James

I think "restore services in July 2013" is a reference to the planned blockade of Sleby Swingbridge. When this blockade begine services from Hull will hav to run via Goole and then the single line Hensall; TPE had already planned replacement buses.

My pleasure Personally (and I know my methods are sometimes long winded and not to everyone's taste!) I'd consider aquiring a cheap Lima body and building a Lima and Bachmann hybrid body mounted on the existing. Whilst not perfect, the end result is very pleasing to the eye. Add in a few nice Shawplan bits and it's not too difficult. And Brian Hanson seemed to approve of my method when we were talking at York last weekend! Even with sound, this method would work out quite reasonable. Mine will use a Bachmann chassis and hopefully new sprung bogies as Bachmann's arrangement isn't entirely happy with P4 though works perfectly well in 00 and EM. If you're going to Scalefour North it'll be on my demo Despite what I said above... That's possible and could be done to the weather conditions elsewhere on that day. it's odd when at work it's a lovely sunny winter's day and all of a sudden a number of trains are passing with the front ends covered in snow! Similarly one day in the autumn I distinctly remember a gloarious day at Gilberdyke - dry, sun shining and even warm enough for a couple of window and doors to be wide open! Then all of sudden a huge number of filthy trains came by! Class 158s with mud covered windows such was the road dirt! And incidentally, my comment about the Type 4 at Riccall refers to a loco for a future project set in that area!

Or maybe relying on his labrador to advise him?

"Weathered to an excellent standard" Hmmm... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DJH-O-GAUGE-CLASS-37-DIESEL-LOCO-TRANSRAIL-LIVERY-WEATHERED-WITH-LIGHTS-/290891622255

The rails were cut to prevent anything proceeding towards the problem area and to isoltae the area to limit damage(!) - some rails jumped about 9" when cut! You'd expect a small jump in modern CWR (due to stressing) but that's quite a lot.

I know where the first ones went - it won't be the first pilot scheme one I've done. My dad has a model of D209 as that was the first one he ever saw. One day you may see the significance of my comment though!

Relying on memory for weathering can sometimes distort things. Sometimes I see a photo of a steam loco in the fifites and think it looks clean-ish but can see the dirt clearly yet my Dad will comment that they'd have regarded that as being clean! Similarly with early diesels, they did weather differently from diesels post steam. One thing though is normally that there's a sheen beneath the dirt (only when absolutely filthy did the sheen disappear, but that seems to be the extreme early on). D275 passing Brough West SB (which would have been a lovely job - no level crossing for a start!) - the loco is dirty, the roof is filthy and the green is clearly discoloured in places but look and you can see a definate sheen beneath the dirt, coming through. http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/8135786107/ At Hull D201 in 1959 - looks quite presentable. Signs of use and note how the dirt above the cantrail grilles is left undisturbed by the washing plant! http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/3722380547/ And an appropirate location too. Road dirt has begun to creep up the bodysides but the loco is well turned out and you can even seen a proper shine at cantrail level. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersley_images/6065434168/in/faves-62338634@N06/ The loco in my signature is abosolutely filthy, but the weathering is applied over a gloss(yes, gloss) top coat. To really capture diesels and how the weather takes, I think, often more careful observation than for steam. As the diesel age progressed and locos went longer between repaints then you find that paint finishes naturally dulled which can lead to all sorts of different effects. My own 1992 period brings all sorts of contrasts between locos and their states, which really is all part of the appeal for me!

Mike you've just made the decision as to which of the pilot scheme locos I'll be modelling!

You should have done the transfer properly then! I can only work with the materials provided!

Is that the one I weathered?

There are a lot of really excellent blogs coming to the fore at the moment!

Chee Tor and Bramblewick are two which really stand out for me - if you even have to ask why, then I have no desire to converse with you at all! There are plenty of others of course, but these two always impress me!

My wife knows that club rather well! She still has her old Waterfront membership card too - actually, she still has her LA's membership card somewhere!

It rather helps dispell the myth the all of Lincolnshire's flat too!

Jake Bugg - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2DOYbZUMS8 Can't be many nineteen year olds who cite The Everley Brothers as a main influence! His album has a wonderful fifites and early sixties feel in places Not the only act with fifties influence either - My Dad, showing his age perhaps, likes them due to the influences! He's an Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran fan and even got to see Holly live!

At work people seem quite optimistic about July now - bear in mind they're better informed than any of us.

Dave, thank you for posting these

The price on layouts is very odd - in the case of Bramblewick, will it be valued as a layout or as a piece by a respected artist? Rumours have been doing the rounds, of course, on price and I've heard some very high prices mentioned!

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/classifieds/item/527-Bachmann-chassis-for-class-73sr-emu-re-motoring/ And it's already chopped up in bits - simply swap the frame and you're away.

Speak to Express Models, I'm certain they'll be able to help you with the Lima models.

Risk?! Any number of respray specialists should be able to help you on a matter like this. It's the sort of job I'd have happily done when I was doing things professionally - all you need to agree upon is which brand of paint will offer the closest match and that you are happy for them to use that paint. Thus, you take the risk as the customer. They should evenm be able to produce samples so you could check the paint against the coaches you wished them to match.

Why? Seems a shame given the OP and the Lima HST power cars are very good - Jim S-W rates them highly enough to have them on BNS so they must have some merit! Why don't you try giving the motors a good clean and regease them, then stick as much lead in as you can. That will make a difference once they have been run extensively to bed them back in. Many people are ill informed about Lima motors - not so long ago it was fashionable to knock Lima and sadly people just repeat what they read on Electricnose! But service them and they can run very well indeed. They require more effort to keep in good order but I think it's worth it to keep older models which ahve sentinmental value going

Sounds like the lycra-clad, middle aged men who tear through my village at the weekend!