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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 .

My earlier passenger version was 1 motor with drive to one bogie and pick up from t’other . I never had problems with its running and there was no sign of a uj drive to both ends of the motor . I did follow posts here with reports of poor running and remedies . From all I read I believe the spec for the first batch was drive to one bogie only . My hopes were raised with talk of drive to both bogies but if the parcel car runs as well as my passenger railcar , I’ll be content .

My Parcels GWR railcar number 17 arrived from Hattons today. A beautiful model which captures the sinuous curves of the original, detailing and the livery is expertly applied. A lovely job. I am pleased but see that it is not all wheel drive and has one powered bogie and the other is for pick up . See earlier post which reflected Dapol's claims that the drive arrangements had been improved. Hattons thought it was all wheel drive when I checked with them on pre- ordering. Not a deal breaker as my earlier passenger version runs well and was relatively easy to convert to EM gauge. It has not been run yet as there other jobs in front of the 2do list.

I have converted a 56xx and a Grange and in both cases used the excellent Ultrascale drop in wheel sets to EM gauge. Both work well and the 56xx is my best smooth and silky runner. As to pulling out original wheels. I've done this on a Hornby 28xx (I took advice from the Cornwall Yard people). It worked well. I took the wheel set out of the chassis and supported it in the "vee" of a piercing saw table. Then I used a masonry nail to gently tap the axle with a lightweight hammer. After three taps, I felt the axle move and then gently tapped again until I could see movement of 1 mm each end. I finessed the b to b with a small vice and EM gauge Society back to back gauge. It needed spacers to take up the slack and I used Peco fibre washers with a segment cut out to slip over the axle ( thanks to Tim Shackleton for the tip). The quartering didn't move or alter during my bodging. I've also converted a Bachman 57xx with the same tools and techniques. It ran after a fashion but I eventually substituted an Ultrascale drop in conversion which has resulted in greatly improved running. I've converted the powered bogie of a Dapol streamlined GWR railcar using a GW wheel puller and then finessed the b to b with an EM gauge Society back to back gauge. This worked well and didn't need spacers. I wrote up the full conversion in the EM Gauge Society newsletter. I think it is matter of "horses for courses" and recommend joining the EM Gauge Society. My preferred course when I can afford and get them is to use Ultrascale drop in conversion sets, but I've used Hornby, Markits and Alan Gibson wheels to convert Airfix, Triang(!) and Bachman locos and diesel railcars. Give it a try and good luck. Give it a try and good luck. Ken

Thanks Guys for the interest and kind words . Brian Huxley's article set his Gadfly in the First World War . His model was carrying a Sopwith Camel and he cautioned against selecting aircraft from inappropriate eras . The full size Gadfly was a kit bash - take an old 6 wheel coach , remove the body and centre wheels and add a timber deck . I chose a1930 s time scale and the Bristol Bulldog would have been obsolescent at that time . It is of course the type that Douglas Bader was flying when he crashed . I happened to have an Airfix kit in the spares box so I envisaged a crash recovery. Jim thanks for the YouTube . It looks like a Spitfire mark VIII to me in Burma or the Far East . Very interesting . In England by this time (1943 or 44)road transport had developed and I suspect the RAF might have used an articulated Queen Mary lorry as per the Airfix kit . My Gadfly isn't a kit BTW . It has a 15 thou brass sheet as a bed with a Kenline solebars , headstock etc . Then a plasticard decking . Thanks for your interest . Ken

I've got a spare set of Ultrascale 00 wheels and gears for a 3 car Lima DMU . They were bought specially for a Met Cam set but I'm pretty sure the motor bogies are the same .

I carried out this conversion about 40 years ago. The first version used the Triang chassis but I fitted Romfords and a 40 to 1 gear set. The trailing bogie was a plastic box but with pick ups from the Ultrascale 3 foot wheels. Later I made a brass chassis with compensation but it didn't work ( I soldered the pivot solid). It is now on its third iteration with a second compensated brass chassis, a Mike Sharman milled gearbox and brass trailing bogie. It has a small Mashima motor. I hope my modeling standards has moved on in the interim but the onset of "wobbly hands" mitigates. The Gadfly with Bristol Bulldog was inspired by another Brian Huxley article