South Central

Sticking with the 400s theme, and specifically the Hornby 4Vep as a base model... A couple of early privatisation examples in the form of Connex South Central Phase 1 4Cig 1741 and Network SouthCentral Phase 2 4Big 2251. Both are repaints of units I built a few years ago in 1980s guises, so both were stripped back to bare MJT brass before receiving their respective new colours. 2251 was chosen as one of the last surviving entire 4Big on the South Central lines. It's buffet last served grub on Christmas Eve 1997 and the unit soldiered on into 1998 with its counter locked out before transfer to South West Trains. The Trailer Buffet made way for an ex-CEP TSO for the unit's twilight years largely spent on the Portsmouth Direct. Modelled very much in its last few years as a true BIG, I rather like the combination of the Connex front-end "Zorro" styling with faded NSE paintwork (white weathering powders) and retained Network SouthCentral shadow franchise branding. A legacy of the buffet's years in service...who burned the toast!? A few years ago, RMweb's number6 kindly recreated the 'mural' which adorned the galley kitchen wall - duly printed and fixed in place. And the beauty once again of using the Hornby 4Vep as a base is the factory lighting which pleasing survived the conversion... Next up was another yellow peril: MJT brass sides mounted on the base Mk1 bodyshells in the usual manner...looking rather at home in the Hornby box, oh what might have been! The view from the stops, just need a layout now... Thanks for dropping in!

Hi all, About a year ago I settled upon an era change to the years of local railway operation I could actually remember! Privatisation was still young, liveries were colourful yet most of the stock was of BR heritage, not least the Mk 1 slam doors in their twilight years. I've been steadily building up a fleet of stock appropriate for the Sussex "Coastway" lines radiating from Brighton for the 1998 to 2002 period. Trains wore the colours of the erstwhile Connex South Central, South Central Trains, Thameslink (the first incarnation), South West Trains and Virgin Cross Country operators with some vehicles clinging on to BR Network SouthEast and Intercity liveries. 750v DC third rail units naturally predominate, with interlopers adding to the variety including DMUs from the West Country, class 47/mk 2 rakes and Voyagers from the North West and Scotland. By way of a scene-setter, here is a Connex South Central 4Vep cobbled together from the Hornby RTR offering: The unit started life in factory NSE finish, which soon was lost to a bath of Phoenix SuperStrip. This model's failings are well documented on these pages, and a face transplant with MJT cast whitemetal ends was essential onto which widened end gangways were fixed. The cast jumper cables and recesses were drilled out and backed with plasticard. Airbrushed enamels from Humbrol added colour, onto which custom run Connex yellow stripe waterslide transfers were mounted. Copious amounts of Humbrol Decalfix helped these to sit down over the model's raised detail, hinges and rust prevention strips. Adding two bars to every passenger droplight with plastic microstrip was a laborious process! The beauty of using the Hornby 4Vep as a base model was the factory fitted lighting. Again, the flimsy wiring on these units is infamous however spare connectors and whole PCBs are readily available and the soldering experience is no bad thing...a final weathering to prototypical unloved condition and this workhorse is ready for the rails.

Hi all, Can anyone point me in the direction of a source for Thameslink (1997 - 2006 era) transfers to sit atop the dark blue/yellow/white livery in 4mm? Formerly available from Frank Warner who appears to have ceased trading. All or any of the THAMESLINK name, web address, CityFlyer cab front and passenger door side branding, first class and cycle space logos would be fab. Failing that, any artwork for a custom print would also help hugely. TIA

We have cattle at home and graze them on what's known as a paddock system - a technique brought over from New Zealand. The field is divided up into paddocks which provide just enough grass for the number of animals for a day or two, after which the cows are moved into the next paddock and the first one left to recover. It encourages far more efficient use of the grass by the cattle and improves grass yields overall no end. Thus reducing the reliance on supplementary feeds (largely based on soya from South America planted on former rainforest) and offering the consumer a far more sustainable source of milk and meat

I should have added sooner, but I did indeed telephone my order through to Phoenix and my paint arrived two days later. Very happy customer, looking forward to the return of the website though

Brilliant, thank you

Has anyone put in an order with Phoenix recently? I haven't been able to get onto the website for a while now - I thought I'd ask before trying a telephone order. TIA

Not quite what you are looking for but in the seventies and eighties, Newhaven Marine was served by a handful of daily local trains to supplement the "true" Victoria boat trains, their purpose being to carry local Dieppe day-trippers. At various times there were trains to/from Brighton, Littlehampton and even Portsmouth. Technically, the main "general" traffic was handled by Newhaven Town station in line with your other examples above.

I have, and a BIG too. Have a look at my Central Division c.1987 workbench thread

Might 12 CB CIG signify a CIG + BEP + CIG formation? I have a sneaky feeling that refurbished BEPs had replaced the ten 'phase 2' BIGs on the Portsmouth Direct by 1982, with the latter joining their eighteen 'phase 1' BIG sisters on the Central Div. Happy to be set straight on that one.

Superb work, love it! So I guess a third 456 in South West Trains red is next on your workbench

As above, superb work as ever. Following with interest

Just a follow up, received my drawings about a week after my above post. Very happy with them

Good question, could have sworn i'd seen his number but can't spot it either. Looks like you might need a stamp...

I gave up on the Phoenix Precision website. I managed to find the PP paints I want on the Fox Transfers website fortunately, although sadly only in 14ml tinlets.

I've mail-ordered plenty from SPM through the summer, with very quick turnaround at their end. More than satisfied. That said, he is notoriously lax on emails, just old-fashioned I guess. Give him a ring or pen him a letter and i'm confident you'll get a response that way

As above really, ordered a couple of months ago, payment via PayPal, but no sign of any drawings! Tried to make contact via email to no avail. Anyone received any PDH drawings recently?

Someone will know more than I but in SWT days Alsthom fitted it with an experimental electric camshaft en lieu of a mechanical one as per the rest of the fleet. When Southern/GatEx took on the first tranche of 442s, 2409 became the 'christmas tree' for robbing of parts to keep the others going and languished in pieces at Chart Leacon. When Southern later took on the remaining stored units it took a fair bit of rebuilding to get it back into service. I read somewhere it spent the best part of a year out of service in 2012-13 due to issues with said 'special' camshaft, during which time it was refitted with a mechanical one at Stewarts Lane which required some parts to be specially cast given the years lapsed. Oh, and I think it's a member of the 'roast pork' club, having caught fire once or twice!

A 442 Driving Trailer has indeed been earmarked for the National Collection at the NRM, the Advisory Board discussed it late last year I believe

Aha! I'm doing the very same Bachmann 2a to 2c conversion and this box had me stumped. Jim of P4 New Street has also done this conversion and his post reckoned said box was available from Southern Pride but I can't spot it on their website. Will you be making this available via Ermine?

After a long bout of 'radio silence', finally something a bit CIG-shaped has rolled off the workbench... I've ended up with a model of 1804, a phase II, post-facelift 4CIG, and one of the first six done that emerged in BR blue and grey, with 1807 onwards getting the toothpaste treatment. Of these six, I was tempted to go for 1806 which sported some rather curious white can windscreen frames, but in the end I chose '04 which was an early recipient of NSE 'flashes' on the front gangway door. Believe it or not, this is the very first unit I knocked up at the start of this topic, half-painted in NSE, subsequently stripped back to bare metal, dismantled, reassembled with the brass sides about one mil' higher, added bodyside 'beading', and repainted in blue and grey...quite an ordeal for the poor thing! The front end has seen the biggest transformation, with the old MJT cast gangway removed, and replaced with two from a Hornby VEP intermediate coach picked up on eBay, and subjected to the same widening surgery well documented elsewhere on RMWeb. A pair of new doors and headcode box frames were scratchbuilt to sit inside them. So with (at last) a complete, motorised unit to show for all your help and pointers, it's probably time to draw a few conclusions. Going way back, the Bachmann CEP chassis idea probably could have been made to work, and would have made for an outstanding runner. I just couldn't make all the fettling of the Replica coaches work to fit the chassis. Mind you, the guys who are mounting Replica suburbans on CEP chassis to make intermediate trailers for their Kernow 3Hs show that it can be done. Using the excellent value Replica mk1 chassis and bogies makes for a quick and easy way to compile a 4 car EMU on a budget, and with the addition of Southern Pride and MJT's parts they soon come to life. The eagle eyed might be thinking, well you've finished this CIG, sold that unmotorised Jaffa Cake one, but what happened to that 4BIG? Well that too was carefully prised apart and bathed in SuperStrip - I was never happy with the paint finish anyway, done in the cold. My next mad plan is to mount the recovered brass sides on a bargain bin Hornby blue 4VEP i've had for yonks, but that's a little way off yet as i've got a layout to build first. I've got a workbench topic on the Modifying/Detailing section so it will probably crop up there inbetween my mk2 butchery! All the best. (number6 - your brilliant BUFFET murals haven't been forgotten, they're printed and ready to go when the BIG is reborn!)

I think we all hoped, when the 4VEP was announced, that given the common cab-front, B5(S) trailer and Mk. 6 motor bogies a 4CIG, and maybe less likely a 4REP and 4TC might all follow suit. That said, after all the grief surrounding the VEP (the cab front dimensions, the solid compartment partition, the back-to-front bogies) one wonders whether Hornby don't want the hassle of going through it all over again? A real pity.

I love that twitter feed! Any chance you can badger him to post a bit on here?! I see he's got a Hornby VEP to CIG project underway and it'd be great to see more. Top work on the 4CAP, looking forward to seeing your progress.

Hi chaps, A long term "lurker" on this topic, I thought it high time I added my awe and admiration at the whole project. Such scale but such detail too! I'm also having a go at modelling Lewes, although I've plumped for the markedly easier option of the post-rationalisation, and indeed current, track plan. So it's with yet more awe and admiration I'll follow your progress. As an aside, I've been around Lewes with the camera and tape measure as I continue to scratchbuild some of the station structures - if any of that might be of use, let me know All the best, Phillip

A quick Google images search for "London Docklands Development Corporation" throws up some inspirational stuff for construction in your area/era Pete - we studied it for 'A' Level geography, yawn! Whether your layout area would count as 'Docklands' I don't know, but this caught my eye as a possible billboard or hoarding? Original London Docklands Development Corporation publicity trailer by Danny McL http://www.ipernity.com/doc/dannymcl, on Flickr Also on Google was a nice shot of some era-appropriate graffiti from disgruntled East Londoners - "DON'T BLOCK OUR VIEW" in whitewashed capitals...http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/community/comgr1.jpg All you need now is some under-construction DLR! Getting carried away now...