Friday, April 26, 2024

Off to the NGRS

 

 

This weekend, it's the biggest garden railway show in the country - and handily, it's moved just down the road from me!

This ought to be good news. Normally I have a bit of a drive with a van-load of material to build our "Garden railway in a day" display. Sadly, the limitations of the venue mean I can't get the van in the building, never mind to the stand for loading and unloading. 

This means a much reduced garden this year as lugging half a ton of material the length of the building on my own isn't an option. Even if it was, the job would take so long I'd not have time to build the layout!

Never mind, I'll still be around to chat all things garden railways, and be really pleased to see anyone who drops by. The show looks like it will be as terrific as ever - loads to see and buy!

Full details of the show on their website.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Selly Oak lives!

 

Long term readers will remember my Selly Oak project - a commission from Rapido during lockdown, that gradually became a burden to me, rather than a joy. When I delivered it to them, and then the person whose garage it was in left the company, I assumed that would be the last anyone would see of it. 

But no! Looking in the latest newsletter, there is a Fleetline bus posed on the model. 

It seems that the layout is now safely in Kent, and should be seeing more bus action later in the year. 


Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Wanted: Hornby Church R599

 

Having built one of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" range, I want more. Specifically, I fancy the Hornby church that was still part of the catalogue in the 1980s and beyond. The model was R599, and I think, related to the 1963 model. 

The older kit was available with and without chimes, but these were dropped long before the more modern packaging. 

Needless to say, when I didn't want one of these, they were everywhere. You couldn't pass a second-hand stall without at least one. Now, nothing. I've searched the web to no avail. 

So, does anyone have one of these stashed away that they don't want?


Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Tri-ang shop in "The Collector"

 

The latest issue of the Hornby Collector's club house magazine drops through the letterbox, and in it is my contribution, a build of the Tri-ang "Real Estate" Hardware store. 

I'd never heard of the range before, until I found this kit on Cheltenham Model Centre's stand at a show. I picked it up out of curiosity, and it's sat on the shelf ever since. Then I started building retro kits for The Collector, and it seemed like an excellent subject. 

If you'd like to know more about this range, I recommend this website. It allowed me to date my kit to 1962, as the range changed name in 1963.

Having built one, I'm now on the lookout for more, so if you have anything tucked away, and don't want huge amounts of cash for it, I'd be interested. More on this tomorrow.