johny retro

i'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to specific variants in air con formations. can anyone tell me which air con mk2 coaches were used during the 1980's heading through speke jcn, ditton and runcorn towards crewe? the services would have been lime street to the south (euston etc). cheers.

thanks guys. i fancy treating myself to a brand new Bachmann 40, but i have lima d335 and 212 which i'd also like to still run, but on Bachmann chassis. i'm more focussed on running quality than minor image flaws.

i apologise if this has been answered already on here, but how interchangable are the chassis' and bodies of the new Bachmann 40, old Bachmann 40 and lima 40? it sounds as though the old Bachmann 40 had the best pick-ups/chassis/motor combination, but the new Bachmann 40 obviously looks better. if i were to pick up an old Bachmann 40, second hand. could i put a lima body straight onto it, or a new Bachmann one?

i totally agree. what's the point of putting all that effort into getting the shape and livery spot on, then put giant couplings on which leave a one inch gap between the connecting doors? come on Hornby, Bachmann got this right years ago with their blue/grey mk1's! can't be THAT difficult to do the same thing.

you guys are like the 'google' of coaching stock, lol. i've learnt more on this site in the last few months than in 34 years of being into railways, including 6 years as a conductor at manchester piccadilly! out of interest then, which air con mk2's were used between lime street and crewe, birmingham and euston via runcorn between 1980 and 1990?

i've just been back on the e-hattons site to look at some accessories. i typed 'road' into the product search box and on the second page of products with 'road' in the description it lists the Hornby mk2e's at £21.30, which is obviously the railroad range but still. well worth a phone call to get the exact prices, but either way they're sounding reasonable.

weirdly. i've just been back on the e-hattons site to look at some accessories. i typed 'road' into the product search box and on the second page of products with 'road' in the description it lists the Hornby mk2e's at £21.30, which is obviously the railroad range but still. i guess it's worth a phone call to get the actual prices, but i totally agree about them being reasonable.

hattons have some pre order prices on their e-hattons website. Hornby mk2e bso/fo/tso - £23.10 (or £27.80 with lighting). Bachmann mk2f bso /fo/ tso - £25.46 (or £36.13 with dcc interior lighting. '' Price is estimated - we will notify you if price rises and offer option to cancel''). that's very close pricing! Hornby are going to have to work hard to match the quality of bachmanns air con mk2's. unless Bachmann get the livery wrong again like they did on their mk2a's.

hattons have some pre order prices on their e-hattons website. Hornby mk2e bso/fo/tso - £23.10 (or £27.80 with lighting). Bachmann mk2f bso /fo/ tso - £25.46 (£36.13 with dcc interior lighting). '' Price is estimated - we will notify you if price rises and offer option to cancel'' that's very close pricing. Hornby are going to have to work hard to match the quality of Bachmanns air cons. unless Bachmann get the livery wrong again like they did on their mk2a's.

the window 'glass' on Bachmann coaches is very good for rtr. but the ones on Hornby's air con mk2's seem a bit thick and clumsy. i can understand the railroad range needing to be tough enough to withstand the grip of an excited 4 year old. but the main (more expensive) range should be aimed at those of us who are buying them ourselves and take the hobby a little more seriously. you only have to look at some of their other recent releases (08, 50, 56 etc.) to see that Hornby are certainly capable of producing quality models, not just basic toys. i hope the finished mk2e's are better than i fear, otherwise i'll have to batter my wallet and pay the extra for Bachmann's mk2f's.

yeah but if the manufacturer got it right in the first place you wouldn't have to. if i'm paying 30 - 50 pounds per coach i shouldn't have to dismantle each one and rebuild them almost completely from scratch. i've never bought a new car and had to reshape the windows and spray it a different colour. kits and scratch building is a big part of this hobby, but ready to run should mean exactly that. especially when you KNOW the likes of Hornby and Bachmann have the skills to get it virtually perfect. and at todays prices they should be.

those windows still look a bit like bottle bottoms : ( i've never understood why manufacturers can't just use clear or slightly tinted transparent plastic for coach bodies, with the livery painted on. surely that's cheaper and easier than having to cut out individual windows and fit separate glazing.

wow. probably all came off during an exam.

hey thanks, i didn't know that. the layout i'm building is going to be a fictitious modern day heritage line, so within reason i can run anything with anything (as long as i don't put a 60 on vacuum only stock or something haha). but you're taught me something new so cheers : )

did deltics not haul mk2e's? i know they pulled coffins and all the air con mk2's (d,e and f) were constructed between 1971 and 1975. 6 years before the deltics finished on br.

i totally agree. i'm surprised when they brought out the class 20 they didn't just do the one from goldeneye, lol. personally, i want a bog standard early to mid 80's br blue, tops numbered, black domino headcode one with it's roof and bogies weathered like i remember them passing through runcorn around 1987.

i've no doubt the Bachmann ones will look better and have a higher build quality, but a 20 quid price difference adds up if you're buying several. it's not like paying the extra ONCE for say a Bachmann 37 over a Hornby 37. i wont buy something that looks wrong or toyish. but personally, if the Hornby mk2e's look good then cost will be the decider for me.

i may wait and see if Bachmann release one. i'm obviously not the only person out there who wants a black domino headcode br blue duff. and it's one of the few cab variants they havent done yet.

i'm assuming the Hornby mk2e's will be superior to their mk2d's, especially the windows and couplings. with fo's and bso's complete with lighting at 29.99 or 24.99 without lighting, Hornby have a massive opportunity to blow bachmanns overpriced efforts right out of the water! and as you say, both types of coach are very similar. don't miss this chance to corner the 'coffin' market Hornby!

ah ok. thanks steve.

i'm still in the dc age, so i don't want to be paying 50 notes a coach! lol. personally, as long as they're correct on the outside, colour tones, accurate windows, no orange door interlock lights on the blue ones, livery lines the right height etc then i'll be happy. just hope they make ALOT of tso's too. anybody running expresses from the 1970's to today will want at least one rake of them. whether they're behind a deltic, hoover, peak, 47 or even between top and tailed skips. i can't wait to throw some money at them!

this may have been covered earlier or be common knowledge, so please excuse my ignorance. but i want a Bachmann 47 in 80's era br blue with black domino headcodes. is this not possible off the shelf due to grills, roof plating, buffer beam fairings etc? i'm not a very skilled or confident modeller so i want it as accurate as possible out of the box before i attempt any alterations. thanks in advance.

slightly OT, but does anyone know what year 40 135 lost her water tanks? and did she have frost grills around that time too? cheers.

does anyone know what stage Bachmann are at with any of the mk2f coaches? subject's gone very quiet.

i have to say i agree with her! if you paid 20 quid for an old knackered one from a bargain bin then fair enough. i'm sure you're a skilled modeller and know what you're doing, but part of that high purchase price is a manufacturers warranty. rtr locomotives must be the only electrical device we seem happy to purchase brand new for hundreds of pounds then happily hack into them with screwdrivers if they're faulty on day one! ready to run should mean exactly that.