Warley Show 2014

I visited the Warley Show at Birmingham NEC today, it was much easier to get to from Leamington compared to London and although the show seemed smaller than in previous years there was still an excellent turnout of traders and layouts.

Sadly with the Signal Box having closed there wasn't the usual selection of new US bargains, but I did find several traders with used HO stock, some of it very expensive but there were some bargains to be had here and there.

There was a good spread of US layouts, including 'Grain and Beer' by the AMRL (American Model Railroaders of Luxembourg) and the NMRA stand was in attendance as usual.


'Colorado Bluff'
An interesting layout, mostly running older rtr stock by Bachmann and Lifelike.  The emphasis was definitely more on running fun than authenticity. :)

'Great Western Railroad'
A freelanced logging railroad with a very nicely detailed winter theme.  Lots of small scenes to reward the onlookers.

'La Rochelle Engine Terminal'
Another very nicely detailed layout, but a little less interesting to watch as it was focused on light engine movements in and around a roundhouse and turntable yard.
 

'Silver Pine Creek'
Another nicely detailed layout, this one was deliberately built very low to allow younger spectators to have a good view, and allow the rest of us to see the very intricate street scenes from an aerial vantage point.  This layout is currently for sale.
 

'Grain and Beer'
A very detailed layout with hundreds of working lights and a custom built enclosure to keep the light levels down.  The spectator barrier was a little too far back on this one so it was difficult to get a good look at the details in amongst the brewery buildings.
 

There were also some very nicely detailed British Outline layouts that caught my eye including 'Clarendon' which featured a very convincing station forecourt and a custom glass roof.

 

'Glenuig' was a very nicely detailed West Highland layout which took me straight back to my childhood, with the BR blue class 26's hauling provisions away from the quay.
 

'Avyn-A-Llyin' A beautifully detailed layout with a really convincing beach scene and pier area.  The waves on the shore were fantastic.
 

Here are a few shots of the trade stands.  There were many bargains to be had, but also a few traders who seemed to be confusing the prices of new items and secondhand!

 

I picked up a very nice Kato F40PH fitted with DCC and Sound, although I had to resist the matching passenger cars as I'm on a tight budget after the house move!

I also bought three secondhand Kadee short wheelbase cars for my HO Rock Island layout 'Godinez' these kadee models really are beautifully detailed and will fit right in on the layout with some weathering being the only detail needed.

Another dash of Kato...

Another ebay buy-it-now bargain, this as-new Kato C44-9W, fully boxed and barely used.  Perfect as a companion locomotive for the basket case I picked up at last years NMRA convention.  I just need to get the basket case fixed up!

This one will need a decoder before it can hit the rails, but other than that it's good to go.  I love the running qualities of these Japanese locomotives and they'll look good double-heading a unit coal train around the club modules.

The main issue with the model is the ditch lights, the Kato dash 9's are based on the original Santa Fe units so they have low mounted ditch lights which are wrong for Norfolk Southern, and there are a few other discrepancies around the trucks and side panels, but considering how good they are otherwise, I'm happy to have them on my roster.

Another Bargain Kato

Considering I am trying to slim down my collection I seem to be buying slightly too many new models!

  
This Kato SD40 was listed on ebay with a very low starting price, as I'm looking for parts for my SD39 build I thought it might make a good chassis donor so I slung in a bid and forgot about it until the e-mail popped up to say I'd won... for £22!  That's a very keen price for a Kato and I fully expected the seller to decline the transaction, but sure enough it appeared in the post this morning.

Very nice it is too, one of the early release Kato models with the window packaging, this model predates DCC ready models and will need to be hard-wired with a decoder.  The shell was originally Canadian Pacific but it has been repainted (without being stripped) into a Southern Pacific unit.  The repaint is pretty good but I will probably strip the shell down and start from scratch if I do decide to keep the unit as an SD40.

Detail level is pretty good, but not up to the standards of the modern Genesis line, there are no see-through fans or other small details, and the walkway handrails are particularly chunky.  The best thing about the model is the ultra smooth Kato motor and drivetrain.  This model purrs like a kitten and I'm sure it's going to make a great addition to the roster, either as-is or as the basis for my SD39 build.

Ironically, the SD40 frame I ordered from the states turned up today as well, a part that cost over half as much as this entire locomotive!  At least it gives me an alternative option for mounting my Railpower SD38 shell - another potential base for the SD390 project.

Unexpected Kato #2 - Another GP35 arrives.

I noticed this mysterious unboxed locomotive on ebay, advertised as an unknown make and model, I could see from the picture that it was a GP35 and the running number matched the Athearn Wisconsin Central GP35 so I assumed it was an Athearn RTR model.

It arrived today and turns out it is actually a repainted Kato, very nicely detailed and in good shape.  A bit of a surprise and a pretty good result as I paid less than £20 for it, and Kato GP35's generally go for at least £40, even repainted.

The only damage is a broken rear porch handrail, the top rail is split on the right-hand side and will need to be patched or replaced.   The original owner also fitted an all-weather window that has dropped off and needs re-glued.

It's a beautifully smooth running engine, but I haven't had a chance to look under the hood yet, and I suspect this engine probably won't be the later DCC friendly version.  I may have to invest in a new lighting board for it.  

The Kato website has some details on how to fit DCC to the original release GP35 and SD40's here (link).