Adrian Wintle

I forgot to mention the one major exception to newer stock being Code 55 ready - MicroTrains! Until very recently, MT stock (and replacement trucks) were supplied with 'pizza cutter' wheels, requiring replacement with MT low-profile (or other) wheelsets. For a while the rolling stock was supplied with a set of low profile wheelsets in the box, but they stopped doing that. This year they switched to a new standard wheelset that will run on Code 55, but has slightly larger flanges than their low profile wheelsets. If you are buying replacement trucks, ones in the older packaging (blister on a card backer) will have 'pizza cutters' unless identified as having low profile wheels, while ones in the new moulded plastic packaging will have the new wheelsets. All new MT rolling stock has the new wheelsets, but be prepared to replace the wheels on older stock. As well as the MT Delrin wheelsets, Fox Valley Models (FVM) and BLMA both make very nice replacement metal wheelsets that will fit into MT trucks (0.540" axles). Adrian

An option I've used is the MJT working corridor connectors. The retracted and boarded Stanier gangways are fine, but the extended replacements that came with the later runs of the coaches tend to be pre-warped and seem to have shrunk duing cooling - I find they need modification to fit the coaches. Adrian

Most modern wheelsets will handle Atlas Code 55 with no problems. Some slightly older stuff will have problems (eg. my LifeLike FA2/FB2s are getting NWSL wheels). Fitting decoders to most relatively current North American diesels is trivial - drop-in or minimum-work solutions are available, and the advent of the TCS CN and CN-GP decoders has made it relatively easy to add decoders to a lot of older split-frame locos. MicroTrains (formerly the Kadee N line) and others make knuckle couplers and conversions to get rid of the (now almost extinct) Rapido couplers, and there are various replacement trucks to facilitate coupler conversions for older rolling stock. For Code 55 you also have flex-track and points available from Micro Engineering (ME) - I particularly like their bridge rail. I'm laying ME Code 70 rail on my dual-track main line to allow me to run some of my older steam locos (where modifying wheel flanges/replacing wheels is more problematic), but otherwise I'm using a mix of Atlas and ME Code 55 for the layout. Adrian

I'm in the same boat. I won't go past about 1942, and tend mostly towards 1933-38. I don't like the big letters on the tenders or the new style script and I do quite like the shirtbutton for some reason. Adrian

The coach formations I've got (c.1930 and 1938) both show it as alternating LNER and GWR stock. Adrian

That's not as bad as North American N stock - when you see the review in Model Railroader it means that the item is already sold out - not a lot of point to the review then... Adrian

This is the big problem with models. Not only does the finish not scale well, but the colour doesn't either. If you paint a model with the exact colour used on the prototype, you will likely find that the model looks wrong (typically too dark). Adrian

Those Bluford cars are quite nice. I have a couple of PRR and PC ones (and I keep looking at a PC green pair at my local shop). I'm sure you need some ExactRail SCL Verta-Paks, though - every layout needs more yellow cars . For those who don't know, think of big yellow boxes the size of the Bluford cars, but intended to carry 30 Chevy Vegas hanging vertically inside them. Adrian

Another option may be the 247 Developments 8'6" Dean bogies - that is likely what will end up under mine (the Coopercraft bogies I have are all allocated to Siphons). Adrian

I have a K's kit that I found in an estate lot in a partially complete state - it is a bit on the rough side, but pretty much the right shape (it should look fine after I completely rebuild it). Shire Scenes has the K15/16 listed on their website http://www.shirescenes.co.uk/index.html Keykits/IKB also shows a brass kit for a K2/K28 http://www.keykits.net/Shop/catalogue.aspx?c=IKB&mc=3 Adrian

Typically it would be 4xStandard, Catering car, 2xFirst, with the firsts on the London end. There are various exceptions, and different possibilities for the catering car. In this timescale the guard still used the compartment in the power car (so no TGS in the formation until very late, where it would replace the first Standard). Adrian

The Swiss actually do this in areas where there are people and roads, and over much shorter distances... The Pacific extension was perhaps a step (or a few leaps) too far for the Milwaukee Road. Adrian

I came across some lovely concrete arch viaducts marching across a valley on a drive south of Spokane, WA a few years ago. They had an almost British look to them. I discovered afterwards that they were part of the Pacific extension. Adrian

I can't find very many pictures of workings where the majority of coaches were Hawksworths - ususally they showed up in ones or twos, usually less than the number of random Collett coaches in the same train. By the time they got into maroon they were almost certainly used this way. I have seen reference to a Hawksworth rake for the Riviera, but I don't believe I've seen a photo of it (and the majority of the coaches would have been replaced by Mk1s relatively quickly). Adrian

The Miniatronics LEDs are approximately the same size as lamps. With the blob filed down and the body painted I've used these as tail lamps on coaches. The the upper lead can be bent to resemble a handle. Adrian

Unfortunately, lots of them. I'm waiting on Tintagel Castle too (now that I know it has a useful livery). Adrian

Unfortunately, the pre-1935 livery on the Castle doesn't really match the 1938-built Bachmann Colletts... I'm sure some of the Castles may have carried that livery into the late 1930's, but I expect most of them went over to the new corporate livery with the shirtbutton since they were used on the more important trains. You are basically left with the old Hornby Colletts or kit-built stock to match this livery. I wonder how many brass coaches it will handle... Adrian

I guess I do have to buy one then. I was expecting it to end up in the post-war scheme which is of no use to me, so I am pleasantly surprised. Adrian

Not quite. The livery appears to be as run in preservation in the 1960s/70s(?). While it is quite similar to the original GWR livery the loco has top-feed which was introduced after that livery was abandoned. I believe the first livery with top-feed would have had black frames, and would not have had the style of tender livery on the model. Adrian

It would look really nice with the beautifully liveried clerestories from the Hornby Flying Dutchman pack (once you have dealt with the horrible couplers on the coaches). I'd prefer it in as-built condition, but I may get one (after I've paid of the card, though). Adrian

http://www.dccwiki.com/XpressNet gives some part numbers for the connectors at a couple of suppliers. I'm sure sockets are available from these suppliers. See http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=retrieveTfg&Ne=4294957561&N=4294921357+4294955274 Adrian

If I understand Brian's post above, the 140mph limit for the Mk4/IC225 would have been primarily from having an extra block between trains (5-aspect signals). Presumably they would also have had the double control of the brakes like the HSTs (to give 125mph on 4-aspect signalling?), but the acceleration from 125mph to 140mph would have been from adding an extra block of headway between trains. Adrian

Do these things have provision for a knuckle coupler? If all they have is the screw-link then that might be the reason that they were moved by flatcar rather than a dead tow in the US. It looks like the handrails are only to provide a 'porch' to stand on while opening the cab door, no walking the length of the loco while in motion (that would probably give HSE fits). A shot I saw of one at the factory had a temporary walkway the length of the hood, with high-tech handrails (looked like 1"x3" lumber), but it would likely have been out of gauge for UK operations. Adrian