[Makemineadouble]

QUOTE I forgot about the Kitmaster one - they do occasionally turn up at the shows, but they do attract high prices if unmade.

I've seen quite a few of the above in the last year. The going price for an unmade kit was £120 or there abouts. The kitmaster version was powered by two of the old version of the Hornby Fowler tank (open framed motor I think ?). When looking at the body I had reservations about being able to fit a new Fowler chassis inside one of these and this put me off buying one. This would make it a very expensive loco. The last complete kit one I've seen was selling for in excess of £500 which I regard as well over the top. Yes I would buy one if Hornby or Bachmann produced one. A dilemma exists for manufacturers as to have broad appeal models should be HO gauge !.

The last Garrett I saw in the Flesh was on Shunting duties at Elandsfontein (between Pretoria and Johannesburg) in the mid Eighties, although there were still a few operating from Springs MDP in eighties as well. Perhaps Johan De Villiers could confirm this.

 

[Makemineadouble]

It's a minute market in South Africa. Any model I feel would have to be based around H/O track which really brings us back to 00. I wonder why the kit master moulds were destroyed, were they part of the ones involved in a fire some years back ?.

 

[Makemineadouble]

The Railway channel

for those interested today's Railway Channel features the story of the restoration of G42 and shows the restored Garrett in action on Victoria's Puffing Billy Railway.
Another brilliant presentation.