EuroMST

I am lucky with my 1983 timetable, it looks like 1D43 didn't stipulate Aircon stock. It turned up then with a 40 and rake of Mk1s. I may be able to get away with one rake of Mk2f coaches, and my spare scratch rake of 4 Scotish Mk3, a spare Mk2f, Mk1 BG and Buffet in case I ever need two aircon rakes. My Trans-Pennine rake is still a bit light, need a couple more SO when I can find them.

My apologies, I got the stops wrong. 1D42 was non-stop Chester to Holyhead 12.37 / 14.05. 1D43 stopped only at Bangor, 20 mins later out of Chester and 24 minutes later arriving into Holyhead. These are the Summer 1983 timings.

1D42 on my timetable is non stop along the coast between Chester and Holyhead. 1D43 stops at Llandudno etc and is 20 minutes behind by the time it stops at Bangor. In late 70s and early 80s Mk1s and Class 40s still covered some of the Euston to Holyhead turns.

Good to see you back after your three month break. I had been waiting to see how you got on with the magnets. I am going to be fitting the Dapol magnets soon during the refurb of the layout I re-homed a few months ago. I do have a curve at one of the station platforms though, so need a different solution for magnets on a curve. I like the new station plan, I look forward to seeing it come together, along with more of your adventures with fitting sound to your fleet. I have just put sound in the first of my DMU fleet, and am planning to try a 47 and a 25 next, but avoiding milling of the chassis like you.

Good to see you back! I have missed my fix of North Wales in the 80s. Good point about the platform clearances. I am planning to refurbish one platform on the layout I rehomed a few months back, best I wait for the Pendelino I have on pre-order! I think I have a name for it as well now. Crymlyn between Bangor and Aber is gaining a station! 😃

Will have to visit the NGS group in York now that I gave joined up with NGS. Will get over after the summer hols. Be good to meet up with another Southern softie who saw the light and moved to Yorkshire! 😃😂 Could do with opinions, advice and ideas too on the layout I re-homed recently, instead of letting it go for scrap! 😃

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the rare earth magnets. I have some Dapol magnets, but they are no good on bends! I also only have ten Dapol ones and they are a bit pricey!

Hi Paul, Yes it was you! I just checked. I saved the whole page in case it disappeared. You do may it look straightforward in your post, but still scared me! 😃

I have two of the older metal chassis class 73. They both run well. I haven't felt brave enough to try converting them to DCC. I have got some photos someone posted showing how they did it, but it looks beyond my skills! I think it involved making brass contact straps.

I have had a good look around the YouChoos site. I think that is where I saw the bit about using 6 pin sound decoders in DMUs. I definitely don't fancy milling away half a chassis on a 47! I have a long dead Poole built 25 in works at the moment for a coreless motor and DCC conversion. I have had to do a bit of chassis milling on that one. I will watch to see how you get on with your 47s. I have 9 of the DCC ready ones and another new tooling one sitting on a CJM Saturn chassis. I will only put sound in a few of them though. I probably won't bother with my Hymek and Warship, they will only get occasional runs. Have you got a Revolution DPU on order? One of them would be good with sound in.

That is just what I am after, a 6 pin chip that does sound. I thought they existed as I have seen them mentioned for adding sound to the 101 and 108 DMUs. I would like to get sound in the main North Wales Coast fleet of 24s, 25s, 40s and 47s, but didn't much fancy the chassis mods required, or paying someone else to fit sound to them all. The Mrs has told me to pull my finger out and start building the layout planned for them all before I start making more of them noisy! I only have 40 141 with sound so far, only another 20 or so out of the 60 strong diesel fleet to go. Think I need to thin out the collection a bit more! Thanks again for the heads up on how reasonably straighforward the 25's are now. I will start saving up the sound pennies!

Thanks for all the info. I definitely don't fancy milling the chassis on my 24s and 25s. The little Zimo chips look like the way to go! I guess you still have to remove the existing circuit board to wire it in though? I will have to practice my soldering skills! I will probably get sound in my other two Next18 40s first, folloed by the 31s and 50s as they are all relatively easy. Like your DCC conversion on the 04 as well. I was going to sell the 03 I picked up last year and pick up a new DCC ready one, but I am re-thinking that now. I will pre-order the new sound fitted 08 though, as the 08 I have must be almost 40 years old!

Sound fitted 24's and 25's, love them! I might have to be brave and do the same to mine sometime! I had a quick look at the Digitrains stand at Doncaster, but didn't buy anything. They are only a shortish journey over the Humber Bridge, so will have to visit them sometime and empty my wallet!

Same as what I bought at Doncaster. I have been wanting to try them out, so it was good to meet the guys and get some advice. I thought I got a pack of the buckeye type, I will have to check! Have fitted them to my old Farish Poole built class 40s so far. The only item bought was a Mk2a BSO :-)

Sometimes the dominos didn't seem very bright either. Maybe some locos only had 40 watt bulbs in, or were just filthy! They probably did a survey some time in the 80s and found less people were getting run over by refurbished Class 50s with high intensity headlights, so they started fitting them to everything.

From what I have read it was all down to cost savings. The indicator boxes were costing a lot to maintain. They started by ordering them all to be set to 0000, which led to the Western Region setting them to loco numbers on the Class 52 Westerns. Then depots were told to put black vinyl with 'dominos' over the glass, removing the route indicator boxes, but leaving the light there to illuminate the dots. Cost was a pound or two per loco, and a little bit of labour, a lot less than maintaining the boxes or plating over at the time.

47 096 kept it's domino on at least one end until the end. It was withdrawn in 1996. Have a look on class47.co.uk, that is my first port of call to check out anything Duff related.

It seems everyone went to the Doncaster show! I had to go on my own and choose my own gift! I was quite frugal and only came away with a Mk2a BSO new out from Farish, and three packs of West Hill Wagon works magnetic couplings to try out. It was a good show, although very busy!

The Chesire Cat is next to the canal. Just been looking on Google Maps, didn't realise the railway goes under the canal in a tunnel. That would be cool to model!

It's a few miles down the road from my Dad's house. I have been for a meal at The Cheshire Cat. Great pub, must be quite close to the station.

I have the Quail British Rail Track Diagrams book, October 1990 edition. I just spotted Christleton Tunnel!

I thought they went through Warrington BQ in the early 80's. I tried looking on Google Maps last night, but that didn't help much. I should have got the proper track diagrams book out!

That makes sense. It would reverse there and head up the Styal line, through Manchester Piccadilly and into Trafford Park. Another route would be from Chester up through Northwich, Altrincham, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly.

Back in '83 the Trafford Park freightliner reversed at Christleton, not sure if it was still running in '86. The Lawley Street one I have down as a Peak all the way through, and the Stratford / Willesden one changed to electric traction at Christleton. I haven't got notes for the Crewe Basford Hall Freightliner yet. I guess that stayed on diesel traction.

I have been having similar fun with my timetable. Four freightliners go in one direction, then all come back again. Luckily the track plan I am working on should have enough through roads to get away with one set too. Got two freightliner wagons so far, another six to go. Being further down the coast at Bangor I can work my timetable with three DMU and a couple of class 25 loco hauled replacements. :-)