young37215

I had an e-mail exchange with Railtec yesterday where I appear to have offended Steve by asking for further changes to 3025. That said I can only feedback on my experience, it seems pretty clear that the 3 inch stripes are of minimal use in the conversion of a Hornby BSO to BSOT. Does anyone disagree with my view that the 3 inch stripes should go from 3025? Several Micro Buffet examples can be found on Flickr, 9007 and 9016 for example. I don't think that these will work very well as a transfer for a window cover, I consider it more effective to print my own window cover with the text labelling I require.

A Railtec 3025 transfers question for people consider. Below is a picture of 3025 as it currently stands, I have asked Steve to consider removing the 3 inch strips and replacing them with 2 inch strips because, based on my experience, the 3 inch are too big for the Hornby Mk1 BSO meaning I cannot see a use for them. Depending on the chosen BSOT modelled, the 2 inch strips are quickly used up which is the reason I need to buy another 3025. As currently compiled 3025 provides for the WHL Mk1 BSOT's most commonly seen, No's 9000, 9001, 9015 and 9016 with 2 alternative numbers where pictures of these BSOT's on the WHL have been identified. I have managed to create 3 BSOT's using one set of transfers albeit I am short of 2 inch strips because 9000 and 9001 had extended red stripes in their early days. The only item required that is not included is the covering of the window on the toilet side which I dont think is suited to a transfer. If people want Micro Buffet adding in to 3025, what should come off?

Thanks to SC55015, 9016 now has a Buffet signed window blanking. The Glue and Glaze at the bottom should dry clear. I need to fit a Buffet sign to the opposite window, I think one of the Railtec 3025 ones will do the job. I am waiting on a reply from @railtec-models to an email where I suggested some changes to the transfers on 3025. Clearly the space available is finite, to fit Micro Buffet in will require something else being removed. The question is which transfers offer the widest use?

I measured the Bachmann pipework at 1mm and decided to go with the 0.85mm option which translates to 65mm/2.5 inches ful size for the handrails. I'd agree that this is probably on the large size but painted it looks fine to me. I am looking at creating the window blanking for the BSOT 9015. Unlike others created so far which were simple cuts of card with no text and as can be seen below, 9015 requires 'Buffet' in white lettering on a black background which I was intending to make using MS Word and the Rail Alphabet font. Annoyingly I am finding this challenging, probably due to the fact that I rarely use Word these days. Has anyone any suggestions or, better still, has alteady created their own version and will let me have a copy?

Famous last words, I had to fabricate a second handrail for 9015 having already cut down the molded one. My version of a threesome shows 2 fabricated handrails and the third (the coach on the right) is Hornby’s out of the box molded option. The difference is not easily seen, I’ll leave 9000 as Hornby made it.

Having clarified that the brake end of the BSOT only has hand rails and with pictures of my chosen coaches, I set about fabricating a hand rail. Using some 0.85mm wire and a 1mm drill, I produced a hand rail. Easy enough to do but I question how much this will be noticeable? Pictures show a comparison of 9000 and 9001 where 9000 has the Hornby molded rail and 9001 the custom made one. I’ll paint the new handrail once it has been secured and some blue touching up is required on the coach end. At this time I am not persuaded to make more handrails, I don’t see any significant benefit of doing so. I have managed to lose one of the Buffet transfers from 9000 which means I’ll need to get another 3025 from Railtec. No big deal as I also want more red stripe transfers. Custom handrail Contrasting handrails

If you reduce the maximum speed then I believe the acceleration profile is adjusted automatically. On my Accurascale 37027 with its Loksound V5, maximum speed which is CV 5, has been reduced from 255 to 120. This creates a much more realistic effect when the loco is given full power from a standing start or is accelerated whilst in motion. Essentially you are creating the potential to use all of the speed settings on your controller by making this adjustment, unadjusted and to keep the unrealistic top speed down, I suspect you don't go beyond half power with the knock on effect being you miss out on the full range of sounds in the sound file. My experience is that you need to trial different speed settings on CV5 to find what works best on your layout.

Terrific video, O gauge can be really impressive. One minor observation is the locos rate of acceleration looked a little quick, one of the acceleration or top speed CVs looks like it do with tweaking down a little.

The BSOT remains on Commonwealth bogies. The brake end of the coach retains its handrails

I am at the Dean Forest Railway this afternoon where the BSOT 9003 is in operation. I have taken a number of photos, if anyone can suggest angles or perspectives that I haven’t captured, I’ll be happy to take them

I had not picked up on the periscopes which I will cut off of my 3 conversions. The roofs all need another coat of grime so covering a few scratches created by cutting should not be too challenging. The brake end pipe work is somewhat confusing, I was intending to create my own to replace the unrealistic Hornby molded pipes but when I started looking there are differing arrangements. Whilst many have full length pipework, a number have abbreviated pipes. For example, 1985 and 37049 with only a short section of pipe. The same arranagment can be seen in the 1985 picture I posted yesterday. Most confusing, as has been said before it seems a picture of the individual BSOT is required if you want detail to be 100% accurate. Can anyone explain what the pipework at the brake end did? better still why did the pipes get cut back? The 1983 picture of what looks like SC9000 (the top window painted white) suggests full pipework. The abbreviated pipes on 9001 soon after conversion The same on this unidentified BSOT

Presumably an inspection train for the purposes of checking the viaducts between Crianlarich and Bridge of Orchy. It is an interesting consist, I am not sure how I might go about making a model of Gozunda but the thought of modeling the train is appealing.

Very brave to strip the paint. I agree that the Hornby blue is a poor representation of BR Blue but I have always resisted the urge to change it simply because I do'nt think I get get anywhere near the factory finish. You have me thinking that I might try a thin white wash and see if that has any effect. On a point of detail, I think that 3 end steps should be removed leaving only the bottom 2 which is just about visible on the picture below.

I am not sure what I was thinking when I started rabbiting about Commonwealth's for 9015, from everything that has been seen to date it had BR1's for its entire WHL career. I suspect I was confusing 9015 with 9005 which was built with Commonwealths and which is included on the Railtec 3025 transfers. I had identified a new R4773 CK with Commonwealths but at £40 I was hesitating; a good job I have woken up!

A challenge today, what is the first wagon which looks like a modified Salmon to me and what is it carrying in these two 1985 pictures?

I am with SC55015 on the Commonwealth's, another picture of 9015 taken June 1988 shows it still on BR1's and it was withdrawn by the end of the year. I added most of the transfers to my 2 other BSOT conversions. The window panel for 9001 was fitted but not for 9015 where I want to find some earlier pictures because I am not clear on the colour or wording that was applied to the panel on conversion. Later pictures show white 'Buffet' on a black background, for some reason I have in my mind a white background was originally applied. I have not done any of the internal work and will run both coaches for a while to see if I notice the different internal arrangements.

No mistakes, clearly 2 of the vans and judging by the open wagons content, in what appears to be a Fort William bound train. Lets hope there is more detail with the picture in the forthcoming book.

The picture is dated 1985, not 1988 which judging by the largely ex works 37401 seems about right. Given the speed restrictions on the WHL, I doubt BR1's caused any issues. I think that we have collectively established that the introduction of 37/4's signalled the end of the steam heat BSOT fleet, dual heat 9015 and 9016 excepted, and they had all gone by the end of 1987. My personal interest begins to wane after the replacement of steam heat and for WHL4's 1981 - 1985 time window, BSOT's are all I need to worry about. How many I create is something I am still thinking about. SC55015's galleries provide excellent research material for the WHL modleller. If we can get a few more pictures of other peoples conversions and an outline of the work that they undertook I think we will have created a fairly comprehensive and practical guide to anyone wanting to do their own conversion in the future. Of course finding a suitable Hornby BSO to convert might be more challenging!

I sent my cash off to the SDEG boys yesterday. Based on their previous editions I have high expectations for the class 37 book. Having arrived at Ardlui, 37049 runs around its train and shunts the loaded Dogfish into the siding to await an engineers possession when they can be emptied. This additionally gives me good reason to move the Tamper to Ardlui.

There was a door added between the converted toilet and the area behind the counter which is visible on some of the pictures earlier in this thread, one of which I have copied below, and the diagram shows. The diagram also shows how the counter top was rebated to allow for the trolley to be inserted. I chose not to rebate the counter top because I wanted the wider top as part of the structural integrity of the cut out area. It also seemed to fiddly to bother with!, whether the same can be said for O gauge is for your judgement. From the internal pictures I have seen it is clear that in preservation the rebated counter top has been replaced

I have been intending to do 37037 for a while now, it is the one long standing split box Eastfield 37 that I do'nt currently have. I was unaware of the oval/round buffer situation on 37037 so that is useful info. The current 37108 has the incorrect roof profile and seemed a logical candidate for renumbering as 37037. However having seen others filing/sanding off the rivets to create a plain, welded roof profile, I am pondering doing the same with my 37108 which I would like to keep as it is one of the earliest split box 37's transferred to Eastfield. My latest plan (which is about version 999) is to renumber 37022 as 37037. One of my two 37027's can then be renumbered as 37022 with a little work. The good news is the details of the Scottish steam heat class 37's should become a little clearer with the impending release of the SDEG book, I was delighted to receive an email advising this should be available in late Spetember. 37112 heads for Glasgow with the 1254 from Oban which includes BSOT 9000 amongst the 5 coach rake. I am still uncertain on the 5 coaches, I suspect that the rake will be reduced back to 4 in the near future.

Based upon SC55015's pictures and research, my choices for the 2 additional BSOT conversions will be SC9001 and SC9015. Having learnt from my first conversion I hope that subsequent conversions will be a little quicker. I will need more red stripe transfers from Railtec and replacement Commonwealth bogies for SC9015 but otherwise I am ready to start work. Commonwealth bogies might be a short term challenge, based on my efforts to find some I find that Hornby spares appear thin on the ground. A set were sold on Ebay June 2023 but there are none around that I can find at present. Worst case is I will run SC9015 with BR1's in the short term and hope to find replacement bogies at a later date. The 1986 WTT records all passenger working as vacum braked except for the sleeper so the BSOT's could continue working albeit they might be a bit chilly. A number of the pictures in SC55015's gallery show 37/4's hauled services through to 1988 indicating that the BSOT's remained in use. A look in the Longworth coaching stock book shows BSOT withdrawls started in 1985 with the fleet largely gone by the end of 1986 with only 3 surviving into 1987. How catering was provided post the BSOT I do not know, a trolley without a designated space?

If only I was running the 1985 timetable this would be a great idea, unfortunately its the 1983 timetable! Adding the engineering train path into the WTT has been a great success. Not only does it add some interest, it forces the movement of rolling stock which otherwise can easily sit in the same place for weeks at a time. A largely ex works 37049 is seen heading north from Arrochar with a loaded ballast working. 37049 was a late East Anglian transfer to Scotland but is a model that several manufacturers have produced. I have been pondering renumbering to a more traditional SCR loco hence the lack of weathering but with the addition of the recent Accurascale 37027 I seem to have run out of suitable candidates!

Thanks Ian. I am going to try the cheaper option of 'scrounge Doug's and see how it performs' approach as a first step. 37039 arrives at Ardlui with 8D10 The loco failed further south refusing to respond to commands from the controller. I fear I may have suffered a chip failure, of late I have noticed that the bodyshell gets quite hot even when stationary and wonder if the over 10 year old ESU Loksound V4 has expired.

Yes, at this time. I plan to selectively add static grass detailing once I have got all of the landscape structure in place. In between applying transfers to the BSOT conversion, operations continued. 37175 heads north from Crianlarich with 7B02