Cheap, cheerful and believable rail built buffer stops - OO Gauge

[YK 50A]

Hello,

 

I'm after some cheap, cheerful and vaguely believable rail built buffer stops in OO.  Are the Gaugemaster, Hornby and Peco versions it?  The Hornby falls over in the believable stakes, possibly the Gaugemaster too.  The Peco ones look ok, but I'd want to cut the lamps off which would no doubt leave a scar, although I've seen people do remarkable things with them.  I have thought of chopping up some track and replacing the buffer plates.

 

I am aware of the Springside and Mainly Trains versions, also Dave Franks of Lanarkshire Models, but in my naivety, I imagined getting a ready to run example, giving the buffer plate a coat of red and/or white, a bit of a weather and varnish, and job done.

 

Perhaps another complication is that I have already ballasted and the rtr offerings have clips which go below rail level, but I could gouge out the ballast or cut off the clips.

 

I'm vaguely modelling the former NER, but the main user of said layout wouldn't notice!

 

Any thoughts appreciated,

 

Alun

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

....Dave Franks at Lanarkshire Model Supplies is your man.

 

Dave

[Mallard60022]

If you CBA to build the very nice Lanarkshire ones then the Peco ones are fine IMO .

P

[YK 50A]

Thanks both, yes I'm aware of the Dave Franks versions and 2 types of NER origin buffer stops is a nice touch.

 

If you CBA to build the very nice Lanarkshire ones then the Peco ones are fine IMO .

P

 

I had to think about CBA and that pretty much sums it up.  The target audience just wouldn't notice.  Maybe I should see how cleanly the lamp comes off the Peco and take things from there.

 

Alun

[Jenny Emily]

I've used Hornby and Peco ones exclusively. The Hornby ones need some remidial work to stand a chance, but still look toy like. The Peco ones are excellent in my opinion and as they look better for painting and weathering, slicing the lamp off shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

[bigherb]

 

 

.  Maybe I should see how cleanly the lamp comes off the Peco and take things from there.

 

Alun

Takes about one second to lop it off with a Xuron track cutter you dont even have to file flush just fit the beam upside down.

[BlackRat]

It's a shame PECO don't make theirs in hard plastic, maybe it's to save or prolong the mould,life, but like lots of PECO products, they are pretty good........but seem to have been around forever!

 

As has been said, it is a seconds work to cut off (I use a scalpel) the lamp and I then drill a small hole in the beam, and replace the lamp with a scale jewelled one, with a small track pin drilled into the base.

 

This holds the lamp secure so it doesn't disappear up the vacuum hose.

[bike2steam]

I always use kits from Mike's Models

http://www.holtmodelrailways.com/search.php?search=mikes+models&Submit=Search

they don't take 5 minutes to put together.

[Rivercider]

My modelling skills are limited, being almost entirely confined to armchair modelling, however when I was adding detail to my layout I bought a few Peco ones.

 

Here are some photos, though I think I should have dusted them first!

 

One with SR style paintwork

 

And having cut off the lamps I reused them, this being particularly useful to gain an extra inch on a run-round

 

 

cheers

Edited May 18, 2015 by Rivercider

[Silver Sidelines]

Hi Alun

 

Another vote for the Peco variety.  I guess it will depend on the track you are using but they can still be easily clipped to Streamline after ballasting.  You might just need a little screw driver to clear away any offending lumps.

 

Regards

 

Ray

[darren01]

The only problem with the Peco ones is they are far code 100 rail and look to far heavy with code 75, I use the  Lanarkshire ones on my layout.

Darren

Edited May 18, 2015 by darren01

[AireValley1962]

I used the Peco ones on my layout, and when painted up they looked pretty convincing.  Of course, I used Code 100 rail because 75 would, I think, look out of proportion.

 

I also purchased this one (almost at the bottom of the page) which works and looks really good.

[darren01]

But why pay that price as its had a light added that works when you can get a Lancashire on for £5.95, that is a better looking buffer stop in my honest opinion.

[YK 50A]

Thanks very much everyone, I'll be grabbing a few of the Peco's next time I'm in town.

 

Takes about one second to lop it off with a Xuron track cutter you dont even have to file flush just fit the beam upside down.

 

I wondered if the beam could be fitted upside down,  Just what I wanted to know.

 

I always use kits from Mike's Models
http://www.holtmodelrailways.com/search.php?search=mikes+models&Submit=Search
they don't take 5 minutes to put together.

 

The Lanarkshire and Mikes Models offerings look great and if it was my train set...  But a combination of price and appearance, the Peco's sell themselves.

 

I used the Peco ones on my layout, and when painted up they looked pretty convincing.  Of course, I used Code 100 rail because 75 would, I think, look out of proportion.

 

I also purchased this one (almost at the bottom of the page) which works and looks really good.

 

And a couple of those, just for interest.  Good value with lamps fitted.

 

Thanks again,

 

Alun

[AireValley1962]

But why pay that price as its had a light added that works when you can get a Lancashire on for £5.95, that is a better looking buffer stop in my honest opinion.

 

I agree that the Lanarkshire buffers looks better - I wish I had heard of them sooner.  However, if you wanted a light, and weren't prepared to build one, then I think the ones I mentioned are a good compromise.

[stewartingram]

I made some railbuilt ones for my layout, when this heavy rain stops I'll see if I can nip out to the garage and take a pic.

 

Stewart

 

edit: photos taken, on my phone, will upload when I finish this shift after Sunday.

Edited May 22, 2015 by stewartingram

[rob D2]

Used Peco for 16 years, cheap and cheerful.

When I go fine scale I'll use some thing more finescale....

[28XX]

Has anyone got a photo taken at dusk or dawn showing a real buffer stop with a red light on it actually working? (passenger termini excluded)

[YK 50A]

Has anyone got a photo taken at dusk or dawn showing a real buffer stop with a red light on it actually working? (passenger termini excluded)

 

Which is why I want to mostly cut the lamps off.  It would be churlish to say it didn't happen, but I doubt lamps on buffer stops were common practice unless the siding could be accessed directly from a mainline.  If I buy a couple of buffer stops with lamps, well, it's a toy.

 

Alun

[Pete Harvey]

http://www.phd-design-etchings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=25_28_66

[stewartingram]

OK as promised, some quick (phone) shots of my scratchbuilt GER railbuilt bufferstops. Way back in the 60's the old MRC mag published some drawings/pics of various types, these were made from that article. Simple rail bent and soldered to copperclad sleepers, on my work-in-progress layout.

 

 

Stewart

[delticman]

I have always used Peco rail built buffer stops which I think are acceptable once weathered up, they are cheap and easily available. I always cut off the lamps and the buffer blocks at each end of the beam to give a flat buffer beam and sometimes replace it altogether with short lengths of SMP bullhead rail as on this one.

 

 

 

 

Geoff.

[Highlandman]

I have used the Peco buffers as I couldn't afford the cost of the Lanarkshire Models or Mikes Models ones at the time. I also cut off the lamp and it didn't leave much of a scar and was easliy cleaned up. Unfortunately the 'slippery' nylon based plastic these are made from makes it difficult to glue them together, even with superglue.

 

So I assembled them as per the instructions and when it came to fix them to the rails I drilled through the sides and rail on all four corners with a 0.45mm bit, fed through a small lace pin and soldered to the inside of the rail. This held them in place. I adapted the buffers by putting on some stretcher rods from brass wire and all was then sprayed with Halfords Acid etch primer, with the hope that that would help a paint finish to stick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this is of some help.

[N15class]

Cheapest way is make some out of scrape rail you will also get pleasure from building something.

[YK 50A]

Hello all,
 
Thanks again for the advice.  As tempted as I was by the Lanarkshire Models offerings, I have to keep reminding myself that it ain't my train set, it's difficult to justify the cost, but when I get back to building a big kids toy...
 
Here's (what has become) the stabling point:

 

OO Gauge Buffer Stops by Alun Hughes, on Flickr

 

OO Gauge Buffer Stops by Alun Hughes, on Flickr

 

I thought about treating the frames, but I just removed the lamps with an Xuron Track Cutter and cleaned the beams up with a scalpel, then gave them a coat of rattle can primer, 3 lots of brush applied signal red and a finish of matt varnish spray, which bloomed a little, but I don't mind the effect.  I didn't try gluing the beams onto the frames, I might want to strip and repaint and/or turn them round in the future.  Besides, it's mostly wider tension lock couplings in use, so it will be the frames that feel the force of any DCC induced impact and they're held in place by the PVA and ballast mix - aka 4mm scale concrete.

 

Eventually, the train set will have LED lighting, so I took William's lead and purchased a couple of RML Electronics buffer stops for the goods yard.

 

OO Gauge Buffer Stops by Alun Hughes, on Flickr

 

A final note in case anyone uses this thread for reference, it's worth cutting away the chairs on the track so that the buffer stops sit (fairly) flush.

 

Alun

 

*** EDIT - reduced the size of the images ***

Edited June 7, 2015 by alunhughes