Steven B

I'd travel into Manchester Victoria on the Calder Valley line (or if there was time to waste via the Oldham Loop). Crossing town to Piccadilly was like entering another world, one filled with loco hauled trains and over head electric multiple units. And of course the 101's, Pacers and Sprinters were were used to over at the L&Y side of town. When Metrolink took over the Bury line it was like we'd arrived in the future. The original T-68s look so dated now! Steven B

Thanks Adam, I suspected that might be the case. Are the different pantographs interchangeable and will they be available as spares? Did '17 Iron Duke have the red, roof mounted fire extinguishers when it was in Intercity livery? I've not been able to find photos of it in that livery with them fitted. Photos of it in Virgin livery before 2003 don't have them, pictures from mid 2003 onwards do have them (but in Virgin red/grey). Steven B

+1 vote for shortening the gardens to maintain the angle of the houses to the railway.

Great to see progress! @Adam1701D how set in stone are the names/numbers that have been chosen? For fussy so-n-so's like myself there's a gap in the liveries around 1990 (+/- 2 years). 87031 (BR Blue) received the extra jumpers around 1986. 87101 had it's panto' swapped circa 1983 87017 (Intercity) was repainted around 1993 87006 (large logo dark grey) repainted 1986 Would it be possible to change the name/number on 87017 Iron Duke - 87002 'Royal Sovereign' would be a good alternative, receiving the livery by May 1990. I'll also be looking forward to batch two which I'm sure will contain BR Blue with the extra cables together with Intercity Exec (small yellow ends with yellow cab roof) and Intercity Mainline (full yellow ends). 🙂 Steven B

Does exhibiting a British outline layout in other countries result in similar comments to those showing continental based layouts here? Steven B.

I think there's room in the market for the Farish Mk3s, but given the price it would have been nice if they'd made some improvements, even if it just involved fitting interiors. Steven B

+1 for cream cleaner and plenty of water to rinse it off. Don't bother with an old tooth brush (yuck!) - treat your model to a new one! You can get multi-packs for a couple of quid from the supermarket. Steven B

Some of the Mk3 Royal Train coaches are standard vehicles. Others are heavily modified with window spacing and inset, inward opening doors. You'd also need the converted Mk2 brakes. The post 1970s train does give options for more normal Mk3s though... Steven B

Many years ago I helped operate a German outline, N Gauge layout. I was shocked at the number of show visitors who didn't give it a second glance because it was neither British or OO Gauge. Surely any layout is worth a few minutes of your time? Steven B

Dapol have a new batch of Mk3 due soon, which includes sleepers in blue/grey and Intercity. If they get the livery correct I'll be replacing my current one with these - the close coupling mechanism is worth the extra £2 on it's own. Steven B

They need a bit more red on the Baguley-Drewry plate! Ripe for an etched replacement... Steven B

Did you model the contents? Terry's or Rowntree's? Steven B

If they manage that, then yes, it'll be very positive. What's less positive is the churning out of old models for £££ more than they're worth. Dapol's Mk3 Sleepers haven't got the best reputation for accurate livery application but they're worth the £2.05 premium over the new Farish releases. The LMS twins are a welcome surprise - the question is do I get the yellow panelled 10001 or a Rapido Peak? Would a black & silver one look good at the front of a rake of Intercity Mk1s? It's interesting that the early BR livery of black with early crest is missing - Collectors club or retailer special perhaps? The re-release of the HEA is a mixed blessing. Like the PGA being re-run with the class 60 train set, it's a poor model; I'm surprised that there's no rail-freight red/grey version. The re-release does appear to suggest Bachmann/Farish have no interest in remaking it which must make it low hanging fruit for Dapol, Revolution or Rapido (especially as the chassis can be reused on the RNA & MEA). I had hoped for a couple more liveries on the 158, or even an Intercity Mainline class 90. Only another 3 months to the next announcement! Steven B

James, do you you Humbrol enamels or acrylics for your weathering? Steven B

Mk2 Pullmans's had standard drop-buck eye couplings so no problem there. They were converted to air-brakes in 1986. When built they could only run with AC electrics due to their need for a 800V AC train supply. I believe the work carried out in 1986 resulted in them being able to run behind a wider range of locos. The set was used by Interciy charters, with the set being named Lakeland Pullman with appropriate car names). There are a couple more photos of the same train on Flickr: Whitehall Junction. by Keith Long, on Flickr Leeds Whitehall Junction. by Keith Long, on Flickr And heading up to Copy Pit with class 25 Tamworth Castle on the front: D7672 Holme Chapel 291290 img375-1090MAH-a by Tony Woof, on Flickr Steven B

If 59/0 are arriving first, will they be sent out to those of us who've also ordered a 59/1 or 59/2 or will they be delayed until the remainder of the order arrives at Revolution HQ? Steven B.

Isn't the lump hanging down on the operating arm a magnet? Using an electromagnet may weaken it over time. I'd use a servo to move it directly, or to move some iron/tin plate - as mentioned above, you can get decoders with servo outputs. Either accessory decoder or mobile decoder - it may be possible to fit something inside the giraffe car so it can be moved around your display. Steven B

Intercity Mainline would be nice to see on the 37/4. It's not the only missing livery though. Unbranded triple grey and EW&S/EWS are also missing. As a one off, there's also the version of green that 37403/D6607 wore. What I'd really like a Mk2 brake-first (non-aircon and air-con versions please!) Steven B

Sadly not - the first set (with the miss-matched destinations) was on the track and running before the other was taken out of its box. Steven B

I don't really like either, but of the two CAD images I think I prefer the wire. HOWEVER, rework the CAD so the handrails don't look like a ladder with the rungs removed and I'd probably opt for the moulded version. The class 66 images above show how good they can look. It's probably a little trickier with the Peaks as they're not recessed, but I'm sure your CAD designers are up for the challenge! Steven B

My 306 was a doddle to change the bulbs on compared to my Jazz. Twist off the rear cab, fiddle about with the springs and out. Five minute job. It takes me five minutes just to remove the plastic clips on the wheel arch liner on the Jazz. I've ever understood why the "Powers that be" don't insist on manufacturers making it easier to change bulbs - particularly given that in some countries you have to carry spare bulbs. Steven B

Such as? (not up to speed with the OO version so don't know it's faults). Steven B

Two Mk5a rakes were running at the NGS Yorkshire Area Group meeting on Saturday. First impressions were that they looked stunning and were well matched to the Dapol 68s hauling them. They certainly put my Farish 47 (later DCC ready model) hauling a rake of Poole era Mk2 in Regional Railways livery to shame. One set of Mk5s ran faultlessly and with little more rolling resistance than you'd expect from a rake with pin-point bearings. The other set wasn't quite so good. One coach regularly derailed and the rake was not as free-wheeling as the other. The bad set also had a mixture of destinations, appearing to be a mix of TP04 (Scarborough – Liverpool Lime St) and TP09 (Scarborough – Manchester Airport). Having seen the other set running, the owner was fully confident that Revolution would be able to solve the problems. Steven B

I've used brass wire hammered flat for some of my N Gauge models. Steven B.

A Digitrax UT6 would be top of my shopping list in your situation. Wired or wireless depending on preference. Programming's a lot easier when done via JMRI - a Digitrax PR4 or RR-Circuits LocoBuffer will plug into the Loconet socket on your DCS50; Alternatively there's very little wrong with the Sprog II as a programming device - it's also got the advantage of being able to run locos on the main without having to change track feeds. Steven B.