ootrainoo

I would like to model British OO scale. I find myself (see my first blog) trying to improve off the shelf items from the two big manufacturers. Then I ask myself the same question I asked myself back in the 1980s. Why? Why do I need to fiddle with Hornby railroad coaches when if they had bothered to model the buffers retracted they could have halved the distance between them for no extra cost? Why did the Bachmann MK1s have a flawed close coupling system (and still do) making it hard to couple the two main manufacturer's coaches. Large hook and loop really does not like small hook and loop etc etc. Enter European Ho. Things couple. Don't derail, mix and match and close coupling mechanics work well. They are no longer for the better off modeller. Piko new and Roco second hand are very reasonable compared with British OO prices. Tillig are fantastic former TT producers that make great Ho. Continental stuff just works out of the box and let me run my railway not a Thomas the tank railway were everything has to go to the "steam works" on a regular basis. Using a good old Scottish word. I am scunnered with British OO. P.s. Did I mention the horrendous price of British models now.

Few complained at the time when loads of classes of diesels were available in many colours for great prices. I wish I had kept a few of the catalogues. Rail blue heaven.

Looks great! Bring back the simplicity of HD.

Two Roco couplers and the gangways rub. Possibly ok on VERY large radius track. Looks great tho! Can I say that this type of coupling combination on my original post lacks the bouncy looseness of Bachmann mechanisms and suits a "normal" layout with unavoidable 2nd radius curves. To me a good compromise. Now Hornby when are we getting blue and grey MK1s?

Welcome to my Blog. I start this Blog on a subject close to my heart. Passenger coaches. The Hornby Railroad MK1 in my opinion is a great addition to the range. It is finer looking than the Bachmann equivalents. One BIG draw back was the lack of close coupling. I tried various nem couplers and came up with the option shown in the picture. A Roco coupler and a Hornby (Roco type) coupler. One is short the other longer. Now the problem is buffer lock on radius 1 & 2. Solution? 1/ Cut the buffers off (including the shaft) 2/ Drill a buffer shaft diameter hole through the remaining blanks on the buffer beam. 3/ Hey presto retracted buffers as per the MK1 prototype. I have carried out this modification on only one of the coaches in the picture but this already allows faultless operation on 2nd radius setrack, curved points and Peco streamline "small" points. Propelling over reverse curves too! On another note. I used to hate plastic wheels but these wheels are so fine and quiet. Why change them straight away? Still to see if they pick up muck like the old Tri-ang castors.