E-mail from America

 

Dear Allen,

I only recently found your press release of July 31 and am trying to determine its real meaning. Key personnel changes often bode ill, and I earnestly hope this is not the case here. I had no idea that Lionel and MTH were seriously entering the UK market, but surely their products would not be competitive with the kinds of discriminating tinplate collectors who buy Ace trains. The MTH Scotsman model is risible compared to the Ace model I own. And their Tinplate Traditions line, though quaintly charming, is simply a throwback to early large-gauge Americana, surely an irrelevant apples-and-oranges kind of comparison to Ace products. And yet the tenor of your announcement seems negative for Ace. I hope I am simply reading too much into it.

 

I have bought three Ace locos since I first found your site on the net back in 2003, which is one every two years, about par for an American school teacher. Economic downturns such as this wretched one we are now enduring always freeze teacher cost-of-living raises first, but I nonetheless hope to purchase a Castle sometime after Christmas, and I am hopeful that somewhere in Ace's future there might be a large, beautiful LMS engine barreling down the tracks. Through the years, you have produced the kinds of models fit for a king, yet at a price fit for a commoner, something which makes Ace Trains the true royalty of the hobby. I've looked high and low for models comparable to the quality of yours, but on the rare occasions I've found something even close, it invariably carries a price double or triple Ace's. I sincerely hope, as we approach another Christmas season in our two great nations, that this magical run of Ace Trains is not about to be sidetracked.

 

Sincerely,

Mike Whitney

USA

Hogwarts Replacement Tenders

As a result of the import of a considerable number of single locomotives produced by Lionel in the USA for the Hogwarts Express in the form of an experimental red liveried Hall class we have had requests from owners of these locos to produce a metal tender of the correct dimensions to replace the oversized plastic tender supplied with the Lionel item. The latter was due to the amount of electronics that had to be packed into the standard Lionel tender.

The ACE tender will be available in unpainted form in order to allow for paint matching. Masking or disassembly for painting does not involve any gluing or soldering. (Just a screwdriver and spanner).  Available subject to demand.

Price £50 including VAT and P&P. Available from

LME Ltd. 36 Kirby Lane, Kirby Muxloe. Leicester LE9 2JG

Rolling stock production. Prices and release dates in 2009 to be announced later.

C/1F Five Car PLM Set

Comprising five coaches, Postal, Car, Baggage Car and three Passenger Cars.

 

C/15 1930 Style Pullman Coaches

Consists of three 3 coach sets (A), (B), & (C) and two singles as follows

Set (A)

3rd. Brake No.65, 3rd. Parlour Car No. 66, 1st. Kitchen ‘Iolanthe’.

Set (B)

3rd. Brake No. 62. 3rd. Kitchen No. 68, 1st. Parlour Car ‘Eunice’.

Set (C)

3rd. Parlour Car 73, 1st. Kitchen ‘Fingall’, 1st. Parlour Car ‘Agatha’.

Singles.

1st Parlour Car ‘Lorraine’, 1st Kitchen ‘Thelma’.

 

C/16 5BEL Brighton Belle No 3051

Consists of Motor/Brake No. 88, 3rd. Parlour Car No. 86, 1st. Kitchen ‘Doris’, 1st. Kitchen ‘Hazel' Motor/Brake No. 89.

Powered by the existing well-proven and reliable ACE EMU power bogie.

 

C/17 4CEP/4BEP No. 7153

Will be sold as a two-coach unit supplied with additional ACE EMU couplings for the customer to fit to two existing ACE C/13(S) coaches of their choice.

 

C/18 LMS 40cm coaches

Consist of two 3 coach sets and 2 singles

Set (A)

All 3rd No. 8953, All 1st No. 1083, Brake 3rd No. 5769.

Set (B)

All 3rd No. 1935, Compo No. 3953, Brake 1st. 5062.

Singles

Dining coach No. 125, Kitchen coach No. 30078 (this coach is 35cm long).

 

G/2 Vans Sets 1, 2, 3 & 4.

New four sets of  x 3 vans per set as follows and all sets will retail at £80 inc. Vat. plus P&P.

Set 1

LNER Bauxite

LNWR  grey   

ACE  blue       

Set 2

SR Banana  brown       

BR XP  Bauxite      

SR Meat Cream 

Set 3

SR  Brown           

CR light blue      

GWR  dark grey  

Set 4

GC light grey       

ED dark green      

LMS dark brown   

There is an additional white insul meat van, and this is offered as a substitute for any single van in any one set except the ACE Trains van in set 1 and ED van in set 4.

There will be a small surcharge of £5 for this service. 

 

ACE Trains announce the introduction (2009) of a tinprinted Water Tower with a swing hose arm.

The tower is loosely based on the one at Oxford and was the inspiration for Carettes legendary and extremely rare and expensive gauge 0 tower of c1910. Very few of these are known to have survived.

Compatible with all tinplate systems this colourful addition to the continued revival of the tinplate tradition inspired by ACE Trains is part of the ACE bi annual tinprinting schedule which includes The Brighton Belle a full range of 1920's Pullmans, eight LMS Stanier coaches, a pair of CEP BR/SR motor coaches and a range of 4-wheeled box vans.

All prices to be announced via press adverts and web site.