Jump to content
 

SWT442

Members
  • Posts

    353
  • Joined

  • Last visited

1 Follower

Profile Information

  • Location
    Andover
  • Interests
    Trains, cars and twiddling my hair when thinking about stuff.

Recent Profile Visitors

2,576 profile views

SWT442's Achievements

1.5k

Reputation

  1. Some not particularly brilliant shots of the SWT one on the bench. The new style of packaging was a bit of a surprise but at least it made it easier to remove the models. The old foam tray was quite a tight fit. Though it's odd that the motor coach comes in its own packaging. The colours look pretty good to me, be interesting to see how they compare to Bachmanns 3-CEP. Andy.
  2. No drag at all. The trailer bogies all have pin point axles and roll very freely. I've a pair of the SWT ones on the bench at the moment, found both motor coaches smooth runners on the rolling road and the body a doddle to remove to fit a decoder. One slight niggle is the motor coach bodies being a touch too easy to remove! Picking up from the top of the coach body seems to risk the clips on the bottom not engaging fully, causing the chassis to sag. Definitely a good upgrade from the first release, and I really hope we see a 4-CIG join it at some point. Andy.
  3. Same issue with mine. Someone on Twitter reported the same issue with theirs too. No switches that I can see for light control. Manual states F0 for both head and tail lights. Not sure whether the 4-TEP is similarly affected? Will be dropping Bachmann an e-mail about it to see what the score is. Andy.
  4. Interesting thread! Was part of a group that had a tour of the stored Class 60's at Toton in October 2021. Took shots of the nameplates as thought it odd they were laid up with them still in situ. Wasn't really sure what to do with them until this thread popped up! 60034 Granted not a nameplate, but hopefully still interesting. Knew the 60's were fitted with WIPAC lights, yet didn't know it was printed onto the lens nor labelled as the 'Hair Raiser'! Andy.
  5. until
    Join us for our 43rd annual exhibition by the New Forest Model Railway Society! The show is being held in Brockenhurst Village Hall, with free parking available on site. The venue is also a short walk away from Brockenhurst Railway Station. As with 2022, layouts can now be found in the main building along with an annex just across the car park. Opening Times: Saturday 27th May - 1000 - 1700 Sunday 28th May - 1000 - 1630 Admission: Adults - £6 Accompanied children under 16 free Layouts: Dib's Yard - OO gauge - Freelance steam era goods yard Holly Bank Grove MPD - OO gauge - 1960's North Eastern steam shed Kinmundy - EM gauge - Late 60's Scottish BLT Maritime Lane VMF - OO gauge - Freightliner depot set around 2020 Mossbank Yard - OO gauge - 1990's WCML based marshaling yard Quay Street - N gauge - Southern region terminus Romsey & Halterworth - L gauge - Interactive representation of Romsey with working signals & signal boxes in Lego Tidworth - OO gauge - 1990's NSE terminus and yard Wotchemgoby - OO gauge - Freelance steam era station with narrow gauge There will also be a selection of N gauge layouts on the stage which have been provided by club members. Please note that unfortunately there is now no disabled access to the stage. Traders: Dave Smith - Second hand railway and transportation books Jeff Wilson - Pre-owned stock and second hand tools Ken Aveyard - Second hand models & rolling stock Model Railway Bits - Layout and scenery accessories Phil Kempsey Baseboards - Made to measure baseboards Ron Lines - Second hand model railway items Sandy Scott & Dawn Morgan- Authors of 'Dessie' the train Wheels of Southsea - Diecast models
  6. One of the aims with Maritime Lane was to be a test bed for proper wiring and point control, as the layout I had in my parents garage just had a few DCC feeds and all points operated by hand. With the loft being boarded out, it meant a 35ft by 9ft continuous run could be built, but would be a rather daunting project for someone who had never done it properly before! A small depot seemed a good way to get to grips with things. A bundle of SEEP point motors along with a CDU were had from a mate a few years ago, so these were put to good use. I'd always fancied the DCC Concepts Cobalt point levers and with the layout only having six points, the bundle of 6 they do seemed a no brainer! A few hours one evening was spent practicing how to wire one up to throw a solenoid point motor. With that figured out, the fun of getting everything wired up on the layout could start. One Saturday afternoon was spent pulling the points up, doing some mods to help with reliable operation and drilling the holes for the point motors. With the motors all fitted, a week went by as I got some additional wiring and jumper leads in place. A Sunday afternoon was then spent getting everything wired up and tested. Despite having an issue with one of the levers causing a short, everything actually worked first time round! With that done, some testing was done to make sure everything was working reliably before the scenic work could start proper. This brings everything up to date, as some basic scenery placement and planning has started while I play trains and make sure everything works fine! Most items will be ready to plant, mixed in with some kit built stuff. The shed has been made by Weston Models, while the portacabins representing the depot offices are from Bachmann. A Scale Model Scenery telecoms mast was also built up. Road vehicles are Oxford Diecast. The roadways and depot hard standing are made from 2mm thick grey board, with the hardstanding around the shed being doubled up so it comes up to track height. The DB shunter is on hire until I find a Freightliner one, though I do like the look of the 6w Sentinel Hornby have just released... Andy.
  7. Hello and welcome to Maritime Lane VMF, a model of a Freightliner depot set around 2020. Having moved out of my parents and into my first house during March 2021, the itch to play trains soon appeared! I had picked up a basboard off a club member during a show in 2019, which had been stored away by a mate, so this was retreived and planning could start on something. The board was a single 4ft by 2ft one, so a depot of some description seemed like a logical idea. Having a load of Colas stuff, I did initially think about doing a depot based around them but having picked up one of Bachmann's Class 90's in Freightliner colours, my plans soon shifted. Thus, Maritime Lane VMF was born. The layout and it's name takes some inspiration from Southampton Maritime, with a bit of Basford Hall influence from having OHLE. A track plan was drawn up and laid out, with one of the aims being to not cram sidings in every bit of space but still give a good amount of stock on the layout. Part of the Southampton Maritime influence is the shed for wagon maintenance. By the summer, the track had been laid proper and everything wired for DCC. Copper tape was used for the main bus under the layout. Testing could begin to ensure everything ran smoothly, with the only concern being the points needing some tweaking for more reliable operation. It also gained some trestles courtesy of a freind, who donated some from an old layout. During August, the loft was boarded out with power & lighting installed not long after. This saw the layout move up there so could get my spare room back! It also gained a fiddle yard, which used a left over loft board. Some Dapol catenary was also installed, with only selected sidings getting it. In due course, the Dapol stuff will give way to Peco and modified Sommerfeldt OHLE. More in the next post. Andy.
  8. The cab front numbering on 86609 in Freightliner doesn't look to be correct either from what I can find. Looks like it was painted in around 1999, with the cab front numbers looking to be the same size as the cab side numbers. (Crewe, June 1999 - Not mine, click for more info) It looks like it carried them like this until mid-2012, when it was given a spruce up of the cab front at which point the numbers moved to the right, with them starting relatively inline with the corner of the ex-headcode box. (Rugeley, May 2012 - Not mine, click for more info) (Garston, November 2012 - Not mine, click for more info) It then carried them like this until withdrawal in 2021. If the pictures of the model I've seen are correct, then the model has the number too far to the left and too small, in a position it never carried. I know it's a trivial observation, but literally 15 minutes on Flickr threw up plenty of clear images of how it should be. I'm aware that either position wouldn't have appeased everybody depending on what era you model, but on a model pushing 200 notes I expect that something like the numbering to be correctly positioned one way or another. Andy.
  9. Last picture for me was back in October, catching the NMT at Hurstbourne Viaduct near Andover. In dying light, ex-VTEC power car 43290 leads whilst 43299 trails out of sight, as they work 1Q23 Salisbury to Reading Triangle Sidings on October 21st. Andy.
  10. And on to the demics. The pictures were taken on a guided tour of Toton Depot for a closed group, with no area off limits. I'm very grateful to those who arranged it and took us round. All pictures taken on the 9th October. First of the class, 60001, sits on the fuel point having just arrived from Doncaster. Making for a forlorn sight, 60067 sits at the head of the main row of stored 60's. Who knows what future awaits. Still wearing the attractive Aircraft Blue of Mainline Freight, 60078 makes a change to the rows of EWS liveried locos. Having been stored for some 14 years, 60033 'Tees Steel Express' clings onto its Corus silver colours. 60012 bookends the main row of locos, whilst 60048 sits at the head of a shorter row of abandoned 'Tugs'. Despite being stored away for so long, quite a few locos still retained their nameplates. Should've bought some tools along... Sat by the paintshop, 60061 still holds onto the remnants of its Transrail stickers. Despite suffering major engine failure back in 2005, 60081 is still about. Seen in the company of 60099 by the paintshop. Left forgotten at the end of the headshunt, 60057 carries the remnants of its Railfeight Coal past. 60038 & 60059 'Swinden Dalesmen' catch some afternoon sun behind the depot building. It was said that some of the 60's offered up for sale recently had been purchased, but it wasn't elaborated on who had and what they were destined for. Perhaps we'll see 60038 on the mainline again? Acting as a super shunter, 60065 'Spirit of Jaguar' idles away in the ballast sidings. Now back on the mainline, 60026 'Helvellyn' gets some engine attention in the shed. Sharing space with 60026, and still wearing Colas colours, 60085 'Adept' awaits some love from the depot staff. 60039 'Dove Holes' makes for an imposing sight. The beating heart of any Class 60 is this turbocharged straight-8 monster, a 145 litre Mirrlees Blackstone 8MB275T, set to put out 3,100hp at 1,000rpm. This WIPAC light clusters hair raising days are long behind it. Andy.
  11. A recent trip to the Midlands netted a little bit of 'Tug' action, with shots of the unlucky ones the main target. First up though are the lucky ones, still in use doing what they do best. In use with DB Cargo, DCR's 60029 'Ben Nevis' is seen thudding through North Staffs Jn with 6M57 Lindsey OR to Kingsbury - 08.10.21 With a rake of pig sheds in tow, 60024 'Clitheroe Castle' works 6E02 Bescot Down Side to Boston Sleaford Sidings - 08.10.21 Hot on the heels of 6E02 was 60074 'Luke' on a rake of TEA's, working 6E54 Kingsbury to Humber OR - 08.10.21 60020 'The Willows' mirrors 60024 and its train, as it thunders through with 6E08 Walsall Steel Terminal to Immingham - 08.10.21 Clattering over East Midlands Gateway Jn, 60074 'Luke' is seen in a nice patch of sun with 6M57 Lindsey OR to Kingsbury - 09.10.21 Andy.
  12. Yep. Despite arriving 2 weeks ago, I finally got my rake out tonight for a once over and one was like this. Spring was still in the box fortunately, but it soon pinged out of the tweezers and disappeared into the carpet... I replaced it with a spare spring from a Kadee pack, looks to work fine. It's a faff to get it on though. Andy.
  13. So? Since the invention of money people have no doubt complained about the cost of things. People will complain if a tin of beans in Tesco goes up by 1p. I guess because a few people have said an item is just too much, according them, the manufacturers and retailers should pack up and go home? Unfortunately, the cost is only going one way whether we like it or not... Now, I'm not immune from complaining about the price of things, myself and friends have had a whinge about the cost of things in this hobby outside of RMWeb. But it mostly always boiled down to the value for money of certain items. Some manufactures seem to charge the earth for old models with virtually no improvements, whilst introducing ones brand new from the ground up, for the same price. The Hornby MK3 is an example of this, the old slamdoor model introduced some 20 years ago has an RRP around £35. The brand new sliding door one, with all its R&D costs, finer detailing and features expected of a brand new model has an RRP that's the same. Either it's insanely cheap, or the old one is overpriced. An IEP, glamorous? It's literally just another unit. I certainly don't disagree that it was a good choice as a model for Hornby, as it does satisfy those who want stuff that's bang up to date and can see them flying past at their local station. If they didn't do it, someone else would have as it's a good one for future sales when other operators start picking them up. Quite a few I'd imagine. Even if it's someone who wants to do even a flavour of an era or location, you'll want specific things for it. But even those who do model specific things no doubt have stuff that they run 'just because'. I suspect even the rivet counters aren't immune from Rule 1. Even though I said my modelling influence is the Solent area, I'll still be getting a TPE MK5 set because it'll make a cracking train even though there's not even been a sniff of them going South. I've already got the TPE 68 standing by! Andy.
  14. Having had a little read through the last couple of pages, I see the want for units is still there in some capacity, along with the mention of them never being done due to complexity and cost. But I don't agree with that as an 'against' doing them. The argument always is that there is normally 3 different bodyshells needed to do a 4-car unit, which costs too much to tool and therefore isn't justifiable. To me, the TPE MK5 set proves that that isn't really a valid reason, as it requires 3 different body shells, while also having fine detailing, lighting, DCC capability and a complex livery. There's a cab end car with all the lighting too, no different to a unit in my eyes. This can all be had for £225, or £45 a coach, not too shabby at all in this day and age! The nearest coach that competes features wise, to me, would be the Bachmann MK2F, which has an RRP of £70. A rake of 5 at that price comes in at £350, though no doubt will be less if you shop around, but still more than a TPE MK5 set. With a unit, there is now obviously the cost of a drive train to factor in. If you want to say that it's basically the cost of a newly tooled locomotive, then that adds about £160 to the price tag. Being simple about it, and saying it'd basically be the cost of a TPE MK5 set plus loco means this mythical 4-car unit comes in at £385, which, while not 'cheap', is not much more than the excellent 3-car Bachmann Class 159. It's also not too far off the price of a Hornby Class 800 with it's 5 coaches, they certainly seem to sell pretty well! As has been mentioned in this thread, a good modern 'bread and butter' EMU to do would probably be the Electrostar, though there's variations on cab fronts and body sides when they went from ribbon glazing to individual windows. The Class 319 could be an even better bet. Covers from the popular NSE era until the present day, with many liveries to keep it going for a good while. Plus, there's the option of doing them as Class 768 & 769 bi-modes. The underframes and bogies could also help pave the way for doing the other MK3 derived units of this era. I'm obviously in the camp that want's more units, specifically 3rd rail stuff. You can probably tell what I'd be in the market for with my username! Whilst most don't have any 'sex appeal' compared to most locomotives, they are the bread and butter of the real railway and have been for a while. You can't really model certain areas properly without them. Andy.
  15. The images on the likes of Rails of Sheffield show the wagon in 'early' livery, which I think is applicable until around 2000? Wagons in 'later' version of Yeoman livery look like this: (Not mine, click to go to Flickr) They're still in use in this colour scheme, though looking pretty rough around the edges and heavily graffitied. I took these shots last week, wagons were part of 7A17 Merehead Quarry to Acton. Andy.
×
×
  • Create New...