812 Class from Rails of Sheffield.

[caleyJim]

I'm posting this here rather than starting a new topic as I see it as related

Heljan have today announced they are producing the North British Prototype locomotive 10800. Springburn built and no doubt worthy however I can't help but wonder how there can be a market for something as odd ball as this when the mainstream manufacturers don't seem to think there is one for, say, a 439 Caley tank engine. Is it just me?

Jim Smellie.

[jasp]

I can only agree Jim
What surprises me is that you did not produce a 439 kit!
Jim P

[caleyJim]

DJH one is quite reasonable and has possibly tapped a lot of the kit market. But that was only an example of what I'd have thought was a larger market than some one-off prototype. Perhaps folk like the unusual, although if you produce a RTR model does it remain unusual? How many examples of 812 in one form or another will be in service at Model Rail this weekend?

[WCML55.68]

I wonder if it would be feasible or possible for Crassoc to commission a special version of the 812 class loco, maybe simply a number change, and only available through the Society? In the past, special runs seem to amount to 502 items. I pre-ordered a KR Models GT3 early 2021 and paid via Credit Card upfront and fully protected. So hopefully finance wouldnt be a problem and maybe even realise a wee profit.. It would certainly be good for publicity and PR.

[dunalastairv]

Just an additional thought: how about one in C.R. Goods black livery?

[WCML55.68]

I'm posting this here rather than starting a new topic as I see it as related

Heljan have today announced they are producing the North British Prototype locomotive 10800. Springburn built and no doubt worthy however I can't help but wonder how there can be a market for something as odd ball as this when the mainstream manufacturers don't seem to think there is one for, say, a 439 Caley tank engine. Is it just me?

Jim Smellie.

Hi Jim,

I for one have been bombarding various manufacturers over the years with requests for mainly Scottish based locos etc.
Bachmann listened and produced the Blue/grey Stanier portholes, a re-livery of an existing model, but completely killed it with the price.
See my other thread re the Rapido Highland 103. Hopefully more to come.
Theres several CR classes which survived into the 1960s and would allow countless liveries and versions and probably the biggest modern image omission is the Glasgow Blue Trains, very highly loved and spread their wings with countless liveries too. All to no effect, yet.
Theres no doubt the success of model prototypes 10000/1, 10201/2/3, 18000 and GT3 etc and the prices they are now fetching has made manufacturers aware of the increasing interest in modern traction and one only has to look at the prices of relics and artefacts, steam age is dropping, modern image is going through the roof.
But I have to agree with you that 10800 seems a very odd choice and that there are many omissions which would better deserved. It will be interesting to see whether it follows previous trends.

Paul.

[caleyJim]

the biggest modern image omission is the Glasgow Blue Trains

Not sure these still qualify as "modern image" - I was a tot when they were introduced and I've got a bus pass...

[jimwatt2mm]

I remember the introduction of them, amid great fanfare, when I was at secondary school in Coatbridge, followed by them soon after being withdrawn because, IIRC, some of the electronics was catching fire!

Jim W

[JimG]

I've been wanting to model a Blue Train set for many years - certainly since the '60s - but I've never found a GA drawing. Someone produced a 4mm kit for one some years ago and I contacted them to find out their source of dimensions. They couldn't find a GA drawing either and they had measured up an actual unit. Maybe some day.

Jim.

[WCML55.68]

the biggest modern image omission is the Glasgow Blue Trains

Not sure these still qualify as "modern image" - I was a tot when they were introduced and I've got a bus pass...

Me too!!

We lived right beside the line and I vividly remember the change from steam, the stock included many artic twins, direct to Electric units and their dazzling blue livery and silver roofs. The interiors were really modern with that jazz moquette and the pushbutton doors and that view ahead through the cab. And there was no soot. They were sensational.

Overnight I went from chuffing around the house with arms flailing like coupling rods to picking up my current from the overhead line and making the whooooing sound of the traction motors.....am I the only one??

All from memory and from what Ive read, there was no Sunday service and they ran a non passenger carrying full electric service on Sundays to test. It was quite a shock when the faults quickly surfaced when the actual service began, was it exploding transformers? Credit to BR that they quickly mustered enough withdrawn steam locos and stock overnight to provide a full service following the 303s withdrawal. I often wonder if all those boilers were examined? I think it was about a year before they returned. Two CR Pickersgills having air brakes were retained for hauling the new units from Linwood and when the electric service began, the revenue went up several hundred percent. I also remember reading about the driver who was killed thanks to some neds who thought it was amusing to hang a brick on a string at windscreen height over the edge of a bridge which prompted BR to remove the wrapround windscreens and replace with smaller flat screens. Never been able to find that article, it might have been newspapers.

[jasp]

I started my apprenticeship in August 1962 and travelled from Anniesland to Carntyne.
I was very grateful for the blue trains as they provided a comfortable, effortless and WARM environment, particularly the first months of 1963 when the weather was horrendous - they never let me down.
I would certainly buy a model even though well out of my period of interest.
Jim P

[LarryC]

John Lindsay's article on 828 in this issue of the True Line is spot on. The pictures are particularly good too. It is lovely to see the beautiful Caley livery in its full spendour.

I bought two of the 'as built' locos and have 'detailed' one, adding fire irons and ral coal to the tender, whick mask the coal load quite well. I also added crew from the Modelu range, which are anatomically perfect. I had tried to fix them by my normal method of a brass wire pin though the foot but ran into problems; the Modelu plastic can be slightly brittle, and both crewmen had to be repaired with supergle; and there is not enough space in the cab to drill a fixing hole. I was forced to use black epoxy to fix the driver in the cab. Too late, I came across a video on U Tube by 00 Bill, who suggested using 'Black tack' to fix crewmen - and it has the great advantage of being removeable, so no alteration is permanent. Ho, hum. But I've still got my second one!

[IanT]

Reposted separately for clarity!

Anbrico Models class 303

I vagely recalled that Anbrico Models offered this kit in the back pages of the "Railway Modeller" in the late 60's, and a little searching brought up this link:

http://anbrico.org/00_Class_303_Emu.htm

Best
Ian

[caleyJim]

Hi

By popular demand as small batch of Caley Coaches' kit CL02 for the Class 812/652 loco and tender will be made available in the second half of 2022 and can now be ordered from https://www.caley.com/class812.php.

Jim