Southwich

Hi Nick - I went well till I snapped them during spraying so likewise will be replacing them, most likely with thicker wire as per @Daddyman’s thread he’s done. That’s on the more difficult list to complete in a few tasks time after I’ve ticked more items off on the list! Kind regards, Will

The grids look even better together in the yard! Great work as always Pete. Kind regards, Will

Long time no update - a selection of photos of projects I’ve been working on last few weeks weeks - with thanks to @P.C.M for his help and use of facilities. All described below: - 37308: Kernow LTD edition William Cookworthy. Buffers swapped, headboard clips removed, Shawplan fan grille added, Shawplan WR lamp brackets added, replica HI headlight added, Pete Harvey lamp bracket added (only one each end per the prototype, end details added, wire handrails replaced, Pete Harvey steps added (albeit corrected), chains replaced with finer versions and Penbits brake gear added. Initial roof fading completed and chassis work started with a coat of nato black. - 37605/607: Accurascale 37s - main work includes gluing and filling the roof, Shawplan reinforced window surrounds, Shawplan horn grilles and Shawplan fan grille. The 37/0 sandpipes have been removed to be correct to the prototype, locos have been rewheeled to P4, had an initial fading on the bufferbeams and a coat of Tamiya nato black on the underframe. - Cavalex 56007/56072: triple grey base models have had the livery elements removed, roof painted to bed in the black new Loadhaul roof panels ready for weathering, ends detailed and underframes weathered. 56007 has had an etched reinforced window added at the number one end, scavenger ports added on the roof, and class 92 buffers added at the number two end. Inside of the radiator grilles and cab interiors have also been weathered. Hopefully some more progress and better photos over the next month! Kind regards, Will

Loving the photos Tim. Excellent modelling sir Kind regards, Will

Depends which era you’re modelling though, as some were removed later in life. E.g. 56007 in 1988: 2003 condition that I’m trying to replicate: Picture links from Flickr. Moral of the story they’re all different so check your chosen prototype before fitting! I fell foul of that after realising 56018 didn’t have them fitted… Kind regards, Will

Thanks David - exceptionally helpful! Kind regards, Will

Just a quick Question for you David, do you have any details on what you used to replace Bachmann’s bogie chains? Are you also able to take a photo of how you’ve attached Brian’s brake levers as well please assuming you’ve used those? I’m looking at my new tractors thinking that could be a nice upgrade. Thanks in advance, Will

Next month or so all being well - we’re happy to accept suggestions in the meantime though! Kind regards, Will

153 looks class - great work! Kind regards, Will

Just on this I have flown back to Australia over the weekend with three grids in my hold stored luggage and they have been protected perfectly. The cradle has worked really well and ensured there is not a mark on the loco nor are there any bits floating about in the box. Safe to say the box has done its job! Kind regards, Will

Grid and layout are looking great Tim! Kind regards, Will

Just saying there is significant offence going to be caused if my ModelU scan ends up with “copper” hair 😉 Pic attached for colours worn during the scan. Kind regards, Will

Drop us an email (cavalexmodels@gmail.com) with confirmation of your preorder details and we’ll do what we can to ensure you get your order sorted! Kind regards, Will

Even if it is out of era I’m hoping I’ve made the cab rather than my old man! Will

Slightly disappointed you didn’t say nice new 47 if I’m honest… 🤣

Send us an email (cavalexmodels@gmail.com) with your address and we’ll get a spare in the post to you. Kind regards, Will

https://ultimatemodelrailways.com/products/cavalex-class-56-gbrf-farewell-railtour-twin-pack-56081-56098-2022-condition?variant=42341600690341 Looks like ultimate model railways have @Ultimate Model Railways Kind regards, Will

Awesome Pete! Looking forward to seeing it when I’m back in Melbourne Kind regards, Will

Final 5 sound fitted versions available for mail order at John Dutfield. Kind regards, Will

Some limited availability here: https://ultimatemodelrailways.com/collections/cavalex-grid-class-56?sort_by=price-descending As well as mail order from John Dutfield. Kind regards, Will

The new 4mm Class 60

Thanks for your experiments James! Funnily enough I had a spare hour for the first time in quite a while so also did a bit of tinkering - first testing a triple grey shell: I used cotton buds and white spirit on both the tests. And then moving onto a 120 which is a donor for ‘078 in 2003 condition - removing all of the OHLE stickers and numbers: Ready for new numbers and OHLE stickers before weathering. I think it goes without saying that I’ve now invalidated my warranty though 🤣 Kind regards, Will

After a long week delivering Class 56s up and down the country we are pleased that all of our retailers have now received their models. Please get in contact with us or your retailer if you have any questions or issues with your Class 56s. Thanks to @P.C.M in Australia for sharing the below photos of his weathered model of 56008 on his excellent layout Llanbourne. We’re looking forward to seeing photos of 56s on layouts in the next few weeks! Kind regards, Will

Thanks for the feedback Peter. Can you please send us an email with your observations and we’ll look into it further? We felt that the all round performance benefits from going AIA-AIA on uneven track far outweighs the minimal impact of not having the centre axle driven. Hope that helps to explain our thinking behind the decisions? Kind regards, Will

Best course of action would be to call Rails to sort as they do have both EM/P4 wheelsets in stock. Although please bear with them if you can’t get through immediately as from Facebook comments they’ve been quite busy with the 56 dispatch! Kind regards, Will