Revolution Mike B

The Bachmann green isn't right, it doesn't have enough blue in it. It'll be interesting to see what the real paint looks like when it turns up and how it compares to the Bachmann and Hornby colours.

Any updates??

Hahaha - you should've shown them the other ballast pictures....then they'd have been confused :-)

Were they blind Ade??

Bloody hell, I wasn't expecting those responses!! I think the problem is, I'm trying to recreate stuff I've seen but with limited modelling skills. In my mind, I know exactly what it's supposed to look like but it's a bit frustrating when I don't know how to replicate it. I tried the very fine sand / dust mixed with some paint but it didn't turn out according to plan....hmmm, sounds familiar that! Thanks again for the really encouraging comments even if I'm not seeing what you guys are!

Well I've been messing around with the tarmac again because it still didn't look right.....and if I'm honest, it still doesn't, and maybe I've gone about it in the wrong way whereby I should've just used some scale scenes printed stuff and be done with it! This is the latest incarnation.... The slabs will need repainting but if I'm honest, I wasn't overly happy with those either and this will need to be the last time I change it because it's taking me forever to get the station done. In an ideal world, I'd use some 800 wet & dry but it would be difficult to stick it down without leaving a ridge unless I took the platform surface back up.....and that's no going to happen...yet

I don't get any issues with our cheap servos and the Megapoints system other than some infrequent chatter, and even then, in an exhibition hall, you can't hear it any way. If you use 0.6 - 0.8 wire for the control arm then it stops the servos from being overdriven too. I've never had any issues with the servos twitching either and they're all using servo cables plugged together over quite a distance.

There's still a bit of work to do but it's not far off. Once I've corrected the errors, new parts will be cast (I'm working with a couple of people on the O Gauge HST Project - please see Facebook if you're on social media) so a rake of MK3's should be a doddle to make. This particular coach is going to be our demo and will be one of the later FGW (though not the current GWR one) versions all though a Flying Banana would make an interesting model :-) Cheers Mike

Personally, I can't see OR getting any of this wrong, especially after all the trouble they've gone to getting everything else right! They've clearly done their home work and they certainly look the part. They've also been brave in producing a wide range of liveries and I've no doubt they'll sell like hot cakes. Hornby have sold thousands of theirs and they're not the best for detail so I'm looking forward to the HST variants.

In between all of the other things I've currently got on the go, I managed to get some more work done of the MK3 coach this weekend. The body itself is almost there, with just a little more work to be done to the ends by way of sanding and a couple of weather strips to be added I know the inspection hatch is wrong but at the moment, I can't be bothered to grind it off and make it bigger - it'll do for now. The gangway end has also come along in leaps and bounds.... There's a few little issues whereby the rubbing strip looks too wide (which will be corrected once I open up the corridor) and the rubber gator could do with reshaping but once these have been cast, I'll amend them due to it being easier to file the resin. I'll need to make a new door too as the current one is wrong. The bogies are almost finished and ready for recasting with the correct details for bot LHCS and HST variants so next up will be the new roof vents and the buffer beams. As always, watch this space......

Cheers Pete! Coming from you that's a massive compliment.

Hi David I've just finished reading through this whole thread since you posted on mine the other day. I'm absolutely speechless! If it wasn't for those lights being a shade to thick, and the track being OO and not P4, I'd seriously lose a lot of money betting on the fact it was real. Your attention to detail is absolutely outstanding and your scratch built stuff is out of this world. I tried to keep my layout simple, so I can fully appreciate the effort you've put in to this. Well done buddy,it's brilliant.

Thanks Rich, all sorted and ordered!

Apologies for the lack of updates - I've been a bit busy with work, the O Gauge HST Project and helping out at exhibitions, but I'll be back on the case this week. I can't believe there's 79 people following this now

Great progress......I can't wait to see it running.

They're about 1mm too wide. The toilet windows are too narrow and in the wrong place. Cheers Mike

If you're on Facebook Peter, you can follow the project onthe O Gauge HST page. The power cars will be a resin kit. Cheers Mike

I guess it's about time I started a thread on here for my O Gauge MK3 coaches so to kick things off, let's get the formalities out of the way. Firstly, I'm pretty new to railway modelling proper, my modelling skills are best described as 'learning', I'm not a train spotter and I don't wear an anorak. I do, however, have a passion for modern image, like watching trains whiz by, have liked trains since the age of 3 and suffer quite badly with the 'I'm not sure that's right' syndrome also known as mild OCD. I'm also quite partial to the HST. Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, I really want an O Gauge HST. Now I know PRMRP do a brass kit for both the power cars and MK3 coaches but there's two issues here. 1) The windows are wrong on the coaches (I'm not slating Pete Snr and Pete Jnr - I know them both), and 2) despite Pete and Dave (Lowery) trying to explain, I'm way off possessing the skills to build the brass kits. Trust me, I'm trying very hard to learn with a class 47! That brings me to the old Skytrex MK3 coach which looks about as much like a MK3 as a London Bus. Hmmm, OK, that's a bit harsh but it's probably true. They're also £90 from Dave @ Skytrex and made of plastic, which made it rude not to grab one and see what I could do with it. In the box you get 2 sides, 2 ends, a floor, a roof, glazing, seats, cast bogies and some gangway ends. You still need some wheels but that'll give you a complete coach for around £110! It's also not a bad kit (for a beginner like me) either if you ignore the errors. As mentioned, I'm no Brian Daniels, but encouraged by reading his, and other people's threads, I set about correcting the errors. In case anyone isn't aware, they are: Coach ends look like a MK2 and gangways are completely the wrong shape Roof Vents are too small Windows are too big, toilet window is too small and missing the cross bar Tumblehome is er.....a 20 degree angle Equipment box (underneath the coach) is too wide and has a strange squared off shape at each end The bogies are very basic. From the list above, I figured that if the ends were corrected, the window issue wouldn't stand out so much because even though they're too big, they actually sit in the right place on the coach side. So out with the filler and a file to create that unique MK3 coach shape! It's far from perfect but at least it looks like a MK3 now. I also took a file to the tumblehome to remove the angle and make it as curved as I could. I've added some basic detail to the bogies which again isn't 100% correct but it gave me an idea of what needed doing. I know the painting isn't great but I can correct that later. Next up, the gangway ends.....

Thanks Martin. I need it for the O Gauge HST Project as the demo coach will be FGW purple. It would've been XC but apparently they're a bit funny about their logo being reproduced. Mike

4ohm buddy

Don't worry.....I'll keep on 'keeping on' until it gets extended by at least another board.........although I may have to commit to buying Ian a van to cart it around in....and learn to drive the trains properly!

Nice one thanks. Got some good results searching for that code. While you're at it, is there any chance you could do the same for the FGW blue please?

Was a pleasure helping out Ian.....and I didn't crash any trains.....I left that to you ;-)

That was the colour name given to me by the people that painted it! It's got a lot of blue in it too which gives it that odd undertone. Can you do some digging for me and find out please? Cheers Mike

They look good, but they're nearer O gauge than OO Gauge. We have them at work so I measure them 3 inch in dia which makes the DCC Concept ones way too thick and the heads equate to 3ft!!!!! . Shame really because they're a great product.