Hi folks, I know it has been a while since my last issue but life and work got in the way.

Quick update on the Bachmann Covhops I now have my rake of 12 wagons thanks to the timely re-release by Bachmann of their models and my 40th birthday money which allowed me to purchase the extra 6 from local model railway shops SMTF and Arcadia. These will be converted with new transfers as per the first batch of six using the remainder of the CCT sheet. I made a trip down to Somerset just after my birthday and popped into the Bristol Thornbury show on the Sunday afternoon and managed to purchase some replacement whitemetal self-contained buffers for the Covhops. I am in the process of removing the Bachmann buffers ready for the new whitemetal buffers to be added once the old plastic buffer shanks have been snipped off and pared back. The new buffers will just need a quick clean-up of any flash then they will be ready for affixing to the headstocks.

Back in February I went to Glasgow show and picked up some Parkside PA07 unfitted Morton underframe packs. I have removed a set of the brake rigging as per Alan Monk's article in the June 2014 issue of Rail Express Modeller and I am modifiying them to fit as per Alan's notes and secure them to the brake lever cross shaft.

Once that is done I will look at fitting some whitemetal vacuum-brake pipes on the headstocks to represent those forming the through vacuum pipes. Then lots of limestone wash weathering ought to make them look the part behind a grimy 8F with a fitted brake van on the end.

On the Speedlow layout front all of the ballasting was completed. Now the layout is back home I need to create some space so that I can make a start on the scenery and work towards the Hazel Grove Exhibition at the end of October where the layout will be shown for the first time as an operational work in progress layout or however advanced it is by then! Still lots of stock locos and wagons to work on so the dining table will have to do for now when I am doing such work.

Cheers Paul