nightstar.train

I've decided I want an accurate model of the Night Riviera. I love modelling coaches, especially weird ones and the Night Riviera has a few interesting modifications to it's coaches, and the green livery is a very pleasing colour. I'm also lucky enough to have a sound fitted 57604 Pendennis Castle in GWR green that I got at Warley many years ago. Picked it up for just £90 at the scrum that was the Bachmann returns stand. I also have a 57603 Tintagel Castle I won at an auction, also for £90. So they need something to pull. So after a rummage in various hiding places I found 3 Mk3 sleepers, a Mk3 TGS and 3 Mk3 TSO/TFO, all Lima models. Stripped them down and ended up with 7 body shells and 2 boxes full of assorted bits. They went into a bath of surgical spirits to try and strip the paint off.

That could easily be a sad alien from the next Aardman animations film.

And announcements of batch 4/5? Pretty please? Need to know how many pennies I need to save.

From the latest Rapido U.K. newsletter. They posted a video of the Highland Goods EP test running. video here:

Rails have announced that the industrial versions are in stock with Heljan and due to retailers soon. So presumably the MR/Kernow ones will also be arriving. No update on the model rail page though. https://railsofsheffield.com/blogs/news/Heljan-ruston-hornsby-due-soon

I have successfully renumbered an Accurascale 92 and it was really easy. The numbers and name rubbed off easily with a cotton bud dipped in enamel thinners without damaging the paint underneath. Assuming that Accurascale use the same painting techniques and printing techniques with the 50s they should be fairly easy to renumber. Although I do understand the reluctance when you’re spending so much on a model.

Yes they’re now the same both sides. Previously as BFOs there was another large window between the guards door and the first window on the side pictured above.

If just had a look and there’s a good photo on page 109 of The Power of the HSTs by Colin Marsden. Can’t post it due to copyright, but it clearly shows the TCSD had normal doors both ends, no guards doors.

That's interesting that the two Accurascale exclusives are suddenly available again. Have they produced more than expected? Anyway it's turned into an expensive afternoon as I've gone and ordered a DCC Sound Network Rail version. Hope it is actually available and not some cruel website glitch.

That's how the Barbie livery was, only part of the door was painted white. If you look at the same page you've linked there and scroll down to 42356 you can see quite clearly how the doors are painted. So I think in the picture you're referring to it's just cut off before the white of the door.

Another extremely interesting conversion is of former HST Mk3 Trailer Composite 46014, which is now a luxurious guest sleeper car named "Moidart" for the LSL Chairman's Train. I would dearly love to have a trip in that!

There have been a few interesting conversions done in 2018 for the GWR Night Riviera sleeper train. The BFOs have been rebuilt as BSOs, so a new interior, and also had one of the windows removed at the brake end. The Mk3 TSOs have been rebuilt at one end to provide a disabled toilet. The RFMs has been massively rebuilt to provide a lounge car for the sleeper passengers and a small buffet counter for the seated passengers. They've lost the distinctive half height buffet windows. And three of the sleepers have had a disabled toilet added one end and the first compartment made accessible, leading to the plating over of a couple of windows.

I don't think the 88s have enough power to haul the sleepers north of Edinburgh. They only have 950HP on diesel. The 73/9s have 1600 which is considered enough for the Fort William sleeper, but not for the Inverness and Aberdeen. The Class 99 are supposed to have 2,100HP, so they might be good. Would probably be a cost saving for CS if they can use less engines. They currently use 6 92s for the electric legs and 5-6 diesels for North of Edinburgh. If the 99 is powerful enough in electric mode to haul a 16 car train, and in diesel mode to haul an 8 car train then I think that could be cut to 8 locos total, which is a saving of 1/3rd.

I wonder if this will lead to any changes in the motive power. The reliability of the 73/9s has not been stelar. Indeed on the Inverness and Aberdeen portions the train is often hauled by a 66 or 67 with the 73/9 acting as an ETHEL unit, rather than two 73/9s providing the power as was intended.

“Wow, what a lovely drawing Jim. You know, it’s so good I’m going to stick it up here on the stand where everyone can see it.”

I've been looking at doing this myself and I think it's an almost impossible ask RTR. In the current train there are 10 vehicles comprising 8 different bodies. So the tooling costs would be enormous. I don't think you could get a 10 car set for less than £1200 - £1500. If you want to model pre 2016 (when they introduced the spa car) you could drop that down to 9 coaches of 7 types. But if you go further back pre 2012, when they switched the dining saloon, then you've got yet another type of coach plus slight detail changes to the staff car.

Suggestion for your next show (and for any other manufacturers) . Could you print the line drawings from the front of your boxes on plain paper? Would make great colouring in sheets for kids. Maybe even make them downloadable on your website.

Ah-ha! I have a photo! it was Sc10680 that was repainted. I've heard there might have been a second, who knows. (I have attached all the attribution I have for the image. I don't know where I got it from and the site listed there is no longer active).

A child of taste and refinement I see. We should get badges to wear to exhibitions “I bought a purple deltic!” See how many angry looks we can get in an afternoon.

Maybe a stupid question but why do some 66s have wing mirrors? It's not like they have to mirror, signal, manoeuvrer when changing tracks.

Well my wallet breathes a sigh of relief. Although I model current scene (in theory), a class 66 will not darken my track, they're simply too ugly! *snatches up tin helmet and runs for cover* I might make an exception for a Royal Scotsman one, if I ever get my rake of RS coaches built. But for Accurascale this is definitely a good move. Absolutely ubiquitous loco, hundreds of them running around and in dozens of liveries. Question know is "does Bachmann have a response?" It's been a few years since they've had a release. Are Bachmann working away quietly on an upgraded version that will appear suddenly one quarter? But for now at least the "serious" end of the class 66 is open to Accurascale.

Let the froth commence! Does anyone have a list of the National Collection, and we can tick off the ones that they’ve already done. Give us a short list to guess from. I’m really hoping for a Caledonian single, but I’m not sure if that’s technically part of the national collection, or just belongs to the Glasgow museum.

When they announced the EWS and Mainline pair as Accurascale exclusives they did say there would be two more exclusives announced. They might well be revealed at Glasgow, along with whatever else Accurascale are planing.

The Guiness brewery in London had a pair of class 08 shunters that sported a very attractive livery. An 08 could sell thousands if you pick the right liveries.

It is all Mk3s. They were refurbished in about 2018 and the RFM converted into a lounge car. I think they are still classed as RFM though. They do have substantially different window arrangements to the RFM as built.