luke the train spotter

So here is the picture update. Firstly, here is a picture of one of the hst power cars that have had some paint removed. Next here is a picture of a box car i am repainting into network rail yellow. It is just a bit of fun and still needs some transfers making for it then applying.

Thank that is very helpful.

Got some slim nem pocket couplings sorted and should get them at the weekend. They are the by product of using kadees on my friend's layout. Should also mean that I have some spare to put onto my Hornby MBA coal wagon. I don't know if you remember seeing those nasty plastic blue "fine fish" box cars but I picked one up years ago at an exhibition. It was repainted into br bauxite and now I am repainting it into network rail yellow. I will post a picture later but it isn't finished yet. This is kind off my test paint but it has been done with brush - not spray like the hst will be.

Ahhhhh. Ok. So in my case it will probably be a decorated nem coupling. I imagine that some thin, bent and painted wire will serve as brake pipes but the steel bar will probably just be there for decoration above the coupling. I will have a look with the nose of the HST next to my Bachmann class 25 and use that to gauge the required height of the coupling.

Cheers guys, I think that chain drilling will be my best method of removing the piece of plastic. I scratch built a shunt signal last night for my other layout and I will have a picture of that up soon - just need to operate it on a 3v battery for now as I have no resistors. Regarding the hst, I am slowly stripping all the extra paint of one of the power cars down to its black plastic base layer. This is quite a slow process with me but I would like to have both cars stripped by in the next week or so. Thanks.

I have a dremel but no cutting disks. If I had to remove the front section then I would probably rebuild a new one out of plasticard due to the thickness of the molded body.

I don't really like HSTs with buffers so even if it is prototypical I probably won't model one. Gauging the height for the coupling will probably be a difficult task but shouldn't take too long to do. The biggest worry I currently have is how to cut out the section of the front. Any ideas?

Hi Gary, Like you say, it is easy to get side tracked. I hope to use the van as a kind of test model I can practice on so I will be able to develop and practice the skills required before moving onto making and applying the transfers for the flying banana. I have also encountered another difficultly with the flying banana. I would like to have a permanent coupling hook on the loco so I could couple it up to a loco. I have no idea how to go about this but I would like it to look prototypical (accept for the actual coupling hook itself). Any advice? Thank.

Hi Gary, I'm afraid you will have to wait for a couple of weeks as I have already spent this months budget. I will make up some transfers for my unmarked white transit van (see picture). I plan to make up some railway logos to be put on the side of the van which will brand the van as belonging to the fictional heritage railway that it currently belongs to. Cheers.

Very true. I've checked that what I want to print has no white on it. Another question I have is should I tell the computer what it is printing on (in the printer properties area) or should I keep the setting at white paper?

Thanks Gary. One quick question - this may sound like a stupid question but if the background of the logo/number is clear then do I need to buy clear transfer paper or white transfer paper? Thanks.

I plan to convert these hst power cars into a network rail flying banana. The ready printed transfers are quite expensive for me so I looked into printing my own using a inkjet printer and inkjet waterslide paper off amazon. Is this a good idea or am I creating myself a messy, inky situation? Amy advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Yep. Means that people who hate isolating sections can run their trains in peace....... Unless you forget to move on of the trains out of the way because analogue control does that foe you.

Very good! Really nice progress with it. I would have never guessed that this amazing project started off as a mk1. The interior of your coach reminds me of the interior of rapidos apte.

These pictures have been taken in my current oo gauge layout - Ravendale. This is a fictitious heritage railway set in the north east of England and has a small mpd which is featured in the pictures. The layout measures 8ft x 1ft including the fidlleyard. It is dcc controlled.

So what did I buy today??? Well today I picked up a real bargain. I managed to purchase two hst class 43 dummy cars for £10. Yep, both for only £10 and one of the units even has working lights!!!! So that's this months budget spent on some power cars that I hope to turn into my own flying banana. Here are some pictures of them.

Will keep my eyes open. Got a rolling stock update coming soon. Go an awesome bargain today!

Ok. Will keep my eyes open for some skips.

Looks good. So I will look into purchasing some pegs and clips. Sounds good and brewery sidings looks great! Thanks for the advice about the foam board as well.

So to keep the door of layout extension open , i will make 2 baseboards (scenic + fiddleyard (still included in £100 challenge)) and i need a secure method of connecting these baseboards so they are a snug git and the track lines up perfectly. Any ideas or experience?

Well sounds good anyway. I wondered about legs for the layout but due to the width of the layout I dont think that they will be stable enough. Like the ideas of trestles so will probably go with those but wont build them till later on. The layout will probably be balanced on furniture whilst it is being built or put up in the loft for storage.

Obviously building a layout on the floor makes it very vulnerable to damage and difficult to work on. I have little to nothing wood work skills and would like to raise my layout up off the ground. What methods do you use to raise your layout off the ground?

I only got locos for my birthday (October so a little wait a way) but I've got my eyes on either a 37 or a Hornby sentinel that I would repaint. By the way, that oulten layout looks amazing and really inspirational. Using fruit crates means that I can build and extend (hopefully) in the future with ease due to the modular shapes of the fruit crates and I only have to eat a few strawberries to get them.

So I currently have 2 dcc fitted locos (Bachman 108 2 car and a Bachman 25) both in Br green. In terms of rolling stock I have a couple of gwr and lms coaches but nothing special. I am currently looking into repainting some bargain bucket coaches into network rail yellow and modifying them into a 2 car test train. In the £100 budget I do not intend to include rolling stock and controller as I already have a basic Bachmann ez controller. I will check out the links tonight for some inspiration.

Passenger operation will be by a 1/2 car multiple unit or maybe a top tail for fun