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  3. Model Rail - May 04 ... British Epoch system? Bachmann cl.20

Model Rail - May 04 ... British Epoch system? Bachmann cl.20

Just received my issue for this month, and what a good point on the letters page!

What do other people think of applying the 'Epoch' system to Britain? The letter gave their eras as:

1) 1830-1923 Pre Grouping 2) 1923-48 Big Four 3) 1948-68 BR Steam 4) 1968-1994 BR no steam 5) 1994- Privatised

Which generally seems pretty good ... although I would perhaps change the BR eras to 'Transitional' and 'Corporate', and trim down 'pre-Grouping' to

1880-1923 with a 'upto 1880' as a 'Epoch 0 - Historical' category.

I know it doesn't intrinsically make much difference, but like the letter says, it makes a much better distinction than 'modern image' encompassing all diesel operation etc. Also very helpful for beginners e.g. matching stock to locos - just needs a common system to be adopted by the manufacturers (that's going to be easy :oP). Perhaps stockists could arrange shelves in these categories or offer a "sort by epoch" option on websites?

Be interested to see what people think.

Also, to my eyes at least it looks as if MR might be responding to recent criticism of their reviews? Or perhaps its just as the cl.20 review is by Darren Sherwood, but it did seem refreshingly balanced! Basic impression = chassis excellent, body average - some aspects compared unfavourably with Lima and even Dublo. Makes a change from their usual catalogue description passing for a review.

Regards, Justin

P.S - Pleasing to see Farish have finally dropped that hideous 'Hall' advert!

Reply to
Justin Colson
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This is the sort of thing proposed by DEMU (and various people before and since) and makes absolutely good sense. There's little point in referring to Modern Image when it covers from 1968-2004!

Personally, I would tinker with the groupings for my own satisfaction (I would introduce a corporate blue era and Sectorisation) - but that's half the fun of discussing something like this. No two people will ever agree completely but it's still better than what we have now.

[...]

I've rather gone off Darren since he joined MR. First of all he appears to have lost all objectivity in his ability to fairly review a new model (eg Bachmann 37 - remember the BIG RED FAN?) and since he's discovered O gauge that's all he seems to build. Hardly representative of the modelling fraternity (where, as we all know, most modellers model N gauge). It's still the only out and out modelling mag I buy (Rail Express being the other).

Those atrocious adverts have probably done more harm to N gauge than anything else in living memory (apart from the N gauge Lima Deltic that appeared to have been built to run on TT gauge). Just why are they so shit? I've seen better photos on eBay! Much better photos, no really!

Reply to
Tessy

"Justin Colson" wrote

Yes, credit where it's due, I also thought that Darren's review of the class

20 was balanced and fair.

Nice to see a fair bit of diesel & electric content too, reflecting recent trends in our customers' buying patterns.

John.

Reply to
John Turner

Justin Colson offered me a plate of cheese and whispered:

You would have to have Epoch 3a and Epoch 3b to take into account the two BR crests. For me, post-1957 just does not exist!

-- Enzo (not helping)

I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

Reply to
Enzo Matrix

LOL! I remember buying a Dublo 3-rail Cl.20 (ca 1958?), their first diesel with a detailed plastic body. I used to enjoy removing the body and bogie frames, and converting it to a tram with a cardboad body.

Reply to
MartinS

Isn't "Modern Image" another Cyrilism? In which case, it goes back at least to 1963, when he first wrote it in connection with new freight liveries and logos (the Flying Box springs to mind.)

3 and 4 ought to be split into three eras -

Post Nationalisation up to mid 1956 when the liveries had finally settled, and the Modernisation Plan was announced

Transition from mid 1956 through to end of 1966. Green diesels and steam mixed.

Blue Period 1967 till Sectorisation.

Cheers, Francis K.

Reply to
Francis Knight

"Dave Potter" wrote

Ah yes, the new post-privatisation re-nationalisation period. :-)

John.

Reply to
John Turner

EU-Railways?

(He said, trying to hide the tounge-shaped bulge in his cheek...) ;-)

Reply to
Stu

This is all very complicated. How about simply:

1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's and so on ;^)

Chris

Reply to
Chris Nevard

"Chris Nevard" wrote

Because there were some serious changes within those decades for instance in

1948 the railways were nationalised and c.1995 they were privatised.

John.

Reply to
John Turner

In message , John Turner writes

And equally nothing much changed between 1958 and 1964 (for example).

Reply to
John Sullivan

Apart from the introduction of 100s of Diesels, large scale scrapping of steam and little things like the Beeching plan! Keith

Make friends in the hobby. Visit Garratt photos for the big steam lovers.

Reply to
Keith Norgrove

Keith,

And, IIRC, North Cydeside electrification and maybe even WCML electrification :-)

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie

WCML was underway when I was down in Watford in summer 1961.

Reply to
MartinS

The message from MartinS contains these words:

...and was complete between Crewe and Weaver Junction in 1960, plus the branches to Liverpool and Manchester.

Reply to
David Jackson

David

I did a fair bit of travelling between Glasgow and London in the early

60s and can remember changing from steam to electric on the southbound trains - probably at Crewe. It was usually Class 8 steam out of Glasgow Central.

I just couldn't remember when the electrification of the northern section to Glasgow was completed.

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie
[ re WCML elecrification ]

IIRC, 1975 (or early '76), the Class 50's were then transferred to the WR [1] as replacements for the Western DH class.

[1] one or two were transferred before that date for crew training.
Reply to
Jerry.

"John Sullivan" wrote >> This is all very complicated. How about simply:

And equally nothing much changed between 1958 and 1964 (for example).

Reply to
Andy Sollis- Churnet Valley model Railway Dept.

Salvé

dear All, As far as I am concerned the only thing that needs sub dividing is the so called modern image era, narrow guage is almost timeless and should be subdivided by country, but the 40+ years of modern image really does need a better name, Cyril Freezer useed a good expression at the time (mid 60´s?) but time is creeping on as my bones tell me and hearing some of the expressions used perhaps a set of era anmes that we can all agree to is well in order. Heck if the Germans could do it (and they had a whole bunch of individual companies too) then we should too, not to mention the French ! Beowulf

Reply to
Beowulf

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