cal.n

Thanks, nice work. Without doing the ends, I’ve managed to bring the Shapeways price down to £25 for the bodyshell. I will probably do the ends from plasticard as they are just made up angular bits, but I will release it them as a part for this who don’t want to scratchbuild. Re the licensing, I don’t think CAF have ever said they are mk5s so if I call them Caledonian Sleeper mk5s, I should be okay. ‘Caledonian Sleeper’ isn’t owned by Serco and is the franchise name so I should be ok using that.

Thanks, my free periods nicely line up with 5M50, 6J37 and 6K05. Seriously, thanks. I’ll do more window arrangements this weekend (when I’ve seen 1Z46)

Yep, 46100 covered most of her planned tours after she went for repairs. Word is that 45596 will operate from from Carnforth when it is done and she is listed on RTC's website as being in the pool for the Waverley tours. She is very nearly done and had a steam test late last year and should do mainline tests at Carnforth this summer, allowing her to fill the gap left by 46115. With some of the larger tours requiring a class 8 loco (previously 46233) will be hauled by 35018.

More coaches leaving CAF at Irun today. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6361251864498966528/

Cumbrian Mountain Express and Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express run every weekend in the summer and Every weekend from about now to March and depart from the sunny south. Start at London Euston, hauled by a blue class 86 in mk1s at 100mph up the WCML where (usually at Preston) somthing steam will appear and take the train up the 1-in-75 Shap (unassisted!*) to stop at Carlisle for you to get lunch. From Carlisle, (steam hauled) you go down the S+C (with numerous 1-in-100s), through to Settle and eventually a juction south of Preston where the 86 will take you back to London Euston and the steam traction goes back to Carnforth. Traction will be either 45690 or 45699 or possibly 45407+44871. 46115 has gone for overhaul, Network Rail don't like 48151 going over Shap (its only cleared for 50mph) and 46233's owners have announced she will be staying down south for the next few years. *Every Cumbrian Moutain Express originating at Euston has been unassisted since 2012 (when it was snowing and they thought ETH might be a good idea so one was added at the water stop at Carnforth)

I think so. In summer months, they sometimes put on an extra seated coach in Fort William or Aberdeen leg when it can be filled.

I think next year will be better, as mentioned above WCRC have pulled out of operating VT Tysley based operations, focusing on tours around Carnforth (Shap, S+C, Cumbrian Coast) and of course continued (very profitable) Jacobite services. When LSL get going and start doing more (and combined traction tours with the 40 and both Deltics) there will be a bit more going on. Tysley are also trying to rush through the process of becoming a TOC themselves but I doubt that’ll happen this year. For anyone worried about price, look at Saphos Trains’ website. All half price for the first year of operations. Probably not aimed at enthusiasts, but there is a climb of Copy Pit later on in the year that will attract enthusiasts, especially for the price

Thanks, I have a thread for it here. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130381-caf-mark-5-coach-in-4mm-scratchbuild/&do=findComment&comment=3011933 I am fairly confident with the body shape but some of the windows are different on different sides of the coach so I really need more photos before I can do the Sleeper (berth and pod) coaches. Re the coach sets, I remember reading the Fort William leg will have 4 coaches and both the Aberdeen and Inverness legs will have 6 coaches each.

As soon as these things arrived in the UK a few days ago (see this thread) I wanted a model, especially as the traction is all available RTR. Having posted in the both the Bachmann and Hornby wishlist threads that I'd like one, I decided to do it myself. Working from two photos and a video of this coach (number 15101), I have produced this bodyshell. I haven't included the doors in this print as they are flush on the prototype so just painting white bits on the body wouldn't look convincing. I will offer the doors as a seperate part. I will also do the coach ends as a print but its probably easier just to use plasticard as these are just flat sheets. I really don't want to call it a kit because there will be a lot scatchbuilding involved, even if I print the underframe, I don't know of any wheels without pin point axles suitable. Therefore, I think its better described as a 'scratchbuilding aid'. I will add it to my Shapeways shop once I have got a test print myself.

If you plan to offer an RTR mk5 coach, speak now or forever hold your peace It has taken an evening and a half to get this far and while obviously not complete, I think I have finalised the shape. I have based all the minimum printing dimensions for a print in 4mm. Only having 2 good quality photos of this coach to work from, its not easy to scratchbuild an entirely new coach. Hopefully the details will get easier as more photos start to appear. If there are any major flaws so far, plase let me know. Sorry if its a bit O/T (not prototype), but the knowledge on here should improve the model.

Stretch of sea wall on the Cumbrian Coast line including Whiteheaven station, I think would make a great model. Dramatic scenery with a cliff behind the line lends itself to a model + interesting traction + short section of single line for operational interest. More things that would make good models (layouts, not a pictoral wishlist)

Remember Serco also operate North Link ferries from both Aberdeen and Scrabster, so expect any far north line sleeper to line up with ferries, although I expect this to be the case the case whoever the franchise holder is. There could be joint advertising/combined tickets for both Aberdeen and Scrabster ferries.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_livings/38998227344/ Any ideas what the large white dome on the near end of the roof on the 1st coach is for?

When we are paying £50 - £70 for these coaches, I think an interior with grey, uncoloured plastic is unacceotable, especially given how obvious it'll be with the full lighting arrangements.

Full set of coach drawings in this document. Quite large, so may take a while to load. Also lots of info about topics discussed here, couplings, water storage etc... Juicy stuff starts around page 190 https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/39429/franchise-agreement-caledonian-sleeper-23-may-2014-redacted.pdf Edit - working link

Out of interest, why can't ETH be transferred through a Delner? Is a air brake through the Delner aswell?

CRRES (Workshop at West Coast Railways) fitted en suite showers to every berth for the Royal Scotsmans Mk1 pullmans, so so I can't imagine its too much weight. That is a 10 coach train with more showers per passenger than the sleeper so I don't think water storage is an issue.

Caledonian sleeper paths starting to appear between Polmaide and loops at Carnforth, presumably testing/ familiarisation with these things. Pathed as an electric loco, with 80mph running. http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G60143/2018/01/18/advanced Are they much heavier than mk2s and mk3s, a 16 coach train up shap in all weathers is no easy task for any loco. I wonder who will be the first to produce these in model form.

Loooking forward to see this develop, you have clearly chosen the best set of locations for inspiration from the WHL and the extension. Even from the plan, it has the right 'feel' for a WHL layout, like the island platform and the car park underneath with an underpass. The station trackplan reminds me of Crainlarich with the junction off to the Oban line. Re the HST: the 2+5 car New Measurement Trains HST has been up to Fort William and Oban in the past so its not entirely implausable. For signalling, are you thinking of using semaphores or the more recent addition of RETB? If you are planning on making it automated, RETB may be easier, if a little less romantic. Semaphores would give a use for the signal box, although many are now cafes, museums, hotel rooms etc... Good luck.

Yep, it may have inspired the purchase of the sleeper tickets.

My favourite rail location. Corrour. Most isolated station in the UK, no roads, a signal box, hotel, youth hostel and nothing else for miles and miles. A long term layout dream (have already done numerous sketches, trackplans and building drawings), visited once, but am doing again by Sleeper this year. If anyone hasn’t been, please go, you will not regret it. Also the film location in both Trainspotting and Trainspotting 2. More lonely

The UK end of Le Chunnel (St Pancras Intl) Keep it terminal

A Riley 5 at Each end of the West Highland Line Extension. More terminuses Edit: Termini

If you are giving them away to be collected, where abouts are you if you don't mind saying.

What about a stand-alone DCC smoke system, compatible with your sound chips, maybe the same size as an EM2, like earth movers, everyone who likes it (not to everyone’s taste) would put one in their 37, 47, HST, Deltic etc...