Robert Shrives

Hi, To add to the fun, at TS we had 4 car blue square 115/116/117 hybrids and the gear change speeds for 115 differed to the others, this always meant racing engines and lurches as the 116/117 power cars caught up the 115! The trailers gave us a choice of TS,TC, TCL,TSL so with 115 DMS and DMBS and 117/116 brakes and driving motors the 4 cars were a feast of varying seating totals and power weight ratios as the 115 had a bigger engine. All being blue sqaure everything worked together. Sometimes a 121 got in the mix added to a 3 car. At the end the formations of 4 cars could be a 3 car plus another motor car coupled on with the unused connection locked off. - This then had a route limit = could not go Hereford due tunnel evacuation issue, but of course sometimes a DBMS not a DMS added -so lots of fun had. Robert

Hi 1.Well 4 car 101s were a North Eastern speciality, formed DMCL, TSL or TSLRB, TBSL. DMCL where TSLRB was the buffet vehicle. - only six built E59573 - 8 The buffet back area was two metal panels in the normal window mounts 2. At Non Toilet end first class line and window markers for the small saloon. 3. In later days the toliet fitted 101 vehicles got paired with 11x suburban motor brakes to give toilet fitted two cars but really any blue square vehicle could get paired up. 4 101s were blue square so could be run in multiple with any other blue square. The could only have other classes as towed stock. 5 Tail load stock tended to be detached by that other extinct animal the station pilot! The main problem I expect would be having enough headshunt at terminals for a unit to run round. 6 Parcels units had 101, 108,114,115, 120, for certain, early days it was just a case of removing saloon seats and piling in the bags, later on units had roller shutter doors fitted in vehicles. I cannot recall shutter fitted 101s - often they ran as two motor brakes. Certainly 114 and 115 vehicles had shutters added. For books look at " a pictorial record of BR DMUs by Bian Goulding, IBSN1-900298-00-7 and BR DMUs and diesel railcars by Brain Morrison, ISBN 0-7110-2384-0.. The Modern locomotives Illustrated bookazines have done DMU but cannot recall issue number. There is also BR First generation DMUs in colour by Stuart Mackay IA publication ISBN 0-7110-3156- 8. This last one can sometimes be found at reduced price at Book law publications but as they say there are many other reputable book sellers around so worth a call or emails hope that helps and welome to the fantastic world of the DMU! Robert

Hi This is good news, looking forward to arrival. Robert

Hi If handrails do and folk climb its going to be a Darwin award candidate, and to be honest can only help the human gene pool! Robert

Hi the remaining bargains went at Club open day at Dapol so you were lucky ! Robert

Hi, Looking again at the St Charles pics the into town line as laid looks like a sharp zig- zag in place back to exsisting lines - makes clearances for the reinstatement of Snow Hill platform 4 look very minmal, a waste of otherwise unusable land to wards St Pauls tunnels in background and creating sharp flange wearing curves for no good reason! Well I guess it adds to the urban greeny / jungle/ dumping and graffitti space which seems the norm, otherside of lines a disgrace. Robert

All looking good , talking to staff in Bull St the last bit of railside concrete was going in and again the crew put in concrete to wrong levels and had to rework 50mm off surface - wasting 40 minutes. The platform at Bull St saw metal work go up and come down again - contractors used wrong datum - took founds for edging not final levels - 75mm out so had to add to foundtions and re grout mounts - yesterday much of edging in place and levels being sorted for final surface laying. The overhead shots at St Charles shows problem that out of town lines cuts through the OLE pole route hence the six weeks to change over. It is good at last to see poles going up. The lovely shiny cladding around the new New St was washed prior to opening off mobile access towers on Stephenson St , I guess next time they will be able to use hot water as OLE will be in the way! In downpours of the other day the flangeways where detarmaced got a good flush through, as did the new New street ! - buckets to the rescue.... Looking forward to the completion of this scheme. bets now on for first tram into new New St London Midland mess room. Robert

I Guess if you can design a 3D Mk3 side then how about doing a 3D BUO as a whole side then cut out the whole side of a MK2. I too was waiting on the Farish RFO - I have a BUO etch glued on to a farish shell waiting in the "to do box." I did wonder if doing a frames etch wether a cuting/ marking guide as a simple fold up was posible. lazer cut glazing a good idea too. robert

Hi , The Insert is an inspired idea, would it be possible to add a ledge behind so when cut out is fitted you would have a gluing ledge and reinforcement to allow a little sanding back if required. FXD would probably allow for the frames to be worth it or perhaps an etch? Certainly 2 SLE and 2 SLEP would float my boat Thanks Robert

Hi , Hopefully the Mk3 sleeper will make a showing as it allows the management train to be completed, I think the FGW sleeper train in its MK3 variation would be reasonable stab - albeit using a TGS to act as the brake. The holy grail of the Scottish services falls on the RFO , BUO coaches being Mk2s and thus logically from the Farish stable -would cross manufacture cooperation work ? Who knows but it might lead to a Dapol Mk2 ...just a thought. The Hurst idea is a good one as might a variation on Pete Harveys frames for the NMT conversion kit, a long time ago I did ask Brian Hanson at Shawplan if a reduction of his MK3 frames was possible - yes but N market share meant it was below radar - nearly on the floor.. I guess a budding 3D printer could plagurise a Dapol Mk3 shell and then a case of buying a NQP Mk3 and swapping bits about regards Robert

Hi , A good idea Dave and look forward to OO and then the well known ray machine to reduce to the other popular N gauge ! -go on you know you want too Old Elm will need a few on milk tank transfers Robert

Hi , looks very good. Robert

G , Quite right - It is a hand finished affair after the body handed over at TINGS, albeit the panel was the easy bit I did not want to make a mess of rushing a mask for the panel - whilst a lighter colour I have seen that the frame work is visible - sometihing not tried on the 26/27s I wanted to give a feel of the livery so show what is coming and therefore used the painted number in the listings, glad you liked it otherwise as its a bit of an 11hr production. So fear not its not the final version !! Robert

The CJM 50 is a lovely model agreed, a great puller and looks the part with many individually applied bits worth every penny but having seen Dapol work on the 50 this will be a good looker too and hopefully chassis match up to 56. Just more time to save up. Hang in there !! Robert

Hi Guys , Having had the pleasure of handling these models the chassis has proper 33 tanks and battery box - clip in item so hopefuly save some work on 27 reworking. The pictures do look odd the model much better and I think pretty much spot on, I measured window opening and it is 0.6mm bigger than on 27 and looks better for it the cab front feels better - all benefitting from the retooling bought about by roof issues. Bell is in accessory pack which is good. the MU cabling is very fine plastic, all in all a step up from 26/27 model and yes decorated samples not too far away. Robert

Hi gang, I have seen the second version livery shots for the TGS - seen at TINGS and apart from the Chinese printing one worse that first efforts all a lot better. The Blue grey ones and the EMT ones spot on. XC and VT ones very good compared to first efforts, FGW a little more work and the INTERCITY and Intercity 125 exec livery a few tweaks . I asked when looking about roof colours and these look to match production runs on EMT, XC, blue grey liveries , cannot recall if FGW was black, blue or blue with a stripe... all of which can be right in the real world. Pretty certain VT was black and the other two were dark grey which ever means they wont match all production runs. I guess we now fall into the chinese dead zone that if not on a ship by December that is it until end of January new year celebrations and its commercial fallout which puts the TGS early 2016.... time will tell I did ask about getting some spare roofs - you never know. Next I guess will be the 252 coaches as relivery complete with BILs in place but will be better than my painted efforts - then .. Chiltern might be more of a problem but would sit well with 68 so a no brainer. Sleepers would allow the FGW service using a TGS - with buffered underframe to mug as BFO. and Yellow TGS , TFO , TRSB as a mug up for a Test HST. cheers Robert

Hi Dave Thanks for that , big bad work means I will be tuned into the NGF network for news from the front. Hopefully it will mean delivery in a matter of months!!!! cheers Robert

Hi Dave, Just after another update to help my cashflow ! Regards Robert.

hi , Whilst it will be time consuming and a real pain it is the colours not texture the eye will see- it will imagineer the stones. Air dried clay used by others stippled when drying with a shortish brissle paint brush is good for ash ballast in sidings in 4mm perhaps it would translate as small stones in N/2mm but of course its the painting and weathering to bring it out - some thing you have suggested you wanted to avoid.... the crosses we bear I guess. I look foward to futher experimentation... Robert

Hi Check out petshops for very find sand/grits you might find something finer. Robert

Hi , Funnily enough Data Jammers 142 3D model works well with Dapol 153 windows. Tooling to be looked at again luckily overall diemensions look ok a case of a loss in translation- in more ways than one. At least it has been spotted and work now in hand Robert

Hi Hopefully a transfermaker will get DRS / Scotail decals to suit MK2 stock , DRS from R3 Resprays on the market now in 00 and N Railtec have had a look at Scotrail so lets see what comes! I took look forward to DRS. CT and ScR in N ! Robert

Top notch ... a good colour match stripes on coaches show the 50/50 split and loco the 33/66 split but not that bad to look at , if it is bad to the eye then Railtec do a suitable transfer I believe and fox do as well. looking forward to both and in time the DBSO which seems to be going backward ! Robert

Hi Reason why underframes were arranged same sided in a rake was to enable a crew to isolate brakes easily - no need to crawl under a train you just walk down the correct side and if even luckier this would be cess side and no next to the other running line ! It was necessary to reform a couple of XC HST sets after conversions at Wabtec as this little bit of history was lost on the new boys! It great being a dinosaur!! HST buffets and the variations to the menu is a book waiting to be penned ... Burgers and NCR tills and Keg bitter all part of the experience, tills broke with vibration and nobody cleaned the beer lines ! to say nothing of the mega head available. Real food cooked onboard is a skill dying on the real railway ! Robert

Hi If you want numbers try railtec transfers - Steve the boss did me a set for the XC rakes and if you note numbers you want then a fairly quick turn round and very light carrier makes for easy application, removal of old numbers dead easy with IPA / switch cleaner and a cotton bud, but have seen neatly removed using a blade as a chisel. a little bit of gloss varnish to restore a good surface and transfers sit really nicely. Given how 3 of 5 XC sets based around loco hauled stock it is good to see replication in the model world.. Robert