Rich Papper

Looking very nice. Would love to see it one day. Rich

Not much progress since last one. Mostly mess. Err.... This one is a long shot looking towards the near left corner of the room. Will be a station - marked by batten and coaches. Island platform with one stabling siding, loosely inspired by a visit to Caterham a few years ago. Bridge in foreground will be disused. Idea being that two lines used to serve station, but one since closed. Allows me to have a larger station and remains of yard than would otherwise be the case. Thank goodness for peco templates. Been looking at this junction for about four years now on and off and still no nearer to looking right. In fairness I have had two children in that time so my free time and concentration is not what it was... Just pre-ordered some new Hornby goodies though so feeling like doing something. Rich

The class 50 I was after and HST power cars in Swallow livery at last. VERY happy!! (And poor. Very poor).

Just found this and really enjoying the setup so far. Have no input to offer on the station I'm afraid as I'm very much in the 'lay track and ask questions later' school of planning, but it is already looking good. Looking forward to more. Good luck. Rich

Thanks for that - exactly what I was planning. I did do a speculative purchase of one a few months ago for a bit of a fiddle, but I can't figure out how to turn off the parking lines. The cameras themselves seem pretty cheap so I might get another to experiment with a bit. Ideally I'd like two here, one at the entrance to see the points and another at the far end to see the buffers. More experimentation needed I think. Any and all suggestions welcome. Thanks again. Rich

Yep. I have a two year old son, and four and six year old nephews next door. I'm absolutely fine with them having these (James and Gordon are about somewhere too - and I am working on Daisy since I had a spare Lima 101 car floating about!). The six year old can even drive things if given a route. Keeps them away from the DMUs, handpainted and kit built things I've been working on for a years at a time! Although if anyone is thinking about this, I'd avoid Duck. Wasn't one of the re-releases from Hornby, found secondhand and a DCC hardwire (all have basics Hattons decoders), but Duck is an old 1970s/80s live chassis block. Inside is now more black tape than anything else! Not as bad as Toby though - picked up one of them second hand for next birthday. Not sure what scale Hornby built that to - its about 1cm taller than my next biggest piece of stock. Chassis surgery needed or we're in for some bridge bashing. I can see the same things happening to a lot of people with Hornby's new IEP though. Remember the fun all those who bought the Rapido APT had when they realised the nose overhang? 26m coaches on an IEP might mean some people are in for a bit of home civil engineering. Rich

Hello - Happy New Year! Still going on, just reached a bit of a head scratching moment. Easier to explain with pictures - a couple of early build shots below. There is a hidden fiddle yard behind the retaining walls. Despite extensive testing when I built it, I've found recently that a couple of items of stock clip the wooden supports so I'm having a bit of a think about how best to hold the upper (park) layer up. I'm also toying with the idea of shoehorning in a cheap reversing camera from e-bay so I can actually see in there without having to look down a tunnel mouth! One shot from each end (don't think they're already on here). Will get it together soon, then there will need to be a great deal of greenerying. Rich PS I know some of the pointwork isn't the best use of space but I already had all those points so was determined to save some money somewhere!

Sorry. Yes that is Duck, Percy and Thomas. All DCC'd. Needs must.

Good Evening All, Appears fireworks were on offer around here somewhere, so in between trying to get babies back to sleep a bit of this. Brickwork! And a rather unhealthy amount of MekPak and superglue. Getting there though. Run up to the tunnel mouth seen in progress above. Close up of tunnel mouth. Quite pleased with how this turned out. Got the template for the arch from Scalescenes who do an excellent template for making your own (here). I've used a few of their things, but tend to pay for the download, print the bits I need and then re-make in plastic where I can. Nothing against the card, and will almost certainly use it for small people when they need a layout (emphasise: need), but mixed plastic and card construction and Oxford Road and it's always been one of those things that annoys me a little bit about the layout. Just being self-critical. And then a wide shot of the corner to try to show what's going on. Probably easier to look back at track plan on last page if you're interested, but gradient far right linking two levels of layout will go into as yet unfinished tunnel and re-emerge somewhere rear centre. Main lines sweeping diagonally across board and going into tunnel above. Front line to provide access to DMU depot. One day. More next year I suppose. Any suggestions for how I join all this together with scenery gratefully appreciated! Happy New Year everyone. Rich

Very kind, thank you. I'm sure like most people the space felt bigger before I started, hence the over-ambitious track plan. But I'm having fun and that's the important thing. Oxford Road is due out again in about a month for the first time in two years, so better get it out soon for a once over. Some DMUs on the workbench need a visit. Rich

Hello All, Back to destination blinds. Having satisfied myself with the 101 style, thoughts turn to the Derby middle window style as found on class 115, 117, 121 (and probably others). Most pressing for me is the 121 DTS that worked in L211 as I have already done it's class 101 partner. Initial thoughts were based around using the same size flat LEDs as used in them but they were about 5mm wide and the window is just over 7mm. Tried a piece of 2mm square clear acrylic rod, but didn't prism as well as I'd wanted. Then thought of getting a large round one and filing it flat, but experience of doing this before (once fitted door opening lights to a 158) suggested that I would snap the legs off through over handling long before I achieved the right shape. So: smaller flat LEDs. Managed to find some about 1mm x 3mm x 4mm. To the photos: Two side by side (carefully same way round so anode to cathode in the middle) superglued and then stuck to small piece of black vinyl electrical tape to avoid light bleed. Then stuck to a piece of plasticard - not good on the imperial measurements of these - about 0.5mm thick. Black tape folded up around them leaving the front face free. Then 0.5mm strip each side and a little wider at the bottom (ended up filing the bottom piece a little flatter after reference back to photos. Middle two legs soldered together as close as I dared, then cut off. Coat of grey paint for the back and sides. After regular tests with 9v battery (and resistor!) destination stuck to the front. Attached to interior lighting as before. Positive blue through the interior lighting strip, negative purple back to decoder. And body back on. And wait for it - let there be light! OK again you can't see it on here because my phone camera is terrible, but trust me on this. Think it looks better than the 101. And one from the side to show the completed laserglaze. All in all pretty happy with this one. Need to get the body off again and have a little shuffle of loose wires inside, but no big problem. Then some lenses for the marker lights and a small bit of weathering. So just need some more for the bubble car, perhaps the other bubble car to match, then the 115, perhaps the pair of 117s...... don't wait up. Rich

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. Keep smiling, and go easy on the chocolates. Rich

Good Evening All, Managed to get in the cave today while the small people were out dribbling on other small people. Tunnel mouth fun. A bit more of trying to get my 'quart in a pint pot' planning to look slightly less like a train set. Bare bones of tunnel structure. Doesn't need to go that far in as you can barely see into it from normal viewing angles. Brick edges (must be a proper name for this!) added from Wills arches suitably hacked about. In position. Some fiddling around to line up retaining walls then got to get back to the mess on the upper level. Rich

Just spent a thoroughly enjoyable few hours catching up with this topic, thank you Brian and other DMU supporters. Quite agree that there aren't nearly enough people flying the flag for these under appreciated units. I'm just in the midst of fitting laserglaze to some Lima conversions. I am really pleased with how it looks, but at about 5 minutes per window I am secretly wishing I'd squirrelled away some of the old southeastern flush-glaze. Looking forward to more. Rich

Good Evening. Update not really worth a picture tonight. Have managed to complete one side of the 121 DTS with laserglaze. Am quite pleased with the look, but then had to sort out the other side which was my first attempt. Managed to get all the windows out and should be able to reuse them all, but then had to get rid of the remnants of Glue and Glaze out of the apertures. Various experiments, but best method proved to be very hot water and a cocktail stick. Took about an hour and a half, but got it all off. Some minor damage to paint in the apertures themselves, but bodyside is fine. Will go back and touch them in as I think the paler areas will stand out and make the side look as thick as it is. More soon. Rich PS Got fished in to Clive Mortimore's excellent page on DMU bits on here earlier and may have accidentally picked up a couple of eBay bargains. I know, I know, finish the pile!

Good Evening, A laserglaze update, and time for some horrible extreme closeups. The class 121 DTS from the L211 hybrid set started life as a Lima 117 (well, bits of it did) so am using Shawplan Laserglaze to try to improve the look a bit. Previous Lima 117s have used the SE Finecast vacuum formed glazing, but this should (!) be better. I have used Laserglaze before, but on a Lima Mk3. The stuff produced for these is about 3mm thick so really easy to handle, the DMU version is wafer thin! So, attempt number 1 with Deluxe Glue and Glaze. Really not good. Glue was too stringy for this really. I admit to being pretty ham-fisted anyway, but I really struggled not leaving this everywhere even when applying with a cocktail stick. Also struggled to get the glazing flat in the hole. Attempt number 2. Slightly better. Happier with this, but still hoping to get better at it (given the number of windows left!). This time I filed the panes a bit more - this sounds counter-intuitive for flush glazing, but I wanted them to sit slightly deeper in the holes!! It's only by a fraction of a mm, but I think this will make it easier to get them in the same plane so to speak - very obvious that they're not if light catches them differently at all angles. I also went around the outside of the pane with a black marker to cut down the prism effect a little more, then dropped them in and touched a corner with a cocktail stick dipped in Humbrol clear acrylic varnish. Only a VERY tiny amount. Still a bit fingerprinty, but getting there. Picked up these tips on here somewhere but can't remember where now - thank you to whoever. I estimate it took about 5 minutes per pane and I don't see this getting quicker. There is an alternative of course. No? Rats. Rich

And only when I look at that picture above now do I realise that it has somehow avoided receiving lamp irons. There's always something!

Good Evening. Time for a more positive update. A while ago you may have noticed that all the 101 vehicles had gained a hole in lieu of a destination blind. Time to add some. First, much jiggling around on computer to match colour, font, size etc. Then printed onto glossy computer paper, cut out very carefully and glued onto one side of a length of 2x2mm clear acrylic rod the right length for the gap. Glue this to square head clear LED, then wrap a piece of sellotape from one side of LED to the other over the blind, encapsulating the lot. Trim with scalpel, then wrap black vinyl electrical tape around the LED the other way to hold clear tape in place in the event of glue failing, and stop light bleed down into cab. Attach positive leg (no idea! trial and error) to the LED interior light strip, and the other via a 3.9k resistor to the purple wire of decoder. I'm using cheapy Hattons ones. Seem alright, 4 functions. All back together and view from the outside with F2 off. Aaaand finally. Turn on F2 and it looks terrible. OK, it doesn't really it looks quite good but the camera on my phone is terrible so I can't change the light balance. So you'll just have to take my word for it. Pretty happy with this all in all. From a fairly terrible old Lima I think it holds it's own next to the new Bachmann and was still less than half the price of the current discounts even with all these things I've thrown in. Now have to do all the dreaded laserglaze on its 121 DTS partner. Don't wait up. Rich

Absolutely stunning. Not going to be able to tell the difference with the real thing when it's ballasted - well done. Rich

Hi Clive. Just found this and spent an enjoyable hour reading through. Could probably read it quicker if you didn't have such excellent ideas that leave me flicking back and forth to eBay between posts! Looking forward to more. Rich

Very sorry to hear that. Never met him but will look forward to doing so when hes better, so get well soon Dave, best wishes. Rich

Just spent a very happy couple of evenings reading this from the start while trapped under a baby. Can only echo what others have said on here about the exceptional attention to detail. I particularly like the honest trial and error approach - there isn't anything I haven't found inspirational yet. What I like best (and I have thought the same reading through Loftus Road) is the number of little things you've added that I would never have thought to include that really lift a scene. I think it's these little details - like the point locks - that make it difficult to tell if the picture is real or model. Of course it also means I'm now looking at my own thinking 'dammit now I have to add that or I'll always wonder why I haven't!' Would love to see this for real one day - keep up the good work. Rich

I'm sure it's something I've got wrong - temperature, pressure, humidity etc, but I've never had a problem with the gloss. I've had two tins of the Matt and can't seem to get it right. Rich

Well here we are - welcome back to the home of the forever unfinished DMU! Some progress to report, but also some massive frustrations that have slowed things down a bit (to the point of painting a Hornby 08 for my son as a diversion). The 101 is the closest to being finished and I'm hoping to be together in the next couple of weeks. Glazing is all back in, and I have most of the wiring in place for the destination blinds. Seemed like a good idea at the time having them lit up - not so sure now. Managed to source some flat LEDs about the right size, but have had trouble finding the right resistor to stop them lighting the whole of the front of the bodyshell up like the surface of the sun. More to report soon I hope on this one. Not much to report on the hybrid 101/121 unit. The 101 end has followed the one above so is virtually there, the 121DTS has been slowed down by my ham-fisted attempts at the Shawplan laserglaze. Did a few test ones and was happy, then did one side using Deluxe Glue and Glaze to hold them in, took about three hours to do one side, stepped back - looks terrible. All salvageable, but a massive pain in the backside. Not as much of a pain as the 115 though. Phoenix ready thinned varnish. Never had any issues with the gloss stuff (despite gluing my airbrush together a few times as a result of not cleaning it well enough), but have fallen out in a big way with the matt version. Did an enormous amount of stirring (not a complete lemon - have been painting in OO for 20 years), did the 101 fine, the hybrid fine, the bubble car fine, got to the 115 and disaster. No idea why but has dried really chalky across both vehicles. Much swearing. Tried various suggestions found on here - very fine wet/dry, sanding sticks, running over it with thinners and cotton bud, but no luck. As a last resort before stripping it I wondered if another layer of gloss would lift it a bit - it's going to be weathered anyway, most were filthy and I had nothing to lose at this point. Went for something I've never used before - Humbrol clear acrylic varnish in a glass bottle. I'd bought it as someone suggested using it to fit the laserglaze. Just as a trial I brush painted the exhaust end of the DMBS, results below (left, compared to TS right) This is after three hours drying. Seems a lot better. Not exactly back to full colour density, and not a mirror smooth finish, but the transfers are already on so I don't really need one. Will give it a week to totally harden on the end, then might go over a side. Couldn't fathom how it looks better or what it is doing. Nothing left to lose though. Rich