RPNaylor0301

I’ve always thought that if one design needed a big slab of yellow at the front, it was the 43. I now think it more vehemently than ever! (...or maybe I’m just mardy about the fact that the didn’t go early Midland Mainline for it )

EMR livery really suits that 180 - doesn’t look like a train approaching 20!

Fantastic work, lots to keep watching for here. Could’ve easily spent an hour on this!

Good afternoon all, As the title suggests, looking for Lima 37025 Inverness TMD in Large Logo, and / or 37154 in Transrail Three Tone Grey (and if you want to renumber the latter to 37240 for me happy to pay extra on that..!) Preferably (!) bodies only or bodies and plows if I’m really lucky, but happy to buy the whole thing. Also preferably unboxed / not mint collectors unopened etc as they’re being dropped onto Hornby TTS / DCC ready chassis but I’m happy to buy and flip the Lima chassis on if appropriate. Bringing the layout bang up to date and these seem the best two bets aside from Great Rocks for ‘still on the main line’. Happy to pay postage or sort covid secure exchange in the East Midlands (if appropriate at the time of sale).

Must’ve snuck in late last night. , although good job it’s a bit away from the residential area or we’d all have heard it! Took the dogs down towards the depot end this morning to see what work had been done on the new fencing and roadway (the old one was looking pretty knackered...) Apparently LSL are moving some redundant coaching stock to Long Ashton sidings over the next few months, so new hire ‘Great Rocks’ has been sent to sign off a couple of drivers. Gen has it leaving tomorrow afternoon, so the quick iPhone pic will have to suffice for today as it’s chucking it down!

Cheers, at some point I might get the bottle (pun not intended...) to have a go! Simon’s pre-transfer 37 above has got me itching to have 422 running on my layout...

Awesome, cheers Simon! Accounting for lighting etc it looks like a decent match for the 37s... Love that you’ve got two different combos running, perfect for the period.

They look superb. May I ask as to the paint used for the DRS blue? I’m trying to psyche myself up to de-brand 37611 to become 422, and given that it’s a Lima model I’m very aware that I’ll probably remove the paint. If I can get a finish anywhere near yours I’ll be a very happy chappy!

Twenty years after DRS moved out of Long Ashton, Mountford Fabrications is still trading from the same unit, although the security cameras that captured our visitor have been upgraded. The depot at Long Ashton have seen some short occupations since the blue stuff moved to Crewe and Carlisle (anybody remember Advenza?), but some fairly heavy goings on in the sidings beyond the gate have been accompanied by more frequent visitation to the stabling point. The gen machine reckons that Long Ashton sidings will be re-opened to hold the cast offs of recent modernisation, and the depot refitted to service the locos that deliver them. Time will tell, but there are murmurs of a froth worthy route learning trip this weekend...

I’m sure the odd shape has a functional reasoning - can’t imagine the chaps at Longport are too fussed about how I think it looks! Yours looks superb though, captured the ‘step down’ and the bracing well! Looking forward to seeing it in primer (and looking forward to seeing what GBRf do livery wise with these. Maybe something along the lines of 47739?)

Looks good (which I mean sincerely, I actually kinda like the flush front / WIPAC’d 56...) New opening looks like a dog’s dinner. Again a complement to your skill as the original looks like they got me to do it! Awesome work - really appreciate you documenting the steps too as I’m sorely tempted to have a go after Xmas.

Thanks Alex! Worth knowing it’s not an easy win!

Much obliged! Should give me a nice winter weekend project!

Cheers! Think will get away with patch painting as most of these have decidedly ‘newer’ looking areas where the DRS vinyls have been removed. Does anybody have any recommendations for a rattle can match for DRS’ Oxford Blue?

Just to update, the sellotape method doesn’t touch the decals on 37611. Looks like they may have been tampo printed. Does anybody have any recommendations for methods to remove without damaging the underlying blue paint?

Afternoon all, Does anybody know if there’s a production date range that this does / doesn’t behave for? I'm toying with de-branding 37611 to 37422 in recent state - believe the Lima model was produced sometime around 2000. The DRS logos are fairly prominent on the body side though, so I’m loathe to start and then realise that the sellotape method is not very effective! Cheers!

Looking good - the roof seems to capture the profile of the picture that surfaced earlier in the week. Side grill cutout will be a challenge - getting it not to look ‘too’ neat

Hohoho! I’ve been looking at the possibility of something like this but think I might be being a bit brave for my first cut and shut... (...I’m assuming this is going to be one of GBRf’s new rolling innuendos?)

Tell me more about that very early DRS 37!

Agree with both of the above - my layout (Long Ashton) is fairly similar, as a sort of stop off between a larger off scene mainline and a storage / marshalling yard (think Long Marston / Tyne Yard depending on mood). I’d look at something like Tees Yard WRD / March Depot for a couple of ideas. Tees has a fuel point and a shed on hard standing for light repairs (wagons and locos) but you’re probably not talking about washing / heavy lifting and engineering until you get into the realms of the bigger depots. Couple of lifting jacks and maybe some tool racking up to (at a push) a lighter fixed hoist / crane. That said, being pre-privatisation you can probably argue for a little more local infrastructure than the ‘man in a van’ setup common nowadays... Fuel point will be contentious- rail served adds a bit of interest shuffling TTAs in and out (think Ipswich) but most seem to have moved to road service by the 90s and again a good number of LMDs / WRDs wouldn’t have anything similar. That said, rule 1!

I could sit and watch for hours - superb work mate.

Finally something functional - had my first experience with hunt couplings this afternoon. I went for the ten pack of close couplings (NEM sockets). About 15 quid posted for ten pairs, so 75p per coupling. Certainly cheaper and better than trying to come to my own solution (given that I don’t have a vast collection of stock to sort!) Functionally, they’re excellent. I haven’t got point motors on my layout, so am used to having to lean over to make changes. Very similar principle here for me, but means that I don’t have to lift and twist to separate tension locks, so my derailments / poor contacts are down significantly. The magnets are strong enough that I’ve not had any separations yet (!) but malleable enough that a thumb and index finger are enough to separate loco and wagon. As for size, the close coupling pack that I’ve been sent maintain about the same distance as a pair of NEM tension locks did previously. For the next round I’ll probably go for the ultra close coupling as I don’t have any significant curves on the layout, with the option of mixing short and long if I need to (to get round potential buffer beam detailing). I had one magnet loose in the housing (think the glue didn’t quite take), but a quick dab of revell contacta seems to have sealed that back in nicely. Overall probably not the best option for an automated yard layout with frequent coupling and uncoupling, but since a) my points aren’t motorised (...yet) and b) my movements are very much arrive - drop - leave - new loco picks up and moves, they seemed like the best way to improve on tension locks without any extra intervention. Based on my limited experience I’d imagine they’re fantastic for long run layouts ala West Coast Cement where all separation / joining is done in a fiddle yard. Finally a couple of pictures - the track level 20 / 37 combo should highlight my thinking behind going ultra close next time.

Nice to see the body snatchers still going... huge soft spot for the 57/0s

The same evening sees an empty FNA dumped in the siding due to a problem opening the hood. That’ll be shuffled in for the fitters to attend to tomorrow.

Back to the 90’s for today’s Picture of the Day. Seen from the gap in the old fence, 37611 gets a final write up as she awaits the road for an evening route learning trip down to the Valley loading point.