A SORT OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

It's not what I intended to buy, but it's very nice...

What's that popular saying about good intentions..? Well, I'd popped out to get a bit of Christmas shopping but all I came back with was this lovely Hornby Maunsell luggage/parcel van, which is my treat to myself for the Festive Season. There are few things I despise more in life than shopping, but shopping in the run up to Christmas is even worse. Why do all the big shops remove anything decent and replace it with a load of garbage, yet charge you a premium for it? But, I shall resist from entering the full grumpy old man role as 'tis the season for goodwill, and all that.

The impressive BR blue van is to enter service in my early 1980s parcel fleet of 4-wheel and bogie stock (CCTs and GUVs) and needs but a gentle weathering job and scale couplings to complete. The underframe detail is especially nice and saves me the bother of having to add any bits of wire or brass. And to think, I've had to laboriously scratchbuild replacements for my ex-Lima CCTs before they could reach this level of realism (see Model Rail issue 110). But that's what I enjoy. Although the nice chap in the model shop did me a good deal on the van, it still cost a fair few quid - but you certainly get a few 'bangs for your bucks'...