The DIY motorising of the Airfix kit was abandoned, but the idea remained deep in the desires of your recent returnee to railway modelling. Way back in the 1960s, Railway Modeller magazine had published an article on how to do what fbb could not.
The magazine regularly carries an advert for the kit and the wherewithal to motorise it ...
... and the interwebnet shows various other options.
Should fbb try again? What about painting the finished model? No, it was still beyond the old blokes' shaky hand skill set.
Enter a Danish firm called Heljan.
One of their principle product lines is scale models in HO (3.5 millimetres to the foot) as here with the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen.
The colours are a tad garish ...
... but it looks just right. Another historic model is Thomas Edison's laboratory ...
... again based firmly on the real thing.
Intriguing, but we digress (as usual).
Their catalogue illustrates a rather fine European-style turntable ...
... but surrounded by UK diesel locomotives. Uh?
That's because, a few years ago, the Danish firm entered the UK market, producing UK diesel locomotives and diesel railcars. Thus joy was unbounded when the firm announced models of UK railbuses; joy which rapidly evaporated when fbb saw the price!
£120 - OUCH!!!! (actually they were a bit cheaper when they first appeared).
fbb decided to wait until one turned up second hand. Then, in the blogging (and busted) confuser's in-box, appeared a Summer special chop to approximately HALF PRICE.
So that was what was in the parcel from Widnes - and what a beauty she is!
If you can work out how to get it out of the box!
Manipulating a card sleeve round a card box, containing a plastic sleeve with complex plastic surround inside, was a bit like one of those infuriating wooden block puzzles.
But, here she is out of the box and on her inaugural test run emerging from Peterville tunnel ...
... and on her way to Aviemore.
The detail is magnificent ...
... with a full interior and a very well hidden motor!
The underframe is exquisite with finely crafted steps and wire handrails ...
... which ping off if you grasp the body too firmly; superglue and shaky hands to the rescue!
It makes an ideal vehicle to transport the 4mm scale visitors to Peterville Quarry Railway Heritage Centre on quieter open days.
fbb Makes a Mistake!
Surely not?
In Wednesday's blog and critique of Buses for Sheffield's exciting "underground-style" bus map, fbb wrote thus:-
In fact, the "pinkish" line is route 20. Everything else is correct, i.e. WRONG. But the map is worse, far worse, in this area than fbb at first spotted.
The 97/98 (DEEP PURPLE) and the 75/76 (MUD) all enter the city via Highfield(no "S") and therefore should join the 20 (PINKISH) at that point. The 24/25 (BLUE) leaves the 20 just past Heeley Retail Park and should NOT be shown via Highfield or even Highfields.
It is really really bad!
Bob, an occasional correspondent, sent fbb the higher resolution map picture that provides these screenshots. He opined that the map, called by fbb "appallingly awful", looked "pretty good".
He did admit that he had not looked in detail - but he has now.
An email from Bob (Sheffield resident) arrived yesterday. It said simply, but graciously,
"You are right!"
Thanks Bob.
But South Yorkshire PTE, Stagecoach and First Bus have all checked it, according to a senior PTE boss.
fbb decided to wait until one turned up second hand. Then, in the blogging (and busted) confuser's in-box, appeared a Summer special chop to approximately HALF PRICE.
So that was what was in the parcel from Widnes - and what a beauty she is!
The detail is magnificent ...
It makes an ideal vehicle to transport the 4mm scale visitors to Peterville Quarry Railway Heritage Centre on quieter open days.
fbb Makes a Mistake!
Surely not?
In Wednesday's blog and critique of Buses for Sheffield's exciting "underground-style" bus map, fbb wrote thus:-
It is really really bad!
Bob, an occasional correspondent, sent fbb the higher resolution map picture that provides these screenshots. He opined that the map, called by fbb "appallingly awful", looked "pretty good".
He did admit that he had not looked in detail - but he has now.
An email from Bob (Sheffield resident) arrived yesterday. It said simply, but graciously,
"You are right!"
Thanks Bob.
But South Yorkshire PTE, Stagecoach and First Bus have all checked it, according to a senior PTE boss.
Weekend newsbites blog : Saturday 9th June
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