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Aren’t these by Rivarrosi ? I recall Cyril Freezer had one in the Modeller when I were a lad .

Oh joy ! Totally unexpected, 279 just popped through the letter box .

Yes I remember the plate DER 1 and it was on a black limousine kept in the underground car park at Apex house . It was seldom used from what I recall . The holding company had a very efficient and helpful transport section who were located in Apex house . Apex house featured in the original “Italian Job “ when it stood in for the building controlling traffic lights .for the city .Michael Caine cuts off the electricity . In the film you can see Viv Hartley , the House Services Manager, get the nod and start to throw switches and the office lights go out .

That’s very helpful , thanks Mike . i guess it is necessary to push off the Bachmann gears and replace them on the new axles ? No worries , I’ve done similar with Dapol GWR railcars . Ken

I see that Bachmann are to reintroduce their early LMS Co Co diesel .I’m keen to convert one to EM gauge . I know Branchline used to do a specific set of wheels to do this but believe they are out of stock . Has any one done this conversion or could suggest an alternative source of wheels . I wonder whether Ultrascale’s set for a Bachman class 44 would fit ? Thanks in advance .

Hi Terry yes highly likely we met . My office was on the 5th floor but later we moved up to , I think , the 7th floor . As you know , Apex house was demolished. As you say Good Old Days ! Ken Lavey

I was the Personnel Manager at DER from the mid 1970 s till 1984 . The Ford Escort Estate car was a big inducement for tv engineers to join at a time when they were in great demand . DER was the first to offer estates when other companies provided vans . Going outside my role , I phoned Matchbox toys to ask if they would make models in DER livery . They agreed to do so but we would have to underwrite sales of ( I recall) 10,000 units . The advertising budget wouldn’t stretch that far .

Just to endorse the use of kitchen units. I used Wickes basic range as a foundation for the baseboards. I followed Barry Norman's advice for the baseboards themselves i.e. plywood beams separated by softwood The units below are great storage and hold stock etc. The units are in a 10 by 8 shed and are on the sides of teh shed. I completed the "oval" with longer beams at each end; the long beam at the shed door is articulated to lift for access..although I still crawl under. I made the beams 4 inches deep to allow for wiring and Tortoise motors. No regrets.

David, this photo shows the hook and bar coupling and weight more hat I recall adding!). A fall palte ws fitted later Hope this helps. Ken

I am sorry that your son is disappointed with the performance of his 28xx . i believe that the centre of gravity is as important as weighting and balanced my 72xx on a lolly stick to get it right . Back to the 28xx . You’ve probably tried these suggestions already and hope they are helpful . The springing of the pony truck can have an effect . I mentioned the unintended gradients when the shed settled . Both 28xx slipped to a stop on a curve with a slight gradient. I fiddled with the trucks , at one point fitting a light spring from phosphor bronze wire . That helped track holding but diminished traction so I discarded it . I adjusted the securing screw to slacken it off and lubricated the sliding faces and finally added a slug of lead . I also changed the tender coupling to a hook on the tender bearing down on a bar on the drag beam . I had weighted the tender so that a bit more weight bears down... I fancy the 28xx May be a little nose heavy . I hope these suggestions help and wasn’t trying to boast about the 28xx’s performance . BTW I don’t think the conversion to EM gauge was a factor in that the extra gauge helped . One 28xx has the Hornby wheels pulled out on its axles and the other has Ultrascale wheels . I can’t detect any difference in grip between the two . The 72xx runs on Gibson’s .! Best wishes

I try to add weight to my locos but haven’t found a way to this with loco drive Hornby 28xx . I have 2 which have been converted to EM gauge . They can haul 30 odd wagons around 36 inch radius curves in my shed . The shed has settled slightly so there are unintended slight gradients as well , so I have no problems with their haulage powers . Slightly off topic, I did add weight to a Hornby 72xx . Some went into the smoke box to be balanced by a similar amount in the bunker . The 72xx , again , converted to EM gauge, will pull 30 odd wagons .

Just to confirm, I’ve asked Peco for details of the article . I guess it maybe a while before they can answer , but I’ll let you know the outcome .

I’m minded to ask the helpful people at Peco to identify the article about kit bashing 2 Lord of the Isles into one of these elegant locos .They have been amazing at sending copies of half remembered items before . Hattons have Lord of the Isles at around £80 .

Impressive work ! Are those Ultrascale wheels ? I doubted my ability to do the Brassmaster’s conversion full justice so contented myself with a straight EM conversion with Gibson’s wheels . Are there significant improvements to ride , adhesion and electrical pick up ? I’ll look forward to seeing more .

I recall that the Model Railway Constructor magazine published plans of 3 Subs with streamlined fronts . It was a long time ago and I didn’t keep a copy so am sorry that this isn’t too helpful . Perhaps there is an online index ?

Here is my effort on similar timescales . Purchased 40 years ago and nearly finished , I see I haven’t removed the carrier film from a transfer . The plastic card body has been stable and strong . The bogies track well (EM gauge ) .

I was reassured to see Compound2632’s post as I am eagerly awaiting my subscription copy . I’m not complaining in these unprecedented times , just curious . I know the Royal Mail is disrupted despite the great efforts of all our posties . I’m content to wait now knowing that I’m not alone. .

Hello Mike sorry to be late . I went in with a jeweller’s screwdriver at the end of the bogie where there’s a rectangular slot. From memory I used a twisting motion . Although it was a jeweller’s type of screwdriver, it was a large(ish) by the standards of those screwdriver . There is a kind of mortise and tongue arrangement and you need to get under the bottom of the moulding to ease the tongue up and over. I, too, found it nerve wracking but it suddenly “gave” . I’m not aware of changes in the flexibility of the moulding . The first one I did was about 2or 3 years ago and was their railcar . The second was the newer parcels version . Would it help to look at the photos I sent as I tried to indicate the location of the screwdriver there ? Sorry Grandma eggs . Sadly this reminds me of working on my MG Midget ... first remove this nut ....and I couldn’t shift the bxxxxxr Goodluck and I’ll follow events closely Ken .

Mike e mails sent. Ken

Hello Mike im pretty sure it was a newsletter but I kept a draft . I’d be happy to forward it . I’ll try to attach a file ( May take me a while computer skills not brilliant.) If that fails would you send me e mail details , please ? Ken

PS surprisingly , the driven Dapol wheels go through my points with no trouble despite my comments on their width . Ken

Sorry Mike , I can’t recall the number of the newsletter but it was fairly recent ... about 6 or 7 ago . The non driven wheels are too thick ( across tread and flange ) within the bogies . The Gibson wheels are fine . Clearances are tight within the bogie probably because of the need to confine them within the removable valances . Let me know how you get on . Ken

I’ve done this conversion twice and it is relatively simple . Briefly ( I did write it up in more detail in an EMGauge newsletter) . To access the power bogie , place a flat head screwdriver in the side and in the join and gently wriggle . The cover will pop out . It’s held by two clips at the end . The driven wheels can be lifted out and reused . I used a GW models gear puller to ease the wheels out on the original axles . Use an EM Gauge society b to b gauge . Re the non driven bogie . Discard the Dapol wheels and axles . Replace with Gibson 3 hole 12 mm wheel sets . You’ll need to shorten the Gibson axles which I did by removing the wheels and mounting the axle in a drill . Then I used a file to shorten and restore a pin point . Again check b to b, clearance is tight but achievable . You’ll need to fiddle the pick ups but it’s not difficult . My two run well and have no probs with 36 inch curves and points . Good luck .

This is a simple conversion . The driven bogie original Dapol wheels can be eased out on their axles using a GW models gear puller . Check b to b with EM gauge society gauge . The non driven bogie is a little more complex . Discard the original wheels and axles which are shorter than the 26 mm norm . Replace with Gibson’s 12 mm 3 hole disc . You’ll need to shorten the Gibson axles . I used a drill and a file . The pick ups need also fiddling . ive done this twice and both run well . i wrote up the conversion in an EM Gauge newsletter . Good luck Ken

Just to clarify , we were discussing drive on the the model not the real thing . Dapol have included dummy drive shafts if you are modelling the railcar in later condition with valances or skirts removed . Mine is being run in on rollers and is ticking over quietly and smoothly .