HAB

Hello Colin, That is a most definite "most definitely" there!! Are you sure? I confess to always thinking that they were not so fitted - I certainly remember the lights going out pretty quickly when they got gapped! Four (incomplete) bits of evidence:- 1. Can't see one on Godfrey's pics of 2090 at the NRM 2. Hornby did not fit one to theirs (so what? They did not fit a compressor either) though they did fit a potentiometer box 3. You did not fit one to yours! 4. ISTR them always carrying tail lamps On the "blood and custard" page you reference above (which is quite interesting) there is indeed reference to 10 car trains formed of 6HAL + 4 SUB and I had always assumed that the 1936 equipment (ie no MG) was fitted to everything which was not an express (ie COR/BUF/RES/PUL/PAN/CIT/BEL... ...) Another little query in your note there - why "let alone a 4 SUB" what was different about the SUBs from any other Sub? (body work apart) Yours, Rather puzzled of the East Midlands,

Hi Colin, I can certainly assure you that my Hornby bogies are identical to yours and mine (uncompensated) do not fall off! When it comes to "home-built" bogies, if they are square and level then they are no different to the Hornby ones. If they are not square then compensation will not help! But now we have the way forward - flip the old wheels out, drop the new ones in and give it a run on your new-found P4 mate's layouts. (mine was in the queue before the Balcome lot!). Proof will be in the pudding! Cheers,

Hello Dave, Sorry about that : your message never got through - it is still not there - the system has let us down! Not to worry - I will put myself through the pain that is dealing with the NRM and see what they can do. Many thanks anyway and best wishes,

Perhaps not surprisingly, it seems from Hornby's publicity pic that it, too, lacks a compressor! Cheers,

Frank, Many thanks for this - no need to worry about the OPC list as these are available on line:- http://www.nrm.org.uk/ResearchAndArchive/archiveandlibrarycollections/RailwayCoWorks (there are some nice pics there as well!) Unfortunately, the NRM lists are PDF and searching them is a bit of a pain but they are probably the best source - so I will get searching! Best wishes,

Hello Frank, Many thanks for the kind offer. I am really after SR Standard 62' underframes - ideally dimensioned drawings if you have any thing in that bailiwick? Best wishes,

... and here was me thinking that you worked for a chain of large and mostly expensive Hotels! Just BTW - I sent you a PM regarding drawings for standard underframes - you might have missed it as I have not yet had a reply - but feel free to drop a note here - I am sure Colin will not mind as it was he who suggested I ask you. Best wishes,

Hello Colin, I am "pretty certain" that from the introduction of the Blue liveries (in their variants) policy was determined centrally, rather than locally and it is my understanding that the blue livery included brown underframes from its introduction and it was a redish - mid chocolate shade. Not withstanding David Brown's comment, I am absolutely certain that the class 313s were painted with brown underframes when they were built at York in 1976-77. Equally, when these units received their first overhauls at Horwich in 1978, they re-appeared with bogies painted black. But I am by no means convinced that "traditional" Southern Units were universally (if at all) turned out with brown underframes - though the Mk 1 units (CIGs, VEPs) turned out in blue / blue/grey when new definitely did. Now memory is a dangerous resource, but I am pretty sure that I remember newly painted BILs and CORs with blue bodies and black underframes. And that could only have been in 1969 - 1970. But all this is completely academic - dasatcopthornes pics earlier in this thread clearly show that underframes were never cleaned and re-painting was limited to a quick waft over with the airless spray - what ever colour was put on just soaked into the dirt (only slightly discouraged by an intervening layer of shellac varnish sometimes) and within a few days, brakeblock dust brown would reign again. I see from Godfrey's pics in the Blue BIL thread that the NRM have maintained this fine tradition with their BIL. It is an irony that, according to paint shop gossip, the brown underframe was decided upon because it looked like the colour of the dirt, but was changed back to black because it showed the dirt more! Whatever the historic reality, just weather it nicely and we will never know what colour you painted it! Best wishes,

Cracking job there Mr Parks! I was not sure that such "to scale" bits would be buildable but you have proved that they are - very well done! Should I put some more in the post... ??? Cheers,

You are too kind! Maybe after I've built a few I might be able to get somewhere near your standard - but I've got to finish one first! [Thinks to self:- pressure building now...] Best wishes, Howard.

I sense some gentle encouragement here.... I hope mine WILL look that good when I've done it... Excellent as ever Colin! Best wishes,

It was Andy Gs which I noticed (no criticism intended!) and it does not look like a drafting issue:- - rather, I think I see the same effect I have experienced trying (not successfully!) to do it by hand - the blade drags the material from under the straight edge if you press too hard - hence the gentle curve in what ideally should be a straight line and a different radius in the bottom corner compared with the top.. In an instructional video on Youtube, I noticed that you can just get the machine to re-cut the same image any number of times if you don't eject the cutting mat: many light cuts ought to be better than one or two heavy ones - even if it is a machine wielding the knife! Best wishes,

Chaps, Have been following this with interest! A couple of doubts are nagging at me and it relates to the sticky mat. On the one hand, if the "stick" is too keen, we end up with the problem Mike had above. On the other hand, if the stick is not keen enough, it seems that the material moves under the knife - there are a number of examples of coach panelling earlier in the thread where the thickness of the bars were inconsistent - a problem which (given that the machine is accurate) would seem to stem from such a cause. I also noticed that there was a significant amount of burr round the cut edges. Forgive me if I have missed the answer to this somewhere else in the thread, but since it is possible to get the machine to re-trace a cutting path acurately as many times as you like, what is the effect of cutting, say, 10 thou plasticard in, say three passes rather than one? that would reduce the burr, minimise the chances of the blade displacing the material on a thin cut and reduce the need for a strong bond to the mat? - again please tell me to look harder if the answer has already appeared!! Cheers,

Hello Colin, Yes - the drawing in the MRC plans books shows it exactly as you describe - the crossing is at the end of the TC nearest the motor. It refers specifically to the 4363 - 4377 batch, though the same principle applies to the 4101 batch, albeit the roof layout differs. However, to contradict what Chris says above, it does not show the conduits crossing, and it is the TT and not the TC which has the buffer both ends. Now you have tipped us off we will all be looking out for those crossed jumpers when your SUB is "on Tour"!! Best wishes,

Colin, Excellent as always! The MRC plans book has a good sketch of the roof layout of all the SUB sub-classes - let me know if a sight of of it would help. Best wishes,

Sorry Tigermoth - we were discussing doubledeckers not SUBs - SUBs saw hardly any use on the Eastern Section after the EPBs came on the scene. They used to get to Pompey on Parcels trains.

... they arrived in this morning's post and very nice they look as well - perhaps I will post a pic when I have finished a roof. Best wishes,

They are tucked away on page 37/38 of their catalogue:- http://www.markits.com/MARKITS_Price_Guide_2013_02.pdf For future reference or should anyone else be tempted! Best wishes,

Yes, probably it was always going to have to be 5 thou - I am thinking about buying a small guillotine as strips of 5 thou would seem to have a million potential uses. Well, that looks staggeringly good Colin - it represents a lot of effort, but the results fully justify it. I hope you did not knock too many top hinges off as you were rubbing them back. Good luck with the roof detailing... Just a question - have you tried the Markits Lamp holders? I ordered some as I thought they might be a quicker option than the Southern Pride ones - not least because you can order them by phone. Only trouble is that I ordered them two weeks ago and I've seen nothing yet... Best wishes,

Really? I always thought they only ever worked on the Eastern Section - and on a very limited set of routes at that. Best wishes,

It rather looks like the idea worked Colin! Certainly the unit looks excellent! Best wishes,

Hi Andy, Just in case anyone "not in the know" misunderstands you, it was not really a 3-link coupling because, although it did have 3 links, it was semi-permanent in that both of the end links went into solid forged eyes with threaded tail rods - in other words, splitting a set required the split pins taking out then the use of two very hefty spanners. By contrast, a true three-link only needs a shunter with a pole running alongside! Once the coupling was fitted, the centre buffer was under a fair degree of pre-compression. This ensured that there was a minimum of surging when units went from being under power to braking - which was always a bit of an issue with buckeye fitted units - CEPs CIGs - even though they fitted with Pullman gangways or centre buffing plates. As a consequence of this, all the Mk 2 EMUs (class 313, 508 etc) were fitted with Freightliner bar couplings - ie designed for wagons - thus bringing us full circle! Edit - worth mentioning that the reason for a centre buffer is that if you fit a buffer on each corner, you can't pre-compress them otherwise the thing won't go round bends - as most modellers not using toy-train type couplers will have experienced! Best wishes,

Pretty much followed your recipe as regards laminations - seems to have worked quite well. No point in re-inventing wheels! Best wishes,

Hello Colin, Well, thanks for prompting me to post! As it happens, I have done a bit on both the commode handles and the hinges. I am hoping to get something off to the etchers early next week. Best wishes, Howard. To everyone else reading but not Colin:- I am also doing some correct width end-steps.

Hi Colin, My trailer makes some progress - not wishing to clutter your thread I sent you a PM which you might have missed - but here is the relevant pic:- Door bumps still need repositioning... The side / roof joint did not come out too bad and is better now I have filled and rubbed it. Still agonising whether to finish it or do a "proper one" incorporating your roof! Best wishes, Howard.