Brian Kirby

I ordered one each of the two green non-chip Thumpers from Kernow, they billed me for one of each, and they sent me two the same! They were running low on the 235Z version at the time, anybody else had this? Anyway, i'll forgive them, i can't be arsed to send one back, these are terrific models. Actually, it may be a blessing in disguise, since for the life of me, i can't find a pic of 1115 running as a 2-car with a V-front. Looking in the Robertson DEMU book, it states that 1115 became a 3-car in August 1959, a photo shows 1115 leaving Rotherfield in February 1960, still with a plain green front on the motor coach and no V-front. Elsewhere in the book is a pic of 1115 stabled at Three Bridges in October 1966, now with the V-front, but still running as a 3-car. So is this particular model and livery depicting a temporary re-marshalling back into a 2-car formation, a la the Alton line? Re-marshalling did occur on odd occasions and for the steep Alton "over the Alps" line, but units 1119/20/21/22 remained 2-car throughout the 1960s, so would have been a safer bet. One other niggle, the model's V-front is painted yellow, shouldn't it be orange like the handrails? At least with two plain ones, i can virtually start again on a blank canvas and do whichever version i fancy. You can have a lot of fun swapping things around with SR stock, although wrong in green, here's an easy way of creating a 3T unit, a Kernow 2H with a Bachmann EPB DTS inserted. There were a handful of these in the late blue and blue-grey period. Cheers, Brian.

Ummm, nasty. That's a very serious impact with extensive stoving, perhaps the driver momentarily thought he was on a fast non-stopper? Was anybody killed, there must have been serious injuries? BK

Interesting stuff, i'm off to get my pre-group atlas, to find out where Holmwood is! BK

Yes, it was hardly representative of the normal situation, but at least it's a handy excuse for any modeller tempted to marshall up this rake. I wonder if there was a balancing working in the evening? I believe there was a similar situation between Dorking and Horsham, Dorking was the normal limit for SUB working, witness the stabling sidings there, but some peak-hour SUBs would run on to Horsham. I'm not sure whether this would be a Central or South Western Division operation, the two seemed to share the spoils on this line? I must say that these regular Sussex 4SUB commuters must have developed some fantastic bladder control. :-) BK

Yes i did ponder the Haslemere track layout situation, it was/is quite unconventional, with a centre platform so that semi-fasts can connect and then be overtaken by fast trains. Even if there was a stabling siding there at some stage, you'd need a second driver to shunt the unit, you'd hardly expect the semi-fast to Portsmouth to do a spot of shunting, so what would be the point? Without a siding, i can't believe they would park a unit overnight in a platform, blocking services, plus the risk of a runaway? It could have gone all the way to Fratton for stabling, but more likely got dropped off at Guildford, where a spare driver could shunt it into a siding, then another driver could work it to Haslemere and back in the morning. BK

Hi Chaps, I think i can solve the mystery working from Surbiton, it's probably a positioning move to get the unit to Haslemere, ready for a morning peak-hour service to Waterloo. If anyone has a copy of Kevin Robertson's "First Generation Southern EMUs", there's a pic on page 44 of a Haslemere to Waterloo 8-car train ( Headcode 73 ) entering Godalming station on Monday 9th June 1969, it's a 4SUB leading, followed by 2 x 2BIL/HAL, i can't be sure which. Who was saying 2BIL and 4SUB were never coupled in normal passenger service? :-) BK

Hi Everyone, I just stumbled across this Flickr album photo (and others) of unit 2088 derailed at Barnham in 1962. Mercifully, no one was badly injured and bizarrely, the train's passengers are all standing around on the platforms. http://www.flickr.com/photos/31890193@N08/3358812021/in/set-72157615369425444/ BK

Thanks SRman, Like you say, probably just odd cars got there buffers swapped after mishaps or failures, quite possibly at only one end, which makes things complicated. The original buffers were presumably still good enough on most units, since many many units carried them until the end. I'll probably do at least one unit with SM buffers. Cheers, Brian.

Thanks Bazza, One of the books i'm looking at, seems to show SM buffers on units numbered above 2117, which matches your data.The earliest one i've found is 2121, i'll check other books for any altered sets, but i haven't found any so far. Cheers, Brian.

Thanks Steve, I'm considering Kadees for my BR buckeye units, but i they will spoil the appearance of the 2BIL units, that's why i fitted screw couplings, as seen on the real thing. The only way i can couple the units more closely Ken, is by using shorter or adjustable screw couplings, depending on sharpness of curves, so one has to make some compromises. If i fit Kadees to BR gangway units, the "buckeye" will have to be slightly proud of the gangway, since the latter is solid. Hornby's centre coupling is very neat, with it's bar and centre buffer. I'm starting to agree with others, that the collector beam is a bit on the heavy and deep side, but not a great issue. Looking at 2BIL pics, some seem to have acquired the heavy duty SM buffers, does anyone know how many were converted or did any have them from new? I shall add air pipes to hang down by the screw couplings. Yes, the person running Hamley's train department is a Hornby employee, Hamley's were also the first place to get the Thompson O1s last December, i was shown one from their stockroom, but they couldn't sell them, since they hadn't received the price code for their computer tills. Life is so complicated. BK

Hi Everyone, Well i've started doing a few mods to one of my units, first up the aforementioned black ink around the moulded roof vents, the aim is to create an illusion of undercut, i call it "Design Bodging" ! To remove and replace all those vents would call for extreme care, it would be easy to damage the adjacent moulded conduit, then you would have to oh so carefully rub down the roof to remove any scars. The nearest car has the alteration, the rear one is un-altered, anything for an easy life. The lack of lighting is a slight disappointment, especially at the price, compared with a Bachmann 2EPB, but i forgive them, since any headcode light would impinge on the open cab interior. Swings and roundabouts i suppose? Another oddity is the lack of outer coupling, so if you buy two, you can't couple them as a 4-car until you've sourced your own couplings to clip into the provided NEM boxes. Having said that, i have bravely ( or foolishly? :-) ) cut off the integral outer NEM boxes and gone for old-fashioned screw couplings, purely because they look the part. I'm a big fan of automatic remote uncoupling, but not at the expense of the appearance of the front end and how often will i be uncoupling them? Here's the new arrangement, the shunter hasn't got around to connecting the jumper cables yet. I told you it was going to Bognor Regis ! Cheers, Brian. P.S. I can feel a yellow panel and some yellow stripes coming on. :-)

Hi Bazza, I was thinking of the south-facing bay platform that used to be at Arundel, :-) I believe some workings waited here to connect with Mid-Sussex main-line trains, to provide connections to Bognor or Littlehampton, etc. I think most interchange is now performed at Barnham? BK

Dunnow where i got that from then, must have been from riding around on 4CEP units or maybe 501s on the North London Line? So we won't need a ding-ding on a 2BIL sound chip, just a few whistles! BK

So when you built your own Kirk 2BIL, you must have used someone else's bogies, like Branchlines or BSL, whoops i mean Phoenix, whoops i mean Southern Electric Group? BK

Well that was the point, as far as i know Kirk never did make a proper motor bogie sideframe, the kit just gave you two of the trailer pick-up bogies and two of the inner 8ft type. So if the Hornby can't be adapted, there may be some merit in using a spare Kirk type, although i'd rather correct the Hornby original? BK

Hi Colin, Thanks for the link, this bogie will require further investigation. Wasn't the Kirk "motor bogie" sideframe in fact two pairs of trailing pick-up bogies? How'd the show go? BK

Sorry Pete, i disagree, with the old moulded-on vents of yesteryear, you only got the top half of the ventilator, the rest had disappeared into the roof, hence they looked too flat. How are you going to convert all the "rivets" into "screwheads", isn't this taking things a bit too far? BK

Just a little third-rail fantasy ! Surely the guard gave right-away with a bell, farty-noise buzzers were on DMUs? :-) BK

Chillax Colin, After three glasses of whisky, these problem won't seem so immense. Yes, there have been compromises, but let's not put people off, these are still good models and most modellers won't be au fait with the finer details, that's assuming they were all the same? I too can't see the point in this NRM release, it's the same apart from the running numbers and the fact they've left off the first-class door numbers, i'm sure i saw yellow panels in the catalogue, which would have set it more apart. I would like you to explain the differences on the trailer pick-up bogie and what we need to do to fix it, i remember the same issue when building the old Kirk kits, it's all a bit dark and murky down there. :-) Cheers, Brian.

Hi Bazza, I've got the two green ones ( BR and NRM BR ) here in the flesh, they are both in a slightly darkish medium shade of green, i'd say they've used the same paint on both. The colour looks right for 1950s finish, they both carry the post-1956 emblem, changing to early emblem should be easy. The colour is slightly flat finish, i might spray one with satin or semi-gloss varnish, or else one could be re-sprayed into the more olive green shade of the 1960s, plenty of variations on these units. You can add a yellow panel to either shade, although the full yellow end version, should only go on the later shade. It's darker than the re-productions on the boxes, and presumably the catalogue, but we all know how cameras can lie? My two are coupled up in the bay and about to depart for Bognor Regis, there goes the "ding-ding" from the guard and off they glide, slight whine from the traction motors as they pick up speed, i can hear compressors ticking away too . . . . . . :-) Cheers, Brian.

Having read all the scare stories about possible supply problems, i went straight to MZ Holborn this afternoon and bought two BR green 2BILs, one of which was the NRM version. Expecting high demand, i had already pre-ordered two units with another shop two weeks ago, but now we hear of trade orders being reduced and rationed, raising doubt as to whether my order could be fulfilled, if they can supply, i will buy those two as well. I didn't want to miss out and i've hedged my bets, but i feel sorry for all the other traders having to stand aside and watch Modelzone/Hornby cream off the initial trade, this is most unfair. I don't mind paying the full price, if the model is good enough, and these units are real beauties. Both ran perfectly smoothly and steadily, with plenty of weight in the power car, and yes, all power car wheels collect current. I was quite vocal in my criticism of their 4VEP, but this has been a huge turnaound and a vast improvement, this new model looks good from all angles. Some minor issues, someone raised concerns about the arrangement of the DTC pick-up bogie, perhaps this can be explored and discussed? Secondly, did my eyes deceive me, but i thought the NRM version was shown with yellow panels in the catalogue? The "Design Clever" roof vents are neatly done, but as expected there is no under-cut, this might bother some to replace them, however a quick fix would be to draw a black line each side. Apart from this i'm 95% satisfied and very happy, they are on to a winner with these models, if they can produce enough, but please Hornby, be nice to all the other shops. Cheers, Brian.

I have to add, that people are comparing Hornby's 2-BIl model in 1950s livery, with mid-to-late 1960s photographs, this is not fair to Hornby, as the shades of green would have been different when freshly applied. Of course there are far fewer 1950s colour pics of 2-BILs and they are much harder to find. The 1950s shade was a colder, lighter and more bluey shade of green. There's another rule about colour shades on models, if in doubt, always steer to a slightly lighter shade of any colour on models, because their small size can never absorb as much light as the full size vehicle. If you paint the full size version and the model with the same pot of paint, the model will always look darker ( when they are both dry! ). BK

I think Hornby have got the shade of green about right for 1950s condition, to me it looks pretty spot-on for BR Multiple Unit Green as first applied. Later repaints would have been in the deeper, more olive shades that followed, these would also have been more hard-wearing and less prone to staining. So by the 1960s, you would expect to see a mixture of shades, with or without yellow panels. Happy New Year to all, Brian.

Hi Colin and Robert, If it's of any use, there's a pic of a 4BIL formation, towards the end of their lives, leaving eastbound at Polegate in the book "The Changing Southern Scene 1948-81" (IA 1981 p.73). They are working a Brighton to Hastings via Eastbourne service in September 1969, with unit 2083 at the rear and nearest the camera. Below this picture is also a photo of a Class 73 hauling condemned 2BILs at Polegate, which the caption details as "these are three of the original batch of 10 units, delivered in 1935 for Eastbourne and Hastings services, and distinguished by the louvred doors and slightly recessed windows". Lovely models Colin, i like your work, very nicely finished. Somewhere, i've got a Blacksmith Tin Hal to build, plus one of those Branchlines 2 HAL conversion kits ( and others ! ), i really must press on with them. In the past i have tried to work out how to create a 4LAVvy from Kirk kits, but it all got a bit complicated ! Cheers, Brian.

Hi again Larry, The Anbrico bus rads and DMU engine castings were exquisite, however the one's in the small display showcase were no doubt buffed up and polished to concert pitch. I seem to vaguely re-collect bogie sideframes for Type 2 diesels and DMUs as well? Some of the bus radiator castings had an incredibly fine "mesh" look and even the odd name legend, where appropriate, so the masters were created to a very high standard. High Peak, we sold two types of "4mm" grade ballast, one was the original King's Cross self-adhesive ballast, the other was the Eames loose granite ballast, i think you were referring to the former. The KX self-adhesive ballast was tricky to apply, it was also a devil to keep in stock at the shop, cos during a hot summer it would tend to dry out and go rock hard ! Sometimes we could re-soak it and re-package it, often it had to be chucked. It was also horrible when fresh, like holding a bag of dog poo, which it also looked like. The Eames ballast was much nicer, but a box-load weighed a ton, quite a feat to cart up to the first floor. Stupidly, we also kept the very heavy bus kits bulk stock on the top floor, all good exercise for us staff. Merry Christmas to you both and all on RMweb, Cheers, Brian.