WILLIAM

Just picking up this thread again, particularly around the potential demand for a re-run of Bachmann's JJA autoballasters. I do wonder how many of us are, like me, sat with a 'short' rake of these desperately waiting for some more to be released or become available secondhand to form a prototypical full rake of 5? It would seem however that the demand for the non-generator versions in partcular is well understood by the profiteers with some being put on eBay today at a starting price of £130 each! It will be interesting to see if they sell at that price....

Thanks Paul. Looking at your site you have a 1995 picture of an ex-Sealion YGH from the batches DB982440-DB982539 or DB982568-DB982927 that has had the vacuum brakes removed and has therefore been recoded YGB. There does not appear to be any before that. This tallies with what I've read elsewhere that some YGH Sealions were recoded to YGB Seacows from the early 1990s.

Bachmann's Seacows are ex-Sealions (having had airbrakes added). Does anyone know when these conversions were undertaken by BR? Thank you.

Yes, it's the same green as Paul's photos. Still think the Hornby rendition is way off but it will probably look a lot better when weathered down.

David Ratcliffe's BR Air-Braked Wagons book p35 states "In 1992 the OTAs in traffic to Shotton began to be repainted with green ends....." and has an accompanying picture (although the underframe is not repainted).

Thanks Daddyman. So the Hornby version is supposed to 'Shotton' green not a fictitious 'Thames Board' green? As you say, in that case the Hornby base colour is way off in my eyes.

Thanks but this shot from 1987, and others, shows that the Thames Board livery was blue.

I've got a few OTA wagons, both Bachmann and Hornby, and want to understand the timeframe for operating each livery/version. Included are some of the Hornby version pictured above as widely listed as being in 'Thames Board Green' livery (teal to my eyes). Having done some research however I'm struggling to find any photgraphic evidence of OTA wagons in such a colour. From what I can make out the 'Thames Board' livery was light blue and didn't included the painting of the sole bar and suspension. Some OTAs were painted, including underframe, in plain green for Shotton traffic but this appears to be a very different colour than the Hornby version. Strangely the Hornby wagons in this teal livery also have post 1998 OLE warning flashes. I've trawled through what books I have, Flickr and Paul Bartlett's excellent website but cannot find an early picture in this vibrant Hornby teal livery. Tom Smith's Volume 2 book has some pictures of OTAs from 2002 described at "faded green Thames Board livery" and that is the closest I've got but I cannot help wondering if they are faded 'Shotton' green instead. Has anyone got, or can point me to, an ideally ex-works photograph of an OTA in this Hornby teal livery please?

I bet the remnants of the cross members caused havoc at the power stations!

I have a couple of the Hattons 1990s Warwells with TOPS code KWB. I'd like to get some of these Warflats to go with them but I'm not sure which version I should choose? PFB or KFA? I believe these flat wagons were coded KFB in between PFB and KFA (I assume not for long though?) so should I be waiting for a release in that guise?

I'm afraid you might have to order an ARC one too.....

One of the good things about these wagons is you don't have to have a long rake to be authentic.

Hoping the 'Minimodal' decals come off easily on 030 so I can recreate this....

Got my 'Combined Volume' yesterday. Half of it repeats the information on 00 items that I received in last year's catalogue and the other half information on models in scales I have no interest in. On that basis I fail to see the point of it and it's gone straight to recycling!

029 could also be improved by painting the window surrounds black although they were not black on all 27s.

Rails now changed to 27033 so that's clear now. Weathering on the front ends of 27030 is a bit naff I'm afraid.

Thanks. Rails still showing as 27012 (albeit with picture of 27033), hence the confusion.

Could someone please also confirm product 2717 is 27033 and not 27012 as originally planned? Thanks.

Hmm....I'm not asking for an exact match of every minor mod made by VSOE but the omission of the trusses is a fairly significant visual issue as discussed above. Promoting the pack as the modern Belmond Pullman then taking a 'they'll do' attitude to the outdated coaches is a bit disappointing. Also don't forget that these coaches are working out at nearly £50 each so we are not talking Railroad here.

Thanks again. Given the premium nature of this product (and price) it's a shame Hornby couldn't have made a little more effort in the name of general accuracy in my opinion.

Thanks. Could Hornby not however have used the trussed underframes from their none All Steel version? (Assuming the coaches are the same length?)

I've recently taken delivery of this pack but not knowing too much about Pullman coaches, other than it is a complicated subject, I have some tenative queries. The three All Steel coaches in the pack (Zena, Ione & Lucille) have completely different underbodies than their prototypes currently have in service. Particulalry noticable is the lack of trusses and different bogie types. Hornby do however appear to model a Pullman underframe much more in keeping with those actually used today, as per their none-all steel version of the coaches (Ibis, Minerva etc.). Could they have not used these underfames to provide a more accurate model? Are the coach bodies interchangeable between the All Steel and none All Steel versions?

Yes please!