set by a suitable resistor in series with the motor

David Bourne

Brian Macdermott makes a good point about signal siting but I don't think 24 pages, even on closely spaced A4, would do justice to the subject. The problem with most explanations of signalling for railway modellers (or indeed anyone else) is that the authors tend to ignore the basics and dive, usually wrongly, straight into "this is a Home Signal" mode - which then leaves a trail of confusion as the reader moves on to the more complex (not complicated) areas.

I reckon the best course is a good explanation, which explains the principles first then moves into the purpose of signals and then on to how they are sited (and sighted) and worked. But adding Company/Regional variations, without even going into great depth on them, is also necessary in order to make the thing more useful for modellers - otherwise they are just going to get it wrong in other ways. The recent question about how distant signals would be arranged at an LMR location, in a particular era, illustrated that point well. It produced half a dozen answers which were mostly correct in their own particular way! All that, properly illustrated, will take a lot more than 24 pages.

The big question is - will it sell?

If so, I'll be back onto the publisher and dusting off the manuscript. I'll be including colour light signalling that comes (severely cut) to over 60,000 words. I have a couple of hundred, specially taken, photos to back it up - including a lot of colour light stuff. If the job is going to be done at all, it should be done properly, as far too much misleading and ill-researched material has already appeared on the subject. I am never surprised that many people remain confused about signalling because, in my view, much of what has previously been published has done little or nothing to get the basics right.

In the meanwhile, a piece of simple advice would be to get the Ian Allan book if you can find a copy. The Kichenside & Williams British Railway Signalling is well written. Much of it was cross-checked by signal engineers (it is a shame a few more operators didn't get a look in) and it is very readable. It might be out of print but it came in at least 4 editions, with different ISBN numbers. I have seen second-hand copies about. It is, in my view, one of the best books for basic explanation, and then leading further into the subject. Unlike several others (including some aimed at the modeller), the authors went to a lot of trouble to ensure accuracy.

Mike Romans

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With a great deal of interest over the past few weeks, I've been following the discussion with regards to signals and their placement. This evening, Brian Macdermott made an offer I just can't refuse. So Brian, yes please, and 'thanks for all the fish(tails)' [with apologies to all Hitchhikers Guide fans - I don't want to alienate myself] sorry!

Seriously though, I would warmly welcome a simple, clear and lucid explanation of British signalling practice, specifically aimed at the modeller to allow him to at least come close to 'good practice'. I, personally, just want to be able to create a believable illusion and it's pretty obvious that signals are very important to the overall illusion.

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While looking through my collection of railway modelling books, I chanced upon a book titled Model Railway Signalling by C.J. Freezer himself, which may be of use to those looking for help over the signalling issue. Although my copy is a 1993 reprint, I’m sure copies can be obtained from second-hand stalls at shows and the suchlike. The ISBN is 1-85260-174-4.

There are sections regarding the background of signalling, positioning, operating and even scratch building semaphores (slightly beyond my capabilities). There are also photographs of some rather splendid signals that must have taken a lot of man-hours to produce.

One other point on signals to be born in mind, is that the various pre-Nationalisation (and, indeed, pre-Grouping) railway companies had their own individual signalling ways and some companies would have a forest of signals on gantries and brackets and others would suffice with just a handful. Ground signals are an example, whereby, under one company, would read for a number of routes (i.e. the GWR) and, under another, there would be ground signals for every conceivable route.

There are a number of good books on signalling, though they do tend to be on the expensive side but well worth hunting down second-hand copies. Also, the Signalling Record Society has a website at www.siam.co.uk/srs which might be worth a visit, and they also have a stand at the large model shows (certainly they were at Warley last year).

Ian Smith - (No, the other one who also has a middle name of David!)

The main feature in this latest issue is 'Holland Park Container Terminal', modelled in 4mm scale by Nick Gurney who previously gave us 'Dyserth Road'. The new model is most impressive with fully working depot cranes and excellent landscaping. The pictures are quite stunning.

By Simon Baldwin

A plan of Copley Hill shed in Leeds can be found on page 74 of BR Steam Motive Power Depots – ER, written by Paul Bolger and published by Ian Allan in 1982 (ISBN 0 7110 1193 1). It shows a plan of the depot as it was in 1932.

Mike Adler

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One source of information is BR Steam Motive Power Depots – ER by Paul Bolger, published by Ian Allan in 1982, ISBN0 7110 1193 1. Apparently Copley Hill was ex-Great Northern and so became part of the Eastern Region (37B) from 1948 to 1956 when it was transferred to the NER as 56C. The book gives a track plan sketch and allocations at various dates.

Even better is Great Northern Railway Engine Sheds Volume 3 - Lancashire & Yorkshire by Roger Griffiths and John Hooper, published by Book Law/Railbus in association with Challenger, in 2000 (ISBN 1 899624 26 0). Plans and photos including an aerial view. You may be able to get one of these from Brielow Bar bookshop near Buxton at www.bookstore-derbyshire.co.uk tel: 10298 71017.

Also, try Leeds Library; you probably need the Local Studies section. If Derby Local Studies Library is anything to go by, they should have several editions of OS maps at 25 inches to the mile. If it came within the Leeds city boundary, they should also have maps at 125 inches to the mile.

Finally, try www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk to see if they have reprinted the area you want. They start with the 25 inch maps and reprint at about 15 inches/mile.

Then after tea…………….

Richard Billinge

I’m pleased to hear from David Lane, the exhibition manager, that Railex was apparently a success. He says that attendance was up 28% and some visitors travelled ‘hundreds of miles’ to be there and concludes that high fuel prices were not a deterrent as I had suggested. Well, obviously not to those who did go, but I still believe that attendance at a show like this must be limited by the burden of travel costs falling on those who live at a distance.

But the key aspect is whether the actual number attending this year (whatever it happened to be) was satisfactory to the organisers, as distinct from being 28% up on last year. More to the point, did this number generate enough turnover to ensure costs were at least covered? I hope so – in which case it doesn’t matter too much (at least to the organisers!) if distance and cost did limit attendance. I assume too that the venue could have coped with a higher number of visitors, had they materialised. Circumstances may be different next year.

I am somewhat reminded of one of my professional institutes, which celebrated its centenary in 2007 with a splendid gala dinner. It was very obvious that the venue chosen could accommodate only a small proportion of the total membership, so the event carried a high ticket price that effectively limited access to those who could enjoy corporate hospitality. An understandable and commercially-sound decision – but obviously a disappointment to the many who were therefore excluded.

I was aware of the Railex pre-booking discount. But the £1.00 saving was insignificant in comparison with my travel costs and scarcely justified the expenditure of time and postage to secure it. But it would have been more worthwhile for a party booking and, as David suggests, there may be scope for near-neighbours to share a car if they can be put in touch. Naturally, I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that Pat runs such a ‘find-a-friend’ facility here …!

Nick Stanbury

Further to my request in Monday's MREmag, requesting help sourcing a Fowler 3500 Gallon tender c/w coal rails (to match up with one of my Hornby 8F's, as seen in the late 50's / early 60's), I wish to pass on my sincere thanks to readers Nick Lamkin and Stuart Morris for their speedy and helpful responses. Once again, the power of MREmag in reaching far and wide and the willingness of fellow readers to come to ones aid, has been superbly demonstrated.

Peter Hughes

If Raymond Embleton can take the time to highlight website errors and go to the trouble of listing individual examples of those errors, then why oh why couldn’t he have done the same and notified Gary at 247 Developments.

I also spotted well over a hundred typing errors just in the nameplate section alone but rather than trying to score points on MREmag, I notified Gary direct of those individual errors, a task which took some time checking every single entry and, clearly based on Raymond’s latest posting, I missed some. Nobody’s perfect.

I would also echo Graham Muspratt’s comments. Errol Surnam at 247 Developments had developed a wide range of products over a number of years and Gary, in taking over the business, must have had a thankless task in creating the website and populating it with the vast array of products he now offers us. I’ve bought their coach sides on many occasions and excellent products they are too. Full marks to Gary in taking on a small business in these difficult times and I hope he doesn’t think this hobby is full of people waiting to pounce on every mistake. Let’s be honest, typing errors are the least of our worries.

Gary has been in personal contact with me to thank me for my help and, in return, I would like to wish Gary all the best for the future. I’ll continue buying your products, no matter how you spell them.

Dick Flower

Neil Bowsher

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I am an occasional freelance journalist and wrote recently for an audiovisual trade magazine on the subject of websites and, in particular, on how poor they often are. Among many topics I covered (including websites that take forever to load, websites where the 'news' is months or years out of date or where 'forthcoming events' have long since taken place, 'flash' animations that tell us nothing except how entranced with his own cleverness the site designer was, the impossibility of finding contact information and so on and so on) was the topic of silly errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.

No, none of us is perfect - but the problem with this kind of inadequate attention to detail is that it creates an impression in the mind of a visitor that the company behind the website lacks professionalism, is disorganised or appears not to care. For those of us less susceptible to silly spelling errors than Raymond Embleton and myself, it's probably no big deal and the visitor ploughs on regardless. However, given that online shopping is still not entirely without risk, my first thought in visiting a website is "Can I trust this company?" Rightly or wrongly, I assume that a lack of professionalism and care in putting the website together will be reflected by an equal lack of professionalism and care in handling my order - and I go no further.

Ian McMurray

Perhaps 60038 should be Fairdos.

There is a brook in Hitchin, near the station.

Peter Gomm

A nice post from Richard Slipper about gunboats and migration between Britain and former colonies.

Many of we who were born here in the antipodes sing There'll Always Be An England in the shower, and since most of us in New Zealand (I cannot speak for our neighbours) were voluntary migrants... Well, instead of building models of our own trains, which we do, we satisfy ourselves by playing your teams at rugby and cricket... and yet some of we colonists still go warm and fuzzy with coloured catalogues.

Remember The War. ...we will sing any.  For complex family and, sadly, war reasons, antipodeans at least have very strong connection to the UK and the song Keep Right On To The End Of The Road. 

I, at least, wish I was the kid on the platform as a named train swept through - maybe they were going 80mph or more.  I watched trains on freezing platforms, in Lower Hutt, NZ., running 14-wooden cars back after the evening rush-hour, with an English-Electric 1,500V DC articulated engine built in 1952, rushing back in the freezing air with the empties. I suspect it was not too different from kids in Willesdon. The empties were a chance for younger drivers to learn the road. The feel of 14 carriages behind, at 60mph, would have been a neat thing to say to the girl in the pub.

Well, Richard, so we are pretty much all the same (with a grin)...

Robbie McGavin

I visited my local bookshop this week and I was informed that the Irwell Press Main Line to the West - Part 3 is likely to be released this August.

Robert Inns

As a reply to David Bourne, Jane Sullivan and Steve Mann in NYC, the link to Signals I gave on the Railserve.com site appears to have entered an endless loop or tail chaser. The company marketing the signals is indeed http://www.njinternational.com/ and this link should take you there direct.

I model in H0/00 and do so for the fun of it. I am sorry if the link doesn't suit everyone.
My thanks to Chris Nurrish for the Bouncer link - very useful.

Roger UKer in OZ

I have taken the plunge and decided to replace my layout with a DCC operation. However, there are some things that I am confused about or don’t know enough about and I hope that answering enquiries here could be beneficial.

Firstly, it is about the sound that locomotives are now able to be fitted with. This has been a great selling point for the conversion to DCC – but that leaves me with a problem. Is it easy to swap the body of an older Bachmann 37 or 66 to one with sound fitted, or are there more complex reasons behind the idea that would make it inadvisable. I know that there are gaps for the sound to escape on the newer DCC bodied designs and wonder if someone has had success in swapping the bodies before.

Secondly, with regards to the different makers of sound chips, I understand that there are three of note. These I beleve to be the Bachmann endorsed South West Digital, Howes and Olivia’s Trains. My layout will largely see engines arrive, run round, stand and then depart, so there won’t be much need for high speed running. I wonder what people advise are the best sound chips for such operation.

Do the manufacturers vary in how soon the engines sound when they move?

Can others with experience give their thoughts without forming some sort of poll for which sound is best for which engine.

Many thanks in advance,

David F. Newby

After Ben Jones' interesting first editorial as the new Editor of Model Rail and some pictures of the superb model of Northampton Castle station by Clive Hardwick, the magazine plunges onto a series of model reviews starting with the first of the range of Scenecraft cast resin model buildings and plastic moulded figures by Bachmann. There is a critique of the Tower Brass 0 gauge GWR Class 4575 2-6-2T and reviews of the Murphy/Bachmann Class 141/181 GM diesels, C-Rails 00 ISO 20ft tank container kit, a modern N scale station by Kato, Improved Hornby Stanier coaches and much more. There is also a market survey on the top 20 scenic products and Phil Grainger reviews a couple of new DCC gadgets.

The first layout reviewed this month is 'Drem' which can be seen at DEMU Showcase this coming weekend. It is a modern N gauge layout built by East Neuk MRC and provides a stretch of main line running with a fiddle yard behind. The second layout is 'Marshmoor', in 00 scale depicting a fictional fenland cross-roads in the late-1950s. The layout has been developed by Ipswich RMA. The Show & Tell feature continues to show reader's railways and modelling projects.

Inspirational articles include the third part of the article on parcels trains. The Masterclass this month features the Class 108 DMUs and includes models and kits produced by various manufacturers and shows how you can add further detail to the Bachmann model. There is also a page of liveries carried by the class.

As the National Railway Museum’s (NRM) celebration of the swinging sixties, ‘1968 and all that’, draws to a finish this weekend, the museum is thanking the members of the public who have sent in their steamy memories.

As part of the preparation for the 9-day gala celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the official end of BR steam, the NRM launched an appeal to find the people that were personally involved in steam’s swan song.

As the event, which includes live music, live theatre, train rides, a real ale bar and shire horses as well as iconic locomotives from across the UK, is drawing to a close, the file of letters, photos and other reminiscences will now be accessioned into the museum’s rich archive of railway history.

Catherine Farrell, from the museum said: "We have received hundreds of letters and photos and once our 40^th anniversary is over we will begin the process of accessioning these precious memories into Search Engine, our multi-million pound archive and research centre where they will be accessible to the British public. As our post bag is already full we are now gradually bringing the project to a close."

Many of the reminiscences involved Oliver Cromwell, the iconic locomotive which pulled the last ever BR steam hauled train on August 11 1968 booking her place in the history books. The ‘steam survivor’ which is fresh from a 4 year restoration project down at Great Central Railway, is star of the NRM’s half term extravaganza and enjoyed a midday musket salute at the weekend from members of Colonel Edward Montagu’s Regiment of Foote, a roundhead regiment of the English Civil War Society.

Event organiser Matt Thompson said: "There’s plenty for everyone to enjoy during the rest of our half-term sixties extravaganza and it’s guaranteed to be a fantastic day out for the whole family, especially as kids go free! The end of steam was an important date in history, so there is a real sense of occasion at this event. Visitors can take a ride on a steam train, stand on the footplates of many other historic locomotives, watch a special live theatre performance, meet some heavy horses and enjoy a BBQ, soul music and real ale."

By Brian Macdermott

On 16 February 1957, King Arthur 4-6-0 No.30753 Melisande passed through Reading on an 'up' coal train to Sonning Power Station.

In response to Bob Hart's query regarding the 'Dutch' liveried Class 56s, none of the Romanian batch received the livery. Six class members from the Doncaster built locos were so painted, namely 56031, 56036, 56046-049. All were painted between January and July 1993 when part of the Network SouthEast infrastructure fleet. It's a great shame they weren't turned out in NSE livery!

Kevin Lee

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In response to Bob Hart, there were no Romanian Class 56s out-shopped in Civil Engineers grey and yellow 'Dutch' livery. The locos duly treated were 56031, 036, 046, 047, 048 and 049. Originally these were to work for Network SouthEast on departmental trains but were soon absorbed back into the Freight Company fleets in the run up to and after privatisation.

Hope this helps

Graham Bucknell

Without wishing to start a wish list, do the readers think there is a market out there for Scotrail 'push-pull' liveried Mk3 coaches? I would be looking for at least 2 rakes worth and, given the price that the old Lima ones are fetching, I am pretty sure the market would be right for them. Scotrail stuff always seems to sell very well and, who knows, maybe Hornby could do a train pack with an ex-Lima Class 47. I know the DBSO isn't in their range but that hasn't stopped them producing the current sleeper pack without having the Mk2s. Just a thought!

Also, would it be possible for you to give the Inverness & District MRC a mention when you get a chance. We are looking to recruit new members and meet every Tuesday evening from 19.30- 22.00. We have recently set a website for updating people on our activities etc. at: http://www.freewebs.com/invernessmrc/ We are also getting organised for our local show which will be held on Saturday the 20th September - details are on our site.

Eddie Reffin

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With regard to Dave Wisnia`s enquiry about Copley Hill shed plans, the 1938 plans of the shed are in Booklaws publication Great Northern Engine Sheds - Volume 3 , Yorkshire and Lancashire. It also includes some explanatory text. Hope this is of some help.

Ian Charlesworth

My reply to Graham and Gary is as follows: why should I take the time and trouble to send corrections to 30 plus errors when the site owner himself does not appear to have made much effort to check them before launching the site. I understand that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but that does not mean that we should not try to make as few as possible. There are plenty of resources available both in print and on line, and an hour spent in checking them should have ensured that any list of names and numbers would be almost 100% accurate.

When I logged onto the website for the first time, I was simply looking to see what was available but when I saw King Class locos 6013/14/18/19/20/25 all listed as King Henery, I decided to check a few more. When I got to 30, I stopped counting. Some were simple errors such as:

30797 Sir Balmor De Ganis

5006 Tregeena Castle

But others were less easy to explain, for example:

5005 Manorbia Castle

5029 Nunny Castle

35006 Penninsular & Orient S.N Co.

35022 Holland America Company

46203 Princess Margaret Rosa

60038 Fairdaussi

60098 Spion Cop

60162 Saint Johns Toun

60847 St Peters School AD 627

61634 Hitchin Brook

62703 Herefordshire

73087 Linnet

On Wednesday night, when I checked, there had been some corrections but I still found about 20, including most of the above.

Raymond Embleton

Richard Slipper raises an interesting point. Yes, British prototype model railways do sell particularly well in Australia. There has always been a reasonable interest here in American stock, but that has seemed by nature to have been more diesel orientated. Quite possibly this was because, up until a decade ago, the only model steam locomotives available were the few very large ones by Rivarossi (which only a small number of layouts were spacious enough to accommodate), a handful by Mehano and a comparatively limited range by Bachmann. Up until five years ago, unless you were prepared to pay for brass or build whitemetal kits, there was only a very limited range of models of local prototypes. Even today, Australian prototype layouts would generally still be the domain of experienced modellers and there is nowhere near the range of items that are available to British, European or American prototype modellers.

I think in answer to Richard, a look at advertisements and articles in Continental Modeller will indicate there must be a huge number of modellers in Britain modelling American prototypes - particularly, once again, diesel. There also must be an ever growing interest in prototypes for which there has traditionally been little trade support, if the content of this magazine is any indication of its reader market. Indeed, with my second interest being in European (specifically German, Swiss and Austrian) trains and models, I have every issue of Continental Modeller from 1981 to 2000, but rarely buy it these days because its content has become too diversified to have many pages of interest to me.

I believe the large interest in British models in Australia would be based on a number of issues. Certainly, there are a lot of expatriates living here, but that's only part of it. A lot of our earlier steam locomotives were built in Britain or to British design. In New South Wales, Beyer Peacock locomotives, built in Manchester in the 1890s, were still the most commonly sighted steam passenger or goods locomotives in the 1960s in Sydney and regional areas. So, certainly to many Australian born modellers, the British design of steam locomotive looked more familiar than mainland European design.

I also think, in retrospect, in the 1960s, the Australian models produced by Tri-ang encouraged a lot of youngsters to enter railway modelling and were then, of course, exposed to the main British outline range. However, I think the reason why so many modellers from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the USA and elsewhere are happily contributing to MRE on British prototype modelling is come down to two more important features.

The first of these is the quality of the products coming from Hornby and Bachmann at affordable prices. Yet another example of the commitment of British firms to quality improvement was demonstrated in last Thursday's edition of this magazine with the advice that the 9F, A4 and A3 in the Hornby RailRoad series were now locomotive drive, which makes their value even more extraordinary. It is so commendable, yet typical of the British industry at the moment, to quietly make such substantial improvements to what were already excellent models in their lower priced range. So no wonder British stock is selling well.

The second feature is hard to beat British prototypes when it comes to both beauty, originality and diversity in design and livery. I don't intend to downplay prototypes from other countries (I still think the Maffei Bavarian Pacific and our own C.38 Class were two of the most elegant steam locos ever designed), but could you imagine any other country that contained such distinctive designs as the Great Western 4-6-0s, the LNER A3s and A4s, the graceful LMS Scots, Jubilees, and Princesses and, of course, the elegant designs of Maunsell and the originality of Bulleid - all running within the same nation? Of course, I could go on with at least a hundred other steam locomotives types, all with their own distinctive aesthetic appeal, but perhaps it would be more important to say that diesels such as the Deltic, Peak or 37 also stand up as exceptionally attractive examples of design, as do the much more modern Eurostars and Voyagers of today.

In fact, I am certain that the sheer diversity in design, livery and aesthetic character within British prototypes has ensured that I have purchased far more model locos than I ever need, and every new release has seemed irresistible. So, in this absolutely marvellously diverse market, I can only admire the restraint of the British modeller who can remain faithful to acquiring stock that is prototypically accurate for the particular line and era they are modelling.

Richard Whitmore

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On Friday, Richard Slipper bravely opened the lid of an interesting Pandora's box! Being an Antipodean of English birth, I can offer a few insights, although I cannot address his muse about reverse traffic, with ex-colonials living in the UK and modelling the railways of their homeland.

My departure from English shores coincided with the demise of steam. I suppose it's a question of what you're used to, but having grown up with a fairly intensive traffic of Bulleid Pacifics thundering along the four track main line between Waterloo and Southampton, Bournemouth and the West Country, an Australia outline diesel, trundling along a single track with an infrequent passenger service, just doesn't cut it with me. In some respects, the railways in Australia where ahead of those in the UK, particularly with the scrapping of steam traction and the loss of freight traffic to road haulage.

So I sit here, half a world away from the scene I model, locked in a mental time warp which is unhindered by first hand experience of any of the realities that have beset the railways of Britain since 1968.

Those 4mm modellers of UK outline who are engaged in the great gauge debate and grappling with the notion of realistic 4 foot 1¹/₂ inch gauge 'scale' track, can take some heart from the Australian scene. The real railways here are beset with gauge problems. Pig headed competition between the various colonies, the preferences and prejudices of the pioneer builders and the cold hard economic realities of low intensity traffic over vast distances resulted in gauges of 3ft 6in, 4ft 8¹/₂in and 5ft 3in being used in different parts of the country.

H0 tends to dominate the Australian railway modelling scene, which is all well and good for those who dabble in standard gauge. The 3ft 6in narrow gauge modellers can comfortably live with 12mm gauge track. As for those who model the 5ft 3in broad gauge? Shhhh! Don't remind them that the Peco 16.5mm gauge offerings that they tend to favour are six and a half scale inches too narrow ....... Now, does that sound familiar?

Ahhh!, such are the joys: Australian by choice rather than accident of birth. I suppose it's the price one has to pay to support a winning cricket team!

Adrian Kops - Melbourne, Australia

Further to recent emails regarding the above, I would like to add the following:

Mk1 non-corridor stock did work into Liverpool Street, but it was not very common. I have seen photograhic evidence of Mk1s on Hertford East services. BR stock was also employed on Colchester-Clacton/Walton services in the late '50s and I have seen a picture of a Mk1 CL in a Kings Lynn local services behind a D16/3. As Ian Taylor said, Mk1s gained a firm foothold on the GN, and continued in service until the 1970s.

Mk1 non-corridor stock also saw service on the Tilbury, I believe the best business services out of Fenchurch Street were formed of Mk1s. By 1962, with the GE and Tilbury electrified, the ER Mk1s were beginning to fall on hard times. Some were probably sent to the GN, while I have a 1963 picture of a Scarborough-York service with a SLO. I also have a video of Black Five leaving Woodford on the GC with a CL in the formation.

DC kits make a SLO kit, while I believe Bill Bedford produces brass sides for both the CL and SLO.

Tom Burns

Further to John Cherry's post, please note that the 80976 referred to was W80976W – a GWR designed special vehicle (an engineer's saloon, I believe) which is pictured in BR chocolate and cream in an early edition of Backtrack. A report in Railway Observer did not make this clear and many, including Keith Parkin and I, took it to be a Mk1 BG.

I have, for several years, been trying, without success, to ascertain which vehicles gained B4 bogies whilst still in chocolate and cream. Swindon produced a trial batch of the bogies in 1961 and they went onto the 'Red Dragon' and 'Bristolian' sets - colour film and photographs of the latter train confirm the entire set had the bogies apart from RB W1646 which had Commonwealth bogies.

Bachmann have produced models of the miniature buffet (RMB) and restaurant first open (RFO) in chocolate and cream but I have found no firm evidence to support the use of the livery on either type. Does anyone out there know otherwise?

Robert Carroll

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Regarding the WR chocolate and cream Mk1s, when this livery returned in 1956, Trains Illustrated published the following information. It is slightly different from that provided by John Cherry. These were the first vehicles so liveried, so John's information is no doubt from a little later and so more comprehensive.

Repainted FKs 13065/6/7/9/72/9
Repainted CKs 15060/7/71/8 15125/6 15539
Repainted SKs 24335/84 24712
New BCKs 21124-33
New SKs 25135-64
New BSKs 34859-68

The article also gives the formations of the Cornish Riveria, Torbay Express and Bristolian. Presumably, no BR restaurant cars were available at the time, so the following ex-GWR catering vehicles were repainted as follows:

Cornish Riviera 9618/9/23/5
Torbay Express 9574/6 (70' stock)
Bristolian 9677 (buffet)

There was also a slip composite for the Riviera

Photographic evidence suggests at least one Mk1 BSO was at some time repainted, number unknown. I remember reading a comment in a contemporary Model Engineer stating that the new WR colours were more akin to "Coffee and Butter" than Chocolate and Cream!

Tom Burns

In 1951, Boscastle was on loan to Eastern Region and was working Liverpool Street to Lowestoft Holiday Coast Expresses to Lowestoft. This was another example of an unusual working.

Chris Wright

I suspect Andy is not alone in having problems with this subject. Whilst I am not in a position to write a reference work myself, do readers think they would like a plain English, (say) 24pp outline explanation of what is good signalling practice on a model railway? This would include detail of loop signals, calling-on arms, etc.

Brian Macdermott

While Dave Skipsey is undoubtedly correct about practice in the area mentioned, there are some practical considerations. 'Pulling-off' slowly was indeed used as an indicator of caution, usually when being called up to the box with a red flag, or when entering an already occupied permissive loop, but distance often controlled how the board was pulled off. The Whitam Up Outer Starter was a long way from the box and required a good swing to get it off, whereas the Down Junction Homes could be pulled with one hand without much effort. The way to get a board to bounce was to just let the lever go, which for the aforementioned Starter would indeed cause it to return to off rapidly, but this was considered bad form, generating severe look of disapproval from the S&T if they happened to be in for a brew. Generally speaking, the WR unofficial way to tell a driver that he now had the road was to turn your hand above your head, as used by banksmen indication to a crane driver to lift - "wind it up" if you like. This was considered subtle enough not to attract the attention of any Inspectors in the area, who were (quite rightly) duty bound to notice unofficial signals.

A yarn may help illustrate... We would often get management trainees in the box for a day as we had lots of signals and a mix of electric and manual points, together with the token machine for the Merehead branch for them to play with. Our favourite trick was to let them start on the Home signals for a bit and then get them to do the Up Outer Starter. Almost without exception, they'd pull the lever, almost get it locked off, and then the lever would slip out of their hands and slam back into the frame. Those who wouldn't let go (of course we had just wound then up about having to cancel the train and start all over again if the lever nearly made it) would get a very close view of the Down Distant Repeater on the shelf..... It's all down to balance, by the way, using your own weight rather than actually trying to pull the lever makes things nice and easy!

Richard Watson

Could your correspondent give us the name of the firm making the signals he recommends. The URL given only takes one to the Railserve home page!

David Bourne - Cape Town, South Africa

The short answer to Roger UKer is "No".

The URL he provided takes us to NJ International who sell American-style signals in H0. I'm after British-style signals in 00.