CONSOLIDATION'S THE NAME OF THE GAME

NCB fleet swells further with another Hornby/Parkside hybrid.

Another upgraded mineral wagon rolled off the production line last night. This time, it was a 20t Hornby steel-sided bodyshell, with the now standard (in the Maudetown fleet) Parkside Dundas underframe. Under the many layers of weathering can still be glimpsed the wagon's former owners - Consolidated Fisheries of Swansea and Bristol. I think I've said it before, but these Hornby bodies are really rather nice, with plenty of crisp rivet detail. It's only a matter of a few quid and a couple of hours to fit a new chassis and the model instantly looks much more convincing.