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To quote Chris from post above, "I also hope that the mechanism can be confined to the brake compartment and not encroach on the passenger saloon, unlike some of Bachmann's other DMUs" Needing a hidden chassis for a project, I asked Replica Railways about availability of its low profile chassis and received this email reply: We have sold out of both the 12mm and 14mm wheeled variants of our 64' powered chassis. The final samples have now been approved for our 'shorter' 57' powered chassis (only one variant to be fitted with 12mm wheels) and we hope that the production batch will arrive with us before the end of the year. Our intention is to submit an order to re-run another batch of both the 12mm and 14mm 64' powered chassis upon receipt of the 57' batch. We encourage anyone interested in finding out more information (further to what can be found on our website) to contact us at our 'enquiries@...' email address as we are then able to answer an individual's particular enquiry on an individual basis. Gareth Hayes REPLICA RAILWAYS Usual disclaimer - I'm jjust a customer for spares and transfers.

Replica Railways in Swindon has added a new web page showing its low profile motorised chassis that may suit some multiple units. http://www.replicarailways.co.uk/die-cast-chassis May also be suitable to motorise some types of coach.

B-sets were common yet came in several flavours. External link... http://www.tventon.freeserve.co.uk/bset.htm

Whilst looking through Russell 'Great Western Coaches Volume Two' for details of E157 and C75 coaches that made up the 4-coach Avonmouth sets viz; brake compo E157, third C75, third C75, brake compo E157; there is a summary of five related diagrams of non-corridor coaches built in late 1937. On page 223 he gives the following information: Diagram A21 - non-corridor - FIRST - 10 built Diagram E156 - non-corridor - composite FIRST/ THIRD - 4 built Diagram E157 - non-corridor - brake composite - BRAKE FIRST/ THIRD - 20 built Diagram C75 - non-corridor - THIRD - 30 built Diagram D125 - non-corridor - VAN THIRD - 20 built It seemed to be a simple puzzle to work out how many sets this could make and of which diagrams. Turns out it is not so easy after all. Using a whittled down version of the list I compiled for a previous thread I have isolated the non-corridor coach sets that existed in 1937 or 1938 to give some sort of lead-in. Sets containing Lavatory coaches have been left out. (Thanks to ChrisF, Adrian and others for this information). A set - 4 coach non-corridor - van 3rd, first, third, van 3rd {London 1937} A set - 5 coach non-corridor - van 3rd, third, first, third, van 3rd {London 1937} C set - 'Local C': non-corridor - van 3rd, third, composite, composite, third, van 3rd {London 1937} D set - non-corridor - van 3rd, composite, composite, van 3rd {London 1937} E set - non-corridor - 3rd, first, third, van 3rd {London 1937} G set - non-corridor - van 3rd, third, compo, compo, compo, van {London 1937} M set - 4 coach non-corridor - van 3rd, third, composite, van 3rd Q set - 5 coach non-corridor - van 3rd, third, third, composite, third, van 3rd U set - 3 coach - van 3rd, composite, van 3rd {Exeter 1938} W set - non-corridor - brake composite, third, third, third, third, third, brake composite {or van 3rd?} W set - non-corridor - brake composite, third, third, third, third, brake composite {or van 3rd?} {NB. The same set configuration could have a different letter in a different area of GWR territory} The most common 4-coach non-corridor sets were: BC - T - T - BC [brake composite - third - third - brake composite] Avonmouth set BT - F - T - BT [van 3rd - first third - van 3rd] A set, E set, BT - T - C - BT [van 3rd - third - composite - van 3rd] M set BT - C - C - BT [van 3rd - composite - composite - van 3rd] D set Swiftly moving on - from post #15 by ChrisF saying there were only five Avonmouth sets, that leaves fewer coaches as follows: Diagram A21 - non-corridor - FIRST - 10 built Diagram E156 - non-corridor - composite FIRST/ THIRD - 4 built Diagram E157 - non-corridor - brake composite - BRAKE FIRST/ THIRD - 20 built {10-off E157 used in Avonmouth sets so 10 left to allocate to other sets} Diagram C75 - non-corridor - THIRD - 30 built {10-off C75 used in Avonmouth sets so 20 to allocate to other sets} Diagram D125 - non-corridor - VAN THIRD - 20 built I post this inconclusive puzzle whilst I juggle the numbers some more.

Oh! Dear. No mention of E157 - C75 - C75 - E157 in previous post from ChrisF. This Avonmouth set was not so common after all which might be an escape because there are no RTR models of E157 or C75. I shall have to search again for pictures of the Avonmouth set. But at least there is a Replica Railways long underframe MK1 non-corridor coach in RTR and the Airfix/ Hornby E140 B-set to start a different set from a different angle. Another picture (from ebay) but this time similar to sets used on the Portihead branch.

Some pictures of trains used on Severn Beach branch in BR days but it is not easy to pin down exactly which diagrams. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Lawrence_Hill_view_northward_geograph-2935634-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg/1024px-Lawrence_Hill_view_northward_geograph-2935634-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg

By chance we were going to Dursley today to meet family and take the grankids to Slimbridge Wetlands Centre so they could see the Lego animals on display amongst real birds. I took a detour to the Cam & Dursley station to see if there was a footbridge. I took some photo's but suggestion was made that you probably mean the Dursley Donkey that branched off at Coaley Junction. Since getting home I have looked at my 1947 OS map and '50 Miles Around Bristol' map of unknown date that has a price sticker of £1.65. Another visit will be needed to locate your bridge but here are the recent mainline pictures anyway. And the Lego...

Forthcoming GBL releases #27 to #40 saved from a previous post now deleted (with acknowledgement to original poster) RTR loco's that might be used as a source for tooling are just a guess. GBL 27 due out next week. 27 Stephenson's Rocket + 4w carriage [Tri-ang] 28 Royal Scot [Mainline] 29 Holden B12 class [Tri-ang] 30 Collett 57xx Pannier tank [Mainline] 31 Maunsell 'N' class [Bachmann] 32 Britannia and the 7MTs [Hornby] 33 Stanier '8F' [Hornby] 34 Western diesel hydraulic [LIMA] 35 Gresley J39 class [Bachmann] 36 Hawksworth 'Counties' [Dapol/ Hornby] 37 Lord Nelson 4-6-0s [Bachmann] 38 Ivatt '2MTs' (model is 2-6-2T) Bachmann] 39 Peppercorn 'A1/A2s' (Blue Peter?) Apple green 40 Brush Type 4 [Tri-ang]

Thank you Coachmann. I look forward to reading all your posts. Regarding side sliding window ventilators. In bus and coach manufacturing, some coachbulders like Eastern Coachworks (ECW) had their own patented window and ventilator systems but ECW and other builders often used bought out finished windows and/or ventilators from proprietry suppliers under trade names such as Beclawat, Deans, Widney, etc. Did this happen in railway coach building? If so, are any of the ventilators used in LMS period 3 coaches proprietry types? Hopper type ventilators seem to have been introduced in buses from late-1950s. Thanks.

Thinking ahead about a year or so to the situation if and when sales of the current Bachmann 'porthole' coaches reach saturation and are remaindered or turn up cheap enough second hand, are any of these 'porthole' coaches suitable donors to modify to the previous post WW2 types by filling the round windows and reshaping them to the more usual rectangular shape? viz; D2117 CK (125 built 1946 -1947) vehicles 4330 - 4454 D2119 TK (701 built 1946 - 1950 ) vehicles 2151 - 2516 & 12750 - 13081 D2121 FK (30 built 1948) vehicles 1084 - 1113 D2123 BTK (120 built 1948-1950) vehicles 26546 - 26665 The CK and TK types if repainted could be useful to those who prefer pure LMS and are in denial that BR ever existed.

I am wondering if the Bachmann 'porthole' coaches in crimson and cream are getting near to saturation as far as sales are concerned. The TK is shown as sold out in Bachmann list but the BFK, FK and FO seem plentiful. The BTK is promised soon. Most of these coaches are all the same price at dealers (-15 percent of list) but there a few bargains now and then. Watching sales on various web sites they do not seem to be snapped up even if the price is down to minus 30 percent off list. Some buyers may be put off by comments about the bogies but not every buyer is an RMWebber. In real life these first class coaches were built in very small numbers which limits their inclusion in model railway formations especially where five coaches is a long train on many layouts. There were twenty-seven BFK in four batches of which only fifteen were D2168 porthole coaches. In total there were eighty-two corridor firsts plus one prototype, and three conversions for Coronation sets. Of these only fifteen were porthole variety to D2162. Presumably as there were fifteen of each of these two porthole types (BFK + FK) they ran together. There were two batches of FO totalling seventy-one vehicles of which twenty were porthole stock to F2160. Has anyone got any realistic sales information about these Bachmann that they can disclose here?

The coach shown in previous post seems to have a black roof. Bachmann models have a grey roof. Can someone explain how each colour roof fits year-in-service-wise? Thanks.

external link... http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0236/3059/products/LMS-Review-1_large.jpg?v=1419004583

Recently I bought a couple of the new Bachmann so-called Porthole coaches and they are excellent except for the low ride height which makes them look almost HO when coupled to similar Hornby, Dapol or Replica stock. After reading through this thread several times and experimenting I decided I was onto a loser in trying to fix a design fault. Assembly problems I can usually fix but short of redesigning the bogie or using some from the Hornby Stanier coaches I am stuffed. For a coach costing over 30 quid at best discount I should not have to redesign the thing so to pass the ball back into Bachmann's court I sent the following email message to the service department..."I have bought some porthole LMS coaches and find that he wheels are very loose in the bogies which causes the coach to ride very low compared to other similar coaches. One bogie has been dismantled to find a cure but it seems to be a design problem and is difficult to resolve. Can you supply improved bogies for porthole coaches. I want to buy more of these soon but I have put off buying more until they are updated or alternative bogies are available as a spare part. Thanks". his is their (prompt) reply... "Thank you for your enquiry: I'm sorry to hear of the problem. You should find that bending the phosphor bronze strips in a touch to ensure that the axle points are in the middle of the cup will resolve the matter". Me again. I have already tried bending the strips inwards but it does not cure the fault because the bronze cups have a gert big radius in the bottom yet the axles have needle points which cause the axles to fit like a gentleman's appendage in a top hat. My next move will be to try to solder or glue some pin point bearing cups into the strips (when I can find the tobacco tin they are in). Another option could be to remove the bronze strips from the plastic bogie (they come out easily without wrecking the whole thing) and flattening the cups in a vice. Then drilling a small hole about 1mm diameter to locate the pin point axles. To prevent tilted axles it may need a simple drill jig. This process is irreversible so I will wait until I can get some spare bogies. With respect to other posters, the fix of using a spacer to raise the body is doing the wrong thing for the right reason but is OK for temporary use and is reversible. When I looked at some real Stanier coaches I noticed that the gap between the top of the bogie side frame and underside of sole bar is not very big. Bachmann have probably got this right with the porthole models. This is a bit of a catch 22 situation because the corridor third coaches are now sold out at Bachmann so it is a case of buy whilst you can and sort out the problem later. In a way this could be good news because Bachmann might do another batch of 39-450 with a different running number. Maybe with improved bogies.

Reading the posts on this topic I get the idea that one or some amongst us have a feed from or input to whoever is driving the GBL project but have to be careful not to disclose too much. This is aimed primarily at them. Instead of day dreaming and wish-listing about new locomotives from GBL, I wonder if we as a group could gee things along a little by supplying masters and writing some technical information in a way that would appeal to GBL as a company. This is no different from writing a railway book and peddling it to an editor in a vain hope that it will find favour. Publishers are in business for profit so may welcome a well thought out work that can be put to bed quickly without much creative effort and with minimum outlay on the part of the publisher. There must be many enthusiasts on here who would produce RTR models if they had the skill, time and bank balance to achieve it. Aiding and abetting GBL could be a way of getting something we want that the red or blue box brands would not consider to be economically viable in large volume. Making a brass master takes great skill but many on this forum have demonstrated their skill in cut and shut butchery of plastic bits from various sources and can produce a plastic model at least as good as some of the not so recent RTR stock. Careful choice of subject is critical to avoid putting off the big players from doing a proper job. This could be a way of getting for less than a tenner a throw some loco and tender mouldings that can be modified or converted into something realistic. Plagiarism must be avoided in a gentlemanly way but there is a precedent in the music publishing. One member of a four piece 'sixties band from Merseyside said openly in a television interview words to the affect that he borrowed music fragments from any source without conscience because by the time he had changed it many times any witness of prior art was indiscernible or at least not provable in the final product. This is an open forum but any privileged information sent to me in a personal message will be treated in strict confidence.

I first saw this series when I bought #5 Stowe on impulse from a shop in York and have picked and chosen models since then, mostly from various WHS stores. I now pre order from a newsagent and placed a back order from #1 Mallard. I received 'Mallard' and two 'Earl Bathurst' within three weeks. The 'Coronation' and two more 'City of Truro' have not turned up yet but are still on back order. There is a lot of Blarney regarding sourcing this series. WHS stores in Brecon, Weston super Mare and Cribbs Causeway seem to carry good stock in a display rack printed for the purpose yet other WHS stores that are normally helpful say they cannot get stock. My local newsagent did not want to know part-works yet an independent newsagent many miles away gets regular deliveries of pre-orders plus a small float on spec. Sainsbury stores seem to have given up possibly due to theft of the models just leaving the card and magazine. I have not seen any in Tesco or Morrisons. This GBL series is 'like it or lump it' so I take a chance and pre order one or two of each as they are released. If, some time later, I do not want certain loco's they will find a home. Better to buy model railway items when they are available new and unused than pay way over the new price for 'like new' or 'ebay new' damaged stock many years later. GWR, Stanier and Gresley loco's can go in the spares box. I would not pay one hundred Pounds for a pre-grouping loco so at 8.99 a pop the GBL static loco's are good enough to look at and I accept them 'as-is'.

Full range GBL 1 to GBL 20 at this link: http://greatbritishlocomotive.co.uk/_uk/?page_id=7

I have bought a new R3167 'Glastonbury Abbey' which does not have the reversing stand inside the cab on right side. Has anyone else had this experience?

All 18 GBL cover pix here... http://greatbritishlocomotive.co.uk/_uk/?page_id=7

Issue 18 is GWR 5552 link here .... http://greatbritishlocomotive.co.uk/_uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/loco-OO-18-cover.jpg

external link...http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2851406 quote..Ex-GC Robinson D11 4-4-0 at Sheffield Victoria station At the east end of Sheffield Victoria Station is one of the final members of Robinson's fine 11F class 4-4-0s, LNER Class D11/1 No. 5505 (1946 No. 2669), named 'Ypres'; built 12/22, withdrawn as No. 62669 in 8/60. unquote

A photo of 5075 'Wellington' towing a 4000 gallon Collett tender bearing what looks like 'BRITISH RAILWAYS' on its side. It has old steam pipes but new inside cylinder cover as used on the Hornby model. Make up your own mind of the date from this link.... http://brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=5075&loco=5075 This could be a way of salvaging the Hornby model as it would otherwise be in GWR livery with lined firebox.

Thanks for pointing out that the model has the wrong shape inside cylinder cover. Do I buy it and modify it or get 5022, 5030 or 5075 in late 1940s condition, by another modelling route. Hattons link to pic... https://hattonsimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/R3105_1045697_Qty1_1.jpg

Picture that Simon Kohler posted some while ago showing 5075 'Wellington' in post war G arms W livery. Repeated in case somebody cannot find the earlier link.

Not a Castle but here is a picture of a Hall in 1953 with Hawksworth tender yet still in GWR late-1940s livery