ThaneofFife

Lets not cast any doubts over the Bachmann pan just yet - its just too soon for that. I think the guys who have Bee Lane have a couple of 85s now and if they run their models extensively then this could be a good barometer as to the durability of the pans used under tension with catenary.

Looking good Cav. I will use your ETH socket idea. Regarding the pipework in the corridor window I have been looking at mine again with fresh doubts and going back and forth between photos of the real locos wondering if the 1mm wire I have used is slightly too thick - is that pipe really 3 inches in diameter I keep asking myself. I dont think it can be. I might look at using 0.8mm (or even 0.5mm) wire this will not only look a little better but it should sit on a less corner to corner (of the window) position and also it will allow the "pipe" to sit lower in the window too (in the prototypical position) and not cause any refitting problems with the body to the chassis which was my initial concern. Looking at one of my models there is about 1-2mm of space between the 1mm wire and the window glazing so a new wire has room to run over the top of the exhauster for a more authentic look. Will have another go at it and post up a fresh photo.

Yes the face of the 85 really comes alive after adding some detailing. Its a bit plain jane out of the box with an NEM coupler. Got to say I do like the screw link coupling on Jims 85 and i'll certainly be adding those triangular steps.. Quite often its good to be able to improve a model not just from stuff youve had to buy at the shops but made from leftover odds and ends in ones "bits" box.

Reference the pipework modification above the exhauster - here is half decent shot on 85030

Long before receiving my 85s I had the idea of adding this nice easy little addition (if the space allowed - and it does by the way, but only just) to complete the look inside one of the 85s equipment room windows - the large pipework was/is a key visible feature on these locos as most of you will know. I simply took a short length of 1mm brass rod and formed the pipe after looking at various photographs (the pipework is not straight, that would be too easy), painted it rail grey then glued into position making sure the central part of the rod was raised slightly with space behind it. The rod was about 18mm long so that the ends are not visible through the window to make the pipe look convincing. Rather than the rod being flat it was bent to sit slightlyd raised off the back of the chassis block. The rod cannot be raised any higher than the mould of the exhauster because refitting the bodyshell would be compromised. The photohgraphs seem to show this pipe sitting a bit lower and because of the thickness of the flush glazing in the model you cannot run the brass rod over the exhauster as the body will not sit back down correctly but I think its a close as one could hope to get and a 1mm rod cant be far off from scale size either (3 inches or so sounds about right). The result I feel is well worth it and all my 85s will be "tweaked" the same way. Like Dave I have to agree that out of all the 85s lighting features those corridor lights are far too bright and although I may go with painting over the LEDs I am also looking at a slightly different approach to reducing the illumination so if that pans out OK I will get some more photos posted. One can of course try changing CV63 from 7 to 0 for starters. Good for the sealed beam headcode markers and tails but the corridor remains overly bright.

The latest edition of Model Rail magazine could help in changing the features on the 85 to allow independent control of the corridor lights and cab lights (and possibly the tail lights if you prefer the convenience of a function key rather than using the switch below the roof). Electronics arent my best suit but I would like to investigate use of the ESU 51968 21 pin board as suggested in the mag. When time allows I will have a stab at this as it only cost £12 for the board. It does seem a shame that the corridor lights and cab lights all come on together but I dont want this minor point to detract from the fine model that it is. Its a 3 on the "Difficulty Rating" out of 5 so id be disappointed if I couldnt manage this.

My models arrived today and I am extremely pleased with them. I think the initial RRP was set at around £93 and then it went to £112 around March when we had the general price increases. You can still obtain them for £76 if you shop around.

Come, come young Ian, the vicarious dig hasnt gone unnoticed. For the benefit of those not in the know, I was the person slating the seller and yes, I got it wrong (bull in a china shop moment - we all do it). To get a full screen I have to tab across so in my haste I made the comment and missed that it was a shop thinking it was another carpet bagger-so then, is it really such a big deal and worth mentioning here or a lame (and I would add, failed) attempt to cause me embarassment perhaps? I dont think anybody here is overly interested but I dare say Ian has now cracked his face if something this trivial caused him such a good belly laugh.

Thanks for the video 60026to - I cant quite believe the level of detail on and around the air tanks on the roof. I see what you mean now about the front marker lights - they do look subtle and I dare say the camera has made them appear slightly brighter than they actually are - same with the tails. I always said I would prefer to wait a bit longer for this provided they get it right rather than rush it through and mess it up along, no doubt, with the possibility of scuppering a whole future program for more ACs. Sure - there be a few little areas that could perhaps be improved or detail added but overall its big thumbs up from me.

I like the sound of that as it saves messing about getting the brightness/intensity of the lights usually found on todays models of the BR d&e era down to a realistic level thus providing a more authentic look during daytime running. Hopefully the same attention to detail with the lighting is carried over into the cabs and the side corridor. Good news and a real surprise about the single red tail light arrangement. Very surprised in fact as it would have been far too easy to just have both lights on together.

In the words of Jim Smith Wright (or maybe he got it from Geoff!), why model what you cant see and that was in reference to 4mm stuff. Working pulleys, wires and levers - what on 2mm? So what next, perhaps a working clock hanging up on the wall in the signalbox or a 2mm WC that flushes if you press F7 !

On the subject of the red tail marker lights on the 85 I agree with JSW - no mention has been made about a function or switch to feed power to just one side as per the prototype and so I envisage that they will either both be on (or off if youve flicked the switch) at one end rather than a further function allowing one side to be cancelled out. That said it might be feasible to cover a contact over inside the loco that feeds these markers as I have done in the past with cab interior lights which annoyingly light up at both ends of a loco. It might not be 100% prototypical but it could be a decent halfway house solution towards making it look a bit more realistic so that if you have these lights in the ON position then at least just one will illuminate not both. How were these lights wired to come on on the prototypes? I mean what was it that dictated which side was lit if thats not a stupid question ?

I have to stand corrected on the point of light switches and their location. These are accessed through a small panel on the roof (as shown in the latest Hornby magazine) and not as previously (hastily) stated underneath the loco. Apologies. Good to hear orders are filtering through now..........

as youre the first here then, whats your verdict? have you not taken it out of the box yet! Come on....come on......

Yes I cant quite recall if the wheels were either 4ft or 4ft 1" myself although, an extra inch + or -, when scaled down is neither here nor there. Well talking of thoughts.....I "thought" my knowledge on the 85s was just about above average but have been quite surprised at the number of photos I have seen here lately of TOPS versions still showing the headcode panels like the last picture above. I dont remember them this way as a youngster TBH, I seem to recall the Class 81s with their domino headcodes aplenty but these particular 85s have been erroneously erased from the grey matter. I have no doubt Bachmann will address the situation if the demand is there for this version. I wonder if they all went through the same works overhauls or whether some members of the class went in for a TOPS "revamp" and came out with the new sealed beam twin markers? Interesting. Edited : 10:25 May 14th Come on Ian, youre not that obtuse! By "revamp", (note the inverted comma's) I did just mean the application of BR arrows and TOPS numbers etc not M&E alterations. The treacle is unnecessarily heavy going here sometimes.........

Whilst confusion abounds between Jim and Ian about the wheels on the Class 85 (its 4ft diameter chaps), I have to say that DC kits class 85 bodyshell really does look superb especially with the subtle weathering too. Nice idea, the preservation touch!

Now, corridor lights you definitely cannot see in the daylight! Some may think its another gimmick but I rather like the new feature and fully expect to see it rolled out as other locos come along or existing ones receive a refresh or retool. Diesels with similar corridors and moulded engine detailing is just a little more icing on the cake and a little less work to do particularly where the lighting circuit is concerned. 3 cheers for Bachmann...hip hip.....

The wheels look spot on from what I have seen Jim and dont need swapping. Do they have an error ? Do tell.

Even in the daylight they are pretty visible judging by Michaels last photo. If youre going to do the job at least do it right, eh but yes its far less taxing if youre happy to just fill and paint.

tricky to rework the models to TOPS spec with the full headcode panel. i guess the choices are to take a TOPS version and chop out for the headcode panel fit and repaint it or take a pre-TOPS blue version with headcode panel, renumber, remove the crests and apply BR arrows but then youd need to source the air reservoirs for the roof. youve still got the drip rails in the cab roof to contend with-these need filling and painting. not sure which is the lesser of two evils really. i'm all for a bit of modelling but theres a bit too much going on there cosmetically for my skills or time (lack of). im sure its only a matter of time before we see this in RTR form as most of the work seems to have been covered its just a case of mix and match at the factory although whether the cab roofs of 31-678 can be swapped onto the 31-677 bodyshell that has the 4 digit headcode is another matter entirely. i imagine the cabs are complete units so that maybe the only fly in the ointment if Bachmann havent already catered for this with their tooling designs. lets face it though i dont think the locos were around for very long in this guise relative to those now being released.

that almost looks bufferless on the one side!

A review is now out in Railway Modeller magazine for the electric blue version. The photos of this model are lovely. All very positive comments although the article did spend a bit too much time telling us about the history of the loco rather than the model of it. Switches underneath for DC control of lights and independent control of interior lighting on DCC which I believe only the Deltics had up until now for both cabs which is really how it should be on all the locos and I dare say this will come through over time. Lots of extra detailing parts included.

loving all these photos guys..... great stuff. judging by that last photo some weathering will be needed on the roof equipment of my 85s.

Bachmann Update.......the decorated samples of the BR Blue TOPS version 31-678 has omitted the orange warning stripes on the cant rails and this is not what is being produced. The production models will come with the stripes and this places the loco in its later years of BR TOPS life. I can say it definitely wore the stripes from at least May 1986 onwards on my evidence but this seems very late in the locos life to have had the stripes painted on when fellow class members had their stripes going back as far as 1979. Further update from Bachmann 3/5/12......they have photographs of 85026 wearing the stripes in July 1982 with further possible evidence of sightings in 1981 with stripes but unconfirmed due to poor quality of the pictures. This will help modellers working to a specific year especially if they were planning to model between 1982 and 1986 using Class 85s. My gut instinct was that 86 was very late to receive the orange stripes so its nice to have the confirmation. Shawplan will be releasing horn baffles/hoods and reinforced cab front window frames.

Cant see this being picked up anywhere here so far......the TOPS model of 85026 (31-678) has no orange cant rail warning stripes. I assume this is based on the actual loco's condition pre May 1986 minimum and probably back further than that by at least 6 months whilst it was in the works - I have a photo of this actual loco on this date in mint ex works condition with the stripes but whether they existed before this visit I dont know. I have asked Bachmann the question today to clarify what year they have based 85026 on. Its an easy transfer or paint add on and it may be a deliberate omission so as to cater for modellers pre and post the circa 1983-1986 period during the time many 85s received their works overhauls. Had Bachmann added the stripe this would have excluded a certain number of buyers who didnt fancy painting the stripes out!