Our world in miniature, hobbies

Hi all We all need a bit of cheering up from time to time. This has cheered me up. Hope you like. Latest from Hall Brooks

Hi all Not good news for me. Hornby in trouble Also, BBC news on Hornby

Hi all Just for thought Modelling railways is such a good base for marrying the skills of art, science & engineering for youngsters. The snag is that these days, youngsters have little interest in railways full-size, leave alone a model. A Story I travelled on a chartered train to the Earls Court Motor Show in 1960. Every eye on the train was glued to the parallel section of the recently opened M1, as our train loco, Jubilee class "Sturdee", was travelling at least twenty miles per hour faster than anything on the motorway. Few motors could get up to seventy, so much so that at that time there was no national maximum speed limit. It wasn't needed unless Stirling Moss was anywhere nearby. Even at the motor show, the most asked question was how fast would the cars at the show travel at. Our loco had touched the ton three times with its three hundred & fifty ton load. Sadly the only enthusiasm for railways nowadays is youngsters visiting a heritage railway centre, where they certainly won't see or feel the thrill that I felt as a child, on that special to London. We had the same loco serviced & turned at Willesden, for our return journey which was even faster. PS around 2002, Hornby shares were over £10 each.

Hi all Friday evenings, winter or summer, were often train-spot evenings for me. Rain or shine, or even the snow that we have had in Coventry earlier. It wasn't just the Friday feeling that some folk enjoyed, more the fact that there were many "Fridays only" timetable modifications. From late afternoon onwards, passenger trains would make additional stops, as well as there being additional services. It was also a peak of postal & parcel services in the days of Red star parcels & the GPO of course. That is a thing of the past, as accounting management practices insist on maximum capitol deployment, these days. We cannot have stock lying around for one day a week use, which we have seen as proof of the pudding, with the failure of our rail network to be able to supply a few extra coaches for our Ricoh sports fixtures. In our fiction Hall Brooks, we are able to have our happier times, where extra stock can be found. West country loco pauses at Bramble Lane station, which except for Fridays closes at 7pm, but remains open until 10pm on Fridays. Well, it's all in my mind!

You must have a very vivid mind then Philip to be showing such detail at Bramble Lane station. It's always a pleasure to watch the comings and goings - Thank you.

Hi all With a whiff of Spring weather in the air, two new items are on their way to Hall Brooks railway. Quite a new venture too. Our first BR blue livery items. The first picture is of 1968 EMU stock, which will work complimentary alongside the existing 1930s green EMU on the third electric rail line into Curzon St. Also, a blue livery single DMU parcels motor van. I am itching to add some blue stuff, as I need to maintain my interest too. I can keep buying steam era stuff until the cows come home, as fine as they are, but moving the era on a bit adds so much. I am working on a set of colour light signals to replace the existing platform semaphore starting signal out of Bishops Hill platform. Our model is just that, a model. Most folk are not conversant with the history of colour schemes of our railways, so seeing the same colours emerging & disappearing into the tunnels is just always the same. A bit of colour change of our stock just adds a bit of prettiness. Most model railway sales in the UK are made to adults. That is reflected in the market prices of model stock. The vintage coloured versions of these items are all much higher cost as modellers mostly go for the earlier versions. Hatton's have stocks of unsold blue items, where I have been watching the prices over recent months. I have another couple of items on my Hatton's watch list which I am deliberating on. Has anyone got a spare house to house stock not on our railway, my storage cupboards are rather full already. As we add any new stock of any kind, whatever it replaces has to come off & go into the storage cabinet.

A Gloucester parcels van used to run occasionally between Numeaton and Leamington and I have to admit it was one of the few BR vehicles which looked better in blue and yellow than it did in original green livery.

I believe Philip's new parcels van is M55990 - here is M55989 photographed in 1981 (in glorious black & white)

Hi all & thank you Dutchman & Midland Red, I have never ever got my head around the multiple stock stuff, whether EMU or DMU in origins, or the single van versions for parcels or even the small four wheeled rail-bus vehicles that a year ago I had a ride on in Yorkshire. The Southern region third rail EMUs (EMUs are carriages with electric motors that pick the current up from a third rail, as opposed to a DMU, the same but with a diesel engine as its power). I have never understood their classifications. Our current green EMU is classed as a BIL unit, whereas our new one is a HAL unit converted to a HAP. I had better ring the Royal, or send for an ambulance. Our new multiple unit is stated as 1968 stock, but they were built over ten years earlier, in full green Southern Region livery, before being re-coloured blue in 1968. Some went on to be re-coloured in the mushroom split livery in the eighties. Our railway here is very fictitious, as nowhere near to Coventry was there ever a third rail system. I just pretend that the Southern encroached on our services to Curzon St in Birmingham. I have a soft spot for the Southern management as they had a strong economic plan so as to retain steam, working alongside the electrics. Right up to 1967, Southern non-electrified services were mostly steam. I was working in Fleet that year, very near to the level crossing (no longer there), where it was a delight to see the UMUs humming by on local trains, whilst freight & long-haul express passenger trains were steam powered.

Hi all, For anyone that is interested in model railways, Coventry does have a model shop, "Antics" near to the bird cage in Shelton Square & currently have the best display of locomotives that they have had all of the time that they have been in Shelton Square. Sadly, they are unable to make repairs or carry out service, always having to send to the service centre. As we are aware from our internet use on the forum, we are in virtual contact with one another as we engage in conversation. Hatton's in Liverpool have mastered this to a fine art. Hatton's are probably the biggest model railway dealership in the world, not just UK. They specialise in model railways & nothing else, but their dealership is total & comprehensive, including highly skilled servicing. Hatton's Team It's nearly like having the model shop next door. I sent an email query about an item on Saturday after the shop was closed. Half an hour later, a chap called Ben rang me, with the answer. It doesn't get much better than that anywhere, whether they are in Liverpool or New York. Click on the link & you will see the personal attention given to making me, the customer feel valued & wanted. You will see Ben who rang me. Sad for them, they have my picture too, but he still rang me. I have been to their original shop a few times, but in January they moved to new, much larger premises. I feel a trip to Liverpool coming on, hey!

A friend of mine opened a model shop in Westmede Centre a few years ago but only lasted a year because a total lack of interest in model trains etc in the Allesley Park district. He was interested in trains and all sorts of modelling. I wanted a boat construction kit to give as a birthday present. The sort of cabin cruiser that you find on the Norfolk Broads. Not easy but eventually he found what I wanted.

Hi Norman That was a good shop, as it was complimented by an enthusiastic arts & crafts section to the shop. Railways one side, crafts the other. An ideal combination for a model shop, but as you say, I was one of the few customers. We live in an instant world nowadays.

Yes Philip, I worked with Bruce, who was to become the shop owner, when he was a plant fitter at Draftex. He started framing pictures at the shop but that failed because Wilko's were selling frames at a quarter of the price that he could sell them for. He joined with a woman who sold the arty stuff while Bruce ran the model side. It was not to be, the shop failed. Bruce is retired now, a sadder and wiser man.

Hi all Our new EMU has arrived, checked for clearances & is ready for "Rush Hour" at Bishops Heath. Along with new Diesel Parcel Van HallBrooks latest Hope you like.