[pedromorgan]

ok i know they announced that BC will be getting a new loco at the toy fair but did anyone find out what it is going to be?

Peter

 

[pedromorgan]

i just found out that it was the SS9 that was announced last year but has only just arrived. i still havent seen it in this country yet but it was on the shelf in beijing when i was there a couple of weeks ago.

Peter

 

[Dennis David]

When I was in Shanghai I was hoping to pick-up a Bachman Steam locomotive but I could not find any hobby shops at all. Toy stores yes but nothing that I would call a hobby shop. What's the name of the store in Beijing or where was it located? I might be visiting there later this year.

BTW

Did you take any pictures while you were in China, I would love to see them. I've posted some of my pictures here.

 

[neil_s_wood]

Railway modelling would be a bit of a minority interest in China wouldn't it

I never really thought many people could afford models in China. I suppose a minority in China is still a lot of people.

 

[pedromorgan]

hello dennis.

the best all rounder in beijing is ECHO in north west beijing. Telephone 010 - 82612930, 010 - 82616577, 010 - 82616569 i went in there about 3 weeks ago. they had a good range of lilliput and all the usual bechmann stuff and the american range. trix/marklin, hornby....

they have a service where you can take a picture of your favorate loco and they will detail one to look like it.

my girlfreind (a beijinger) picked up a brass unpowered SS4b from there. i believe it to be one of only 5 ever made. there is one a t datong works and another was spotted in a model shop in hong kong buy peter haworth. he told me he offered them the equivalent of £350 for it and they turned it down. my girlfreind talked them into selling it for about £120!! good girl

echo is uk prices-%30 on the bachmann stuff.

there is also a bit of brass to be had now and then. i have a brass beijing metro set, a DF7 an SS7 and a DF8.

i took some pictures last night. i will post them on here in a few minutes when i have loaded them into pailimages.com

department stores sell some stuff but its absoloute crap. high prices (even buy UK standards) and hardly any range at all

Neil, you are right in that they many people lack the money for model railways. but there must be some money comming from somewhere or the shops could not survive. i subscribe to the view you mentioned in that "I suppose a minority in China is still a lot of people."

many of the bachmann china diesels are in the £40-50 range. its alot of money for them but its not totally outragous. you have to remember that they are very proud of their railway, they are ashamed of the steam loco's so a chinese person would probably not have a QJ on hiis or her layout. but they would have the latest SS9 or DF11G and the diesel locos arnt expensive. it was very refreshing to go to a place that does not have the "sad" image that the hobby has in the uk. aparently the loco that bachmann are doing next has not been made in prototype yet and they have no plans to make any more steam loco's. thats a real bugger as i want a JS and an RM! the chinese are a bit like kids in toys' r us, they arnt attracted buy the steam loco's but they want the latest HST.

I will post some pictures when i have uploaded them.
Peter

 

[Dennis David]

Yes that's the shop that was "recommended by Hans Schafer on his website".

 

[neil_s_wood]

They also have a website Echo Model

which I never really expected from a Chinese model rail store. You find out something new every day!

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I am going to be spending a week or so in Shanghai later in the year and wondered if anyone had some tips on where to go for trains there? I am into LMS period locos and stock.

 

[60134]

"I am going to be spending a week or so in Shanghai later in the year and wondered if anyone had some tips on where to go for trains there? I am into LMS period locos and stock"

You'll struggle to find any Stanier stock in Shanghai!

60134

 

[Dennis David]

Walthers says that there is one hobby shop selling their magazine in Shanghai but I'll be darned if I was able to find it. Shanghai is massive with estimates of 30 million people thrown about.

 

[neil_s_wood]

Forgive me for sounding cynical but would there really be a demand for LMS stuff in China?

I would have thought it would only be of interest to expats. You would get better prices and range from the UK mail order.

 

[pedromorgan]

"Yes that's the shop that was "recommended by Hans Schafer on his website". "
yep thats where i found out about it too.

would you like to see some of the pictures i took when i was there?

echo had some hornby there so mabye you will get some LMS stock. you never know. also bachmann branchline was there too.

peter

 

[Dennis David]

Yes please.

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE i took some pictures last night. i will post them on here in a few minutes when i have loaded them into pailimages.com

Are you actually in China now?

 

[Dennis David]

That reminds me that I look to see where people are posting from when I study my Google Analytics. They have a litle map and dots appear where people logged in from. It's pretty interesting and scary at the same time. This week I had 14 people from Beijing visit my website. In the US .com is used a lot but in other countries it's easier as they always use the national extension. It's great for mail because I can filter out Nigeria and Romania.

 

[pedromorgan]

neil sorry for the delay i posted them on the other forum and forgot this one.
i am in an internet cafe now but here is a link to the other forum where i posted them.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topi...?TOPIC_ID=65216

i will post some pictures of the shop when i am at work tomorrow.

Peter

 

[neil_s_wood]

Very nice Peter. Are Chinese trains your particular area of interest?

 

[pedromorgan]

They have been recently.
my girlfreind gave me a bachmann QJ so i thought i cant just have 1 chinese loco so i got an SY then i quite fancied the SS4 i saw in echo......you know how it goes! you blink and you have at least half a dozen!

unfortunatly i am keeping up with my tradition of having a grosly disproportionate number of loco's to rolling stock. i never have enough coaches. evry time i go to get coaches i walk away with a loco.

here are the pictures transfered from the other forum.

my complete chinese collection.

a brass unpowered df7 i got from beijing railway museum. i am looking for a suitable donor chassis.

my SS4b. i believe there are only 5 of these brass models in the entire world.

beijing metro. also brass

SS7 how am i going to motorise that one!?

DF8 sorry for the lousey photo.

and now the echo pictures...

echo model train store i actually though i took a better one than that but thats all i can find on my disc. mabye it is on my portable hdd. i will look tonight.

the chinese stock cabinate. he would not sell that SS1 no matter how much money i offered him.

the european cabinate. not in this picture is all the marklin stuff. it is just off to the left.

a bit of brittish stuff.

i am sure i took better pictures than these. i think i am missing some.

here are some others i thought you might like to see. (or actually i just wanted to gloat that i really went there!)

me in the cab of a DF11G

Me and loco "chairman Mao" note this is not actually the loco that pulled chairman mao just a loco maned after him. (despicte what some people think! his loco was actually NY6 0007. he would have had the very latest diesel not a smelly old steamer)

nuff said

me and JS 8356

me firing JS 8356

Please dont use any of these pictures withought my permission.

Peter

 

[neil_s_wood]

So you actually got to drive one?

that looks like fun. Do you have to pay for that or are they ok with letting you have a go?

The model store seems to have a different name from Echo, is that common in China?

 

[pedromorgan]

sorry i should have made it more clear. ECHO is the laft hand store, the red one. the one on the right is a general hobby sotre. i actually didnt go in that one-didnt have time but i had a peek through the window while she was grabbing a taxe and it looked like revell and heller and tamia stuff.-next time.
if you look at the red banner it says "ECHO" in the bottom left. i am sure i have a better photo. also they have a small layout inside. i know i took a pic of that but i cant find that on my disc either. i will have another look tonight.

i didnt get to drive but i did get to fire one. i was trying so hard not to make a complete fool of myself infront of the crew! it was a fantastic experience i will never forget. we were pulling about 30 fully loaded iron ore hoppers, he had the reverser fully open and we were going up hill, the regulator was a long way forward too! i think he was trying to wear me out for a lough, but i didnt mind. i was on could 9!

no i didnt have to pay, but i think that was more to do with having cute chinese girlfreind than anything to do with me! you would be amazed at the doors that opens up! on the last day i wanted to see beijing station and a man saw us and saw me taking pictures of the stock. at first he was a bit hostile but after a few moments of talking to her he just said "come follow" we walked straight off the end of the platform along the main line and straight along to beijing depot! i saw chairman mao's REAL loco. the DF11Z's they use on Hu Jintao's trains (didnt get to see the coaches as they were in a shed under armed guard) SS9's by the dozen and plenty of imports from europe. she got chatting to one of the engineers and he let me sit in the cab of the DF11G. it was just fantastic.

if you are really interested i will post some more pictures.

1 more note though. beijing museum. i know its very new but it looks like it has gone out of fasion with the government and it was already starting to look tatty in places. and many exibits had being broken. there were a load of concept models for stations and there was a child just running round ripping bits off. they only had 1 member of staff and she was being kept busy answering the phone. there was me, my girlfreind, that stupid boy and his 2 parents and the woman on the phone. that was it. the rest was empty.

if you want to go to see steam and the beijing museum. go now because it might not be there next year.

Peter

p.s. although i didnt have to pay i did get them 2 big packets of cigerettes to share round.