BernardTPM

I bought a Marina this weekend and it must be one of the best cars they've done. Apart from a slightly wide track (more Maxi than Marina) I can't really fault it. However, there must be the in me and he keeps saying 'Ital'. And that's just no good at all for 1972.

Minor point on car registrations. At this time they ran from 1st August to 31st July, so L reg. is August 1972 to 31st July 1973, making it even more likely to have been built in 1972. A to D suffixes were for 1963 to 1966 respectively, but E reg only covers 1st January 1967 to 31st July followed by F reg from 1st August 1967 to 31st July 1968. Apparently this change was at the request of the motor trade to improve sales mid-year where they had traditionally been low, but in the end the annual suffix/prefix system distorted the market. The FWD 1500 was later re-engineered to RWD as the Dolomite, but externally there's very little difference.

The Hornby and Farish Class 60s suffer from 'goose pimples' too. Here the real thing has pop rivets instead of screws but they are similarly discrete. I occured to me that it might be possible to shave the rivet heads away with a sharp knife to leave just an almost but not quite flush disc shape that might represent a screw head rather better than a raised dome.

I faced a similar problem with the 'cast' BR lion for AC electrics (it was actually going onto a 'Western' but the description properly identifies it). In the end I stripped the colouring off, painted all the shape I wanted (full and half-etch) with Humbrol enamel, stuck it on some sticky tape and put it in PCB etch solution. Worked a treat, even for the lion's tongue!

Tesco's and Morrisons (and probably other) value jam comes in glass jars at only 27p (so-called 'lemon curd' only 22p), rather less than Nutella costs! Usual tin with rubber seal lid. As well as a container for white, spirit, etc. you can wash them out, sterilise them in an oven and replace the contents with decent, home-made jam (the price charged for empty jars is just silly).

So the Kirdon shunter wasn't the normal English Electric '350hp' after all, but a North British 200hp 0-4-0 type (11700-2, but also built as industrials).

There were some 'cut and shut' Mk.2s in 'Model Railway News' in the late '60s when these first came out. Though they were made into TSOs they admitted that they came out slightly overscale length because the window spacing was too wide for 2nd Class, though it is not enough for 1st Class; a compromise to make a reasonable looking 'shortie' for the Big-Big range, though the bogies are spot-on. I guess we must be thankful they aren't as foreshortened as their tinplate predecessors!

Only the Mk.2 FKs had (near) Mk.1 pattern gangway rubbing plates - here's the first prototype FK http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/BR_Mk2_prototype.jpg; the gangways on the production ones were similar, though W13252 has a different body profile as it was built using the Swindon IC DMU jigs. The TSOs, BSOs and BFKs (and the Pullman Mk.2s) all had recognisably Mk.2 style gangways, albeit with sliding, rather than folding, doors http://www.theaylesburynews.com/images/BR%20Mk2%20TSO%20S5249%20RTC%208-3-05.jpg Incidentally the 'Z' is really part of the TOPS style coding, though why the number '1' is acceptable yet the number '2' is not I can't fathom. There's a useful list here: http://www.solihullmrc.org/coach_tops_codes.html, so a Mk.2 TSO is AC2Z. Hope the pictures help, Sean. You've done a really good job with the conversion.

The building looks very like those at Stratford L.I.F.T. (London International Freight Terminal).

I remember you'd occasionally see those in the '60s and early '70s. Like the A60, etc. they were styled by Pininfarina. As the Pugs and BMC 1500/1600s were about the same size, a little work with plasticard and filler could do the job - each of the BMC marques were slightly different anyway; it would probably be easier to make into an Oxford than a Cambridge. For British cars in H0 the British H0 Society site is useful: http://www.british-ho.com/ The Brekina P6 is much nicer than the Oxford one, especially round the front screen/roof area.

If you haven't seen it, then 'Brighton Rock' (the 1947 version) has good period footage and atmosphere.

Definitely a K41, Ben - note the flat rainstrip/gutter at the top of the sides.

Interesting vehicles. They appear to use the Riley/MG 'Farina 1600' tail lights.

Highfield did actually do a GWR composite 4-wheeler to fit the NR-122B brake van version of the chassis.

The mirror image problem is on the brake version, probably because they only used one set of (probably pantograph engraver) templates, reversing it for the second side. The all compartment coach is OK as the symmetrical layout meant that the same template could do both sides the same way. The same fault applies to the N gauge compartment brake as well. The later corridor coaches don't suffer from this because both sides are completely different anyway.

The bodywork is more or less LMS Period 2 style, but I believe the length is short. Those old kits had crude tin roofs, best replaced with something else. At least you seem to be spared the heavy metal bogies!

It's surprisingly useful for interior shots. The dining coach is a very late Mk.1 with the Mk.2 style luggage racks.

While the size is just fine, the corridor partition on the Lima Mk.2B just doesn't do it for me, failing to reflect the glass and aluminium originals - it would look better in a Mk.1 (or original 1964 Mk.2 FK). One of my favourite 'modern' coach interiors and seen to good effect here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoa3OTJfWIY

If it's any consolation, I still have aoither one to do, though I was always planning to do that as the FS version http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryitalianbogievan with the disticntive deep lower section to the doors. Still, that will have to wait until I get to my new home - after I'm not of 'no fixed abode'.

Why not look at using the Ratio GWR coach sides - you can get them on their own from Parkside Dundas and they have the same style of panelling as the Tri-ang clerestories, (which is quite close to the LBSCR style). http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/RATIO_PLASTIC_MODELS.html After all, the ends and roof would need changing/replacing anyway.

And, of course, the ScotRail Mk.3s were loco hauled coaches that came from the WCML, so had the 'early' type end roof vents.

I'm sure I mentioned it earlier, but the major parts of the cabs were aluminium castings, so identical on all three builds. It was what was between, beyond and under them that was different!

The buffets had the same end vents as HSTs so don't come into this equation, just the TSOs and FOs (the loco hauled RUBs and HST TRUBs were, buffers apart, almost identical, at least in model terms - but not real life as they were wired differently). The early pattern roof could also open up the possibilty of a Prototype HST at some stage, of course.

The East Coast was the first line to get the air-con Mk.2s so Mk.2D there were common until HSTs came in. The bodyshells are largely the same, but the Mk.2D TSOs have both toilet windows (and opposing blank panels) on the same side, while there's one of each on Mk.2E & Mk.2F.

You could probably find some American H0 wheels near that size, though axle length might be a problem. 9.333mm is the equivalent of 32" in H0.