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You are more than welcome to Bendigo. 

I have the LNER stock on the OO layout. The O gauge layout is set up too.

 

BR stock will have to wait another day.  Although I have some BR sound locos out.

 

Hope to see you all there.

 

Mark

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I have another rather unexpected addition to my industrial loco stud. I bought a quite old Jouef SNCF outside framed 0-6-0 diesel shunter, which runs smoothly enough at low speeds but had a little bit of dry-bearing shriek (easily fixed with a bit of oil and some running).

It came in a dark green with yellow stripes, but I have been painting it into a fictional scheme more in keeping with some of my other industrials; French blue with white bands, and red buffer beams, coupling rods, cranks and radiator grille.

I cleaned up the glazing with some T-cut while I had it apart. I have also removed the side railings to ease painting, but I think it may look a little more Anglicised if I leave those off.

Once I am happy with the running, I'll have to shoehorn a decoder into it. I'll also have to do something about the couplings, as this one pre-dates the change to NEM pockets.

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P_20181023_101134_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181023_101149_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Edited by SRman
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Another new arrival, but this time a planned one. Bachmann's new H2 Atlantic, 32424, Beachy Head, has run successfully on DC then had a Zimo MX634D decoder fitted, although it has not been properly run-in yet - DC running was smooth enough to say there were no problems with this locomotive. The second photo is a little fuzzy, but I didn't feel like re-posing it.

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P_20181026_132004_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

44834902014_f8fdd69c7b_b.jpg
P_20181026_132026_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

45560022571_8a7c1d87dd_b.jpg
P_20181026_132026_vHDR_On BW by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


I also intend to buy an LBSC H1 Atlantic when they become available.

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My latest experiment with sound is to try out a Soundtraxx Econami decoder with UK diesel sounds. I have fitted it to a Bachmann Ivatt 10001 diesel, with a 28mm round speaker. This particular speaker is only rated at 1w but I have the volume turned down; even so, it emits the occasional pop, so I will need to fit a better speaker once I can find one of the right size. The Econami decoder is rated for 8 ohm 2 watt speakers. I do have a few suitably rated speakers but they are all too deep to fit the Bachmann body/chassis clearances.

The sound from this decoder is not too bad. I tried out each of the sound sets in turn: class 20 (default), class 31, class 37, class 47, class 66 and Derby Lightweight DMU. The last one sounds good but seems to lack any gear changes so immediately fails on that score - I won't be buying any of these decoders to fit into any of my DMUs. The rest are good, but for 10000/10001, I couldn't decide between the class 31 and the class 37 sounds, with both having 12 cylinder EE Co engines, whereas the Ivatt duo had early versions of the 16 cylinder engines. Both sets of sounds are reasonable substitutes for a type that has no prototype recordings to work from. I think the class 31 horn sounds fit my idea of what 10001 should sound like - one tone only needed.

 

Anyway, so far I think the Econami is promising as a lower priced sound decoder, with more features and adaptability than the even less expensive Hornby TTS decoders.

I will strongly consider buying two more diesel versions, to fit into my Heljan Lion (8-pin - class 47 sounds but different horns), and the other Bachmann Ivatt (10000) I have in stock to enable easy operation as a matched pair.

Edited by SRman
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If you look back a few posts, you will see the Bulleid 10203 I acquired from Brian Macdermott required a few minor paint touch-ups and some new headcode discs on one end. It took me a while to match the BR green properly, but I have now succeeded in this, and added some discs (actually from a Bachmann class 24 pack, so not quite right), and restored the lining at the end where I accidentally painted over bits of it, using some HMRS early GWR loco lining. The headcode is for the LMR from the SR via the West London Line.

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Bulleid 10203 - Silver Fox restored - cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


A slightly different addition to my bus fleet arrived from London Bus Replica Transfers as a resin kit with EFE bits to complete it. It represents an ex-London Transport RLH as converted to a uniform store in London Country Bus Services livery (LCBS was the successor to LT's Country Department). It was a simple kit to put together, but I still have a few details to add, like trafficators and the rear platform. The chassis as seen here is loose, and sitting slightly high at the back.

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LBRT RLH Uniform Store nearly finished - 2 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

44969417404_b2ecc14f6f_b.jpg
LBRT RLH Uniform Store nearly finished - 3 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Edited by SRman
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If you look back a few posts, you will see the Bulleid 10203 I acquired from Brian Macdermott required a few minor paint touch-ups and some new headcode discs on one end. It took me a while to match the BR green properly, but I have now succeeded in this, and added some discs (actually from a Bachmann class 24 pack, so not quite right), and restored the lining at the end where I accidentally painted over bits of it, using some HMRS early GWR loco lining. The headcode is for the LMR from the SR via the West London Line.

 

43876264590_1019848e3d_b.jpg

Bulleid 10203 - Silver Fox restored - cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

 

A slightly different addition to my bus fleet arrived from London Bus Replica Transfers as a resin kit with EFE bits to complete it. It represents an ex-London Transport RLH as converted to a uniform store in London Country Bus Services livery (LCBS was the successor to LT's Country Department). It was a simple kit to put together, but I still have a few details to add, like trafficators and the rear platform. The chassis as seen here is loose, and sitting slightly high at the back.

 

44779927065_3fd7b3df66_b.jpg

LBRT RLH Uniform Store nearly finished - 2 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

44969417404_b2ecc14f6f_b.jpg

LBRT RLH Uniform Store nearly finished - 3 by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Love the uniform store.

Ah, the old days of buses, when old kit was reused and weird stuff resulted!!! The LT works stuff always fascinated me, living in the Manchester area, we only really had Treeloppers', old buses with the roofs chopped off and the odd cut down bus used as a recovery vehicle. LUT, Lancashire United Transport, my local indepedant, ran a lovely AEC Matador with a coachbuilt cab as a wrecker.

I'm now going to ask a question and fully expect to get hit round the head with a wet fish!!!

The beast is an RLH. Shouldn't it have a Leyland radiator? I always thought the RLs were an RT with a Leyland chassis.

Right, I've put my head above the parapet and expect to get it knocked off!!

                                                                                                         Chris.

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RLH is Regent Low Height so the AEC radiator is correct. There never was an RL. The Leylands were class RTL (Regent Type Leyland - something of an oxymoron) which were basically standard PD2 Titans with London-specification RT-style bodies.

 

I have never seen the uniform store modelled. But I did see the real thing a couple of times. I started roaming the LCBS network using Green or Golden Rover tickets in 1972 when there was still significant London Transport influence but also the first very non-London vehicles were beginning to appear in the shape of AF-class Fleetlines and AN-class Atlanteans among others. The uniform store was nominally based at Guildford IIRC, but travelled around the operating area as required, which was (with Addlestone) the last garage to run the type in service on routes with low bridges. They were replaced by one-man SM-class AEC Swifts.

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RLH is Regent Low Height so the AEC radiator is correct. There never was an RL. The Leylands were class RTL (Regent Type Leyland - something of an oxymoron) which were basically standard PD2 Titans with London-specification RT-style bodies.

 

I have never seen the uniform store modelled. But I did see the real thing a couple of times. I started roaming the LCBS network using Green or Golden Rover tickets in 1972 when there was still significant London Transport influence but also the first very non-London vehicles were beginning to appear in the shape of AF-class Fleetlines and AN-class Atlanteans among others. The uniform store was nominally based at Guildford IIRC, but travelled around the operating area as required, which was (with Addlestone) the last garage to run the type in service on routes with low bridges. They were replaced by one-man SM-class AEC Swifts.

Of course they were RTLs. My boob!!

So, an RHL is a lowbridge bus. Learnt something new. I didn't realise that LT had any.

I can remember travelling in RTs as a little boy with my parents. I of course was narked because it wasn't a Routemaster like my Dinky model!!!

                                                                                              Chris.

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The RLH ran in both Central and Country fleets. The last, if this memory serves me correctly, were respetively on the 178 in east London which passed under a low railway bridge over Carpenters Road, Bow and on the 427 and 437 which likewise encountered a low bridge somewhere in Byfleet.

 

They had the sunken upper deck gangway on the offside and four-seat benches upstairs in common with most other lowbridge types of their day. London managed to cope with single deckers in most places where clearances were an issue so their number was small by London’s standards. In some cases roads were lowered to accommodate standard ‘deckers which replaced single-deck types. West Drayton station was one such which still gives rise to a steep dip beneath the railway and an awkward turn into and out of the railway station not helped by the immediate proximity of the bridge over the Grand Union Canal. RTs replaced RFs here out of Uxbridge but ironically the RFs returned a few years later to assist in one-man conversion of most local routes.

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Thanks for jumping in with the explanations, Rick. I am now 11 hours ahead of you, with the resulting delay in seeing things posted from the UK end. :)

I usually post bus pics on other threads rather than my layout topic, but I thought this particular one would provoke a bit of discussion. 

Further to what Rick said, the RLH class started off as a diverted order from Midland General, followed by an add-on order from LT themselves. There were 'only' 76 of them in LT service. They used the standard 'provincial' Regent III chassis with high bonnets rather than the much more modernistic RT style, and unlike the usual LT buses, retained the same body and chassis combinations for all of their lives - RTs, RTLs and RFs (AEC Regal IV single deckers) swapped bodies and chassis upon their overhauls.

The Leyland PD2s were not quite standard, as their chassis were built to LT's jigs and tolerances and designed to accept the standard RT series bodies from a number of different body manufacturers; they were special enough to get their own unique designation of PD2/7RT. RTs, RTLs and RLHs all worked in both central (red) and country (green) areas, with two small batches of RTs turned out as Green Line coaches (with no difference internally from the buses!) - no Leylands or RLHs were Green Line vehicles.

Just to add to the mix, there were also 500 wide Leylands with similarly styled Leyland bodies to the RT/RTL, but at 8' wide, not interchangeable with them. These were the RTW class, which were red central buses only, in service.

Being low-height buses, RLHs became popular for overseas buyers to use as genuine London Transport tour buses in cities all over the world.

Incidentally, EFE have produced a few models of London Transport RLHs in both red and green. Earlier on, there was a white metal kit from Anbrico (later Model Bus Company, then ABS Streetscene), and a resin one from Little Bus Company.

Edited by SRman
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The RLH ran in both Central and Country fleets. The last, if this memory serves me correctly, were respetively on the 178 in east London which passed under a low railway bridge over Carpenters Road, Bow and on the 427 and 437 which likewise encountered a low bridge somewhere in Byfleet.

 

They had the sunken upper deck gangway on the offside and four-seat benches upstairs in common with most other lowbridge types of their day. London managed to cope with single deckers in most places where clearances were an issue so their number was small by London’s standards. In some cases roads were lowered to accommodate standard ‘deckers which replaced single-deck types. West Drayton station was one such which still gives rise to a steep dip beneath the railway and an awkward turn into and out of the railway station not helped by the immediate proximity of the bridge over the Grand Union Canal. RTs replaced RFs here out of Uxbridge but ironically the RFs returned a few years later to assist in one-man conversion of most local routes.

There were also RLHs on the 230, Rayners Lane Station to Northwick Park Station.  That and the 178 were the last two Central Buses lowbridge routes but when they actually finished I don't recall.

 

Chris KT

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The 178 was replaced by SMS-worked route S3 on 17/04/1971. RLH class buses out of Dalston garage were replaced by Swifts at the same location. The 230 was withdrawn as part of a Harrow-wide scheme and its route covered by new route cross-town H1 worked by MBS Merlins on 13/06/69. Both routes ran from Harrow Weald garage

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I have added the detailing bits to the Brighton H2 Atlantic, 32424 Beachy Head. It is still too clean at present, but I'll deal with that another time. The model comes with etched brass nameplates, but I haven't fitted those yet - the printed ones are so good, I defy anyone to tell the difference at normal viewing distances.

The headcode I have chosen is for the Oxted line, where some of the last duties for this class were performed.

31855592458_9662d350bc_b.jpg
P_20181105_171029_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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With the annual Model Bus Association of Australia's modelling competition looming in December, I decided I had better divert a little of my railway modelling energy to finishing some of the bus kits I started some years ago. I also finished off the London Country RLH uniform store started last week; you know how it is, with some modelling projects overtaking others. :D

A quick scout of the Internet found a rear shot of 581 J (ex-RLH 44), revealing the rear number plate is wrong in the photo, and should have been a straight 1-line version rather than a 2-line one. I have replaced it now.

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P_20181112_152929_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181112_153004_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


The two Southdown buses have been sitting on the workbench for a lot longer, but I have now got around to tidying up the paintwork (still a little bit to do) before adding glazing as the next step.

45789343542_fb6d341ac5_b.jpg

P_20181112_153052_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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  • 2 weeks later...

Work continues on the Little Bus Company Southdown Duple Coronation Ambassador kit. All that remains to be done now is to paint on the tail lights, print and fix some registration numbers (probably MCD 46), fix up the poorly fitted corner windscreens (the close-up photo cruelly shows them as looking really bad!), and give the model a good coat of varnish. It looks like it will be ready to enter in the competition on Sunday 2nd December.

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P_20181126_124704_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181126_124720_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


Sorry about the stray cat hair on the rear end in the photo. :D

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I'm just working on another unfinished project, a Bristol RELL that I have been doing as a Thames Valley vehicle. Unfortunately for me, the TV REs had tall destination boxes at both ends, although when I started this model, I hadn't realised the back end had this feature as well. Anyway, thanks to some very helpful modellers in the Model Bus Federation Facebook group, I have a couple of photos and a set of blueprints to work from now, so work commenced with some thick plastic sheet, laminated for the main body and heavily filed to blend into the roof curves. The next stage will be to use some filler, then a lot more filing, before painting it to match back in.

44238714630_49dab1798a_b.jpg
P_20181126_165637_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

44238714730_f6d21190e4_b.jpg
P_20181126_165628_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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Work continues on the Little Bus Company Southdown Duple Coronation Ambassador kit. All that remains to be done now is to paint on the tail lights, print and fix some registration numbers (probably MCD 46), fix up the poorly fitted corner windscreens (the close-up photo cruelly shows them as looking really bad!), and give the model a good coat of varnish. It looks like it will be ready to enter in the competition on Sunday 2nd December.

 

31112997067_f40de5fc52_b.jpg

P_20181126_124704_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

31112965037_e7f03346b6_b.jpg

P_20181126_124720_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

 

Sorry about the stray cat hair on the rear end in the photo. :D

When coaches were works of art!!

As a little boy I tried to persuade Mum and Dad to put us on a mystery tour from Marine Parade Worthing on one of these coaches!!! I always thought they were lovely!!!

Didn't work .cos we had to go somewhere with my Auntie Marion, with whom we stayed each summer!!

I did manage to get a short mystery tour on one of the Commer coaches Southdown had. My, that was an experience!!! That two stroke motor was wild!!!

Little did I know I'd drive a Commer two stroke thirty years later!!!!

                                                                                  Chris.

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I never rode any of Southdown's Commers, Chris, but many years later I got a ride in a preserved Commer bus here in Melbourne. With less sound insulation than a coach would have, this was an experience and a half! My ears were ringing afterwards. :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

One more arrived today: Bachmann LBSCR H1 Atlantic 39 La France has been tested and run on DC then had a Zimo MX638D decoder fitted. She runs beautifully both with and without the decoder, but has not yet had any of the supplied extra detailing bits added. She is seen here posed with H2 Atlantic 32424 Beachy Head and Bulleid 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric 10203 (both seen in previous posts).

 

46184220411_4bce5b0b16_b.jpg

P_20181205_141726_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

45271683815_31d2065a75_b.jpg

P_20181205_141653_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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One more arrived today: Bachmann LBSCR H1 Atlantic 39 La France has been tested and run on DC then had a Zimo MX638D decoder fitted. She runs beautifully both with and without the decoder, but has not yet had any of the supplied extra detailing bits added. She is seen here posed with H2 Atlantic 32424 Beachy Head and Bulleid 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric 10203 (both seen in previous posts).

 

46184220411_4bce5b0b16_b.jpg

P_20181205_141726_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

 

45271683815_31d2065a75_b.jpg

P_20181205_141653_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

Very nice Jeff. Does it come with proper LBSCR headcode discs/squares?

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Very nice Jeff. Does it come with proper LBSCR headcode discs/squares?

 

 

 

It comes with quite a few discs but no squares. At least two of the discs have black crosses on them. I am still trying to figure out the LBSC headcode system, as every photo I have looked at shows a different combination, even when on the same train (the Pullman 'Southern Belle').

 

 

SRman, looking great... youll have to bring it over at some time to give it a run on the hills of the North East. Lets see if it can better the S15! 

 

 

 

I definitely have to bring the Atlantics over, I think they'll do well on your gradients because of the flexible wheelbase. The last time we were over, it was Ashleigh's birthday so it wasn't really practical to bring "foreign" locomotives to run. :)

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The first of the Bachmann early FGA/FFA container wagons arrived from Kernow Models yesterday. I spent a while adding some (but not all) of the bogie cover plates and all of the locking/locating pegs. They could do with some weathering, but otherwise are near perfect. I started with a set of outer FGA and one only of the inner FFA wagons, with a view to adding to more inners later. I really want more of the Freightliner 20' containers, and am prepared to wait until Bachmann offer more variations and combinations of these wagons.

Note the wooden wedges I have inserted under the lifting section of the upper level fiddle yard behind the wagons; they make it easier for me to access the section when wanting to lift it repeatedly while doing work on the underside (tidying and adding wiring).

32350698218_6411bc2b0f_b.jpg
P_20181208_002609_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181208_002544_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr
 

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Of the buses I showed earlier, the Southdown Leyland/Duple coach and the ex-RLH uniform store got first prizes in their categories in the competition last week.

The finished RLH was shown before, but I never posted the photos of the finished Southdown coach or the Bristol RELL, so here they are. The Bristol was never quite right and needed a tad more work done on it, but I ran out of time.

44409510770_619680858b_b.jpg
P_20181208_190015_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

44409510560_eff0dcd669_b.jpg
P_20181208_190027_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181208_190044_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

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P_20181208_190105_vHDR_On by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


Continuing on with non-railway items, I have picked up on another bus kit started over a year ago but languishing on the workbench; another Little Bus Company resin kit, this time an AEC Regal IV with Harrington Wayfarer II bodywork, as used by Maidstone & District. It is getting close to the glazing stage, but I am still to-ing and fro-ing a bit with fine paintbrushes and the cream and green paints, as well as the silver and black fine lining on the raised trim. I have used BR multi-unit stock green for the green on this bus, and Humbrol #41, ivory for the cream. I think it should be slightly more yellow in tint, but they did tend to fade a bit.

As with most of the other buses I build, painting the black inside the window rebates to disguise the depth a bit is a right royal pain to do, but well worth the effort for the improvement in the appearance of the finished result.

44409284910_9260150da2_b.jpg
P_20181208_155336_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr

45313591145_307bf8a276_b.jpg
P_20181208_155347_vHDR_On cropped by Jeffrey Lynn, on Flickr


The M&D bus will go into our local modelling competition next December. Even if I build a heap more kits, we are only allowed two models per category.

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