Provincial Wagons

[leslie10646]

Dear friends

I am giving serious consideration to retirement. If I get to 2026 (DV), I'll be 80, so maybe the time has come to stop? Reluctantly, I will not deny as I / we get plenty of fun out of it but the "work and getting there" bit is a lot less fun!

At present, postal sales are almost nil, thanks to Brexit - and of course the excellent products from a certain bunch of youngsters in Dublin!

Any sales I make are at exhibitions in Ireland and an invitation to attend the NDMRC (Bangor) exhibition in April has provoked much debate between Richard McLachlan and I whether to do "one more year" (even to the extent of checking hotel rates in Blackrock in October!). We're sleeping on it!

It is no exaggeration to say that each exhibition is knackering, takes up at least two weeks of time, each time - more if I'm bringing new product as I would be chasing the producer for months before! At best I cover my costs.

I don't intend to produce more kits beyond what is on order now, or in my attic. That is:

NCC Brown Vans	6
SLNCR Cattle	4
GNR Brake	0
Double Beet	10
GNR Y5 Van	3
GSWR Brake	4
CIE Cattle	12
GNR 10T Ftd	9
GNR 10T U/Ftd	6
GNR 9T U/Ftd	6
GNR Cattle	4
GNR 6 Plank	7
GNR 4Plank	7
GNR Loco Coal	3
Spoil wagon	0 (but some on order)
Bread containers	17

 

I still have about ten Grey RTR CIE van with broken wheel and 20 or so Brown vans, also with a broken wheel.

 

[Robert Shrives]

Leslie, 

Good luck and enjoy a well earned retirement , been a pleasure building wagons and meeting you at the NEC show. But like the organisers of the Warley club and betting adverts - when the funs stops, stop.  You are ahead of the game and despite the young rogues you do the double beet.   

Keep smiling, it confuses the tax man.

Robert   

[Darius43]

Leslie,

I would like to second Robert’s words and wish you a very well earned retirement.  It was great meeting you at the NEC a few years ago and I have really enjoyed building the Brown Vans, Double Beets and Spoil Wagons.  
 

All the best

Darius

PS - I’ll be in touch regarding the remaining Double Beets…

[Mol_PMB]

Hi Leslie,

Many thanks for the heads-up and while I'm sorry to hear this, I can appreciate the reasons and your logic makes perfect sense. As John noted a few weeks ago, the market is moving much more towards RTR these days.

Having said that, I'm very glad that I got back into this game in time to buy and build a few of your kits, which I have found very enjoyable and I'm pleased to have models of some prototypes that aren't available RTR. The two 20' container flats and the cattle wagon are on my workbench right now in the final weathering stages. If you do go on to make that last batch of UTA spoil wagons then I'm still very keen, and I'd probably add a couple of other kits from what you still have in stock.

I hope the decision gives you more time to enjoy your own modelling projects and brings joy to your retirement.

Kind Regards,

Paul

[Flying Snail]

Hi Leslie,

I got back into the hobby during Covid, and I've had the pleasure of meeting you at the most recent Blackrock and Clontarf shows. On both occasions you've been very giving of your time and a mine of information. I'm the happy owner of some of your kits as well as two of the Dapol vans. As others have said above, the market appears to be heading to RTR - even for niche items from the Irish scene. However, your kits are great and very accessible for the beginner - having all the components required (and excellent instructions) to produce an OO model. They've helped me transition into building model trains, and its clear to anyone involved in the hobby that they been an important part of the Irish scene!

Thanks for all you've done. I've no doubt that even in retirement that'll you'll continue to be an important part of the Irish scene for many more years to come!

[Northroader]

What you’re saying all makes good sense, and the range of models you’ve been able to make available are really creditable. I was really glad to meet you and you were a grand help in making me slim down. Best wishes with your way forward in the future.

[Mike 84C]

Hi Leslie,

 I'm very happy to have met and had conversations with you at the London IRRS meetings in the past. You have given your time and energy very freely to all of us with interest in Irish railways. So I say a very big thank you. Yourself and your excellent models have made modelling Irish railways so much easier.

 My only sadness is you seem to be joining a growing band of cottage industry suppliers who are deciding on retirement. So I say to you, get out there and enjoy retirement!

  Best Regards Mick

[Patrick Davey]

Leslie I think we all knew this day might come - your contribution to the Irish model railway scene has been immeasurable and like so many others, I have benefitted greatly from your incredible work, and I have enjoyed our in-person chats at exhibitions as well as your witty emails and private messages!!

Hoping to stock up before you throw out the fire for the final time and may your retirement from company service be as long, as active and as varied as Slieve Gullion's has been!!

Edited January 10 by Patrick Davey

[raymurph]

Leslie I hope you have a happy and well deserved retirement, I've only bought a small number of wagons off you recently but they are treasured.

[jhb171achill]

As a long-standing and happy owner of many Provincial kits, I’d be the first to say that Leslie’s contribution to Irish 00 scale models is every bit as huge as that of IRM.

Years ago we had to be content with anything from a British Mk 1 coach painted black & tan, or a British or French diesel painted orange.

Then along came St Patrick of Murphy, and others.

No matter how finescale a rake of Cravens, Park Royals or anything else, seeing them swishing round a layout behind an orange-painted British Rail class 33 just doesn’t cut it. 

Similarly, an IRM “A” class wouldn’t look right hauling old BR Mk 1s, be they green or black & tan.

Yet, less attention has been paid to wagons, by modellers and manufacturers alike (IRM in recent times being a very notable exception). As recent posts by Mol will starkly illustrate, Irish wagons were in almost all cases thoroughly unlike anything across the water, especially the smaller systems like the NCC, BCDR, DSER & CBSCR. THEIR designs were unlike anything else in Ireland, never mind the Neighbouring Island.

Yet many a highly developed, accurate exhibition layout has perfect scenery, well-researched highly (historically) accurate locos, coaches and station layouts - then the goods comes through with LMS long-wheelbase cattle wagons (unlike anything which ever ran on a solitary railway here), GWR parcel vans, BR steel mineral wagons, and a standard BR brake van. Maybe some bright yellow private owners from Northamptonshire Spa-on-the-Wold to add colour.

Illusion burst!

But there was nothing else for those without the time to scratch build!

So it was very refreshing when Provincial’s “proper” CIE cattle trucks appeared, as well as Bullied opens, and the standard types of goods vans used - with only detail variations - but the GNR, MGWR, GSWR and later GSR and CIE.

Leslie also produced authentic brake vans, which while only two in number, were carefully chosen to represent the vast majority of Ireland’s railway mileage; covering (as they do), GSWR, GNR, plus successors GSR, CIE, UTA, and in the case of just two tatty, battered oul GNR examples, even early NIR ballast trains.

If I thought you were truly “retiring”, Leslie, I’d wish you a very happy retirement - but I suspect you’ll still be tippin’ away at something for many moons to come!

Keep ‘er lit!

Edited January 10 by jhb171achill

[Broithe]

Wishing you a happy retirement*.

 

 

* And expecting Portadown to have more Portaupdates...

[jhb171achill]

13 minutes ago, Broithe said:

Wishing you a happy retirement*.

 

 

* And expecting Portadown to have more Portaupdates...

The signals there are presumably controlled by a Portacabin?

[Tullygrainey]

Can only echo and endorse all the above Leslie. Thank you. 

Alan

[Mike 84C]

Reading all of the above comments and tributes Leslie. I wish it was in my remit and its not because I'm only a couple of years behind you! for a younger person to pick up the token you are hanging on the catcher and for Provincial Wagons to keep rolling into the future. Just a thought and I wish it could be me.

  Mick

[Galteemore]

Agreed - all Irish modellers owe you a huge debt Leslie ! 

[jhb171achill]

14 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Agreed - all Irish modellers owe you a huge debt Leslie ! 

1000%

 

[leslie10646]

5 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

As a long-standing and happy owner of many Provincial kits, I’d be the first to say that Leslie’s contribution to Irish 00 scale models is every bit as huge as that of IRM.

Years ago we had to be content with anything from a British Mk 1 coach painted black & tan, or a British or French diesel painted orange.

Then along came St Patrick of Murphy, and others.

No matter how finescale a rake of Cravens, Park Royals or anything else, seeing them swishing round a layout behind an orange-painted British Rail class 33 just doesn’t cut it. 

Similarly, an IRM “A” class wouldn’t look right hauling old BR Mk 1s, be they green or black & tan.

Yet, less attention has been paid to wagons, by modellers and manufacturers alike (IRM in recent times being a very notable exception). As recent posts by Mol will starkly illustrate, Irish wagons were in almost all cases thoroughly unlike anything across the water, especially the smaller systems like the NCC, BCDR, DSER & CBSCR. THEIR designs were unlike anything else in Ireland, never mind the Neighbouring Island.

Yet many a highly developed, accurate exhibition layout has perfect scenery, well-researched highly (historically) accurate locos, coaches and station layouts - then the goods comes through with LMS long-wheelbase cattle wagons (unlike anything which ever ran on a solitary railway here), GWR parcel vans, BR steel mineral wagons, and a standard BR brake van. Maybe some bright yellow private owners from Northamptonshire Spa-on-the-Wold to add colour.

Illusion burst!

But there was nothing else for those without the time to scratch build!

So it was very refreshing when Provincial’s “proper” CIE cattle trucks appeared, as well as Bullied opens, and the standard types of goods vans used - with only detail variations - but the GNR, MGWR, GSWR and later GSR and CIE.

Leslie also produced authentic brake vans, which while only two in number, were carefully chosen to represent the vast majority of Ireland’s railway mileage; covering (as they do), GSWR, GNR, plus successors GSR, CIE, UTA, and in the case of just two tatty, battered oul GNR examples, even early NIR ballast trains.

If I thought you were truly “retiring”, Leslie, I’d wish you a very happy retirement - but I suspect you’ll still be tippin’ away at something for many moons to come!

Keep ‘er lit!

First, may I say how blown away I have been by the kind comments when I mused that the time might have come to retire!

A quick comment on JB's comment above - it was the lack of Irish brake vans and the very short Irish cattle wagons (so unlike GB ones which first provoked me to dip my foot in the "Kit" water.

My announcement  resulted in some orders which have eaten a big hole in the stock which I might have taken to Bangor!

It sent me to grabbing the phone to check that "My Man" could do more kits for me! "My Man" is no longer Michael Rayner, to whom most of the praise above should be aimed - he designed and produced the kits - I simply told him what to do! It's now a guy called "Hans".

Getting back to the subject: after discussion with Richard McLachlan and a review of hotel prices in Ireland; we'll probably appear at Bangor and Blackrock and then, it'll be hang up the boots time.

Requests I have had over the last 24 hours have taken up all my stock of CIE and GNR Cattle wagons,  and Double Beets.

I will reorder those in accordance with requests for them.

Thanks again.

Leslie

4 hours ago, Mike 84C said:

Reading all of the above comments and tributes Leslie. I wish it was in my remit and its not because I'm only a couple of years behind you! for a younger person to pick up the token you are hanging on the catcher and for Provincial Wagons to keep rolling into the future. Just a thought and I wish it could be me.

  Mick

Ah Mick, if Anthony had survived, I would have handed it to him before now.

It's only a hobby business, so to do it takes someone with a pension like me?

[Northroader]

I know him: Hans Neesanbumsadaisy.

 

[RobertRoche]

Best wishes Leslie, I'm glad to have a number of your double beet wagons among some others. 

[leslie10646]

Robert

You were / are my Champion Double Beet Builder! And yours look great.

Long may you run them!

Thanks

Leslie

 

[leslie10646]

Gents / Ladies

After the splurge of orders in the last 48 hours, this is pretty well my stock, the MINUS figures show what needs re-ordering!

Speaking to the guy who took over my supplier of kits, further orders are going to be a hassle as he's so busy.

I HAVE promised UTA Spoil wagons to at least one gent (they'll go nicely with the IRM "Birds of Prey", so I am prepared to chase that order up).

Double beets and CIE cattle are history, except someone speaks up!

IF I do BANGOR (and so Blackrock to finish up), I'm looking at another RTR Van.

As Bangor is "The North", I'll do it in GNR livery (as under) but with a new number. CIE modellers can slap a bit of light grey on the "GN" and I'll suppply Snail or Wheel transfers at no extra cost.

Let me know if it's of interest!   £18 Sterling, or €20

 

The offer to do an "Open" fell on stoney ground". See:

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/17508-to-stop-the-ebay-insanity/#comment-250702

	Kits left
NCC Brown Vans	6
SLNCR Cattle	0
GNR Brake	-1
Double Beet	0
GNR Y5 Van	3
GSWR Brake	2
CIE Cattle	-3
GNR 10T Ftd	9
GNR 10T U/Ftd	4
GNR 9T U/Ftd	4
GNR Cattle	-3
GNR 6 Plank	5
GNR 4Plank	5
GNR Loco Coal	3
Spoil wagon	-3
Bread containers	17
BR Container	0
Sub total value of all stock	0
	48
RTR	0
Grey Bagged Cement	8
Brown Bagged cement	20

Edited January 11 by leslie10646

[DJ Dangerous]

Just catching up on this thread, now, @leslie10646.

Very sad to see another founding father bow out, but you can do so with your head held high.

As others have said, many of us owe you a lot for what you've given the hobby.

Thank you!

[raymurph]

I'll take a few each of you new  RTR van and the open plank wagon of it goes ahead.

[David Holman]

Seems eminently sensible to me, Leslie. Even forces of nature such as yourself have to slow down sometime!

 Prepare to be busier than ever though - it is what retiring properly is all about: doing the things you want, rather than need to do. Live long and prosper, as Mr Spock said.

[leslie10646]

First, and again, thanks for all the kind words. AND the mini-flood of orders, most of which I have shunted into the future, otherwise I'll have no stock for my intended last Northern Ireland appearance.

Really/ Well, Richard, who drives me over to Ireland, and I had a long discussion, slept on it for a couple of nights, did some research and came to a decision.

We can get a decent hotel rate for Bangor (which we knew) and Blackrock (which was a nice surprise), so we'll do this year's two major exhibitions, partly because we DO enjoy meeting you lot over there and we'll treat it as a mini holiday.

I've been cracking the whip over my producers head to get more kits, especially to stock up on zero stock of UTA Spoil wagons, which will go nicely behind the Hunslets as PW wagons. Also two kinds of flats - floored and skeleton. 

I'll order more kits for production during the summer, but these will be mainly to fulfil known requests. So if you want a train of double beets, or CIE Cattle wagons - now would be a good time to say so.

Thanks again for your support of late and over the last 17 years.

Leslie

 

[Flying Snail]

30 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

Really/ Well, Richard, who drives me over to Ireland, and I had a long discussion, slept on it for a couple of nights, did some research and came to a decision.

Thats great news for us over here Leslie 

Edited January 15 by Flying Snail

[jhb171achill]

34 minutes ago, leslie10646 said:

First, and again, thanks for all the kind words. AND the mini-flood of orders, most of which I have shunted into the future, otherwise I'll have no stock for my intended last Northern Ireland appearance.

Really/ Well, Richard, who drives me over to Ireland, and I had a long discussion, slept on it for a couple of nights, did some research and came to a decision.

We can get a decent hotel rate for Bangor (which we knew) and Blackrock (which was a nice surprise), so we'll do this year's two major exhibitions, partly because we DO enjoy meeting you lot over there and we'll treat it as a mini holiday.

I've been cracking the whip over my producers head to get more kits, especially to stock up on zero stock of UTA Spoil wagons, which will go nicely behind the Hunslets as PW wagons. Also two kinds of flats - floored and skeleton. 

I'll order more kits for production during the summer, but these will be mainly to fulfil known requests. So if you want a train of double beets, or CIE Cattle wagons - now would be a good time to say so.

Thanks again for your support of late and over the last 17 years.

Leslie

 

Very many thanks, Leslie, for your absolutely invaluable input into model Irish wagons.

You have been instrumental in assisting many of us in turning train sets into model railways!

[fishplate7]

Leslie. I have read, and reread all of the very fine and well deserved tributes to you, your skills and the fine service you have provided to us modellers over the years!

I include myself in that!

As a personal favourite, your CIE cattle vans are to die for! 

At the exhibitions, I quickly came to the conclusion that  you were one of the most gifted magician I ever had the pleasure of meeting! Why? Because my wallet always felt considerably lighter after every encounter. I never quite knew how you managed it! I just knew that we both parted company, each with a big smile! Without your service the modelling world  would be indeed in a worse place!

I hope that, just because you wont be 'practicing any magic' after these two upcoming shows, you will still attend at some point, just to say hello and for a chat! 

And always remember, and to borrow a line from one of The Eagles most famous of songs - "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave" 

Until Bangor so!

Eamonn

[leslie10646]

Thanks for that, Eamonn. I particularly liked the quote from one of my favourite rock songs!

Yes, "you can never leave"

I'm sticking around to see what IRM produce as a steam loco - and whether they rise to the bait of equalling KR Models "Leader" by producing a Turf Burner.

See "Portadown Junction" for my quip to them!

Edited Thursday at 11:53 by leslie10646

[leslie10646]

Busy morning after an even busier day yesterday, estimating likely sales of anything new which I might do for my last year.

Anyway, I convinced myself that there was sixpence profit in it and duly asked Dapol what their lead time was - "well after Bangor" was the first reply.

Claire in their studio, who does the artwork and liaises with characters like me enquired of the factory, where "Sam" (Samantha?) agreed to do them in time for Bangor.

Order placed last night.

Worksheet signed off this morning, then the Artwork - useful to be able to refer back to jobs back in the Dawn of History to make the artwork easier.

So, now wait ten weeks .......

Two new Wrexham wagons for Bangor .........

[Horsetan]

On 16/1/2025 at 11:50 AM, leslie10646 said:

.... to see what IRM produce as a steam loco - and whether they rise to the bait of equalling KR Models "Leader" by producing a Turf Burner....

I wonder if they'll be able to find sufficient drawings for it, though

[leslie10646]

I think the IRRS could have a good try. We did the first book on the subject, which included drawings and I think i have some of Ron Pocklington's ones