TW1306

Admittedly I don't have a specific plan right now, but I think it'll be post-1931 (as defined by other kits I've built). Would you have an idea what shade would work for the roof?

I've built a Parkside kit of a GWR Mink A van (PC84) but while the instructions simply say to use 'GWR wagon grey' for the whole body, all the protoype images I can find show the roof is a different colour altogether. Is there a Humbrol shade that would match this? As an aside, is there any way to get hold of GWR-era transfers for this kit (as there were only BR-era ones included)?

I meant the current Thameslink 'brand' operated by GTR, sorry, I'm not quite that old 😅 I remember travelling down to King's Cross on a First Capital Connect service once before I was 10 (so before 2010) and didn't travel on the route again until 2018 or so, after GTR had taken over.

Fair enough, being in my early 20s I don't really have much 'nostalgia' for earlier units - I only remember ever taking the train once before Thameslink began operating (and that was sometime before 2011!) so I don't really have any memories of the stock that came before the 700s/717s. Personally I like the more modern look and spacious interiors of the 700s - say what you want about comfort but I've never been crowded into them the way I have been on certain older units Thanks for the suggestion, they look very good indeed! I'll keep it in mind for the future; unfortunately since I'm very much a novice when it comes to modelling I don't think I have the skills to assemble chassis + bogies, fit windows, paint the bodyshells etc - basically do everything to turn it into a full model. I wouldn't want to spend £300 and then make some schoolboy error in the first five minutes 😆

That's a disappointment, especially since I don't mind the 700s. Why are they apparently so hated? The lack of 323 offering I understand even less, the class dates back to before privatisation so I would've thought there'd at least be one variant offered by someone.

I'm still trying to decide on a theme for my first layout (space for a layout notwithstanding 😅) and one of the ideas I have in mind is a small commuter station in modern times, based on either my hometown (on the Thameslink route) or university town (on the Cross-City line) - however I'm struggling to find any models of the present-day units that use or pass through these stations. Are there any options for the class 323 or class 700/717s at all (RTR/kit/etc)? In either 00 or N as I'm not yet completely decided on scale.

I know this is going to be a very silly question but how do you open the bottle? I don't know if I'm meant to snip the top of the nozzle off; I did that with a previous bottle and the glue immediately sprayed everywhere. Note: it's the bottle type below, not the type with a black cap.

Thank you very much everyone for the replies! I do already have a 14xx and autocoach from Hornby, as well as a 4575 from Bachmann (and a couple of Railroad GWR coaches) - all obtained before I was 'serious' (for want of a better word) about building a model railway. However since I've been living in Birmingham for a few years since then I think I would be interested in a location around the West Midlands/Hereford+Worcester/Warwickshire etc; though that's not concrete of course and I'd be open to other locales if the stock I have doesn't permit that.

I'm new to railway modelling, and as I already happened to own a couple of smaller GWR engines and stock, was thinking of starting a layout inspired by a station on a 'smaller' GWR line (ie not a main line); however I'm not really sure where to start in terms of research. Are there any good resources for GWR branch lines and such that people would recommend? I don't think I'll go for modelling a real location, more just taking inspiration from real stations. Also, as a specific question: I have a GWR signal box kit from Metcalfe which has options for either a stone or red brick finish, which of these would be more 'accurate'?

Thank you very much for the suggestion! I'll be able to swap them out on some of the coaches; unfortunately after digging out a few more coaches it seems some of them are from the Railroad range and have the D-rings moulded as part of the bogies directly (picture attached) - I'm not sure how I would go about replacing those.

(Firstly I should say that I'm an absolute beginner with railway modelling, so please excuse me if I say something silly 😁) In the interest of starting a proper layout I recently dug out a couple of 00 gauge locos and stock that I got about a decade ago, and noticed that the tension-lock couplings on the Hornby coaches I have are a lot larger than those on a Bachmann loco I'd like to run with them; furthermore the Hornby couplings are held in place on the bogies by a clip, while the Bachmann ones use NEM pockets. Is it worth attempting to replace the larger ones with the smaller Bachmann pockets? It'd involve removing a fair bit of plastic from the bogies and attaching the pockets to them somehow - this would also be the first 'DIY' modelling project I've ever done.