SC55015

That's interesting to see, as I only remember counters that were parallel to the walls.

Here is another internal image, and is the reverse view of an earlier one I posted of a BSOT that had a yellow vestibule, a West Highland vehicle circa late August 1986. Unlike the interior image of the preserved 9000 the partition separating the passenger saloon is full height.

For the counter side I've left the seating/table where the counter will be (at least for now), then glued in the floor.

For the predicament that young37215 found over the strength of the floor, I cut away the seating from one side, leaving the arch on the inside, and a strip on the closest side. The strip on the closest side could have been left higher to represent the heater ducting rather than being floor height. It's sitting on plasticard so I can mark out a piece for the floor: The thick plasticard piece was then glued in place at floor height. Once it is set I will take away the arch and level off the edges, then work on the counter side. In a senior moment I drilled the wrong seating bay for removal so that will need a repair. I'm not the neatest modeller - I lack the refinement at this scale that many others have mastered, but it is my first coach conversion in about 30 years! I need to also research which of the WHL vehicles it's going to become. This one was fitted with Commonwealth bogies.

To add to the body removal process, I got the four outer clips undone relatively easily (only breaking one) but found there was something else preventing the body coming away. There are also two central clips, and one of mine was glued. I don't know if the glue is factory standard as it was purchased second hand so may have been the previous owner.

I've just acquired a BSO for conversion so I will be following along, and will post pictures of the work if I can add anything. I've started looking through my images to see if I can find any more of the real thing. Here's a Far North one from April 1984: From the other side it seems to be SC9002 and is on Commonwealth bogies:

Attention has turned back to Glentogle station - which is the through branch station. I could never decide on what to use for the station - then the Peco West Highland station was released at that was that answered. While the construction of that laser cut kit is in progress I'm working on the card platform top and have roughed out the road down from the bridge in polystyrene. To avoid it looking too much like a West Highland Line station as its an anywhere and everywhere in Scotland layout the Peco Helmsdale signal box will be used.

I'm part way through building the station and it is quite an impressive kit - well made and fun to put together. I did a lot of painting before assembly, the window frames looked like they'd be tricky to mask afterwards. The layout is an everywhere and anywhere in Scottish layout so I'm not following any particular colour scheme - it's going to sit next to the Helmsdale signal box.

CA Foulkes on the lower half of the page is presumably Tony then! Do with it as you please - there are plenty more of these at https://railcar.co.uk/books/llandudno-junction-logs/

The fitter's log for that day could identify the bloke with the hammer.

There's not been a great deal of progress of late on the layout - in the time I've had it's mainly been running sessions and working on stock. I added a plain sky backdrop to Auchentogle so I'm not looking at wallpaper, and a weathered fence, station name and trees at the end of platform one. These can be seen in this clip of new purchase 37027 departing with a sleeper service. The sound on the loco is superb - my wife does not appreciate it as much and you can hear her cursing in the background!

My Loch Eil has been delivered and I'm absolutely delighted with it! I grew up in a house alongside the West Highland Line in that era so have very fond memories of it and the other Eastfield machines. It's first task on the layout was on a sleeper service - ETHEL in tow (I need to get a sound chip for that). Excuse the wife cursing in the background - I don't think she appreciates the thrashing as much as I do!

RoS have added the sound 37419 as an in stock item if anyone is still looking for one: https://railsofsheffield.com/products/accurascale-acc231837419dcc-class-374-37419-carl-haviland-1954-2012-intercity-mainline-diesel-locomotive-dcc-sound

Thanks! I didn't see any invoice for the balance (no emails, nothing in 'My account' on the website) so I'll try the chat on the website to figure out how I can pay. Unless 37027 is in the final batch - but I'm sure I saw it mentioned here it was in an earlier batch.

Have the invoices for the 37s been sent out? I've only paid the deposit on my 37027 so far.

I noticed this Heljan post on facebook today and I think the colour of the lining (and whiskers and numbers) looks very wrong and really spoils it. It's way too yellow - it should be on the whiter side of cream. Not that I'm old enough to remember these but I found plenty of colour images on the colour rail website (in both shades of green) to confirm it. There are even two of this very vehicle in this shade of green (image refs. 213055 and 213056 - I cannot figure out how to do a direct link). Looking more closely at the CR image it also shows that on the model: the BR emblem is in the wrong place (it should be one window along towards the non-van end) the number is in the wrong place (it should be under the van window to the left) the spacing of the Ws on both side of the number was very distinct on these vehicles but not on the model It's very frustrating that so much effort is put into detailing by the manufacturers but they are let down by the finish, especially when the the picture of the original vehicle was so easy to find!

Progress has been slow, and focused on the main line station Auchentogle. The station access road down from the station took some time as I had to build the Scalescenes retaining wall in a curve. The canopy on the island platform also had to have a curve introduced, albeit modest and was not as tricky as I feared. Both station buildings are still incomplete. The footbridge is temporary, used for helping me work out spacing.

When we restored the Class 126 we were able to easily get copies of the original Swindon drawings from RDDS at Derby. And although no 120 power cars survive, the Class 126 has many shared qualities with the 120s that would make is a reasonable substitute. The body profile, DMBS cab shape, solebar design, window / door styles are all the same.

After the loco number is that NB for no boiler? That must date the image between 2/69 and 8/69 if those dates are correct?

Work lately has focused in the branch station. The trackwork was completed and after a couple of weeks of testing to make sure all ran ok I sprayed the track an umber brown as an initial weathering then ballasted. I used Woodlands ballast - fine grey all over then medium size mixed grey through the platform road to give the impression of fresh ballast on the running line. The ballast was then lightly weathered (first image) - further weathering to be done later. I'd intended to have a loading platform in the yard but inspired by some images of the Scalescenes good shed I had a go at that instead. The space is quite tight but I should get away with. It shall get some weathering once I practice on some other items, and the ground around it can now be completed. I've also got the platform face in place and starting to think about what building to use there.

My 55015 from the DPS arrived safely today, very well packaged. Time to retire my Lima version!

I was notified by Darrell earlier this week that mine is on its way - he noted he was in the process of dispatching the USA and Australian orders.

I hope the Class 101 images are just decorated samples and the 'Load Evenly Distributed' text gets moved to the other end before production. From https://www.Bachmann.co.uk/product/category/183/class-101-2-car-dmu-br-blue-and-grey/32-287bsf

It's been a slow few weeks for layout building, partly due to my own lack of forward planning. The main progress has been on the branch station. I'd received the five Peco bullhead points the track required, then created the station plan in templot and printed it out so I can get a consistent curve, and then thought it would be silly to use two straight points on that curve. So I decided to order to order two British Finescale Finetrax points (https://www.britishfinescale.com/product-p/finetrax-00-b7.htm) which took a couple of weeks to get here (normal postal time), and not only did I have to construct a point for the first time (these are simple!) but I also had to adapt them to have a slight curve. These are not spring like the Peco points, so were not immediately usable - I had to decide what point motors to use. Tortoise ones are readily available here but I opted for DCC Concepts digital ones. I was able to purchase them in the US but it was still over a week for postage from the east coast. Then I realised - oh they are quite big - I need to get the right angle adapters, so that was another week wait! The station is on an 8 foot board that fits in my bay window - the image shows it out on the balcony just before I fitted the point motors. It's a double-deck layout at this point with the fiddle yard beneath. The second image shows the fiddle yard line-up one morning, full of DMUs ready for the commuter services.

Yes, I'm still waiting on one too! I haven't emailed them yet.