Silver Sidelines

I was recently paid for some unexpected work. I would invest part of the proceeds in some additional motive power (more engines). I don’t think there are any model shops in Dumfries and Galloway (probably the largest Council in the UK) so it is very much a case of what is available on the Internet. All very exciting – well until the post arrives! The first item should have been straightforward. I would buy a Bachmann BR ROD - pristine. Bachmann BR ROD – Early Emblem – Pristine The model came from a well respected source, not eBay, but oh dear what was in the box was not what was on the label. Bachmann BR ROD – Weathered I will not embarrass the retailer further. The problem is being sorted. My engine is still in his cabinet and will be released as soon as the weathered version is returned - at his cost. The very same courier that delivered the ROD also brought my second purchase – Hornby’s Bucklebury Grange. I was too late to buy Overton Grange ‘new’ and I ...

There has been some correspondence of late about Hornby Hobbies online shop on eBay. Certainly their prices can be enticing and in some cases the longer you wait the lower the asking price. Never mind I would investigate further and I bought R2986 “A Date with the Duchy”. It was cheap because 'the packaging was damaged’ and the whole set was on offer for less than you might expect to pay just for the engine. “A Date with the Duchy” set number two. The set arrived very well packed. However whilst the coaches looked untouched, the tissue paper around the engine was ripped where the locomotive had been taken out and run, confirmed by the black marks beneath the driving wheels. The metal packing pieces to hold the engine in place were missing (discovered later beneath one of the coaches), as were the two fixing screws used to hold the keeper plate in place. Without the fixing screws the engine did not want to run properly and without the packing pieces the engine had been...