APT-E matches

A new item for the APT collection - a book of APT-E matches!

The only other example of these I've ever seen was at Fawley Hill in the museum. They have two, and I was dead jealous. To be honest, this is one bit of memorabilia that I didn't expect to track down. Let's face it, if I'd never seen one, and I've looked at lots of APT tat, then they must be rare. 

Anyway, this book appeared on eBay, and obviously I put a bid in. Just a low one, my intention being to see how crazy they went and perhaps up it a little. By the end of the auction, it turned out that maybe I am the only one daft enough, as the winning amount was a mere seven quid!

OK, the book isn't mint, but it's not bad. I was prepared to bid a little harder, and I wouldn't have felt badly done by. 

For those who like numbers, the book is 32.5cm long and 5cm tall. Hardly surprising that someone has partly folded it at some point. 

To me, this is proper collecting. My APT collection has a focus, and I'm happy to look hard (the thrill of the hunt) for items to put in it. It's not easy, but if it were, where would be the fun?

I got my APT!

 

I wasn't sure that I'd be adding Hornby's latest version of the Advanced Passenger Train to my collection, so standing outside my local model shop holding the box pleased me enormosly. Nearly enough to make me forget the £430 I'd shelled out for it!

You see, Hornby have introduced a Tiers system for shops - those in the top teir have large and well laid out premised plus an efficient on-line operation. My local guy is in the bottom (3rd) tier thanks to a tiny premise and no web sales. New models go to the top teirs first. 

But, he got one! I ordered the model the moment it came out (OK, when I could officially know, about a month after I actually do), and two years later, allowing time to save some pennies, it has arrived. If you think that the teirs system means no models for the little guys, it seems that this isn't the case. I didn't pull any strings or make a fuss, it just arrived in the shop. One phone call and I was in the car to wave my credit card. 

I'll admit that this did leave me with a quandry - the weekend before I got the call, I had seen several sets at Doncaster, including on the excellent Tony's Trains stand, but I'd placed the order and wasn't going to walk away. This sort of big ticket item makes a big difference to local shops. I'm sure I was the biggest sale of the day, if not the week. Anyway, I can't bang on about supporting real model shops and head to the web the moment it is time to buy something. 

I've gone for the 5-car set DC set for several reasons: 

• It's the same as my 1980s version.
• It's the cheapest option. 
• I don't have anywhere to run it, so there's no point in spending even more on a cupboard Queen. 

I mean, I want an APT, but it hardly fits in with the sort of layouts I build. This is just plugging a gap in the collection. A lollypop loco. But I deserve a lollypop. Occasionally. 

Comparing the packaging (no, I'm not doing a squeally unboxing) you can see that Hornby has changed a lot. The new model is in moulded cardboard trays, far more eco-firiendly than the big slab of poystyrene the old model arrived in. 

Out of the box, the shape is noticably less square then the older model. Colours are better (ignore the bright yellow, a trick of the light) and so much better applied too. The red line on the 80s version is best described as "fuzzy". There's more detail as you'd expect, although the train isn't exactly bristling with the stuff. 

Am I happy? Yes. There will be more detailed reviews in all the magazines, but I'm pleased with my model, although this is from an APT collector point of view rather than as a finescale modeller. Maybe one day I'll have somewhere for it to streatch its legs properly and enjoy it tilting around the curves. That will have to wait, but if it does, I'll still run the old one too!

APT-E Number 3

Of course I bought an APT-E from Rapido.You can't be as obsessed with the train as I am without wanting one. When attending the 3D scanning at Shildon, I trotted off to put my order in as fast as I could.

Last week a beautifully presented package arrived and I opened it up eagerly. I wasn't disappointed.

Mind you, it wasn't until last Thursday I managed to take the thing out and put it on some track. I don't own a suitable layout...

Assembly is fiddly. There is a knack to plugging the coaches into each other. Mostly it involves tilting one coach down by something close to 30 degrees (not the 10 degrees in the instructions) when inserting the plugs into the sockets. Once you get the hang of it, things become a lot easier but the first go is a little scary.

The big problem is that nose overhangs on curves. This meant when I tried it on the club OO layout "Duxbury" I needed to use the inner circuit to avoid bashing into the tunnel mouths. Sadly, on the inner circuit there were a couple of line side cabinets and a tunnel mouth that caught the side of the coaches so the train was restricted to the fiddle yard for fear of scratching the paint after a single trip to the station platform.

Never mind, it looks great and on the straight, runs perfectly from the box.

   

Sat beside the Hornby APT-P, you can see the different 30 years makes in model railway design. Mind you, the -P would go around all the curves!

 

My early order did win me one prize. I have certificate number 3 of 2000. I know who has number 2 and we assume the NRM have kept number 1. If they have, and they kept the full-fat sound version, mine is the very first DCC-Ready example. That probably makes it worth beeeelllions of pounds on eBay. Something I have no intention of finding out. This one isn't for sale!