Last Sunday (13th), I visited a model fair at Bristol Temple Meads. I arrived just as people were packing up and managed to grab myself a barging in the shape of a repainted / detailed Farish class 37. Numbered 37 601, it represents one of the 37s operated by EPS (tugging around Eurostar stock amongst other things) and comes complete with "Polo Mint" plaques on both sides.
The man who sold me this very fine model (I managed to knock a fiver off his asking price, pleading the "poor student"!) was a true gentleman who informed me that it was from an ex-exhibition layout. He not only accepted payment by debit card (something he was in no way obliged to do, especially as he was packing up) but also provided me with a written guarantee. All of this when he had had some of his track pinched by a bloke on crutches!!
I spent around 20 minutes chatting about models, student life and the general incompatibility of the two and the thought struck me "if only more people in the model railway world were as friendly as this man". The sad truth is I have met more than one stallholder / shopkeeper in my travels that seemed to think the younger generation are to be either ignored or regarded as kids with "sticky / prying" fingers. I certainly know of one shop that has actually stopped me getting the wallet out simply because the owner never took his eyes of me from entering to leaving. I know lots of youngster these days are chav - like oiks but believe me this annoys me too!
Ok that rant off my chest I would like to conclude by asking, has anybody got / seen / know of some pictures of the wagons and couplings used to attach Eurostar stock to locos like the 37/6's? I recall seeing an article on N gauge wagons in either Model Rail or Railway Modeller (though I am not brave enough to butcher my Kato model to attach couplings to the nose!).
Stay appy
HST