[Gary]

I have been watching a Deltic DVD and it is very clear that on preserved lines anything goes. I knew this anyway but this DVD reminded me of the facts.

Nene Valley 1985 - Deltic pulling a rake of green German DB coaches

Severn Valley 1999 - Deltic Gordon Highlander pulling a rake of Gresley Teak Coaches

Seven Valley 1999 - Deltic Royal Highland Fusileer pulling GWR Coaches

Keithley and Worth Valley Railway - Deltic Gordan Highlander and West Country City of Wells join up to haul a rake of BR coaches from various eras.

And there are various other Deltic and Steam Loco pairings.

On this basis modelling the current preservation scene has to be absolutely prerfect for any modeller as anything goes. GWR fanatics could model GWR Bewdley station and ran virtually anything on it!

And the same could be said for various preserved stations and lines around the UK that have themed weekends and invite guest locomotives and rolling stock.

Absolutely perfect.

Yet the preservation scene is rarely modelled and never exhibited.

Why is this?

It seems very odd that it isn't given everything in its favour.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

QUOTE You also have to bear in mind that there is politics involved. although many of them would have scenes definatly worth of being modelled I find the preserved lines in the uk rather excluding and unfriendly. They are so full of red tape and health and safty nonsence that I really wouldnt feel any inclination or enthusiasm to recreate them in miniture.

I don't quite see what this has to do with modelling them or something like them. Based on layouts are good enough from this point of view.

Don't you think that the aim of preserved lines is to recreate the atmospere that existed in the 1930's/1940's./1950's and it just so happened that the railways were run by "more than my jobsworth" types and so this type of approach is all part of the scene and expectation of the visiting public as the staff are "perfoming"?

Unfortuneately current health and safety has somewhat helped to reinforce the "more than my jobsworth" type and who can blame them when the penalties for breach of any rules are so high?

I watched on Tuesday as Warley MRC put "No Smoking" stickers all around the club. Apparently even churches have to do this under the new "no smoking in public place" rules. It adds yet more unnecesary eye clutter to a former Tai Chi type environment and gives even more for the health and safety geezers to think about.

No doubt Signs of The Times have already produced "No Smoking" signs for modellers to stick all around their layout on and in every building and coach.

Happy modelling
Gary

 

[Gary]

Another advantage of preserved lines as admirably pointed out in the latest edition of Model Rail is that they have extended the life of a number of classes of locomotive that were very short lived on BR lines. There are currently 19 examples of the Class 14 Teddy Bear operating on preserved lines and these had a 5 year life in BR days which lasted until the end of the 1960's only. And in preservation there is even a maroon example replicating the colours of the Westerns so plenty of opportunity for varied colour schemes and not just BR green.

As such I am totally amazed that neither Bachmann or Hornby seem willing to offer this model in ready to run form especially as it only takes 5000 sales for a model to break even. A class 14 could offer more livery variety than almost any other recently introduced loco however it does seem that the large manufacturers prefer to restrict themselves (with the odd exception) to liveries that appeared during mainline operations only. In the case of classes with a limited mainline life the manufacturers should look at the broader picture of running post BR and then there would be a number of very interesting subjects currently not on the agenda.

Happy modelling
Gary