TheWeatheringMan

Hi Neil Did you see my post a little while ago showing my class 13 - 13002 in fact but in rail blue. Mine was also made from a pair of Bachmann 08's but all the alterations were scratch built as she pre dates the kit parts you used. Congratulations on yours - a really nice bit of modelling my friend. Regards.

Another batch of my loco's built by combining a resin bodyshell and a Hornby chassis. These loco's were the first main line diesels delivered to the Western Region in the late 1950's and were diesel hydraulics - the Western deciding to go for hydraulic transmission rather than the electric transmission chosen for the other Regions - the reasons for this are well documented so I wont go into it here other than to say that these five locos were not what the WR wanted - being built to conventional 'heavyweight' design rather than the lightweight/high power to weight ratio achieved by the German designs that influenced the WR. The locos were not particularly reliable and after only a few years service were withdrawn as part of the National Traction Plan - being one of the first classes to disappear. A well know west-country model retailer has announced some years ago that it intends to produce models of the class - this has been promised for several years now but we shall have to wait and see - certain changes in the industry, disagreements and legal disputes between some parties, manufacturers cancelling products in a fit of temper and the problem of ever rising costs could, and I say could, effect the final outcome - lets all hope for the best. Having said the above, for some years there was available (regrettably no longer) a superb resin bodyshell from Messrs Silver Fox - this being designed to fit one of two RTR chassis with a little modification to the chassis - I must add at this point that Silver Fox still produce several resin bodyshells and made up versions as RTR models but not regrettably some of the older bodyshells including the D600. About three years ago I completed five Silver Fox D600's - this is a rare example of it being possible to model an entire class! - not counting 'one-off' or single prototypes. Another interesting fact (I felt so anyway!) is that by modelling the locos across the lifetime of the class is that its possible to make them all different thanks to front end detail and livery variations. Below are photos of my five models that I hope you might find of interest - I decided to show them here as they always attract a lot of attention when displayed at exhibitions. They are fitted to the newer design of Hornby class 47 chassis with the 5-pole motor with the class 47 bogie frames replaced by the SF cast D600 design. The Hornby traction-tyred wheels have been replaced by metal tyred wheels. As I do with all my resin bodies from several manufacturers some of the moulded detail has been replaced with separately applied items (such as roof grilles, handrails etc.) during construction. On D604 I have modified some of the side grilles to replect a change made to the full size loco - this hasn't been totally successful so I'm going to draw up and etch better grilles over the next few months and fit them - the as yet to be applied weathering will hide the newer work. When I originally built the five locos I didn't add the pipework runs to the bogie sides due to an oversight - this is another job booked for the workshop this summer. I hope that the pictures will interest some of you as pictures of these pioneer diesels in model form don't seem to be that common. Regards. D600 ACTIVE : The only one to have been painted in Rail Blue. Shown with headcode boxes D601 ARK ROYAL : Green livery, headcode boxes and 'square' small yellow panels D602 BULLDOG : Chromatic Blue - one variation of this experimental colour was applied to D602 in the style of the green livery and with 'square' small yellow panels. D603 Conquest : Green livery with the 'shaped' yellow panel and no headcode boxes (earlier discs in use.) D604 Cossack : Green livery as prior to application of the yellow panel shown on D603. No head code boxes w ith older disc system in use.