Another eBay Refugee

29th November, 2020
I have a new friend, another eBay refugee…
Meet LNER, J72 class, number 68745 or “Lenny” as I think I’m going to call him.
Him? Yes, most locomotives would be “her” but this one just looks like a “him” to me so “him” it is.
Lenny is a Palitoy “Mainline” model from the late 1970s.
I must admit to having a soft-spot for these Mainline models, they’re not as detailed as today’s “super-detailed” Hornby and Bachmann offerings, but back in the day they were a cut above the Tri-ang models, of which I do have a stash but that’s another story.
Poor old Lenny hasn’t fared too badly over the years, but he does have one or two bits missing, small detail parts so I’ll have to be on the lookout for spares. The prototype engines also had a steam pipe from the front of the cab to the smokebox which is missing from the models as produced so there’s a little project to be getting on with.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking…
“LNER, he’s gone and bought an LNER engine…”
Well, yes, I have and I would normally shun such things and stick to matters LMS, but he did look kind of cute staring out of the eBay page at me and he is wearing the early British Railways livery; had it been LNER livery then I may have thought twice… or maybe only once.