Paul_C

Ah, that's interesting. If that's the case then I needn't bother. Any one else have thoughts on this please?

I have a ZTC 611 controller and I've read somewhere that it's advisable to connect a DPDT switch between the controller and track connections. Your thoughts please as to whether this is necessary and what it actually does. Bear in mind I'm not great with electrics. Paul.

Yes, Plastikote Suede is a good one. That is now discontinued I think but I'm sure I've got a can of it somewhere. I did a couple of old Hornby Dublo Southern Region footbridges with that and they came up really well. I would hazard a guess that once a couple of coats of that have been applied it's a case of adding some weathering over the top in various forms. Paul.

I'm painting a model of a bridge and want to get a good shade that is effective and as close to the real thing as possible. This conversation has surfaced many times before I'm sure but it is still a tricky one as we are talking about concrete. I have the bridge bearings and they are now a nice shade of matt black so being able to achieve a decent finish on the bridge would give a really good visual appearance overall. Paul.

Ah, you've beaten me to it. I was just thinking the next stage is the sound and I have had a cursory look at the various options. Is your Howes version an actual Q1 or is it generic? So far everything that I've read says that no true Q1 sounds exist as they were all scrapped but there is one entry somewhere saying that one was saved but tracing it could be difficult. So far I've looked at Legomanbiffo/YouChoos/Digitrains but I've also found another version by "Roads & Rail". I haven't heard of them before but when I listened to their project it seemed very good. Paul.

Sorry, when I listed it as Bachmann I was guessing as it was a good few years ago when I bought this and the box is long stored away. So this is a Bullied loco, that confirms a previous comment from somebody else. As I've said this was bought a good few years ago and you've probably spotted my obvious lack of observation 😂😂😂. I've got so much stock I sometimes forget what's been done and what hasn't as everything was packed away in 2020 when I had builders in to do my loft. I forgot that this had already been weathered and renumbered and didn't spot it before I'd uploaded and attached the photos. The work was done by Steve Johnson at Grimy Times. Just sound to add now so it's time to search out the best sound files. Paul.

😂 Wow, what a very lively debate, fantastic info coming in thank you all. I am not as knowledgeable as many of you so it's very helpful when I receive stacks of comments like this. Attached are some photos of the model I have which is the Bachmann Q1 (I think) so I take it this would be of suitable type? I will be renumbering it to make it more localised. I do have a good list of numbers from three sheds so I have plenty of scope there. I might go for 33004 as that was at Faversham from March 1953 through to the same month in '59. Paul.

Would Q1 locos have graced the Sheerness branch line or Sittingbourne area at any time? A few years ago somebody did tell me that they were used for a short period to run freight onto the Island as the old bridge could not accommodate class 33s due to their weight. When the new KF bridge opened in 1960 this solved the problem allowing for 33s to be brought into play apparently. Paul.

That's a brilliant shot Tom, thank you. I remember there being a small turning area come pull in at the front of the station but getting shots of that will be very difficult I would imagine. Thanks Tom. Paul.

Another almost impossible request but would anyone happen to have any photos of the brick built booking hall that stood on the the Sheerness bound platform at Kemsley please. I've looked in the Middleton Press book but that shows nothing so the search continues. I believe the building was demolished around 1980'ish although that is a very rough guess. The word Halt was dropped from the nameplates in '61/'62 I think. Anything would be most appreciated folks. I know that many books exist but when I trawl through these publications at exhibitions there is very little on the branch line. Paul.

Pete, the problems apparently were more to do with units that have two power cars. A friend is having difficulty with synchronising the two so they run at the same speed. He also finds that when shunting at slow speed things do not go accordingly. Paul.

I am looking to fit sound decoders into my two class 73s but I've recently read of a number of problems with ESU fittings. I know this can be a bit of a minefield as a topic but I'm not sure now whether to go ahead or take a look at the alternatives with Zimo being the obvious one or maybe the new Hornby range. Thoughts please. Paul_C

We’re the 73/0 and 73/1 the same with regard to sound? Am I looking at the same decoder for both models I.e E6004 and E6007?

Thank you for all of your replies. Fortunately, following a lot of online footslogging, I've found one. Olivia's Trains had a new one on their website and it is factory weathered as well so it's on its way. Paul.

Thanks for your response. I've also had an email from Colin Watts who runs "Blood & Custard" and he confirms that the one in the pic is E6006 so that's good.

I'm looking for Dapol class 73 E6007 which was a special edition some years ago for The Hobby Shop in Faversham. If anyone hears of one please give me a nod, thank you. Paul_C

I'm sure I read somewhere that E6007 was the class 73 used on the second part of the weekly clayfreighter run from Cornwall to Sittingbourne but I'm getting a bit bogged down with this as I can't seem to find the initial info that I had. I've got a copy of the magazine article from 1967 relating to this service but whereas it gives details of the class 47 (D16770 Mammoth) it doesn't give the number of the class 73. Paul_C

If anyone is looking to convert a class 47 into D1670 Mammoth I have some spare headcodes (1C10 and 6B28). I bought these before I was fortunate enough to find the actual model that I wanted. Paul.

Has anyone heard or used the Coastal DCC sound decoder? That might be another option. Paul.

Hi all, Thank you for your responses, much appreciated. Just as I was getting things well underway with a view to doing a conversion everything was turned on its head with a Mammoth popping up on ebay on Sunday/Monday. I made an offer to the seller and he countered it with a figure that was very acceptable indeed so I bought it immediately. It has arrived today so I will be unboxing it this evening. It is brand new basically as it has sat on a display shelf in the box. It is also sound fitted so very happy days. Paul.

Thanks GD, it’s certainly worth a look. Paul

Thank you Zunnan, I'll keep an eye out for one in the hope that they're easier to come across than the Mammoth. 👍 Paul.

I'm looking for a Bachmann class 47 in two tone green that has a similar body shell to the special edition that was released a few years ago for Kernow (31-650L Mammoth). There's not a lot of hope of finding one of these so I'm wondering about the possibilities of a conversion. The nearest I've found so far is 35-410 but somebody has pointed out that this has three vent grilles whereas the Mammoth has twin radiator shutters. Any thoughts please? Paul_C

Does anybody know if Heljan do a class 47 in 4mm scale please? I've recently noticed that Bachmann did a special edition for Kernow a few years ago (Mammoth) but I've spotted this far too late as there are none available. I always do this, discover something giving me another good idea for my layout long after it's hit the market. 😂😄 Paul.

Thank you Ian, I thought it was pretty damn good, especially considering that I haven’t ventured much into the world of paints so far. Paul.