InterCitySpud

Another brilliant Alan Harrison video, just made for this thread although by 1986 a lot more IC livery around and of course at Crewe more XC formations. Our buffet conversation is nicely covered in the first few minutes. 0:21 we have the converted RU into RBR 1:34 a non stop MK3 RUB 2:21 standard RBR as per Hornby/Mainline You're also correct in seeing an ex blue/grey RUB with the classification changed to First Class and so a RFB. Luckily Ill be modelling before the yellow band was added and smart passengers with a second class ticket can grab a Maxpax coffee and upgrade themselves! Assuming a full food service is not planned. The other stand out missing link in modelling 1980-84ish is the absence of a decent MK2b on the market. Not many of the services into and out of Euston utilised them at the time but they did pop up on occasions and for a coach seen almost anywhere on the network you would have though someone would produce one since Lima in the eighties!

Thank you for posting these pics, yes a great help. I would love to see some prototypical blue/grey rakes made up especially as its impossible for me to size them up myself being so far away from any retailer! I do like the look of the Oxford MK3s and mixing them with Bachmann MK2s seems the way forward so appreciate seeing them together. From what I can see, internally they both seem quite accurate too, although I always tend to repaint interiors to the correct blue/orange, add the extra details, cushions and curtains in First and the buffet, not forgetting the passengers too!

Thank you very much Ben for that clarification. This is such an important model the class 86 and huge thanks for bringing it up to date. I'm ordering an 86/0 but I'll be needing a lot more blue 86/2s so look forward to it greatly!

Best of luck with the conversion. I knew there was a thread somewhere, if you have not read this I'm sure you'll find it very handy. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, I have some time on my side to accumulate a few full rakes as I'm stuck on an island until flights resume. I'm hoping for a bumper Christmas!

I just love this picture, the time, the location and the traction but I want to be absolutely sure. Is it real, or a sneak preview of SLWs future announcement of a Class 81?

Thanks very much for the photos, I wish we could stay in 1986! The Airfix Mk2d's and the Mainline RBR bring back great memories as they were exactly the stock I ran before I gave them all away in about 1988, when cars and girls took over, but I bet I'm not on my own there! Of course things have moved on and I'm now busy buying it all again albeit today's versions, at today's prices!!! The Bachmann 19xx version RBR is a great model and the corridor side is fine. I can understand some not being concerned about it being the early version without the refurb and added counter, it sits brilliantly with east coast stock and behind a Deltic but not a 1980's AC. They probably made this version as it pairs with the MK1 Bachmann open "restaurant" which was just a dining car with no kitchen. I never saw this version on my southern section of WCML ever. So for me, I cannot run it without converting it to the later version. The only (current) correct RTR versions for the early eighties are now the Hornby RBR and the Oxford RUB, throw them in the middle of any mixed rake of MK2e/f, MK3a rake you wish! As long as the kitchen on the MK1's is Euston end and the kitchen on the MK3's is on the north end. I also agree about close coupling, one of my biggest bugbears, having a scale 6' between coaches and enough fresh air to drive a scale bus through just ruins any other detailing efforts! Why do top end models still have two great lumps of solid plastic as corridor connectors? They don't connect and actually just push them further apart from scale! This also accentuates the "model look" at points as the further the bogies are apart the greater the swing. I know some layouts have tight corners to negotiate, but not all. Having thinner, very fine soft rubber connectors (condom thin!) available might help close the gap. I have many plans for my new stock and when I modelled previously I made my own connectors and fixed my rakes as this was the only way to solve the issue. I'm hoping for more modern solutions this time around but I'm happy to do it all again! Who sells very fine black rubber?

These are not my photos so I do apologise but they do illustrate perfectly the two Mk1 buffets with seating (so excluding the RKB) that were used into Euston at the time. Your top photo is corridor side of a 16xx or 17xx. The correct 19xx can be found below. Very handily, the black and white shows both together, kitchen sides, the colour demonstrate the differences corridor side. You can now see what needs altering to make the Bachmann accurate. Despite Bomags perfect explanation, I'm still slightly confused over the classifications and what went on where, all I know is I need these two buffets!

Ha ha! You can clearly see there is a screw loose on that cable cover. Could be all sorts loose?

That would seem about right to me, certainly more of the built to suit RBRs of the Hornby/Mainline variety than of the refurbished RU. I think, from hazy memory, I sat briefly in an Eastern region RU behind 55010 in 1980, it had no fixed seating but real wooden dining chairs. So more civilised! The most obvious difference I can tell, is from the kitchen side. The RBR has a pantry door and a kitchen door, however the refurbished and counter added RB(R) RU have no pantry door but a kitchen door between the kitchen windows. I've mocked one up very badly to illustrate. I'm still probably getting something wrong somewhere!

Yes, certainly plan to have a rake of MK1s for the peak Cobbler services. The Bachmann roarer was made for just this job! I travelled on them a few times and from memory usually around 9-10 coach rakes of open seconds, a couple of composites and full brake, sometimes a BSK in there too. All will need super weathering as I never saw a clean rake! Again no creep into IC livery or NSE, only grubby blue /grey for me.

I do apologise if its been covered before but are there plans for an 86/2 at a later date? I would very much like to produce my own ultimate 86213 "Lancashire Witch!" 2:47 Massive thank you to the amazing Roy Harrison for all the wonderful memories!

Great shot! Hilmorton, so just south of Rugby near the canal just before the Northampton loop rejoins. I was only 4 years old then but probably watched it go past a few minutes earlier in absolute awe! A little early yes as I want MK3s involved but it does emphasise the area I'm interested in, south of Rugby and stock into Euston only. All cross- country, NW/SW had disappeared by then. Sorry cant help with the dominoes! The buffet looks very much like an RBR though.

I do remember buying a few Jouef MK3as when they were first released, good coaches but for me if I remember the blue was a little lighter than the Airfix MK2s and the excellent Mainline RBR. I preferred running with amended Lima Mk3s as they looked a little more convincing in a mixed rake despite being HST variants. This is why now the time is right as it was far too difficult to model this region accurately in 1985 although as you pointed out Jim's Birmingham New Street is an inspiration to us all. I hope my rakes when completed would look at home rolling into platfrom 2 on his layout! Really interested in anyone's experience of building the Comet RKB though. An important coach for the time to complete the catering stock and I would be very interested in putting one together. Ive attached a picture of a very chilly one between two MK3a's. I'm also tempted to fill windows and add a counter to the Bachmann RB. (There's a thread on it here somewhere) I'm slightly surprised they haven't produced their model in the updated version too as they were extremely prominent throughout the 80's. The Oxford MK3a RUB and the Hornby M1RBR are pretty much ready to go but there's still a lot of proper modelling required to complete the catering offerings.

Thanks again, this is a wonderful video, Rugby as I remember! I have seen all these fantastic videos from Roy Harrison and I think this video emphasises perfectly not only the time period but also the coach formations I wish to model. As almost all formations at the time were mixed blue/grey MK1,2&3 my question was which manufacturers, Hornby/Oxford/Bachmann actually look most convincing in a mixed rake? To be accurate it's obviously Bachmann MK2f + Oxford MK3a and that's almost certainly the route I will go but I have just a small nagging doubt about the profile running together, height, colour, window recesses etc. For me this is most important when running full length 8-11 coach formations. It may be travesty to some but I could live with the wrong roevacs and removing the 125 etc from the Hornby MK3 if they look most convincing in a long rake by using the same manufacturer. I really wish I was not 1000's miles away from a shop so I could line some up to be sure. Its a lot of buying blind I will be doing! As I've mentioned before, so sorry if I'm repeating myself, but I've always wanted to model this location (southern end WCML) and time (1980-84) but have never been able to do so, having to scratchbuild all that OHLE, lack of decent ACs and stock so its been the lure of the diesels up to now but the Bachmann Class 85 kicked off this renaissance, Heljans new tooled 86 and SLWs new 25/3(wow) is just going to fit just perfectly and with promising news regarding wires its time to start! From this video I can see there's still some missing links, a decent MK2b for occasions and of course the biggest problem of all, the ubiquitous Class 310. I'm going to need at least 3 sets!

Thanks again, another video I've not seen! Certainly a Glasgow rake after the APT (with an IC BG) The planned layout is basically a very large 69' 3" foot oval to a scale mile with the two return ends hidden, if that make sense! So both exposed sides will be around 24'-25' feet with prototypical curves so the new Hornby APT is definitely part of the plans at a later date once I've completed the full standard sets for all my ACs. With the space available I would be tempted to go for a longer APT now Hornby are producing the extra coaches they didn't with their first release. I used to live just a few paces from the WCML near Roade cutting and can clearly remember the excitement when we knew the APT was due through. I also managed to see it from the station platform at Wolverton once, what a sight coming around that bend! Just wish i had been into photography back then! Although I'm concentrating mostly on air con stock that went into Euston, I'll also need a 10 coach MK1 formation for the peak Northampton "Cobbler" services. I gave away all my rolling stock back in 1988 so I'm starting completely afresh so need to buy upwards of 30 coaches and why I'm getting a little help from here!

Yes that works for me as I really want to keep the period early eighties. Fully ex works, shiny picked out springs, gloss black bogies, orange jumpers etc! Maybe even just tempting in a siding? It would stand out too as I weather almost everything BR Blue, has to be prototypical!

That's a relief and thanks for dating the introduction of IC livery. I'm not really interested in mixed rakes but an ex-works something would be acceptable to be around at the time, if I get tempted by something shiny!

Heljan or Bachmann could soon make up for the loss by producing a class 310 EMU.. My 25/3(s) will be living under wires and that would give them something fun to drag around on "shut off " Sundays!

Thanks, that makes it a touch easier as I don't really want to go further with my catering vehicles than MK1 RBR, Mk3 RUB and the other two MK1 buffets used at the time 1980-84ish although as I mentioned they are a little harder to come by than just opening a box! I'm not too sure when they started classifying the RUBs? I know they always had first class seating but when introduced no first class designation. I'm happy to concentrate my time period to before the yellow band and RFBs were introduced. I often saw full MK3 sets (other than the BG/NH) with a MK2e/f BSO on the northern end, were any of these rated 110mph or were these just other destinations and not on 110mph workings I wonder?

Pure joy! Thank you, I had never seen this video before. Just as I remember from the time although this was obviously a lot further north. South of New Street/Coventry we were never lucky enough to get cross country sets or HSTs, although I may run a HST under the wires on few occasions for the Holyhead route, although that never happened until after the 80s. Modellers licence!

Thank you for the recommendation. I think a model of this quality deserves the very best treatment. I'm not shy of weathering but I think I'll have a go at another one at a later date!

I have only just stumbled across this and as a 1980s BR Blue modeller, I have to say this is the most outstanding model I have ever seen, gives you goosebumps! An outstanding effort by all involved and a big thanks. Only one problem, once I am lucky enough to own one I shall be just too scared to weather it and somehow a 1980s rat needs dirt! Oh well, I have a feeling I wont have just the one.

So to model a Glasgow service circa May 1984 a full set of MK3as with a Mk1 BG 3xFO RUB 5xSO Class 87 with correct pantograph of course! So who models the most accurate MK1 BG for 110mph working, assuming it would be commonwealth bogies? Also which services would generally use a MK1 RKB? Currently the most difficult catering vehicle of the time to represent.

There's certainly a lot more around now to be able to get closer to modelling this southern end of the WCML more accurately, especially BR blue TOPS era. The Bachmann 85, the upcoming Heljan 86 and 25/3, Oxford MK3a's more freightliners, I've always wanted to model this period but its never been totally possible! The correct OHLE and the elusive 310 are nearly here...I hope! Thanks again for all the amazing photos.

Great pics thanks, just the period and close to the area (not Milton Keynes!) which I have always wanted to model, never been able to, but hoping to start soon! Just need to solve the Class 310 dilemma, cant believe such an important EMU, around from steam to Pendolinos has never been produced in RTR? Maybe its just me?