Gone Loco

Back to model railways.  While I still haven't made a start on my layout extension plans, I have been gathering together the point work I'm going to need via cheap purchases at toy fairs.  I've also been buying locomotives again.  This is the latest, a Bachmann 'Lord Nelson' class.  I sort of bought this one by accident, in that I saw it listed on eBay with a low starting price, was amazed that, fifteen minutes before the end of the auction that no-one had bid, when someone did bid.  Mainly out of curiosity to see how high they had bid, ten minutes before the end of bidding, I put in my maximum bid - incredibly, it was easily higher than the other bidder.  Hell, I thought, they're bound to put in another bid - it won't take much to outbid me here.  But they didn't, so I won the auction without really trying.  Which isn't to say I'm not pleased with my purchase - I've been looking for a 'Lord Nelson' for a while and regularly monitor prices on eBay.  This is the cheapest I've seen one go for in a long time.  I suspect the reason is that it came without its original box, something which puts off the collectors who put in crazy bids and send prices sky high.  Also, since Hornby introduced their model of a 'Lord Nelson', the older Bachmann version has become less desirable, which has depressed prices.

Despite the cheapness, this one is in excellent condition and a very smooth runner.  It is also the exact version I've been searching for, with the later version of the British Railways totem on the tender, making it perfect for my layout, which represents the Southern Region c1960-67.  (The last of the 'Lord Nelson' class were withdrawn in 1962, by which time they were allocated to Eastleigh and could be found working boat trains and fast van trains).  Here the model is seen posed on my rickety old Hornby turntable, (which, while temperamental, still works), which I hope to incorporate into the expanded layout, (once I've located the missing outlet tracks).  The 'Lord Nelson' actually isn't the first locomotive I've bought this month.  Earlier in March I picked up a very cheap Mainline Standard Class 4 from the local toy and model train fair.  These are notorious for breaking - the axles were made from plastic that became brittle over time and would crack, rendering the chassis inoperable.  As Mainline provided no spares, repairs were impossible, (I know, I had two I ended up scrapping back in the day).  Nowadays, however, thanks to 3-D printing, various third parties produce spare axles in more durable plastic, so surviving locos can be restored.  The one I bought appears to have had the axles replaced, (the wheels aren't quite quartered correctly, a sure sign that they've been removed at some point), unfortunately, in the course of this process, whoever did it appears to have lost part of the valve gear (which has to be disassembled for the axles to be replaced) on the right hand side.  Nonetheless, it is a very strong runner.  Luckily, I have quite a few spares salvaged from those two previous examples I owned - including the missing pieces of valve gear.  I haven't yet got around to carrying out the repair, (it is very fiddly), but once I have it sorted I'll try to tone down the bad weathering job done on it by a previous owner and maybe feature it here.

In the meantime, here's another look at the 'Lord Nelson':