johny retro

Sorry if this has been discussed/shown before, but how well do the liveries match between the Dapol mk3's and the farish mk2's? I've never modelled in N before and would like to recreate the mixed rakes seen during the mid 80's. Such a shame that one manufacturer didn't do the lot. Thanks in advance.

Personally, i'd like to recreate the surviving set. But i have read very little about a buffet car being made.

I knew i'd read somewhere that they didn't tilt. Thanks Pete.

I wonder if every coach will tilt, as the NDM's didn't in real life and that will solve the issue of Hornby coming up with some way of keeping the pantographs upright on corners.

Ah ok. That's good to know, thanks Gordon.

Will all the coaches have moulded tail lamps at each end? That's going to look terrible in a long rake, and certainly wouldn't be allowed in real life as a tail lamp signifies the end of a formation. Surely it would have been better (and easier) for them to simply put loose add on tail lamps in the box, like they did years ago with the mk1's?

I'd still say the white lines one the TSO's are too high up the body.

Hmm. After studying the newer mk2a's, i'm still not convinced they're right. Think i'll wait and see if either Hornby have a decent go, or if Bachmann release mk2b's.

Have Bachmann moved things on at all recently?

So the 'a' designates it as the improved release? That's interesting. May have to pop along to my local liverpool based railway establishment with some hard earned...

Any issues with a Bachmann 40, i'd suggest contacting 'lees loco's'. The guys paint, weathering work and electrical mods are incredible!

That DOES look alot better! Is the product code (39-380a) different from the first releases then?Also, did they do the same with the tso's as well, or just the bso's? Cheers.

Wow, hahaha.

So a rake of aircons would have mk2a bso's then, rather than original mk2 bso's?

My layout is a fictional heritage line so I'm ok, lol. Having said that, was it mk2f's which were used between liverpool and b'ham/euston during the mid 80's?

I seriously can't see past the blue coming too far up the bodysides, almost touching the bottoms of the windows! It's a shame too, because apart from that, the coaches look really good (to me anyway). The thing that confuses me is that when I look at mixed rakes on old pictures, i can't tell if I'm looking at mk2's or mk2a's. According to wiki, the original coaches (mk2) were vacuum only, so surely they wouldn't couple with aircons, but the mk2a's were air brake only, so wouldn't couple to mk1 buffets. How did that work? Are air cons dual braked to overcome this?

Looking good! Please get the livery application right Bachmann...!

Mk2b's for me, after they screwed up the livery on the mk2a's...!

What do they look like on the CAD drawings?

must be from that one story where thomas had to have a cowcatcher fitted and he didn't like it! lol.

''Trouble is they may look a bit daft mixed in with some non-lit coaches.'' during the 80's i remember trains going past with several unlit coaches! haha.

the red and white stripes need to be slightly thicker in my opinion, so they come down a little lower. https://www.flickr.com/photos/houndog1372/8565406824/

i'm surprised you don't see the thomas ones these days. Hornby used to do the main characters.

thanks andy, that helps alot. it's also made me cross my fingers that Bachmann get theirs right!