birch1

A couple of photos of a new diorama to be used for photography of my Crossways model bus fleet:

Thanks again! My printer is a Canon - it says it is a MF643Cdw on the front if that means anything to you. I am not up on my laser printers but seems to do the job for myself.

Despite being based in the city of Gloucester, Crossways primarily serves a number of rural communities, providing essential services. Following on from the image above, the diorama below aimed to show a typical rural bus scene in Gloucestershire.

Yes, you are right there. The model above was done with the inkjet stuff, and if you look close enough you can probably see where the ink had been starting to run in places. My printer has since packed up and I have invested in a laser - the results are definitely a lot better. Are you using the same make of paper? I have noticed that different varnishes give mixed results with it. Halfords varnish has been much more reliable compared to the Humbrol version for myself.

Will agree with the T-cut method, it is a little slower but works for me.

Many thanks! The decals are created using paper from Mr Decal Paper, on Amazon. There are inkjet and laser versions depending on the printer you have. Hope that helps?

It has been a while since I last updated this thread, but here is a recent image of the Enviro 400 mentioned in the previous post:

After a period where things in real life have taken over modelling of late, I have now found some time to give the fleet a bit of attention. Back in the summer, Crossways management scoffed at the suggestion of the fleet purchasing a brand new double decker, for the company's work rarely requires such investment. However, 6 months later and circumstances are different. Passenger numbers on the 507 Gloucester Park and Ride service have been impressive since the service was introduced in the Summer. With the service also connecting an ever growing large scale housing development, additional capacity was required. Therefore, the first brand new vehicle of 2020 is GL20 HDE, an Alexander Dennis Limited Enviro 400mmc. This purchase is intended as a trial, which if successful may see the route converted to double deck operation in the future. It replaces an ADL Pointer Dart which becomes a spare. The vehicle will not hit the road until March when the service is relaunched, allowing for an aggressive marketing campaign to take place in the meantime. This also enables the bus to see use on Cheltenham Gold Cup shuttle services just before the launch. In reality, this a Northcord kit (purchased from Ttcdiecast), with a driver from RTC Models.

Looks great, remove the quality and with the text in the bottom corner could easily be seen as a CCTV shot

Thanks for the replies so far, it seems there are a variety of options out there.

Whilst Oxford Diecast have greatly improved things recently, I was wondering, what other 1:76 scale (or thereabouts) modern vehicles have been produced (apart from Cararama)? I think it is just nice to have a bit of variety to break the norm a little. To start the discussion, here is one from me. Eligor have made 1:72 scale models of the last two versions of the Iveco Daily on behalf of the Iveco fan shop. Both don't seem to come up for sale that often now however, I got the older version from someone in France!

A couple from my Crossways fleet which although admittedly not trains I thought some might like to see. GL69 CDP, a Scania/ Higer Touring GL19 RFA, Mercedes Tourismo M/2

Wow James, can see a lot of work went in there! And what a result too. My hobby is scratchbuilding modern 1:76 scale model buses for my fictional fleet, Crossways, so I know what you mean when you say it took a while to make! Though I have to say, this looks 10x as complex! It is a shame that modern everyday cars are so hard to come by I agree. Though I guess we have to thank Oxford for giving us a better range than we had a few years ago. Thanks for sharing Ryan

Hi James, Would really be interested in finding out more about that Ford Focus model if possible, it looks fantastic.

Yes, unfortunately it seemed to disappear after the second issue, not really sure what happened to be honest.

I have finally managed to find some work in progress shots of the Tourismo model. Unfortunately most of these were taken quickly and are therefore of poor quality, but I hope that they still get the message accross. I also dont have pictures of every stage but if you would like to ask about something not pictured, please feel free to comment. The first stage. Sides have been cut out from sheet plasticard using a scalpel and scribed to give the panel lines. Initial body construction. Roof and window pillars – I wouldn’t recommend adding the roof the way I did it! Chassis and floor construction. Test fitting the chassis to the body Some small extra details have been added here such as a destination screen etc. The completed interior with body sprayed white Both halves gluing together. The elastic band helped keep things in the correct place. A big jump here, windows and transfers have been applied. Windscreen, mirrors and other small details remain. Rear detail. The completed model.

Investment in the coach side of the business continues with the first brand new coach for the Crossways fleet in nearly three years, all recent deliveries being sourced second hand. Given the popularity of the Mercedes Tourismo at the moment, the company decided to follow suit with their own vehicle. Registered GL19 RFA, she is an example of the stretched 'm/2' version. Despite this, the vehicle has just 49 seats, with tables and extra legroom accounting for the extra length. A second door for wheelchair access just behind the front angle will enable with the PSVAR/ DDA regulations set to come into force at the end of this year for coaches. The addition of another executive vehicle will reduce pressure on existing fleet members on contracted work, in turn enabling more private hire work to be undertaken. In reality, the model is scratchbuilt by me, using parts from Mark Hughes Models and a driver from RTC models

May be worth applying for the Tesco 'bags of help' fund. If successful you are placed as one of the three charitable causes for customers to vote for in your local store. Each charity is guaranteed a slice of the pot but the more votes you get the greater the share you will receive. Good luck!

You have certainly done a good job on these, well done

Having returned from loan at JM Coaches this week, Crossways Dennis Javelin/ Plaxton Profile WA61 KFP has had full branding applied for Cruiseconnect, a new arm of Flexicoach - the partnership between Southwestbus and Crossways providing coach services 'on demand'. Given the popularity of cruising in recent times, Cruise transfers have been seen as a significant opportunity for growth for Flexicoach. Two new routes will commence from 1st March: 1. South Wales to Southamption - operated by JM Coaches 2. Gloucester to London Tilbury - operated by Crossways Both routes have various intermediate stops, and are yet to be alocated route numbers. The Profile's Cruise Connect branding has been applied onto the livery of its former owner, Town and Country group, this coincidentally fitting in perfectly with the brand. However, without a toilet, it is unlikely that it will ever see use on cruise transfers. Our Cruiseconnect service will be interworked with the Gloucester to London 'Eurowide Link' service, hence sharing use of Eurowide branded Hino S'Elega GL67 RSZ. In reality, this is a model scratchbuilt as a Plaxton Premiere 320 by Roger Hey and converted to a Profile by Stephen Read. I have only added transfers and detailing onto the model.

Hi, Diecast buses can be relatively easy to take apart, whilst they can also be pigs! It very much depends on the individual model.

Our Iveco Eurorider/ Plaxton Paragon, registered YN58 JFX, seen parked up in a local pay and display car park awaiting its next duty. Taking pride of place on the rear corner is a fresh battle scar!

That foliage makes things look 100x better already at this early stage!Things look as though they are starting to take shape now

Crossways is set to be featured in the next issue of the magazine 'Model Diorama'! Shared from the group Model Layouts and Dioramas on Facebook, here is the press release from the magazine (Text and image Copyright Nathan Bennett): A huge thank you to those who purchased Issue 1 of Model Diorama Magazine. The feedback has been great! I really appreciate your support and help getting this off the ground (or on the road if you love puns like me). I am so passionate about this hobby that it gives me so much pleasure to publish this magazine for you all. Some of you have been asking about Issue 2 and I am pleased to announce Pre-Orders are now open at: www.modeldiorama.com Issue 2 will be shipped week commencing 8th October 2018 and delivered right to your door. As usual, there is some great layouts showcased including Crossways by Ryan Birch, a lovely 'Gap Fillers' article by Matt Hill and a wonderful piece worth reading from Philip Smithies about how to photograph your Diorama. www.modeldiorama.com

Sometimes vehicles can have more interesting histories than their initial appearance would otherwise suggest. This Iveco Eurorider/ Plaxton Paragon, registered YN58 JFX, is no exception. My attraction to the vehicle on purchase almost two years ago was its cream colour, which was recognised as the colours of the former Barline travel, a fleet I had followed closely during its active years and played a large part in inspiring me to start Crossways. I had intended to put it on a 2010 plate to give it as long a life as possible in the fleet, it at the time being on a private plate. However, the discovery of a registration plate with the aforementioned registration stuck on the underside changed my mind in the belief that it was the original registration. Given this history, I thought it fitting for this vehicle to become the first to wear the new livery for coaches within the Crossways fleet. This livery is based on the same principle as the new bus livery, but has more elements to it to take advantage of the greater space available on the sides of a coach. The interior has also been given a full refurbishment. She will be used for general coaching work right from schools/ private hire to standing in for newer vehicles on trips further afield as and when required. In reality, this is a stripped and repainted Corgi Diecast. My thanks go to Paul Savage for providing a replacement front end to replace the damaged original.