VXDH92

Oh lol, I've caused some mega confusion here... I refer to the 2F Aircon carriage, hence my shock!

Slightly off-topic, but I still don't understand the whole 'silver rim or no silver rim' conundrum on Virgin mk3s. If you look at the real thing, it seems that all Virgin HST trailer mk3s had silver rims, and all loco hauled stock didn't. I have no idea why the differences between the loco hauled and HST window frames exist, but I really hope OR note this detail and do NOT put silver rims on the loco hauled stock.

I wouldn't worry too much about that; it's apparently a limitation of the 3D printing process that it couldn't produce them fine enough. The EP will be a better indication. Spoke with Bachmann too - this back log is all down to too many items being announced in 2013, and they're just playing catch up. I'm sure it'll appear eventually, but it gives us time to save up! The scariest thing from Bachmann was the chap I was speaking to admitting that a 2F with DCC is likely to cost around £75!

It'll be interesting to see. I seem to remember reading an article a while back that they were weighing up between an 87 or 91, before deciding on the 87, so a 91 could still be on the back burner. I have, like others, mentioned '86' to Paul, who does indeed give a 'never say never' response, but I think they want to see how the 87 goes first. Paul said at Ally Pally that the first 87 EP is pretty imminent... they're getting way ahead of the Bachmann '90 project, which is still a long way off according to Bachmann themselves.

Sorry... I said it's likely to be similar, I never said it is the older one. Let's not forget, it was actually a very neat example of the Brecknell Willis. However, it is a bit of a shame that they will not be sprung on a loco that's £170RRP! DJ Dave has said that the class 92 pan will be available as a spare, so that may be good news for those looking for a good pantograph for the likes of Heljan 86's.

I wouldn't get your hopes up on the Brecknell Willis... Hornby have said it will not be sprung, so it's likely to be similar to what they put on their ex-Lima variant. I think this is to do with the mechanics of a single arm pantograph, where unless you run a chain through a hollow lower arm like the real thing, then you need an additional support arm, which makes the pantograph look unrealistic. Big shame, but let's see what DJM Dave and Bachmann come up with on their 92 and 90 projects.

I clocked this today - there's also a photo of a 3D printed example in the article. This is fantastic news! For anyone wondering, it's the original 'lattice' style gantry that is being produced. It's gonna save me a lot of work compared with the NBrass stuff. Peco website appears to have gone AWOL; hopefully just down for site maintenance.

I hope also to see the fine sliver rims around the windows on the Intercity variants. These should also be included if they do Virgin HST trailers in the future, as well as a couple of other liveries (I think at least one of the Great Western liveries over the years had silver rimmed windows). I never understood why Virgin West Coast loco hauled mk3s did NOT have silver rimmed windows, but Virgin HST trailers DID. Any ideas? The images on the OR site are looking promising in many ways, however

Just a little update; I've had a response from OR to say that they are still undecided about interior lighting. I personally hope they do fit it, even if it means bumping the price up a couple of £. The pre-production examples look really good with lighting. Hoping the mk3 will really help them branch out in the market; I think it's an excellent product to produce, especially given the price.

Great news! Have ordered: 3 x Virgin FO 2 x Virgin RFM 5 x Virgin TSO It appears from the Oxford Rail site that all MK3s will have an RRP of £34.95, so I'm not sure why Hattons have varying prices. However, I am not complaining at £25 a carriage! Some coloured renderings are appearing on MRD... looking very good, but no tinted glazing in the images yet. https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/rolling-stock-passenger/oxford-rail-or763to002-mk3a-coach-tourist-second-open-tso-br-intercity-swallow-12007/

Thanks for the response Ben. I like the fact it's not a definitive 'no'! If it ever does come about, please do Silverlink 321s in OO. Love the EPs of your OO TEA by the way; I'm sure they'll sell very well. Kind regards, Dave.

Hi Ben and Mike, Please forgive my laziness of not wanting to trawl back through this thread, but could you tell me if you have any future plans for up scaling into OO? I would've thought there's a bigger market for OO (although I do not have much in the way of evidence to support this!), and I for one would love some decent OO gauge EMUs, having got the bug from the excellent Bachmann 350s. Kind regards, Dave.

Excellent news Waverly West! I hope the lights are standard too, but the tinted windows are more important IMO. Cheers, Dave.

Chaps, I mentioned this earlier on in this thread some time back I think. I asked OR and they said they are considering it, but no final decision at that time. I said that it would be a big shame if there is no tinting, and pointed them in the direction of the Hornby MK2Es, which in my opinion have some of the best looking tinted windows of any RTR product. By all means, email OR and bug them as well, because it would be such a major let down if they go for the pre-production clear windows. Dave.

Main things I noted: aerials shouldn't be there on the early version; roof tanks shouldn't be there on the later one as they weren't fitted until Virgin days. Also rather disappointed by the fact they aren't even going to try to spring the high speed panto. Also the wheels in the cad image look superb, but not so good on the mock up. I hope they change the wheels so they are more like the cad image. Spoke to the Hornby chap, and Virgin is quite high on the livery priorities and he got rather coy when I asked if an 86 was following! Ps unfortunately I cannot upload my pics as the files are too large

Thanks... that's good news as that makes them about 6 years too modern for my layout. That'll save me some £££!

What year were the MJA box wagons first introduced? Apologies if there is an answer somewhere in this thread.....

Dave, This would be excellent. I need many (around 15) pantographs for various models. It is a much needed spare. Produce plenty of them; I think they'll sell like hot cakes!

I was really referring to the pretty accurate window tint on the Hornby MK2Es... I agree, the lighting strip could be better.

I spoke to Oxford the other day to query if they were going to tint the windows, as the EPs have clear glazing. They said 'they will probably have a light tinting - but not too much, as the tint in real life depends on the natural light. We are also playing with some possible interior lighting for them'. This sounds quite interesting. I pointed out the Hornby MK2Es seem to have pretty accurate tint, and may be worth trying to emulate.

Take another look; I'm pretty sure there are buffers (weird camera angle). Also, judging by the interior, it's an FO. I think it has been said before that they are starting with loco hauled stock, and HST variants will come later.

Oxford rail have announced BR blue grey and intercity mk3s. I shall be waiting some time for Virgin ones it seems

Thanks Dave. It could be an extremely exciting couple of years for those of us modelling WCML.Unfortunately, it looks like a Virgin class 90 is miles away given that the first Bachmann Class 90 releases haven't even made it yet! Hopefully I'll be able to get Oxford Rail Virgin MK3s and Virgin 86s and 87 from the mystery manufacturers.

Hi Dave, I went on the DJM site a couple of days ago and put in for 92023 and 92001 (non-DCC). I haven't had a confirmation email yet. Could you let me know if you've got my indication of interest? Really excited about this project; I have so many old 25kv models that need replacing. RE your inside info on the class 86 / 87 front (two locos I have waited far too long for decent versions!), do you have any idea when there may be an announcement from the companies involved? And if so, can you say? Thanks, Dave.