From Miniature to BIG

You definitely need to get some coaches for it while you can. Xmas is coming.

My, Nigels! What a complete and utter masterpiece you've found, and only for 60% off. That livery is special to me since it inspired the livery for 69420, my first fully scratch built cardboard engine (though I used a GWR like outline for it). This makes it look sloppy and cheap by comparison. I've had a look at the Hattons website, and they apparently do numerous other top notch O gauge models. Do you think they might work on three rail track like Lionel makes, or would they get stuck on the middle rail? I can only hope it performs well enough to justify its incredible looks. Too bad you don't have the room or money to set up a layout and run it. Another wonderful purchase, indeed.

Thanks Dala, it is indeed a beauty whether I ever get to run it properly or it becomes just a display piece.  The size really does give it some presence when you see it in the flesh, also all the little details really add to the overall beauty of it as well.  It's a heavy beast as well, nearly 2kg in weight so it should never have any issues with traction even if pulling a rake of coaches or whatever.

It would fit on the Lionel 3 rail and I doubt if the middle rail would cause it any issues.  The biggest problem you may have is it is only 2 rail when it comes to power pickup (i.e. one rail is live the other is negative) I'm not sure if you could wire up Lionel 3 rail in this way as I don't have any and will likely never get any as its not very popular in this country.  I couldn't believe their sale prices, they are lower than some versions of an OO gauge A3 locomotive.

You definitely need to get some coaches for it while you can. Xmas is coming.

Funny you should mention that, over the weekend I placed an order for 3 coaches, two 3rd class corridor models and one composite brake coach all in original LNER teak finish.  To be fair with that liveried A3 I should probably have got the BR Crimson models, but I prefer the finish of the teak ones and I prefer a nice looking train to a historically accurate but boring looking one.

The only really annoying thing is that the 3 coaches add up to a higher price than the locomotive, but regardless they are still a bargain for O gauge models

These coaches to be precise;

https://www.hattons.co.uk/219431/hattons...tockdetail

https://www.hattons.co.uk/219425/hattons...tockdetail

https://www.hattons.co.uk/219418/hattons...tockdetail

They look great, especially in comparison to the old Hornby ones, and if I remember correctly, a modern hornby coach is 60£ and so,the O guage ones are 8 times the size, but only 5 times the price, which is indeed a bargain

At the sale prices they are only just over double the cost of a Hornby OO gauge fully detailed carriage.  So despite being still not exactly cheap they are a stunning bargain at the moment!

What is even sadder is that the loco's are actually cheaper than some of the Hornby OO gauge locomotives, something somewhere is not right

I received my carriages to go with the A3 loco, here's some pictures of one of them.  This one is a 'Brake corridor composite' carriage, this is a mixed class carriage with 1st and 3rd class compartments.  Note that they have even gone to the effort of making the seats in the respective compartments different colours to reflect how the real ones would have been. I did put a ruler in there for reference on the 3rd picture, but it wasn't long enough, the carriage is approximately 16" long!!

Stunningly beautiful. How do they achieve the wood-grain effect?

I used to think the hornby ones were very nice, but now they look very basic

[Super]

AWESOME!!!...Those 'Woodies' look fantastic 👍

Stunningly beautiful. How do they achieve the wood-grain effect?

To be honest Chris I don't know, I assume it is very clever painting, but it is the best I've seen yet.  The recent Hornby OO ones have improved greatly, but I don't think even they are as good as these.  They are awesome in my opinion, worth every penny

I used to think the hornby ones were very nice, but now they look very basic

I know what you mean, the ones Hornby produced in OO in the last couple of years have improved and now almost look like wood, but not to this level of detail.  It's not just the painted wood effect which is awesome, its the lining detail around some of the panels on the doors etc...  If I had the room (and the money) boy would I like to have a layout to run these bad boys on, but until I win the lottery I guess they will just be awesome display pieces

AWESOME!!!...Those 'Woodies' look fantastic 👍

Sure do Super, I'm so glad I bought a set of 3, (two 3rd class 'corridor' versions and the composite brake I posted pictures of).  Somehow I'm going to have to figure out someway to have the full set of locomotive and 3 carriages on display - maybe a long shelf with a custom acrylic front/cover.  Mind you that would need to be some 96" (8') long to achieve that so it may be a while till that happens.  Until then it will probably be the loco + a carriage or two on a tiered platform on tracks in a display cabinet - I think my main two are wide enough just about lol!

Well, how should I put this?  Should I say I decided to 'treat' myself to an early Christmas Present?  Should I mention that the items are beginning to disappear from the list due to the sale prices and I could miss my chance to get such bargains?  Or, should I just say I don't care I deserve it

Ah, hell I'll just tell you, I decided to add an A4 locomotive to the 'O' gauge models I've bought recently!  Which one did I get?  Well, there was little choice left of the 'named' models and as I couldn't find suppliers easily of name plates and numbering for this gauge I decided to plump for 'Mallard'.  I'm sure most of you train lovers will know this locomotive is probably as famous or even more so than the Flying Scotsman as it is the steam locomotive that set (and still to this day holds) the steam locomotive speed record of 125mph.  Not bad considering how long ago the record was set.  Like the A3 'Sunstar' I bought this is a beauty, I could ramble on, but I think I'll just let the pictures do the talking for me;