John Isherwood

Of course not - but I'll bet that when BRITISH RAILWAYS was painted out and the the 'cycling lion' transfers were applied, they repainted the numbers too - in cream. What we were talking about was whether yellow numbering with the 'cycling lion' (or the later crest) was correct or not. It has never been disputed that all sort of colour variations happened during the BRITISH RAILWAYS era. Regards, John Isherwood.

Precisely - the book only covers up to 1950, and you refer to the BRITISH RAILWAYS period when there was no 'corporate' specification for loco liveries and numbering. The discussion above was prompted by the erroneous bright yellow numbering of the BR version of Heljan's 'Tango'. It referred to the period after a BR specification was issued concerning the numbering of locomotives - which dictated cream with a fine black outline. Regards, John Isherwood.

Diatribe ? - simply a statement of fact, as experienced by myself and other 'alternative' professionals. You don't have to follow the conventional path and, as this week's news to the effect that the government wishes to discourage secondary schools from automatically promoting the university route has shown, the wisdom of seeking to acquire hands-on experience as soon as possible has finally dawned on the 'intelligentsia' !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Sorry - that's not orange / yellow; that's cream with a dose of railway muck - I know, I was there. Derby Works Horticultural Show - also known to us spotty 'erks as Derby Open Day - was the opportunity in the East Midlands to see locos ex-paintshop. Suffice to say, nothing came out with yellow numbers - always cream; which became more yellowy as muck attached itself and the varnish yellowed. It ultimately faded to white as the varnish deteriorated and the sun bleached it. Regards, John Isherwood.

It's obvious - because you are so dismissive of the value of learning via trial and error. Agreed - the accepted way to acquire a career is via a degree that qualifies you to enter a particular profession. .... but what use are you in that profession when you arrive, waving said qualification - none whatsoever ! Your career is actually based on the knowledge and experience that you acquire once you have entered that profession - in your case via mentors, etc. If you wish to be a craftsman, however, there is rarely an appropriate degree; and it is more than a little difficult to acquire an apprenticeship as, say, a railway model painter. In many practical vocations, it is necessary to pluck up your courage and make a start, regardless. You will endure a lengthy learning curve of disappointment, despair and failure but, if you stick with it, you MAY be lucky enough to perfect the skills necessary to become a renowned maestro of your art - ALL BY YOUR OWN EFFORTS ! ..... and in case your think that I'm theorising, I did much the same thing in the field of engineering. Not the conventional approach, granted; but far more satisfying in the end. (OK - I did not aspire maestro status) ! Regards, John Isherwood.

It looks very nice indeed; my only quibble is with the bright yellow numbering. I have no recollection of BR numbering being anything but cream / white. Not a difficult job to renumber it, though. Regards, John Isherwood.

OT = off topic, not over-the-top. The LMS and BR versions of the above cattle wagon had different axleguards. Regards, John Isherwood.

Yep - I do disagree !! I love these articles for the nostalgia; for the insight into a product that I might once have aspired to but could not then afford; and not least because many of these discontinued products can still be obtained via Ebay etc. I regularly buy old, unbuilt kits, etc., and published articles that highlight the potential pitfalls and describe remedies are most welcome. Let's face it - if magazines just published articles relating to current products, they'd be almost exclusively RTR !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Well, I'm not denigrating the model, but I hope that this photo from the Rails web-site is of a development sample and not the final model. Chimney? Front of frames above footplate? Regards, John Isherwood.

I doubt that there'll be any more. Can you imagine the outcry if, after having paid £83.00 for what is promoted as being a once-and-for-all limited edition of 1000, further runs were announced at a significantly lower price? I think that most MODELLERS will, reluctantly, write this off as a lost opportunity; the COLLECTORS, though, will have a field day !! We've already had the views of several of the latter in this thread. JMHO. Regards, John Isherwood.

Words fail me !! Regards, John Isherwood.

Quite understandable - so perhaps one of our other manufacturers should make Drax an offer for the tooling; I'm surprised that Hornby aren't doing exactly that. .... or perhaps the corporate gift / vanity thing doesn't work if Joe Bloggs can afford to by them ?!? In many ways, it might have been better if the whole project could have been a private commission, with none at all available to railway modellers. It's bound to leave a sour taste when the tool could have been used to satisfy demand at an affordable price. Regards, John Isherwood.

....... and the bogie vans !! The non-corridor bogie Palethorpes van. Cut & shut sides, ends and roof from Tri-ang Hornby Palethorpes vans; Comet 50 ft. LMS chassis; Dapol bogies; Hornby wheels; my transfers. The corridor bogie Palethorpes van. This side, plastic card plus sections of Airfix corridor Stanier coaches; ends and roof from Tri-ang Hornby Palethorpes vans; Comet 50 ft. LMS chassis; Dapol bogies; Hornby wheels; my transfers. The other side is identical to the non-corridor van and comprises cut & shut sides from Tri-ang Hornby Palethorpes vans The corridor bogie cream van. Plastic card plus sections of Airfix corridor Stanier coaches, with ends and roof from Tri-ang Hornby Palethorpes vans; Comet 50 ft. LMS chassis; Dapol bogies; Hornby wheels; my transfers. The other side of the bogie cream van. All in all, a very interesting project !! Regards, John Isherwood.

I did this with my Bachmann 64xx pannier tank. However, I scanned the plate and printed a matching transfer in cream / yellow, plus the orange lining. Being based on a scan the transfer exactly matches the plate and, IMHO, looks OK. Regards, John Isherwood.

To the best of my knowledge, only two types of trailer were built; box vans and a single open low-sided version. There were, however, detailed differences between the two prototype box vans and the production ones; (look closely at the construction of the rail wheel sideframes, for instance). Artists impressions of the time certainly indicate the intention to produce a tank trailer version, but I don't believe that this materialised. Even the open trailer is a little mythical, because it is not recorded in BR records as having a diagram or lot number allocated. I have to say that I am a little wary at the prospect of an RTR Roadrailer. Are there really enough modellers around who would want a rake of these? I know that there were similar doubts about the Blue Pullmans, but they did have a significant service life, unlike the Roadrailers. I would have thought that a new version of the kit from, say, Parkside or Cambrian, would be adequate to fulfil demand for such a niche product. I will check my Roadrailer archive when I get home to see if there is anything that I can add. Regards, John Isherwood.

When I'm back home on Tuesday I will check my Roadrailer photos, but would welcome sight of the ones to which you have access. Any amendments that are needed to my Roadrailer transfer sheet will be made. Regards, John Isherwood.

.... one of the two prototype box van trailers ..... Regards, John Isherwood.

Surely the pertinent point is - does it look right? If you can't tell by looking at a model that something is wrong, what's the point of taking a rule to it prove that what initially appeared to you to be OK is actually marginally inaccurate? JMHO. Regards, John Isherwood.

Dave, Don't bother looking - you won't find one! That's because I've not commented on the quality of the model, other than to say that my original intention was to make an impulse purchase; (that's got to be positive, surely)? My negative comments have been restricted to the marketting, despite attempts from several persons to condemn me for denigrating SLW for producing the model. Do some people genuinely read what they want to be there, rather than what is posted? Regards, John Isherwood.

Please read my posts again. Nowhere have I suggested that SLW should follow traditional announcement / advertising / marketting methods - that's entirely up to them and I, for one, welcome the 'out of the blue' "It's available!" approach. All that I have taken exception to is the well publicised "mates first - others sometime later" approach, with no indication of exactly when others can order. The method used will precipitate a frenzy of phone calls when the designated time arrives, causing even more frustration. My suggestion that e-mail and letter reservations could have been accepted from the day of announcement, to be dealt with in date / time order as staffing permitted, would have avoided all of that. I will reiterate, for the benefit of those who seem to be reading that which I have not posted, SLW can market in any way they choose. I merely suggested that a lot of the negative comments concerning communications could have been avoided by the method that I have outlined; (and would have produced at least one more sale to me). Regards, John Isherwood.

Yes, I do, for reasons that I've explained above. When you produce something out of the blue, that you clearly believe fills a gap in the market and for which you have consequently 'gone out on a limb', you surely want to carry all of your potential customers with you in a positive marketting experience; (phraseology which I abhor but which, it has to be admitted, covers the case here). You have a body of 'mates' who have been in some way involved in the development of the project and who you would like to supply with your first product as a priority. Nonetheless, you recognise that the project, and future projects, will not be viable without a much wider customer base. You do not want to involve 'middlemen' in your marketting, to keep costs down, and for the same reason you decide not to undertake the normal publicity and advertising campaigns. Now, you can do what SLW did, and let potential customers know that a select band of 'mates' has already got this game-changing model, but add that the rest of the potential customer base will have to keep checking your somewhat reticent web-site until such time as you decided to let them place orders. Or ....... you announce your new model, having asked the select few to keep quiet that they've had first chance at purchasing. You indicate what is available and invite reservations via e-mail or post - not by telephone because you haven't the staffing infrastructure to cope with a constantly ringing phone - you are convinced that this model is the answer to modellers' dreams and will be welcomed with open arms, after all. As time and staffing permits, you contact each person who has made a reservation, IN STRICT DATE / TIME ORDER, and take payment, followed by packing and despatch. You are able to do this at your own pace. If reservations are subsequently rescinded when it comes to payment, you merely pass on to the next reservation. If the supply exceeds demand you can, hand on heart, say that each reservation has been dealt with strictly in order of it being placed. That way, there has been no suggestion that your main future customer base has been treated as second class; there has been no on-line panic about when orders will be accepted, and all of your models have been sold in a equitable and amicable way. As things turn out, I would have placed a reservation on the day that the Type 2 Sulzer was announced, and I would have honoured it; (purely an impulse purchase). Indeed, I attempted to do exactly that via e-mail but was told to await the indefinite release to the general public. As it is, and thanks mainly to Dave, I have had plenty of time to read the less than 100% complimentary comments regarding the grilles and glazing, and have started to wonder whether I really needed a Type 2 Sulzer. Then I read that the, admittedly less than perfect, Bachmann D5000 could be purchased for some £100 less than the SLW model. Should I shell out that more modest sum to satisfy my impulse to buy? Well, I really don't need a Sulzer Type 2 - to buy any would be self-indulgence - so, forget it and get on with some real modelling ! Not, I still maintain, the best way to market what you believe to be a step-change in model locomotive production. ..... and I will look through the hype in future and decide whether I need the model or not. Perhaps not just one sale lost ...... ? Just my perspective on this episode. Regards, John Isherwood.

That seems to be a legitimate concern, given the hype that this model has received. Why it is not possible to accept e-mail reservations indicating the model(s) required is beyond me. Reservations could be fulfilled in due course after payment has been requested and received, in strict date / time order so that there can be no suggestion of queue jumping. I realise that SLW is a two person outfit, (just as Cambridge Custom Transfers is my one person outfit), but the rush to buy must surely have been anticipated? Complex retail facilities are not required; simply a basic system that guarantees fairness. The way this is currently set up, the merest suggestion on their web-site that they are ready to sell to the great unwashed, (sorry, new customers), will simply result in a permanently engaged phone line and even more frustration. An announcement here, ASAP, that e-mail reservations are being accepted would be much better IMHO. I have no axe to grind here - just annoyance about the matter has been so badly handled. The elitist "We've got 'em, but you can't yet "! was bound to get people's backs up. Regards, John Isherwood.

Me too - I checked the web-site first thing this morning as Monday 14th had been mentioned - nothing. Perhaps, as Dave is apparently the RMweb mouthpiece for SLW, he could ascertain ASAP exactly when we potential new customers might be able to place an order. One thing's for certain; no matter how good the Class 24 is alleged to be, SLW's communications skills leave a lot to be desired !! Regards, John Isherwood.

I've a funny feeling that this model is going to feature heavily in the BARGAIN section of several retailers' lists later in 2016. Regards, John Isherwood.

I'd like to keep things as authentic as possible, so I think that either a switchable potential divider in the control panel providing 4v, or a separate 4v supply / controller, will be the way that I'll go. When (if?) Evercreech Junction is eventually built it will only be operated by me or closely supervised visitors, so I'm not too concerned about accidently running the Wickham on an excessive voltage. I've been thinking about methods of coupling the trolley to its trailer, and a neodium mini-magnet inside the body behind the coupling, attracting a steel towbar, seems best so far. I have successfully used pairs of neodium mini-magnets inset into the buffing plates of Kitmaster Midland Pullman cars as inter-car couplings, so the method should work for a very lightweight trailer. When I (eventually) get round to finishing the Midland Pullman, I am going to try the smallest mini-magnets glued to the end of black elastic beading thread, to couple up the inter-car jumper cables that were so prominent on the prototype. Regards, John Isherwood.