No.97 The ups and downs of buying online.

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 had to source a model off eBay, well two infact to get one good one! I had read all about the new Bucklebury Grange hereon RMweb. My previous model Overton Grange was made by Sanda Kan, the new model was put together by Refined. The thread on RMweb made it sound as though the models were virtually the same – I would buy Bucklebury Grange whilst it was still available.
Now you see it – Overton Grange with Vacuum Spindle

Now you don’t – Bucklebury Grange without Vacuum Spindle

Anybody who has played with Mainline / Bachmann Manors, Bachmann Halls and Hornby Granges will understand about the perils of vacuum spindles and just how easy it is to break them. Lifting Bucklebury Grange from its packaging I casually inspected the underside of the footplate to check that the spindle was intact only to find it completely missing. A check with friends here on RMweb would seem to indicate that this is another example of Hornby’s Design Clever – value engineering as it was termed by British Leyland before they imploded. On a test run my model of Bucklebury Grange swung rather a lot from side to side - so it too is being returned for replacement. It is only an initial impression, but the model has a rather delicate feel to it. When the replacement arrives I will be interested to compare the weight of the body shell from Bucklebury Grange, with say Overton Grange, just to see if there is any difference.

Bachmann BR (WR) Austerity

The last model in this trilogy is a Bachmann WD 8F. This was an impulse buy off eBay – so no research. It had been in my mind for some time to obtain the BR (WR) variant – and here was one for sale. It arrived exactly as advertised, the engine appearing to have had very little use. However I was suspicious about the wheels on the tender which seemed to me to be well used. I would do some research.

Bachmann WD 2-8-0 Austerity – BR (WR) variant

My model had arrived with a Late Crest. The box is quite clear, Early Emblem. Somewhere along the line my model has acquired a tender with a Late Crest. 90312 was at Cardiff Canton in 1959 but had moved to Southall by 1961. I guess someone out there will know whether it received a Late Crest and if it still had its GWR top feed and tool tunnel. It is a good model and I have no complaints – and this one is not going back to the seller.

Bachmann WD 2-8-0 Austerity – BR ‘standard’ version (spot the differences)

For comparison there is a view of my old faithful BR ‘standard’ Austerity. This was the first locomotive that I ‘won’ on eBay back in 2007 and it is still going strong. Both Bachmann WD 8Fs have now had lead shot added to the front of the boiler  and both perform brilliantly.
 

A word of caution. 90566 came apart relatively easily. 90312 was more difficult.

To remove the body shell the upwards extension from the valve gear needs to be gently eased down through the cast metal footplate

The upwards extension from the valve gear was an exceedingly tight fit through the footplate and I had to scrape some of the paint and metal edging to the gap in the footplate to get the body shell back over the valve gear. I see now that I have taken some ‘close up’ pictures that I need to put some black paint over where I have scraped the plastic moulding.

I know that buses travel around in threes – hopefully three surprises in the post is enough for one week?

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