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Silver Sidelines

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I grew up in Middlesbrough and for a couple of years around 1960 I used to go ‘train spotting’, mostly to Darlington but occasionally up to Newcastle and even sometimes across to Carlisle (age about 12ish!). When it was announced that Bachmann would be producing a green, whiskered, Metro-Cammell DMU destinations Newcastle/Middlesbrough I would have to buy one.

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Bachmann Class 101 with whiskers

My DMU has arrived and I am delighted.

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Bachmann Class 101 arrived

I might even have travelled on the Prototype.

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Two variations of Metro-Cammel DMUs resting at Darlington c 1961

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Bachmann Class 101 in the north east

Out of the box I would have preferred the units to be coupled together more closely.

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Using the Bachmann Class 101 drawbar

However Alun Hughes (of this parish) suggested that I replace the Class 101 coupling bar with a Class 150 bar (Bachmann part number 36-062) – thank you Alun.

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Using the Bachmann Class 150 drawbar

The improvement is immediate – and yes the DMU can still negotiate a Peco medium radius crossover.

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Class 150 top, Class 101 bottom

A comparison of the two coupling bars shows that the Class 150 bar is 11mm between mountings, whilst the Class 101 bar is 15mm. The picture also shows the copper connectors that are contained within the coupling bar which are needed to maintain the operation of the lighting units in the trailing car. This way when running under digital control only one chip is needed for the two car unit. The presence of the wiring also explains why I couldn’t just use a simple coupling bar cut from some nickel silver rail – as used on my Class 108 units.

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1961 British Railways North Eastern Timetable

I am sometimes surprised to find what I have kept – one North Eastern timetable – 53 years old.

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Table 42 Middlesbrough / Newcastle

For those of you with a more detailed interest I have loaded all the relevant pages on to Flickr. As an aside I am amused to see that in 1961 you could commute from Guisborough in North Yorkshire using a through train to Newcastle (if you didn’t mind arriving for elevenses!). It really is quite sobering to see how many stations and lines have disappeared – many of which would now be very useful.

The train is waiting – sorry must dash before I miss it.

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Bachmann Class 101 with whiskers

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18 Comments


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  • RMweb Gold

Excellent to see that the 150 coupling bar works so well - it also works well on mine, and will traverse Peco small radius point-work as well.

 

Market65.

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Even better

Excellent to see that the 150 coupling bar works so well - it also works well on mine, and will traverse Peco small radius point-work as well.

 

Market65.

The detail pack with my model contained two coupling bars (identical). I haven't figured out why two, surely it would have been more useful to provide one of each type, i.e. one short and one long?

 

Regards

 

Ray

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Hi Ray see why your delighted with it. That 150 coupling bar makes a big difference too. Have not taken that much notice of the new 101s till i saw this something east anglian would be nice.

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Thanks Chris

something east anglian would be nice.

Certainly there were a large number of 'Metro-Cammells' in the north east. I do believe that I would have travelled on one to Carlisle. Later I think I used to travel back to college in Leeds on one when there was still a line from Northallerton to Harrogate via Ripon. I don't know whether there were Metro-Cammells in other parts of England.

 

Regards

 

Ray

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi. Regarding the 101's in the north east, on the last day of the Hull - Market Weighton - York line, November, 1965, I was on the last train from York to Hull with a 101 part of the train. Several sets were allocated to Hull Botanic Gardens Depot until the late 1980's.

 

Market65.

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Ah ha - your 'pen name' - excellent. 

Hi. Market Weighton .. 1965,

 

Market65.

It had slipped my mind that Hull was part of the north east!

 

I have just remembered that I have been on what looks like a 101 on the Wensleydale Railway.

 

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Wensleydale Railway October 2008

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  • RMweb Premium

Just to note that the prototype photo taken at Darlington in 1961 is of a different version of Met-Cam, with four headlights on the cab rather than two plus two-character headcode box as on the model.

 

Still waiting for mine - with yellow SYP - but I agree it looks the part.

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Hello Brushman

Just to note that the prototype photo taken at Darlington in 1961 is of a different version of Met-Cam, with four headlights on the cab rather than two plus two-character headcode box as on the model.

Actually there are two variations in the 1961 picture - the more distant one more closely resembles my Bachmann model.  I have another picture here of a three car unit, perhaps 1962 with overhead warning flashes and a rear oil light.

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Three car Metro-Cammell leaving Great Ayton c 1962

 

Regards

 

Ray

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Thanks for the information. Did you source your Class 150 coupler bar from Bachmann themselves? I'm guessing this may work for Class 105 too.

 

Davy.

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Hello Davy

 

If you Google Bachmann 36-062 you should find a number of suppliers (on and off EBay).  You should be able to pick up a pack of four for around

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Excellent to see that the 150 coupling bar works so well - it also works well on mine, and will traverse Peco small radius point-work as well.

 

Market65.

Thanks for that Market 65. I use small radius live frog point work and wondered if I could close couple my Bachmann 101. Now I shall go out and purchase the class 150 coupler bar.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

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  • RMweb Premium

I duly bought a pack of 150 drawbars, and found that they wouldn't plug in properly. I have since contacted Bachman who advise that the 2-EPB draw bars do the job. I'm waiting on their arrival.

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Hi Francis

 

Thank you for that information.

I duly bought a pack of 150 drawbars, and found that they wouldn't plug in properly. I have since contacted Bachman who advise that the 2-EPB draw bars do the job. I'm waiting on their arrival.

Sounds as though life has moved on over the two years since I wrote the Post.  I still have a couple of the Class 150 coupling bars bought at the time which plug in and out without any problems.  I am guessing that Bachmann have changed the design?

 

Regards

 

Ray

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Hi

I've recently purchased a Bachmann blue 101 from TMC and also the latest 150 draw bars as suggested (36-062) from Hattons. I found that the copper wire connections within the drawbars are slightly sprung. They need to be compressed with tweezers as they are inserted into the NEM pocket so as to fit correctly. Once in, they hold the units very nicely together and allow the non powered unit's directional and internal lighting to function. This is a lovely model in the plain blue. To my eyes, this livery doesn't draw attention to the window position issue and is a very convincing 101.

Best wishes

David

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Thank you Dave for keeping the Post up to date.

.... I found that the copper wire connections within the drawbars are slightly sprung. They need to be compressed with tweezers as they are inserted into the NEM pocket so as to fit correctly.....

The blue livery was very smart - just unfortunate that in rea life there did not seemto be the money to keep stock as smart as tidy as it should have been..

 

Regards

 

Ray

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