WJVintage Newsletter May 2021 by angelalumsdon

WJVintage May 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of the WJVintage newsletter. I have to say that this month, more than any other for quite some time, I am feeling in a positive and upbeat mood. Here in the UK Covid restrictions are lifting, meaning that life will, with a degree of caution, soon return to closer to normal. We are not there yet, but I am looking forward to my second jab later this week and the extra protection that it offers. There is even more to be upbeat about in this issue too! I am delighted to say that the frustration of last month is over as our new locomotive is proudly revealed in this issue. In fact, it was so exciting to see it completed that it has already been unveiled on our Facebook page and on the WJVintage website. But for those who don’t already know, scroll down to ‘What’s New’ now! It won’t be available until the last quarter of 2021, but I am sure the wait will be worthwhile. There are plenty of other product updates in this issue including a first look at the artworks for some of the new Well Wagons. These are due to be finished this week and will hopefully (customs permitting) be delivered before the end of May. There are some fabulous reports once again in the ‘Customer Corner’ feature and I must thank you all for continuing to support the newsletter by submitting stories and photos to use in this section. It really adds to the breadth of interest and I know it is much appreciated by the readership as many of them contact me to say how much they enjoy reading of your railway experiences. Do please stay safe and … Keep Enjoying Your Trains 1

Customer Corner (aka - Your ‘Lockdown Locos’) Trams and Trains As hopefully some of you will have noticed, trams have been a feature of recent newsletters with the new ETS Sheffield tram soon to go into production. I was therefore delighted to receive some photographs from Mike ParryEvans showing his O gauge layout which includes a tram system.

Mike really has an integrated transport system on his layout with trains, trams, road and waterways all combined – plus a circus thrown in toboot! The Dresden trams in the picture were made by Lehnhardt in Oberlunwitz, Germany. Mike bought them about 15 years ago. They sold sets with controllers together with track made by ETS. Does anyone know whether Lehnhardt are still trading? Mike isn’t sure and nor am I. I do like the look of the trams, they look quite refined and well detailed. However, I digress! When Mike originally contacted me, it was actually to show me one of his lockdown projects. He has recently completed the construction of a Citybuilder Apartment Block kit and it is now included on the layout. I think it fits in perfectly and well done to Mike for including a WJVintage Parcels Railcar in the photo 2

You learn something every day and I did have to smile when I saw the next photo. In all the time I have sold the Citybuilder range, I never noticed the newsstand that sits on the pavement outside the apartment block shop – How’s about that then? Most un-PC in this day and age!

What I did immediately notice was the very futuristic (in a Jules Verne sense) bullet-like car driving past the apartment block. I immediately made enquiries about this and Mike tells me it is a model by Rio of the 40/60HP Alfa Aerodinamica. This was apparently a one-off car and was commissioned by the Milanese Count Marco Ricotti in 1914. With its super- streamlined body, it could reach a top speed of 139 km/h (86 mph). In the 1970s, a replica of the car was created, and this now resides on display in the Alfa Romeo Historical Museum in Arese, Milan see photo below.

What a fabulous piece of automotive engineering – they certainly don’t make-em like that anymore! Mind you, I’m not sure I’d fancy travelling at 80-plus mph on a set of wooden spoked wheels and solid tyres! Huge thanks to Mike for sharing a fabulous layout with us, and also for providing the follow-up information on some fascinating layout ‘extras’. Great stuff and genuinely very interesting too!

Lima Coach Conversions As I mentioned last month, Brian Edinboro from Lincolnshire and his friend Barry from Moray in Scotland have been hard at work again. This time Brian has sourced a Lima BR Mk1 Coach in Blue/Grey livery and Barry has performed one of his fabulous makeovers on it. The photos below show the ‘before’ and ‘after’ but probably don’t reflect the improvement as well as ‘in the flesh’. 4

Before

After

Talking to Brian he is really impressed with the complete re-paint and redecoration that Barry has done. As with the Big Big Train coaches that featured last month, Barry takes a rather basic, simple item, and turns it into something far more realistic using specialist matched paint shades and authentic decals. The quality of finish is excellent and makes for a very pleasing representation of a Mk1 BR coach that doesn’t break the bank. Brian also reports that the coaches run well with their standard bogies/wheels on his layout which consists of Lionel Fastrack and Merkur tinplate 3-rail track. Thanks once again to Brian for taking the trouble to send in these photos.

More from Waller’s Ash Junction Last month I reported on Kevin Byrne’s decision to completely revamp his garden railway and we saw photos of the Jewson lorry craning off timber for what was to become a major civil engineering project. Well, I am pleased to say that Kevin has worked tirelessly on the project and he now sends us a few more photos of his newly opened layout. 5

First, there are two pictures on a Somerset and Dorset theme, including the brand-new ACE 8F loco on a typical local passenger train at the end of the line’s life around 1965/66. There is also a scene from an earlier time on the S and D with 9F on Passenger and a Duck 6 on a Coal train.

Finally, there is also a photo of some of the youngsters that inspired Kevin to revamp his layout (see WJVintage April 2021 Newsletter). Here, they appear to be totally absorbed in vintage Dinky toys and are totally ignoring the Gresley A3 ‘Blink Bonny’ on an express.

During the lockdown Kevin, like so many of us, has been in self isolation. Inspired by the kids (who regularly visit), but also to keep himself sane, he took advantage of a period of settled weather and set to work on the project which looks to have been completed to an incredibly high standard. I know that he has also refurbished, or in some cases rebuilt, all the bridges and associated infrastructures on the layout and he has promised one or two more photos for inclusion in next month’s newsletter. I can’t wait to see more aspects of the build. Huge thanks as always Kevin for sharing your fantastic work with us. I am inspired, as I am sure many others are too! Keep up the good work sir!!

What’s New? The Ivatt GNR/LNERC1 Class 4-4-2 Atlantic

It has been a rather long time in development, but I am delighted to say that the wait is now over! I am pleased to announce that our new O Gauge coarse scale locomotive for 2021 will be the magnificent Ivatt GNR/LNER C1 Class 4-4-2 Atlantic. Delivery is scheduled for 4th quarter of the year and we are currently planning 4 liveries - GNR, LNER x 2 and BR. The photos above and below show the prototype as an early 'saturated' loco in LNER green. We will be producing both 'saturated' and the later 'superheated' variants. More details will emerge over the coming months so keep an eye on the WJVintage newsletter for all the latest updates.

This locomotive represents a couple of firsts for WJVintage; namely the first large tender locomotive and also the first Great Northern Railway prototype. Its an exciting move and one that I hope you will all generally approve of. Certainly, the Atlantics came top (by some way) of the list of ‘customer wants’ when I asked you to send in your favourites some time ago. We will only be producing 150 of these locos across all 4 liveries so preorders are welcome (and advised) if you would like to secure yours now! The price will be £695.00 each plus P&P. The additional proposed liveries are shown below: GNR 251 – As Preserved at Doncaster

LNER 3283 – A Superheated Locomotive

British Railways 62822 – The last C1 to be withdrawn and another superheated loco. On Sunday 26th November 1950 it hauled the aptly named ‘Ivatt Atlantic Special’ from Kings Cross to Doncaster – its final run.

The specification for the new Ivatt C1 4-4-0 Atlantics will be as follows: • • • • • • • • •

Precision engineered, (7mm to the foot) O gauge models Hand built tinplate construction Beautifully tampo-printed liveries Fitted with standard (BL/Ace) style drop link couplings on tender For 2- or 3-rail use (including raised centre 3rd) Includes ON/OFF isolating switch 12 – 14 Volts DC Super smooth drive mechanism with clutch Minimum radius 27” (686mm)

Please get in touch if you have any other queries regarding this superb new C1 Atlantic! 9

Well Wagons

Good news! The first batch of Well Wagons is nearly finished and should be ready to leave Prague in the next week. I hope the delivery will be here by the end of the month. Artworks for all six variants are shown below (but please note the WD livery is being tweaked/amended). Pre-orders remain very encouraging across all liveries and I am now over 50% sold out across the entire range - with GWR and BR being particularly popular. So please, if you fancy one (or more) of these, do let me know as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment. I will be allocated just 100 pieces spread across all 6 liveries so some will be extremely limited as follows: 20 x LNER (2 running numbers available)

20 x GWR Crocodile H (2 running numbers available)

20 x BR Weltrol MV (2 running numbers available)

10 x LMS (1 running number only)

15 x SR (2 running numbers available)

15 x WD (1 running number only)

The Well Wagons are priced at £99.00 each plus P&P and please note they are supplied without loads. However, Graham Lock is developing a range of loads specifically designed to go with the well wagon. These will include: Boilers in the liveries of Bassett-Lowke (see above), J.T. Lowke and Marklin. These are priced at £24.00 each plus P&P Cable Drums in the liveries of Callender, Enfield, Liverpool, BICC, Bassett-Lowke, JT Lowke and Longmoor Military Railway. These will be priced at £15.00 each (inc chock) plus P&P (Note the triangular frame shown in the photo below is not included)

Twin Cable Drums This is a new addition from Graham and has been designed specifically to fit the Well Wagon

It comes complete with metal frames and wooden cradle as shown and will be priced at £25.00 each plus P&P. Large Packing Cases

Meccano Binns Road/Swift Levick Sheffield

Swan Hunter/MOD Royal Navy Davenport

MetropolitanCammell/Pullman Car Co.

Eastleigh Engineering/ Vulcan Ironworks

MOD Royal Navy Chatham/Harland & Wolff (not Vickers as shown below)

Packing Cases will be £14.00 each (inc block to locate in Well Wagon) plus P&P

Brand New Rectangular (Tar) Tank Wagon

Evoking memories of the vintage Tar tank wagons produced in the past by Mills Brothers (Milbro) and Leeds Model Company (LMC), these brandnew Rectangular Tank Wagons have been brilliantly received. Many thanks to everyone who has been in touch to pre-order. These look like being a very fast sell-out and perhaps a Series 2 will need to be considered?

These characterful wagons were first introduced around 1885 and they remained in production until as late as 1946, although most production ceased during the late 1920s as cylindrical tanks became more popular. They were used primarily for the transportation of tar, pitch and heavy oils and, as such were an important part of the railway goods scene, and a reasonably common sight across the entire country, especially during the pre-war years. The initial range will feature six liveries, all produced in very limited quantities. They will be: Yorkshire & Lincolnshire Tar Distillation Co. Shell/BP GWR ICI WD Smith & Forrest The photos below give an indication of how the wagons will look, but final artworks will be subject to changes. More in future newsletters as the project develops.

First deliveries are expected during June. Price for the wagons is expected to be £48.00 each plus P&P. As quantities are going to be extremely limited, you are welcome to place your pre-orders right away. Please get in touch to reserve yours now.

WJVintage 10th Anniversary Commemorative PO 7-Plank Wagon

Yes, hard to believe but I will have been in business for 10 years this coming October. I would have liked to have had a big party but unfortunately, I just don’t think it is worth the risk given where we are with Covid. So, instead I will be launching a limited-edition wagon.

With a production run of just 60 pieces, these look like becoming rather collectable. My order book is now up to 55 pieces at time of going to press so with just 5 pieces left to sell, I don’t anticipate them being around for long. In fact, I may have to increase the order quantity slightly. Perhaps 75 pieces will be a more realistic quantity. I will talk to ETS and report back next month. I have to say, huge thanks to everyone that has ordered to-date – your support is really very much appreciated. Price will be £39.99 each plus P&P. Please order quickly to secure yours! 14

Mineral Wagons

No major update again this month. However, I can report that the bodies are progressing well and should be complete in the next 3 weeks. The wheels and chassis are on target to be ready for when the bodies become available. More to come in future newsletters. The photos below show early mock-ups of the BR Grey and Bauxite versions.

Prices for these mineral wagons will be £39.95 each for a single wagon and £150.00 for a set of 4 wagons, both plus P&P. Coal loads will also be available, but pricing is still to be confirmed – should be around £5.00 each plus P&P.

Revised Couplings Back in Stock I am pleased to announce that a further 500 wagon couplings have now come back into stock, plus I have some of the slightly longer loco couplings still available. They are priced at £4.25 plus P&P per pair for the wagon couplings and £4.50 plus P&P per pair for the loco couplings. A bag of 20 pairs is also available for £80.00 plus P&P for the wagon couplings and £85.00 plus P&P for the loco couplings. The wagon couplings are designed to fit easily to all Bassett-Lowke (Corgi/Hornby era) and WJVintage issued wagons and make a massive difference – reducing the distance between buffers from circa 25mm to just under 10mm. I am pleased to be able to illustrate the difference using before and after photos submitted by Chris Holmes, snd showing his rake of three milk tankers. Chris reports that the gap between the tank wagons looks much better and they are now ‘less socially distanced’ (who’d have used that terminology a year or so ago?) without any buffer lock problems. They are far less obtrusive and more visually pleasing.

BEFORE

AFTER

Chris has also used the new couplings on his Longmoor Military Railway train to similar good effect.

The loco versions can be easily fitted to any WJVintage/ETS produced locomotives to create a similar effect. Do note however that the little A1 Terrier 0-6-0T is better suited to the shorter ‘wagon’ style coupling, which transforms the look compared to the rather ungainly large hook fitted as standard.

AFTER

BEFORE

Sheffield Single Deck Open Tram

The recently announced tram project is a ‘GO’ and will be a Sheffield Corporation single decker. It is a restored tram based at Crich – No.46 but in its current restored form it has been much modified and shortened. The ETS model will be closer to the original vehicle during its early service life from 1899 to 1921. Below is a very quick mock-up of what is proposed:

Huge thanks to Michael Yorke who mocked up the prototype above on his computer

The model is designed to operate at 0-12 volts on the ETS 2-rail tram track system and the proposed price will be £154.00 each plus P&P. Only 20 pieces of this tram will be produced, and I now have orders for well over half this number. If you would be interested in one of these trams, please let me know as quickly as possible. I would estimate delivery would be in around 3 to 4 months so availability probably around August/September time. Please email me at wvvintage@outlook.com to confirm your interest. As a UK distributor for ETS I can get all of the tram track, power units etc. Let me know if this is of interest as well.

Stockroom Finds

A rare tidy up in my stockroom recently uncovered a couple of ex-Alan Cliff items which I had forgotten about. Despite Alan’s sad passing, I am still in touch with the family and any further sales will go to his widow. I am pretty sure these are the last vans from the collection that I have.

LSWR Milk Van

GWR Luggage Van

Both are in as new condition and both are offered at £50.00 plus P&P. I also came across a couple of my own items which I thought had long ago sold out!

LMS Horse Box

BR Bogie Bolster

These are both brand new items and are one-offs. I have no more and will not be getting any more. The LMS Horsebox is priced at £59.00 and the BR Bogie Bolster is £79.00, both plus P&P.

LMS Bogie Bolster

I also have a few LMS Bogie Bolster Wagons still in stock. These are also priced at £79.00 each plus P&P If you would like any of the above, please drop me a line or give me a call. 18

There are Bridges and then there are BIG Bridges

I certainly think that the MTH/Railking O Gauge double track Hell Gate Bridge qualifies as a BIG bridge. I have recently acquired one of these and I can confirm that it would certainly make a fine centrepiece/focal point for any layout.

Overall dimensions are 34.5 x 15.25 x 14.5inches and it comes in a huge box as you will see below.

It is made from very hard-wearing ABS so it will suit indoor and outdoor use. It accepts 2 O gauge tracks with 4.5inch rail centres and also features an operating light. This is brand new having been pre-owned but never used. It is on offer at £200.00. I think this is a very good price considering what the cost to ship one from the USA would be, not to mention the import duties!

P&P may be an option, but I have no idea what I would pack it in. I would therefore prefer collection or perhaps a halfway meet could be an option. Let me know if you are interested.

LGB ‘G’ Scale Collection I have recently acquired a fairly large collection of used LGB garden scale locos, rolling stock and track. Some of this is now sold but below is an upto-date list of the main remaining items, plus a couple more have been added. All prices are plus P&P.

2051S DB251902-3 Diesel £195.00 20

(very good condition with only light use, but one of the spung opening doors has come adrift and will need reattaching and gluing, boxed)

1981- 100 Years of Lehmann Anniversary Set £140.00 (Quite well used with some sun fading to coach roofs. All complete apart from track connection leads. Box is a little shelf-worn)

20701T Passenger Train Set £150.00 (complete apart from track connection leads, very good/excellent light use only condition. Figures need new sticky pads. Boxed but box lid is a bit tatty and has some tears)

32650 Pullman Coach (CIWL) 2 available £285.00each (Both in excellent as new boxed condition)

3019N Post Wagon £50.00 (Good used condition, a little dusty could do with a clean, boxed)

40405 Shell Tank Wagon £45.00 (Good used condition, a little dusty could do with a clean, boxed)

4030 Fyffes Banana Van £40.00 (Good used condition, a little dusty could do with a clean, boxed)

4041 Red O.E.G. Hopper Wagon £25.00 (Good used condition, boxed)

4107 Playmobil Shell Tank Wagon £30.00 (Good used condition, boxed)

10. 4045 Stake Wagon £15.00 (Good condition, boxed but no load)

11. 1030 Buffer £5.00 (Used, good condition and boxed)

12. 1100W R600 Curve (Box of 12) 2 available £48.00each (Good used condition, all fishplates present)

13. Box of 11 x 600mm straights 1060 £66.00 (used condition but good with all fishplates. May need a light clean)

14. Box of 11 x 1600 R3 22.5 deg curve £77.00 (used condition but good with all fishplates. May need a light clean)

15. 5065 level crossing £30.00 (All complete and in good used condition with German instructions)

16. 3600 Tram with interior lights and tail lamp £75.00 (Well used and could do with cleaning. Only one gate present and one horn missing on roof – boxed, lid has a little damage)

17. Bachmann Telegraph Poles £2.00each/6 for £10.00 Moulded G scale plastic poles with separate base

18. Plastic G Scale Water Crane £7.00 Possibly kit built. Made from moulded grey plastic. Fixed arm does not pivot/rotate.

In addition to the items listed above, I also have several sets of boxed points, both manual and electric, plus some more unboxed wagons/coaches and a couple of unboxed locos which I am in the process of identifying. Please get in touch for more details.

See us at Shows – well it won’t be long! Or will it?

I am pleased to report that the re-start of some major shows is scheduled to begin from August. Barry Potter Fairs have announced that their events will begin then, and from my perspective the big news is that there will be a Sandown event on Saturday September 18th. Of course, this will be very much subject to the Covid situation and as I write there are already concerns that the ‘Indian’ variant of the virus is spreading quickly in the UK. Who knows where we will be after the main June/July/August holiday period? We all need to keep an ear to the ground as things might well change. I do hope not – it has been such a long time. More news as things progress over the coming weeks and months.

Don’t forget to like our WJVintage Facebook Page I am pleased to say we are now above 500 Facebook ‘likes’! All the latest news is often seen on Facebook before it appears in the newsletter as updates can be done instantly rather than monthly. If you are a member of Facebook why not look us up and give us a ‘like’?

Plus, we also now have a ‘Youtube’ Channel!

I have to confess, after a good start, the channel has been quiet for a while. This is entirely down to my lack of technical skills - which my son possesses. Unfortunately, he is unable to visit us due to the lockdown rules and so we have not been able to film any updates over the past few months. 22

I am hoping that the videos will be able to recommence on a more regular basis over the coming weeks as Covid restrictions ease. I’ll keep you posted.

Ordering from WJVintage is still Easy Online Please use the WJVintage website as a shop window and then place your order by using the dropdown menu on each product page to select and submit the item you wish to purchase. This automatically sends me your details and I will be in touch to confirm your requirements and take payment. Alternatively select what you want and then give me a call or email me. Whichever method you use I will get back to you asap and I can confirm stock, particularly for highly limited items, and postage options. Please see below for full contact details. Credit Card We have a credit/debit card facility, so you can telephone and place your order with us by calling 07711 092497 – please have your card to hand when calling. Cheque If you would prefer to pay by cheque, that is no problem either. Just download the order form from our website and complete your requirements. Then make a cheque out for the total and post both order form and cheque to us at the address shown. Please make cheques payable to WJVintage. Email Alternatively, you can place your order by email and payment can then be made either by card, PayPal, direct bank transfer or cheque. Please note our email address is: wjvintage@outlook.com BACS A growing number of customers are now choosing to send money direct to my account by BACS transfer. If you would like to use this method, please contact me and I will send you my bank account details.

Delivery Situation Slowly things are easing, and life is getting back to more like normal. Postal and courier services are currently operating very well but are still extremely busy as they deal with heavy demand coupled with reduced staffing levels in order to keep the workforce distanced and safe. UK services are now generally very good.

However, some overseas parcels are still subject to delay and, of course the situation is subject to change as Covid spikes in some countries may result in further measures to control the outbreaks. Brexit also appears to be delaying some European deliveries. Please bear this in mind when ordering from overseas and please do be patient. Touch wood, nothing has been lost at all yet, but there have been, and will be, delays. Just to repeat my statement from previous newsletters this is still relevant: Staff and Premises • • •

As a one-man-band I am continuing to operate from the WJ Vintage HQ in the Northamptonshire countryside. Currently I am fit and well and keen to crack on as usual, whilst exercising all possible caution according to government guidelines. I operate from a home office, plus a small, custom-built storeroom/pick and pack area and I am currently taking extra care to ensure a clean working environment with surfaces being regularly cleaned and disinfected.

Deliveries • • •

•

I am currently continuing to work with Royal Mail, Parcelforce and other delivery services to get your parcels to you in good time. In most cases, delivery drivers will drop off parcels without you having to physically sign for them. Public Health England (PHE) has advised that people receiving parcels are at virtually no risk of contracting the coronavirus. From experience with other coronaviruses, we know that these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels. This works in tandem with my own policy of regular hand washing and use of sanitiser gel when handling and packing goods.

Stay Safe Everyone!

Paul WJVintage

********* Tel: 07711 092497