meanach

That sea is looking so good. It really transforms the layout and sets the scene. 

The first time (I think ) since 1988 that you could record 2 lots of tractors passing on the extension ! It’s uncertain at this stage if the west coast rake had any passengers but it ran as a class 2 headcode , which is odd if it was actually a class 5. I also know somebody who claims a few individuals were on board !
 

A huge shame LSL didn’t advertise their working more than 4 days in advance . I for one would have been straight up there. There aren’t many who could drop everything at such short notice and position themselves for it. 

For those wanting some better sound this is how my 37260 is set up, thanks to Simon at Proper sounds. 

26 minutes ago, 97406 said:

 

Thanks, Rich - glad you're enjoying my tinkerings!

 

Nifkin's Bridge exists in a parallel universe not too far from Crewe, and is seen here somewhere between the late 70s to early 90s (with a lot of blurring of the timeline due to Rule 1 considerations). This allows for all sorts of exotic locos such as Scottish 26s and 37s as well ex-works stuff coming off Crewe Works. It covers the period from my late teens where I managed to get into the railways proper, catching the end of the 25s and 40s, along with the beginnings of sectorisation and all the new liveries involved.

 

It is a modular layout so it will fit into a bigger one in due course. In the meantime, I'm considering a small extension at the diesel depot end to add more stabling and a fuel point, but this will be designed so that it can then be incorporated into later extensions.

I grew up going train spotting at Crewe 1987 / 88 . Then in 89 I started riding behind locos on the Derby - Crewe / Llandudno and thus began my bashing era. Therefore the period you are modelling is very evocative to me. If I had more space and wasn’t obsessed with 1980s highland railways then this is the kind of layout I’d like to attempt. I very much look forward to seeing it extend , especially as the standard of every thing you do is top notch.

10 minutes ago, Daddyman said:

More on bogies - 110 and 262, 1989

 

I’ve been looking at the 37/4s during their time in Scotland in the 80s / early 90s. I notice that some seem to have swapped bogies quite a bit . 37405 being one that had cast then fabricated. 

Great weathering as usual . I’ve contemplated this one myself. It ran for a good while after its ousting by the 37/4s  with crudely removed name plate scars both in Scotland and south Wales. 

Hi . Thanks for that . I have indeed snapped one on 37260. I couldn’t see where to route them past the fuel filler pipe? At least I think that’s what it is ! I mean I can see the pre drilled holes but I couldn’t get the pipes to route around it. No photos on line seem to show them fitted. The 2 at the opposite end were quite straight forward. 

Have any of you fitted the sand pipes ? I’ve a 37260 and another 5 x 37/4 to do. I’m struggling to work out the routing of the sand pipes at one end . I can see the holes but I can’t seem to see a way they are meant to line up ! 

On 09/03/2024 at 23:17, Blobrick said:

 

Well I was right this is a mine field, so easy to get caught out as l appear to here done so here. I had set my period as 1989, Ness viaduct incident and the introduction of 156s, looks like l ll need to spread my time line again lol  Mid 87 to mid 89.............. yes l could make that work !

 

Bob C

You model the same time frame as me! I didn’t know about 260’s bogie swap either! 

The next question is ; are the cast bogies under the 37/4s the same as the cast bogies under 37/0 ?!

Or, as I did for the same project, buy a grey departmental 262 and utilise the chassis. I sold the body on auction for a reasonable amount. 

On the subject of bogies , does anybody have a list of which 37/4s in Scotland in the 80s had cast or fabricated bogies?

8 hours ago, cambo74 said:

Am currently in the process of reworking a few Bachmann 37s to Scottish Locos .... Am looking at doing 37033 with Large Numbers and a Yellow Inverness Stag Logo, 37112 with split box in BR Blue with Eastfield Doggie on the cab sides, 37188 in Large Logo as well as 37409 in its new ScotRail livery .......

 

I'll post some pics when done .......

 

I do hope they announce some more but in the meantime, a little bit of modelling can produce the models you want ....

As a fellow Scottish 37 modeller, I’m interested to hear how you’ve overcome the snowplough problem? 

3 hours ago, Blobrick said:

Can i ask fellow class 37 fans for some advice please?

 

I m wishing to model Inverness based 37421 circa 1989,. Looking at the available new 35-xxx based large logo 37/4s currently available, it looks like the ltd edition of 37418 by Kernow Models is a suitable donor for this project? It seems to have all the lamp brackets in the right place etc, but due to my lack of knowledge on the class have l missed something?

Here's betting l have!

 

Fingers crossed

 

Bob C

 

 

37418 by Kurnow is based on its recent retro repaint (now in Loram livery) , finished to modern standards . It all depends how happy you are at removing decals . The orange cantrail line is lower on 418. It has modern style overhead warning flashes. It also has a Wapping great name plate to remove! A better base model may be 37430. (TMC have 1 left on sale) . Both have a too skinny top lamp iron. 421/422 had top lamp irons like 37401-  (Wider). An old VI trains detail sprue is a good source for these. Ian 

I know from my own experience that even when I thought I’d sealed the base of my river on Meanach , the resin escaped.

My own river method was to seal in my various enamel painted pollyfilla bed with varnish. I left that to cure for about 6 weeks before using 2 bottles (6 months apart!) of Woodland scenics realistic water.

I tried other manufacturers but I found them thinner and more prone to yellowing in strong sunlight. 

On 15/01/2024 at 22:12, 37Oban said:

Hi,

regarding the chimneys yet lack of stoves in the signal cabins, I wonder if when they were orignally built stoves were fitted but it was soon realised that they weren't really necessary in a cabin that would only be used for a few minutes for each train then not needed for some hours until the next one, the signalman either performing other duties or keeping warm with a brew in a station office?  If that's the case then I would presume the stoves would be removed for use elsewhere.

 

Roja

 

‘They pretty much all had the fireplaces in place when I started Ian , not sure when they were removed though . Most of the signalmen had electric heaters on though . ‘This is a reply from John Hynd who is a bit of a legend of a driver at the fort. He started late 79. 
 

Fantastic interior work Rob ! 

Im not sure if I should be worried but mine showed dispatched Friday but I haven’t had them. Which carrier are you using ? 

4 minutes ago, franciswilliamwebb said:

 

From Flickr, dates are: 5th May 1988, 5th May 1988 and 21st April 1986 (top to bottom)

 

Thankyou so much!  I have searched for years to find photos of Thames OTA on the west highland prior to 1989 and found nothing. Now the 5 boxed Hornby OTA I’ve had sat in a drawer for years will be getting a legitimate re-spray! 

20 hours ago, rob D2 said:

One thing is certain. When it comes to information and openness Hattons and accurascale are like yin and yang - remember how Hattons went comms silent after they started to have issues with the 66 ? Full of it , till the issues started then , nothing , not a dicky bird.
 

I have 2 31s on orders and I’m confident even if they blow up, the lads at accurascale will see me right !

 

 

If they do that’s the ultimate in realism, especially if they deposit a big oily streak down the side! 

1 hour ago, Module00 said:

These pictures of the same author, seem interested too. (For my personal layout too. 😇)
 

 

 

 

Ooh 9 stanchion Thames water board OTA ! Do you know what year this is please? 

7 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Certainly gives pause for thought buying from that retailer again, though at the levels of discount at which I bought 401 I would still take a punt.

 

In this case I’ve decided I can’t be bothered waiting until the 16th and have just fixed it myself.   All be it a process that’s taken several hours to suss out
 

The lights issue were traced back to a dodgy switch unit for the DC controls (simple fix using cutting the wires and directly linking S1 to F1.)  the rest of the wires and the switch were then completely removed.

 

The poorly fitting motor mount was straightened, along with flash removed to get it seated correctly which stopped the squealing.  
 

 

the next step will be removing the fuel tanks as per @Daddyman’s thread to get them fitted properly and chopping up the nose grills on the body in preparation for its respray.     (With the work that’s still to come clearly I couldn’t care less about the warranty, though I’d hope the sound decoder is still covered)

 

 

edit: I should add that the connector between body and chassis at the nose end is incredibly weak, with a variation in stiffness present between sockets.  On mine the socket at the no1 end was a lot stiffer than the other end and broke off the board.  Twice I’ve soldered it back on only for it to fail again the next time I removed the body.  For now I’m ignoring it, but next time I will just solder the wires directly from the end to the corresponding wires on the chassis (though first I will email Bachmann to see if there’s any chance of buying a replacement part) 

Almost every one of the 37430 / 401 /423 I’ve taken apart have this issue yet Bachmann told me they hadn’t had any feedback regarding this issue ! Admittedly this was a few months ago but yours and others post highlight this is clearly a common manufacturing fault. 

1 hour ago, The Fatadder said:

A question on the sound fitted models, should it be making a sound (like a click or clunk) every time you turn on or off a light?  And if it is supposed to do it can you make it stop?

All mine make that noise , so I’m guessing it’s part of their DNA !

It’s looking great . Your buildings look fantastic . Fence posts are tedious . I’ve done feet of them in total but they are worth the effort.
 

That large logo 37 reminds me of my first ever spray paint when I was about 14/15. Lima  37012 redone as 37111 to be more contemporary!! 

I like the angle looking up on the 4th pic. 

Being a fan of 37404 I absolutely love your version of it. I was considering doing the same . How have you done the nose, was it a nose swap or filler to remove the centre lamp iron? Also interested in whose ploughs you’ve used. 

Approximately half of the new tool Bachmann 37s I have bought have had that nose end socket problem, yet Bachmann told me I was the first person to have mentioned it !!!

There is a path to better sound , but it’s not a straightforward one ! (See photos). 
- Last option doesn’t involve milling the chassis but using a Rail exclusive baby boomer in the tank and a ‘boomer’ in the fan recess.