sub39h

hi there - i really like your work. however i had what may be a silly question. perhaps i'm missing the point, but why didn't you start with a 155 in the first place? Hornby made the WYPTE 155 a few years ago (R2108)

hi mate, he definitely has some stock in N gauge locos in the glass cabinet on the right as soon as you enter. i've also seen various bits of rolling stock as well. but how much i couldn't tell you as i model in OO so that's what i was looking out for. certainly most of his stock seems to be OO. best of luck

They were about a month ago. I rode that set

Just a further update to this and something worth considering - Hornby VEP bogies seem to be around the right dimensions (wheelbase 34.25mm, wheel diameter 13.5mm) and are available fairly inexpensively. Would have to fabricate a new mounting point, but could put one in each end and that should give it enough grunt to pull an entire train (i am basing this on one VEP being 4 cars and having a single motor bogie - so 2 motor bogies should be able to pull a full 2+8 train i'd imagine but I have no experience of this)

Haha yes it is a bit of a mess but there are some absolute gems to be found in there if you're willing to spend a bit of time. Tbh it's no worse than some other model shops I've been in! No doubt being in London doesn't help. However I think now that Hattons are having their hands forced by Bachmann to not undersell items things may change. haha i was wondering where those had gone. i was eyeing them up myself. glad they've gone to a good home though

Hello guys, This is a bit of an appeal for the above model shop. I have no affiliation with it other than being a satisfied customer. I've been there three times now, and the owner really is a delight. He's been running the model shop sort of as a hobby, and has been operating at a loss for the last 3 years. I went into the shop yesterday and was chatting to him and as per usual he couldn't have been more helpful. However I got the impression that he's considering closing up as the venture (albeit as a hobby which he was willing to make a small loss on) is now losing more money than is sustainable. He mentioned for example he didn't even take £190 last week. If you're new to the model railways game, he will give you practical tips and advice on how to get started. He is a former school teacher who used to build model railways for his kids. He does not have much experience with DCC but will certainly get you well on your way if you're a beginner and are wanting to start out with DC. Trust me, he always has time for his customers. I urge you all to visit or call. If he doesn't have items in stock he will order them for you or do his best to track them down. He has some older Bachmann items and a good selection of 2nd hand stock and is definitely worth a visit if you're after something a little unusual or no longer in production. He doesn't have the space to display everything but if you give him a list he might have it in storage. He will do his best to price match online competitors as well. It would be a shame for another model shop to go the way of many others. From what I can tell, model railways are not a popular endeavour in London (no spare space). But if you're visiting, he's only a short tube ride away on the Piccadilly Line and definitely worth popping in for. Many thanks

Stunning bench work. Becoming more interested in 3rd rail and LUL since moving to London late last year. Will be watching with interest!

Hi guys, I'm working on an ECML project from the late 80s, and really like the look of the Class 89 and wish to include it. The Silver Fox model looks cracking, but I was wondering if there was any detailed information of it available from an owner. I can't seem to find anything online. I have emailed them asking for more technical information, but I also had a question regards it's appearance. Please view the short video below I found online of the Class 89 going around a loop with a short rake of Hornby Mk4s. The roof level of the Class 89 seems higher than that of the coaches. In the real video below at the beginning there is a shot of the 89 going by in GNER livery, which shows that it is a little shorter and slimmer than that. Is this because the body has been placed too high on the chassis, because the body of the 89 is wrong or (i suspect the likely option) the Hornby 225 is out of scale? I've read that the 89 kit is a former kit from DC models, but when I search DC kits Class 89 I get a page on their website saying it's been withdrawn for retooling, so does anyone have any more information there? Thanks

lovely layout mate. did you use a kit for Banks Rd depot or was it scratch built? if you used a kit do you mind if i ask which one?

what a fantastic layout. looks really good, keep it up!

your modelling is absolutely stunning mate

my era is anywhere from 1986 - just before privatisation basically. thank you for the photo!

just a follow up question people as i have similar requirements - would the all green BP wagons and the grey wagons with the yellow/grey stripe ever run together?

your wording makes it sound as if you were following this hoping to follow what i'd done? if that's the case I would strongly advise you buy a Hornby HST set to begin with. for the amount of time and effort it would require to fix a Lima HST you would be better off getting the Hornby one. don't get me wrong, I have had the two models side by side and the Lima one really is very good, especially considering it's age - BUT just some of the finer details you get with the Hornby model make it worth it. if you're on a budget, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a remotored Lima HST if you do what I've done on some of mine and gone around the light surrounds with a silver marker pen they look 90% the part of the Hornby ones at a fraction of the price. but if like me you're hoping to pull full rakes potentially up inclines and want to add sound at a later date it's just easier to go with the Hornby model from the outset. once you've got an all wheel drive chassis, modified it to fit (including impossible to obtain parts), added a light bar and detailed the cabin (and remember you'd have to do it twice), you'd probably have saved money going for a lightly used Hornby HST set like I did. photo of the silver detail I've added to one of the Lima HST lights. this is the train set version I practiced on. I did it on the separately available higher detail Lima 43s and it looks even better:

i have totally abandoned this now and purchased 2 of the Hornby HSTs which soon will be winging their way to Grimy Times to have the beige corrected and to be renamed and renumbered in my desired ECML-correct specs. to summarise, options are as follows in no particular order: 1. remotor using the diesel-trains motor, although their website seems to have stopped working 2. remotor using Black Beetle or similar (expensive, would require at leats 4 bogies to pull a full rake) 3. remotor using modified Bachmann Class 25 (significant work, requires 2 motors, requires difficult to obtain parts such as 158 worm gears and Warship wheels in order to get it working properly) 4. remotor using the new Hornby HST chassis (I tried this and it does not look like it's easy) 5. remotor using Class 158 in the buffet car 6. *new suggestion not previously mentioned* remotor using old CD/DVD drive http://web.onetel.net.uk/~johndent/ringfield.html

hi mate, i'm not that new to RMWeb but only just managed to work out that this is where people keep their layout progress. i have been watching your videos for a while now. i myself am a beginner. i used to have a train set, and now i'm a little (or a lot) older i decided to become a railway modeller. from the very first video you had showing how you built platforms i've found your videos an inspiration, even the scratchbuilt station you had which you didn't like and changed for the RTR building. i am very sorry to hear of your tragic circumstances, and even more sorry to hear that there have been those deriving pleasure from your situation. but my outlook is to not let scummers stop me from enjoying my life. a hobby can take your mind off tough times and painful memories. i certainly would advise that you reconsider selling your stock. whatever damage may have been done to the layout can be repaired, but once a loco is sold it's sold and from looking at some of your collection you may not easily be able to get it back. all the best to you buddy.

aha, that Virgin one would be perfect for a respray, and saves me faffing about with Hurst parts. plus from the photos it looks like it is based on the Lima mould so would be ideal to match all my current Mk3s which are Lima thanks very much for the link

seems odd to me that Hornby would have specially moulded an RFM just for W&S livery? maybe we'll see a Chiltern Mainline one in the future and i'll just have to repaint that or I suppose I could go for Hurst models kit, but as with everything else on their website it's not in stock. do they even trade anymore? of the half a dozen things I need seriously nothing is in stock.

it's more the need for an RFM for one of my loco hauled services. i have one of these :http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Lima-OO-BR-Mk3-Buffet-Coach-Intercity-Livery-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/3V4AAMXQ6BRRZBr~/$T2eC16dHJF8E9nnC8HWWBRZBr-yRZw~~60_35.JPG but it looks like that's a HST car because it only has 3 windows

thank you both for that very helpful information. My intended layout is going to feature a fictional North London terminus that serves both the ECML and Midland Main Line (so basically a "King's Cross-St Pancras. station) based around the early 90s. I am going to have a couple of loco-hauled Mk3 services for variety but this is going to be a quirk of "my" railway and I won't otherwise feature any WCML services so I should be ok with my windowed power cars. are there any 00 models of the TRSB and TRUK out there? because I have Lima restaurant cars in Exec and Swallow but both of them have 3 windows.

i don't really fully understand the differences between the Mk3 Kitchen/Buffet cars. here is a prime example - what is the difference between a TRFB and a TRFM then? and what are TRUKs? Did TRSBs exist after the Swallow livery was introduced?

so it was running with a TRSB rather than a TRFB? I wasn't aware that any of those were in Swallow livery Edit: it seems I can't read properly. Never mind!

So some power cars lost them when they were painted in I/C Swallow? Those pictures would be very helpful, thanks. I only have a couple of photos led by 43072 and with 43051 trailing. The impression I got from the description of the photos (taken by a railway worker in Sheffield) was that it was always these cars that pulled the Master Cutler? But this seems unlikely as BR had already made the decision that it was unfeasible to permanently couple two power cars permanently?

Perfect. Thank you. When you say later refurbishments, I take it you mean after privatisation when fleets were life-extended? So they all were in original form in I/C Swallow livery?

Hi guys, I am trying to acquire a Hornby I/C Swallow HST pack which I want renaming and renumbering to ECML numbers. I note that in the Swallow pack one of the cars has a window for a guards' compartment and one doesn't. I just wanted to make sure that I picked suitable running numbers for the power cars. One will be renumbered 43051 "Duke and Duchess of York" and from photos it seems as though this one had the extra window. I wanted the other numbered 43072 and make a Master Cutler set but again info online reveals that 43072 should have a window too. The link http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Pages%20Loco/Recognition%20loco/Illus_43A%20HST.html indicates that cars after 43152 were no longer built with guards' windows. I wanted to confirm that it is indeed correct that all running numbers greater than 43152 did not have guards' windows. I am aware of (and have participated in) another thread which gives details of all the ECML HST running numbers so I just need to know whether the above info is correct. Many thanks