Welcome to my Blog.

I start this Blog on a subject close to my heart. Passenger coaches.

The Hornby Railroad MK1 in my opinion is a great addition to the range. It is finer looking than the Bachmann equivalents. One BIG draw back was the lack of close coupling. I tried various nem couplers and came up with the option shown in the picture. A Roco coupler and a Hornby (Roco type) coupler.

One is short the other longer. Now the problem is buffer lock on radius 1 & 2. Solution?

1/ Cut the buffers off (including the shaft)

2/ Drill a buffer shaft diameter hole through the remaining blanks on the buffer beam.

3/ Hey presto retracted buffers as per the MK1 prototype.

I have carried out this modification on only one of the coaches in the picture but this already allows faultless operation on 2nd radius setrack, curved points and Peco streamline "small" points. Propelling over reverse curves too!

On another note. I used to hate plastic wheels but these wheels are so fine and quiet. Why change them straight away? Still to see if they pick up muck like the old Tri-ang castors.