Peter-C

Hello everyone. I hope this is the right place to post this - please let me know if it isn't! I've been reading others' layout threads and posts on here for quite a while now, and thought it might be worthwhile sharing my layout. It's a fictional 8'x'4' 00 gauge layout, based on the basic Hornby starter set 2nd and 3rd radius ovals. It's not a perfect Hornby starter set layout, though, as I've added a bit on the side and some bits in the middle. I've made a couple of trackplans to show what the layout looks like as SCARM won't let me place enough pieces to do it all in one file. I hope it makes sense: I've not built the Railway Centre yet, and there are a couple of bits of Oldmoor-on-Sea which need to be finished, but apart from those things the trackplan's finished. Here are some photos of the layout - they show it's still early days but things are happening. They should also help in making sense of what's going on in the trackplans. Please let me know if you're still confused! Little Piddling on-the-Wold - a small Cotswolds countryside station. Oldmoor Junction - looking towards the railway centre Oldmoor Railway Centre - this photo shows how it's been planned out using paper Oldmoor T&RSMD - the shed has been made out of cereal box card and isn't finished yet Oldmoor-on-Sea (the station on the right) I hope this is of interest to someone. Thanks, -Peter

Thanks for sharing those pictures - they provide a really interesting comparison between the two. I bought a Lima 09 from eBay last night following everyone's comments on here and my plan is to detail it up and make it look better and more like the Hornby 08 - it'll never be perfect but it should be something - and hopefully those images will provide a useful reference/comparison to see what needs adding/changing on the Lima model. Great minds think alike and all that! Out of interest, how did you glaze the windows? If it's going to improve the look then it's something I'll look into. I use both DC and DCC for my layout (not at the same time, obviously - I swap the controllers over when I want to change system) as a fair proportion of my fleet is still DC; when Hattons reopen their DCC-fitting service, my plan is to get my engines fitted by them as I'm not really willing to do it myself - even if it means I have to pay however much their service costs. This is a long-winded way of saying the split-chassis models wouldn't really work for my layout - thanks for making me aware of them as I didn't know Bachmann had made Class 08s using that design before. Now that looks really cool! I like the idea of using black card for the glazing: I've seen lots of people use that for buildings and it works well. From the distances you'd normally view a model from, I expect you probably wouldn't be able to see much of the detail in the cab anyway. I assume you've painting the chevrons on the front and rear? They make a big difference as well. Thanks all once again for all of your responses: they've been really super and helpful. I'll share some images of my Lima 09 when it arrives. -Peter

Thanks everyone for all of your replies - I've just been reading through them all and they're really helpful. I've had a look on eBay for a Hornby Dublo Class 08 and the cheapest one to buy now (I'm not a fan of auctions really) is about £60, so quite a bit more than the Lima one. They do look to be decent models in appearance though so I'll make sure to look out for them in the future. I've also made note of the other places mentioned for improvements/other 08s/09s for sale so I can improve an engine if I buy one. I've got a few Lima locos already, none of which are in excellent condition and so I've got an idea of how Lima models can go wrong, which should allow me to fix one if it goes wrong. The motor in the cab isn't a major issue, nor is the lack of glazing - the latter can be solved easily with some clear plastic if I really don't like it. I don't really use shunters much on my layout at the moment but if I had a half-decent one I expect it'll get used quite a bit! Anyway - thanks once again to everyone who's responded. I wasn't expecting this number of replies and each one has been really helpful and interesting; I'll respond back here if I get one and let you know (if you're interested of course!) what it's like. -Peter

Ah cool - I'd heard of them before but hadn't thought to check. Having had a quick look, there seems to be a few different versions on there too; the EWS one looks really quite nice. Excellent - thanks very much. I've not seen many complaints but knowing my luck, I'd get one only to find out I'd completely missed all the criticism about them and bought a dodgy engine! -Peter

Hello I've got a fairly small layout, and a fairly small budget to match. I've currently got a Hornby Class 08 (RailRoad range), which is hardly known for being the most accurate of models. Because of my budget, I can't afford to go and spend ~£100 on a proper Hornby or Bachmann one, and so the Lima Class 09 looks to be a suitable alternative. My main issue with the Hornby RailRoad 08 is the wheels/connecting rods, which seem to be better on the Lima 09. However, having seen a few pictures of the latter, it looks like the bodyshell might still be the wrong size? All of this is a really long-winded way of asking, "Is the Lima Class 09 decent for someone who's on a budget, and who wishes to repaint it into a more modern colour scheme?". I don't really want to have another BR green engine as it's not my favourite livery, so I'd probably paint a loco into FGW blue or maybe even the Cornish flag livery on one of GWR's shunters. Thanks in advance, -Peter

Following on from the stupidly-priced Hornby bridge I found last week, I thought I'd just put a thing here saying that the seller has changed the price; I assume they saw this thread or just noticed and changed it back to a much more realistic £21.99. eBay link -Peter

I should hope it comes with a river, railway, and multiple cups of tea for that! And they should build it all for you... -Peter

Definitely! People are selling layouts on there for less than the price of that one bridge! Maybe it is a real bridge, they just got the scale wrong.... -Peter

Hello, I've just been looking through eBay at some OO gauge stuff and found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-R9732-Rail-Over-River-Bridge/313094222833?epid=26012063089&hash=item48e5deb3f1%3Ag%3Azh0AAOSwvjVey9~X&LH_BIN=1 £2,199 for a Hornby bridge! I can only assume that the price was entered incorrectly (£2199 instead of £21.99), but it does make for quite a mad and comical listing! -Peter I hope this is the kind of thing people post on here - if it's not, please let me know.

Thanks very much - much appreciated. I'll be looking out for the chassis, definitely! This project is going to take a long time, but it will (hopefully) all be worth it in the end. Thanks, -Peter

That looks really good. Thanks for the info as well regarding different bits - as I've said further upthread, it will take a while before I can get the kit to make the unit, but in that time (we're talking a good few months to a year, potentially), I'll be building up a stack of notes and information to help me make it when I get to that point. My plan is to make 210001 - the four-car set - so I'll be using the entirety of the 317 kit from Bratchell Models. I'd definitely like to see any more photos of your unit! Thanks, -Peter

Thanks very much for the comment. I've found that Bratchell make a 317/2 unpainted kit for £144. That should provide a good base to work from, although it will take a while to be able to buy it. To get the entire thing (4 car kit, glazing, and wheels/bearings/couplings), it would cost £252, so still a lot, but around the price you could expect to pay for a DMU of a similar size from some manufacturers. Thanks for the link for the extra cab sections - if it doesn't work out with my own stuff then I'll look into getting some of his pre-made ones. Thanks, -Peter

Thanks for the advice. If it turns out that I need a certain piece, or certain pieces, for the 210, I'll definitely look at the Mk3. Was your build of a 317/3 straightforward using the Mk3s? If so, I'd be more inclined to go along with it. Thanks, -Peter

That looks very interesting and helpful indeed - thanks very much! @37114 recommended that I should look into the Bratchell Models kits and when I was looking around online at pictures of their 317/2 kit, I found a website talking about a conversion kit to take a 317/2 and make it into a 317/1 - much closer to the 210. I think it was one of the products used in that thread - but on the website I found, the links had all broken, so I guess it'll be to eBay I go to find it, or I'll have to make my own! Thanks, -Peter

Thanks for the idea. I had considered using bodyshells from other units but having seen some of the ridiculous prices people charge for them on eBay, along with my lack of confidence and experience regarding chopping things in half, I'd prefer to stick to making something from scratch. Although if I saw someone else do it and they did a good job and could guide me through the process, I'd be more willing to do it. Thanks, -Peter

Thanks very much. I hadn't thought of using a Mk3 - I've got a couple of the shorter ones but I'm not willing to go chopping them up, so if I go down that route I'll buy new ones. I can see a Mk3 (or similar) coach coming in handy for taking pieces off of to add to the 210. Thanks for the info re: bogies - I'll be looking online for some Sprinter bogies to use when the time comes! Thanks, -Peter

Thanks very much for the response. I'll definitely have a good look at the other threads on here - there's a lot I still need to learn, so this won't be a quick process, but it will help if I read them. I've built several Metcalfe card buildings, but never a coach kit - I've just had a look at Peco's website and they have some nice-looking GWR 4 wheel coach kits on there for quite cheap, so I'll look into getting a few and making them. I'll definitely make sure to test things and learn how materials work before starting. I'm thinking of using plasticard, and I know that it seems to be one of, if not the, most widely-used materials in the model railway community so there should be plenty online to help me with learning about what works and what doesn't. Thanks, -Peter

Thanks very much for the response. I've built quite a few Metcalfe card kits, some of them quite detailed and fiddly - although I've never tried changing them much. Apologies - I should have explained further - my idea was to make the body out of card and then use an existing chassis, potentially cutting it to size if necessary. I've also thought about using plasticard - I've heard a lot about it and apparently it is very good. I believe it was one of Clive Mortimer's threads which gave me the idea - I didn't know he used plasticard, though, so thanks for pointing me in the right direction! I've looked at the Bratchell Models kits, but the issues is that the 455/8s all cost £360 for a ready-to-assemble model, which isn't going to possible for me any time soon. However - and this seems more promising - they do make a Class 317/2 kit, which costs just £144 for the 4 car kit. Seeing as the 210s are very similar to the 317s, this actually looks to be a more viable option! I've never actually used 3D printing, but it does appeal to me. I don't have a 3D printer, though, so it could prove tricky if I wanted to go down that route. Thanks very much, -Peter

Hello, This is the first topic I've made on here, so if I've done something wrong, please let me know! I've been looking through the work done by so many people on here with there amazing scratchbuilt models of various classes for a while now, and it's inspired me to have a go myself. The only issue is - I've never done it before! I'd quite like to make a Class 210 for my 00 gauge layout. The Cotswold Line is one I've been on many times and seeing as the Class 210s were supposed to work on it, I thought they'd be a good unit to model. However, as I mentioned, I've never made any scratchbuilt any kind of engine or unit before, meaning I'm not sure where to start. I've gone to http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/ and found the Class 210 diagrams for a whole unit. I've also got a program on my computer which will convert from the given measurements (which I assume are in millimetres on the diagrams?) to 00 scale equivalents. Now I what should I do? I assume I should start making the different pieces, such as the sides, front, roof, etc., to then put together? Or should I start at a certain part and work from there? I should say now that because I'm working on quite a tight budget (and it's all I've got to hand/can get hold of at the moment), I'm planning to make this out of card. I've seen others on here do it so I know it's possible. So yes - is there anything I should do specifically? As I said, I've never done this before, so any help would be greatly appreciated (including people telling me not to try if it's too difficult!). Thanks, -Peter

That would've been a good idea - yes. I don't know everything about how that would work so I'm in the same boat as you there. -Peter

I've just seen that - yes. It's nice that they're increasing the number of models being made as demand increases but it has lead me to wonder whether they should have just taken pre-orders and then seen how many they had to make? I have no clue how this part of model manufacturing works and would be very appreciative of anyone who could let me know it does work. -Peter

I agree with @Eddie Robb; keep trying when buying this model. If the site goes down on you and get a 502 or 504 error, leave it on that page (don't refresh) and it will let you in eventually. Just in case anyone is having any issues - it worked for me -Peter

I managed to order one last night. I spent a couple of hours on the site trying to get one! I think everyone who has bought this loco will remember it for a long time to come given how significant this situation has been and how amazing Col. Tom Moore has been in his fundraising. It's lovely to know that so much of the money made from these is going to the NHS charities as well - an amazing thing to do. -Peter

That's not good at all. I'd reccomend keeping messaging him until you get a response and then if that doesn't work following the advice of others on this thread in recent posts. Even with the current situation, this is unacceptable! I hope all goes well, -Peter

Hello all, I was just looking through the forums and found this thread again and I was wondering if there were any developments which have taken place in @NSE DAZ getting hold of this Class 442? I hope all has gone well but given previous news I doubt anything much has happened. Thanks, -Peter