Mike Harvey

I once went to a house at Shepherdswell (two minutes from the EKR for railway relevanvce) where the hallway was papered using stamps from the interwar years, sadly covered by a thick coat of yellow varnish.

Progress report on these units with photos has been published:- https://www.revolutiontrains.com/321-countdown-on/?fbclid=IwAR3xyo70gX7b12_gTpP3x7ue7K0ecS0zvR7jUg8O1K0e9ALXgEJE1LQBatI Assembled model to be at TINGS next month.

I have put together the two kinematic close coupler units today. Used a small magnetised screwdriver to keep control of the very small return spring. The return/self-centring spring is not very good at either of its roles. I think this is due to it being almost under no tension when the coupler is centred and in shortest position, and then still being under insufficient tension when it moves slightly to one side to a longer position. There is a spare spring in the packet so I may have a go with fewer turns on the spring to see if that improves performance by introducing tension with the coupler in the shortest position. The finished unit is quite bulky and requires 12mm of clear chassis length at least without wheels or bogies encroaching. I do not have anything to fit them to yet so maybe need to make up a couple of dummy bogie chassis.

For those who have not seen these yet the 2A-000-029 kit contains a pair of close coupler mechanisms and three pairs of Scharfenberg couplers in 3 lengths - roughly 6.5mm, 8mm, 10.5mm. Each of these couplers is made up of two parts - the long coupler shaft and a U shaped cover which clips on to the front of the coupler. I found it easiest to fit these together by removing the long part from the sprue and clipping it into cover whilst the cover was still attached to the sprue. I also used a little bit of Revell Contacta glue to hold the two pieces together. These couplers will then fit into an NEM socket on a multiple unit - I used a Farish Class 350, and the coupler alone makes a dramatic cosmetic improvement. Couplers on adjacent vehicles clip together with gentle pressure by moving the two vehicles towards each other on the track. I also found they could be separated easily, but did not separate in a moving train. One important caveat is that to use the Scharfenberg couplers to their best advantage the vehicles need to have a close coupling mechanism. The Class 350 has bogie mounted NEM sockets and two adjacent vehicles with the Scharfenbergs effectively have a straight bar from bogie centre to bogie centre which restricts the use of the vehicles to a constant radius curve or an S curve with a long straight between the opposing curve radii. Which brings me to the raison d'être for the second part of the kit which is a snap together close coupler mechanism which will accept the NEM Scharfenbergs from the kit, or any other NEM coupler like a Dapol Easishunt, or a Dapol dummy knuckle, as well as Rapidos. I will be assembling the coupler mechanism today, but as yet do not have a suitable vehicle to fit it to.

This is the first second class/baggage car that I have had printed by Shapeways. The roller shutter door seems to have come out well. The photo is after cleaning of the support wax followed by a coat of primer. No attempt to smooth the slight surface irregularities just above the windows and on the entrance doors, and roof. This is a B5Dux Vu86 converted from a B6Du Vu86 by adapting one compartment for use in medicine preparation and for making hot snacks and drinks on pilgrimage trains. A half drop window was installed in this compartment. The main window openings on the model will be occupied by windows recovered from the Roco Eurofima second class coach, along with the chassis, gangways and interior. Normally marshalled next to the Vu75 and Vu80 ambulance coaches used in Lourdes pilgrimage trains, now no longer operating as loco hauled trains.

There is a good colour comparison shot on the RevolutioN webpage with an EWS Class 66 hauling some red wagons. https://www.revolutiontrains.com/car-carriers-dazzle/?fbclid=IwAR01frH54OFUV8oJ8-4zHAo5Djyho5Ok81QEd4adX_BYoWW-s3nf6saDE3U

Decorated samples on show on the RevolutioN website:- https://www.revolutiontrains.com/car-carriers-dazzle/?fbclid=IwAR01frH54OFUV8oJ8-4zHAo5Djyho5Ok81QEd4adX_BYoWW-s3nf6saDE3U

Whilst I agree that correct marshalling can be a means to overcome the lower coupling strength of the Instanter on PGAs, it was not unusual for couplings to break during marshalling of trains of PGAs. The reason was simply poor operating practice caused by propelling the train on to one leg of a triangle at the quarry, and reversing the train suddenly as soon as the whole train was on that leg and the turnout had been reversed. The slack in the long train meant that the back of the train and the front of the train were moving in opposite directions when the direction of the locomotive was reversed. Result was normally a broken Instanter, but worse would be a stretched one going undetected.

I have had a 40+ year love affair with the SNCF Corail compartment stock. Over that period I have made coaches with screen printed side, photo-printed sides, and brass sides - always in N 1:160. Almost 1500 Corail Vu compartment coaches were constructed covering over 20 different diagrams. Over the past couple of months I have been completing files to produce 3d printed bodies which fit on to the Roco/Fleischmann Eurofima chassis. These coaches are readily available, and often very inexpensive on the second hand market. Most of the body accessories can be reused including the gangways, window inserts, and interiors. The chassis and running gear are a compromise - the Eurofima has Fiat 0270 bogies against the similar but lighter Y32 for SNCF Corail. The skirt is about 0.5mm too deep and different in outline. The Eurofima is based on one bogie centre spacing (19.0m) whereas the SNCF Corail uses 19.0m and 18.4m depending on build. Whilst most of the coaches can be adapted using the original Roco interior, for some the window spacing does not match up with the compartment spacing, or the baggage compartment cuts across several seated compartments. Nothing a bit of modelling cannot overcome. I am in the course of drawing up interiors for the mis-match coaches, and I already have available the interior for the only non-compartment coach in the range - the ambulance coaches used for Lourdes pilgrimage trains. I have not sought to duplicate the types offered commercially by Piko in N, except for the 10 compartment first class coach A10u Vu78, where Piko followed the SNCF General Arrangement drawing which contains significant errors, and the 1:1 factory followed a different plan. Along with the Piko compartment versions, alongside their models of the more numerous open layout Corail coaches, it should be possible to make up accurate trains from the classic Corail era, as well as the later Téoz, TER, and Intercités services. The pilgrimage trains are fully catered for with the ambulance coaches (4 types) and the two types of 2nd class/baggage cars, which ran with commercially available full brakes (Arnold), 9 compartment Eurofimas (Roco, Fleischmann, Minitrix, Ibertren), couchettes and a variety of day coaches. These are all in my Shapeways shop for anyone who might be interested:- https://www.shapeways.com/shops/moving-buses The individual product descriptions are in French, but I can provide a set of English language instructions for dismantling the donor coaches and mounting the bits and pieces on the 3D printed body.

I have added another variant to the range. This is a 2nd class baggage car with part of the baggage area converted to an accessible toilet. The non opening window in the baggage compartment has been replaced by a top opening window, using part of the glazing from the donor Roco/Fleischmann Eurofima coach. https://www.shapeways.com/product/HAT72SFN7/sncf-corail-b7dux-ufr-pmr-vu78-1-160

Now available to order on the RevolutioN website:- https://www.revolutiontrains.com/product/cemflo-pcv/

Couple of 900 variants available here but sadly not your preferred scales. https://railnscale.com/2019/06/10/saab-900/ I had 9000s and 9 5s back in the 1990s and early 2000s. Most reliable cars I have ever had, and popular in our neighbourhood with 4 out of 7 of my close neighbours using them, too.

1990s/2000s Saabs previously available in 1/72 in the Cararama range 9 3 and 9 5, and Yat Ming Road Signatures 9 3 convertible. Still around at swapmeets in the UK.

The Corail style ambulance coaches usually ran with a converted 2nd class/baggage car. These were B5Dux/B5Dd2ux conversions of the Vu86 build of B6Du/B6Dd2u. A refreshment and medical preparation area was installed in the "agent's" compartment which was fitted with a half drop window, with a corresponding half drop on the corridor side. I have now put this version in my Shapeways shop. https://www.shapeways.com/product/3HARBUCWA/sncf-pelerins-mixte-fourgon-b5dux-b5dd2u-1-160?optionId=114942873

The site is explicit about being accurate only up to 1972, as qualified in my post (i.e. pre-1973). All the same it might be worth advising the site owner of the additional information. Likely the base data is from local authority records, which might not have included special allocations which these appear to be., and became fragmented by local authority reorganisation, and the switch to DVLA.

I take it none of these help. https://www.traintrax.co.uk/unitrack-gauge-unitrack-accessories-c-28_8.html

I think that there will be a big difference in production quantities for the UK items where modern image N and preservation 009 occupy markets far smaller than the Japanese N market which has an 80% market share in Japan.

Kato will be attending this year’s International N Gauge show, following on from this announcement. http://www.jp-ngauge.info/ngi/2019/07/kato2019-6f3c.html

The RevolutioN wagons are weighted to NMRA standards which produce a much heavier wagon than the typical British model. With care the barrel endcap can be removed and the weight can be removed from the wagon. Operation without the weight might reduce the trackholding quality of the wagons, and wagons without weights would probably need to be confined to the back of trains.

I have just changed back lines 16 to 46 to the previous figures. These were all changed at 15.00hrs today to £30, and possibly not by accident.

I think you have forgotten that there is 20% VAT to charge on the postage element (so say £1.48) even though there is no VAT to recover on the 0% rate that Royal Mail charge RevolutioN.

I have now added 5 additional items to my Shapeways listing. First is the interior for a Corail ambulance coach with the beds in ambulance/pilgrimage configuration, with 40 beds. https://www.shapeways.com/product/BMRFD6YSM/sncf-corail-ambulance-amenagement-interieur-1-160?optionId=111213949 This interior fits into the other 4 items added - replacing the original interior of the Roco/Fleischmann Eurofima. Ambulance coach Vu75 - original version with one small cut out for the electrical connections at each body end. https://www.shapeways.com/product/AJQLACFWA/sncf-corail-ambulance-so-vu75-1-160-originale?optionId=111237724 Ambulance coach Vu75 - final version with two large cut outs in the body ends. https://www.shapeways.com/product/6QLVJCUQZ/sncf-corail-ambulance-so-vu75-1-160-fin-de-vie?optionId=111238596 Ambulance coach Vu80 - original version with one small cut out for electrical connections at each end. https://www.shapeways.com/product/FLBW3X3W3/sncf-corail-ambulance-so-vu80-1-160-originale?optionId=111238110 Ambulance coach Vu80 - final version with two large cut outs in the body ends. https://www.shapeways.com/product/VWQ8KJSSJ/sncf-corail-ambulance-so-vu80-1-160-fin-de-vie?optionId=111238726 The difference between the Vu75 and Vu80 rests simply with the layout of the window to the left of the large central sliding door. This is a half drop on the Vu75, and a full non-opening window on the Vu80. When I get a spare hour I will also draw up the interior for the 60 bed configuration used for group travel, and later the interiors for the B6Du 2nd class/baggage, the 10 compartment A10u, 12 compartment "Cabine 8", and the semi-open conversion of these to B3t7u/A6B5tu. These are the coaches where the donor Eurofima interiors do not exactly match the window spacings.

Dornaplas RN7 is an old Thorneycroft cab with a small tanker body. Listed at Gaugemaster with the original line drawing. http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=DPRN07&style=&strType=&Mcode=Dornaplas+RN7

DJModels issued sales invoices which included VAT. So it collected the VAT and was not entitled to keep it for itself. The deposit/instalment was an advance/part payment for the final item and therefore VAT was due. How else would you account for the VAT element?