Bomag

Dave I think you may be confusing 'plebeian' with the pejorative 'Plebs'. Given that stu said that the 'plebeians are quite well read on these matters' would, to me indicate that the usage is on the lines of its historical usage i.e. 'of the people' and would indicate that he may be suggestion that just because some customers or retailers the majority should not be considered as not able to tell the difference. On the other hand Stu could be misusing the word.

They have not gone for the RFB but for a RFM/TRSB/TRUK hybrid. The RFB is very similar to the TRUB/TRFB with three bays of seating. There were 28 RFBs and 58 TRUBs The four seating bays types TRSB/TRUK/RFM are, in the main, similar. They are different but even I would struggle with differentiating them without reference to context and livery. There were 28 TRSBs and 20 TRUKs built 58 RFMs were converted from TRUKs (12), FOs (18) and RFBs (28). The Dapol hybrid is a better match for the ex TRUKs and ex RFBs, The corridor side of the FO conversions looks significantly and obviously different. Given that Farish have only ever produced the TRFB/TRUB then going for a four window type is likely to be lead to more sales since those who want to have something which looks different to the GF model will buy them and those who don't mind will still purchase them.

Being a coach nut I have a few comments HST non buffered coaches 2P-005-002 W&SR twin pack (buffet and MK3 first class coach) - I though that WSR did not have any FO coaches only ones which were declasified. 2P-005-003 Virgin 'Pretendolno' twin pack (Buffet and 2nd class coach) Both the above are loco hauled stock with buffers 2P-005-010 Blue/Grey buffet #W40352 2P-005-210 InterCity Swallow Buffet #40307 NC216K EMT Buffet #40728 While I accept that a compromise on design of the RFM/TRSB was needed, they do look very similar with 4 passenger windows. The 403xx/407xx series have three windows, as produced by Farish. Also being very picky I have 40307 being renumbed to 40707 before IC swallow was introduced. Like Tiger I will need two blue grey ones for the TRSB/TRUK combination - it even fits in with the 254 011 set! With the other 12 I need its looking an expensive quarter.

The LMR stars in the Great St Trinian's train robery which is on about once a month on various cable channels

Probably because those of us who purchased the IC-E book set got rather irritated that we got lumbered with the later livery for the coaches.

Requests for help on what models are avilable to model a certain train/period/line without specifiying which gauge you are modeling in.

Good question. Apart from Grand Central and possibly also B/G when a 254 comes out I run my Dapol HSTs with complete Farish sets - with painted seats they look OK with Dapol power cars. I have only really gone for the LH Dapol Mk3s.

The last year of full IC livery (1/1/1998) P5 had three Mk1 RMBs (1842, 1850, 1871), seven Mk3 RFMs, 26 Mk2 FO, 39 Mk2F TSO (eight window version), 30 Mk2F TSO (ex FO, seven window version) and the remaining thirteen Mk2F DBSO. All RBRs had been reallocated by then. Set AR01 was refurbished/painted in IC livery (DBFO 9710, 10200, plus seven from 6804, 6807, 6813, 6139, 6110, 5956, 3416, 3318, 3309, 3292). AFAIR AR livery was not applied to 9710 and the others as, according to AR at the time, the first set had two pack paint and would have to be stripped to be repainted to AR livery. This was presumably before overlays as 9710 went straight to 1 livery in 2005. The other sets were refurbished from 1998 - the MK1 RMBs were removed and replaced by four Mk2f RFBs from Virgin XC and a single Mk2E FO(t) from FGW repainted in AR livery . By the time I left Ilford in 2001 the sets were one of four formations (subject to the odd missing coach). 2*FO, RFM, 3*TSO eight window version, 2*TSO seven window version, DBFO 2*FO, RFB, 3*TSO eight window version, 2*TSO seven window version, DBFO 2*FO, FO(t), 3*TSO eight window version, 2*TSO seven window version, DBFO 2*FO, 6*TSO various mix of window versions, DBFO. For N gauge the best option is to get any 8 GF Mk2 and a Mk3 (or 9 mk2 for the last three formations) and use electra graphics overlays. For OO and if you accept that the toilets are wrong then for Mk2fs then Hornby does/has done both the mk2s and Mk3 RFM. For the FO, RFB, FO(t) and seven window TSO you will need first class vehicles (they all started out as FOs in reality). Only the three eight window TSOs need second class Hornby coaches (which is handy as the FOs look to be cheaper and more readily available. Electra (and possibly others) do overlays for AR livery.

It would have to be a M3A/B FO with IC80 seats not a HST first open which will have been refurbished with some uncomfotable, but trendy, seat.

Apparently the Yorkshire/TT Pullman services also regularly ran with both for steerage passengers until the mid 70s

On the ECML in the mid to late 80's it was only an even bet to get two power cars the same livery. The only ones which seemed to have some consistency was on the Yorkshire and TT Pulmans.

I did not know the Midland had their own line from Peterborough to March! I would of thought that the GE one via Whittlesea would have sufficed

The problem Dapol has is that there are four variants of the HST catering trailers and six potential versions of the LH ones. Unlike Farish who can print any version onto the same shell, Dapol has to run a new body shell off for each one. The TGS has a similar problem, is it worth the expense for one vehicle per set. The only full Dapol HST set I have is the GC (but missing the TRSB), the other Dapol power cars I run with Farish tailors

Buy both the swallow and IC-E sets and the addition TS's and you get both TFs and all four TS's. Presumably Dapol will get round to producing the MK3 in IC-E, so spreading the cost! Well we live in hope.

The power car are about the right numbers for set 028. Only the first WR IC Executive sets had the set number applied. AFAIR the ER stopped putting the set numbers on when the exhaust manifold problems started to bite (1983 ish) and it was impossible to keep sets and power cas together. As there is less full power running for long periods on the WR I did not think they had such an issue and managed to keep them together. I cannot rememer when they started to put the power car number on the front but I think was fairly early for the ER ones. Therefore the numbers are correct for the majority of the time HSTs were in this livery. It also has a benifit of the power cars not haveing a region specific number.

All the photos I have seen show swallow branded Mk3s with this pack. While you did occationally see IC-E powercars with a IC swallow sets most people will probably want to run a cosistent liveried set. I was going to get the Dapol HST in all the liveries but we now have the wrong class in B/G (253 instead of the much better 254), the IC swallow version has the wrong number for the body and the IC-E has wrong coaches in them. The good news is I am £500 better off. The model is great though and I love my Virgin and GC sets.

As far as I remember there was a FO between the RFB and BFO when I used the Clansman, although this was later in its Mk3 incarnation.

Except those who want to model the trains as they are today, or last week when the models came out., or last month when the doors were definitely silver.

Marker posts have been in metric for decades; it is only the Driver Location Signs put up over the last 6 years which has made this more noticeable. Also these are locations (chainage), not distances,

For several reasons some of the motor alternator sets used in Mk2DEF would not work with a varying voltage and trip below 800v. Where the ETH voltage produced by the loco was proportional to the engine output, including Cl55, then ETH bus voltage constantly varies which would trip out the offending M/A sets. I would assume that only the M/A sets from Stones AC fitted carriages were originally affected but that after the demise of the offending locos in the 80's there was not the need to limit the distribution of the M/A sets so some of the MK2F coaches had them - I was informed that some of the reliability issues with Virgin using Cl55 on the Ramsgate service was that the M/A set spiked the ETH. AFAIK they had a couple of dedicated sets with the offending M/A sets swapped. Since the Mk3a A/C equipment was based on the later Mk2F equipment then there should be no reason why a Deltic could not power Mk3a's ETH systems. In addition to the quoted uses I believe that deltics were used with spare push pull sets in 1980 or 81 on summer excursions to Oban.

43194 never had a guard's side window. The later batches of power cars (AFIIK 43152 and later) were built after the TGS were introduced and never had them. Most/all of the powers cars have had the windows plated over.

Sorry to mention it again the original WR sets had a TRSB (400xx) and TRUK (405xx) - both had half the coach with seats. The TRUB/TRFB were the same coach (three seating bays) but the seats were reclassified. The CAD drawings of the Mk3 buffet have had four seating bay windows (actually an RFM) which would look OK-ish for either the TRSB or TRUK. Hopefully by the time they get to produce a ER 254 in B/G the glue problem will be fixed.

Jonathon covered most issues but I don't think any sets had a TRSB and a TRUB, the only sets with regularly a TRU(F)B and TRU(F)K were the two EC Pullmans which were TF+TF+TRFK+TF+TRFB+TS+TS+TGS, later upgraded to 9 cars with an extra TS. Very occasionally you would see 40513 added to a normal set for private use. Looking at the Palin episode on the first great railway journeys series gives a good idea of the set make up of EC HSTs in 1980.

The only people who say you have to have two runs is the FIA, not really relevant for railways. The validity of any claim depends on the method of recording and validation of the method. The Dynamometer was likely to be the most reliable method at the time and is something that can be validated - not something you can not do with manual timings. Today you still have problems with GPS, on a MkiV set its only accurate to about +/- 1.5mph unless you use differential GPS. (If its a Voyager forget it!). I thought that the LNER only claimed 125mph as Mallard maintained at least that for a minimum of 1/4 mile.

I think it was one of the 1490x lounge cars