LondonCharivari

There was a similar discussion on the District Dave forum many moons ago which may be of some interest around this topic https://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/19392/met-electric-loco-on

I was quite lucky actually, I got them made bespoke a few years ago via the Brighton Circle, Mike Waldron fixed me up. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the railtec transfers, best of luck!

Snap! They do look very nice in the black livery. How are you planning on doing the red lining? I chickened out on mine, but this is making me feel I should give it a whirl :)

On the theme of a Minories style terminal with through running, this accident report for Aldgate in 1884 makes for interesting reading given the overview provided of the various moves required to reverse services in the bay roads either side of the through lines. https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=6767

I was perusing the Railway Archive and came across this collision report involving a Midland Service from South Tottenham to Victoria. Would anyone happen to know what route this service would've taken (presumably it headed south via the Snow Hill tunnel, but curious how it then got to Victoria) https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=5004

Well it certainly puts some of the eBay "bargains" into perspective. Hopefully someone from Clark Railworks will notice soon, at least there's no buy it now function!

On the DCC controller aspect, I have a DCS 52 and I'm a big fan of it. I bought it because I wanted more of a feel of driving a locomotive or train than using a twisty knob or just buttons. As a starting point I'd happily recommend it and it's served me well now for many years.

Very happy with mine in post 1919 livery. I agree the grey feels a little on the light side (certainly compared to Oxford's products - though commenting on a livery that hasn't existed for almost a century is a fraught exercise), but it looks like a proper (Christmas) cracker and a bit of weathering and some etched plates I suspect will bring it all out rather well. The sound is also very good, with a good depth of tone - I've just driven my wife to despair by playing the bell repeatedly in the living room...

Got my email confirming my SECR coaches were being processed a couple of days ago, but sad to say I've now been emailed to say Hattons can't fulfill part of my pre-order. Unfortunate this is still happening with orders.

Some interesting news for the GER devotees on this thread. I've got the @EHertsGERtransfer set to convert my current J70 to the GER blue, but that grey version is calling to me

I had a similar heart in the mouth moment as @trainfan101, popped the body off to find the sound chip doing a little tour of the clerestory. Chip back in place and really enjoying the railcar, mine seems to be running well and the sound file definitely adds to the fun.

I noticed in the latest edition of Railway Modeller that there's a "sound upgrade" mentioned on the Rails ad for the Autocar. But I can't seem to find any further info on Rails' website or online. Is anyone aware of any information about this upgrade?

Following the Hornby Magazine article on the J69 I decided to pick up the J68 (GER C72) in GER blue. I'd been considering it for a while, but held off as I was quite curious how the livery application would be. Having seen the magazine article it looked pretty good, so I took the plunge and I'm very happy with it. I'll do some touching up of the white roof and the buffer beams, and I'll go over the number plates with something from Narrow Planet and it should look tip top. There's a bit of pixilation on the GER lettering and number plate, but it's not obvious from a normal viewing distance (I might see if I can overlay some Fox transfers over the GER, but it's definitely nit picking on my part). It arrived sans front vacuum pipe (I'll nab one off the donor Terrier) and one of the lugs cracked as I attached it to the Terrier chassis, but to no obvious ill-effect. Some pictures below if anyone else is curious, with the usual caveat that under the strong light and cruelly close up it highlights blemishes that aren't obvious to the Mark One Eyeball. In normal viewing you really struggle to realise it isn't a rtr item, and as a GER fan, it really does look like a cracker, even on a Terrier chassis. Now I just need to work out how to cram some DCC sound into the little fella...