InterCitySpud

I hope...the APT will have a removable nose cone, so it can be realistically towed to Carlisle.

I think everybody here actually love all trains.

I'm sure most manufacturers meet in dark rooms to discuss the same matters regularly! Of all the amazing steam image layouts I drool over, from a safe distance, most of them are set from the 1920s to pre Beeching. This was obviously during the boom times for British railways and when almost every village had a station! Of course very evocative and gives many options to model with so many companies, liveries etc. but only a relatively short period in time. However if you look at the ACs, for example they have been plying their trade since the wires went up properly in the 1960s with many still around today. They have hauled almost everything in almost every livery from late LMS stock to MK3s. Same to a certain extent for the 45's, 47's 50's. How many steam locos stayed in full service for 30 years or longer? This is why I model TOPs period, once you have, for example a full blue grey HST set you can be anywhere you want, you can build Cornwall, the Midlands or the North and can run one. I often gaze in wonder at those fantastic steam based layouts mischievously wishing to see a full seven coach screaming Paxman set whizz past "Little Twee" village station (on a diversion of course!) This is a huge period of time for people to get interested in Diesel or Electric modelling, almost 60 years now so I hope they don't overlook us too much!

By all the comments I have read, this years hopes for Hornby should include choosing a more prototypical rail blue. Absolutely. MK 2 b/c to sit well with the current MK2a and new air con releases, in some cases even MK3a’s, its almost impossible to represent full rakes in many sectors from early inter-city to NSE without including them somewhere. If you own a class 50 or 45 for example or plan on a new Heljan 86 it needs some of them somewhere! On the age and what you want to model debate, FWIW I’ve unfortunately just hit 50 but have absolutely zero interest in modelling anything steam derived and almost as less interest in modern privatised stuff, for me, only blue or blue grey with a little sprinkling of intercity livery if in the mood. I’ve also heaps of time and reasonable income to throw at the hobby so I hope that helps sway any manufacturers reading this. Go 80’s!!

2021 Hopes, as I don't need these until 2022! Hornby or anyone.. Class 81, ACs are cool now. Class 310/312 AM10 EMU - zillions of liveries but I'll have a blue and a blue grey please, 4 car sets, I'll pay anything you want. MK2Bs. Nothing since Lima FFS! To include TSOT thank you. MK1 RKB. From steamers to today so everyone's a winner. (Babe) Oh and some decent drop in place MK1 multi track portals and catenary to run it all under, but hopefully that's on its way! Good luck all..

Thanks again Northern Electric, fascinating stuff and installing me with great confidence. This image is exactly what I wish to recreate, a mix of track spans of this era, in this condition. From my perspective in case it helps, I'm not planning on having wires but only to recreate a similar scene. In the picture the wires sort of disappear anyway and as my plan is for a scale mile at scale speeds with full length consists it would only be a blur! Having a set pantograph somewhere about right will be fine.

Thanks very much for opening this thread, as I'm hoping to start work on a large WCML set in the early 80s so this could become a great help in the not to distant future! All the equipment looks fantastic, the heavy-duty tension portal especially important and looks great, I'm itching to spend long hours weathering rust!

Yes it's a real shame that there can't be some agreement between manufacturers over BR Blue, I wish they would all meet up for a beer and finally choose a RAL number, they can then continue the fight elsewhere. On the other hand, why would they make it so easy? It sells more paint and spray guns! Another point previously mentioned is the guttering is also painted red but as you can see in this image the red band only ran under the guttering edge. Worth touching up and a thoroughly decent weathering to bring out those window frames for which Hornby should take credit.

Sorry if this has been posted before but I found this lurking in my reference photos, maybe it will help on internal detailing?

I knew I had met Stan before somewhere! Here he is working with his team on a Mk3 TRUB

Have you any weathered versions? I don't think I ever saw a totally clean blue/grey anywhere! A considerate weathering might really bring out this new RBR. On a cheeky side note, looking forward a little into where to go with MK1s might Hornby consider a RKB as a follow up some day? They again covered many eras and would also sit comfortable in a rake of Mk3s, Mk2s, steam, diesel to ACs, I think some are still working privately but I'm not 100% sure.

Thanks for the information, I will check out the Peco Catenary chit chat thread! Northern Electric, they look fantastic, especially like the tension gantry and the BR worker looking a bit cold! I used to see the gantry's get painted by hand in light grey, often on Diesel Sundays, that rare treat for us living under wires when BR had not paid the leccy bill! On these 'super Sundays,' we would have mostly 47s on mainline passenger, sometimes double headed rats, but the 25s mostly pulled the 310s around during cut off days. Marvelous, we never moved all day!

Brilliant counter and glass cover, captured perfectly, Stan seems a proper bar steward! I'm sure I can read Maxpax on the coffee cups!

I lived my entire childhood from 1970 until around 1990 living within earshot of the WCML, in a village called Roade which is where the main line separates and the Northampton loop descends into a cutting. Daytime brought a constant non stop stream of ACs 81-87, 310s and the odd diesel now and then, usually a 25/3 for a bit of excitement but deep into the night you would often hear the thunder of mysterious visiting diesels roaring out of the deep cutting. However, I was never able to properly model what I saw before me, instead it was Cornish branchlines, Peaks on the Midland or Deltics that dragged me away! Now thanks to the new interest and forthcoming improved locos and equipment the time has come. Any views on the new Peco 4 track catenary? Would it be possible to chop and amend to suit ? This seems pretty close to the OLE in the day, albeit rusty in places, which is fun to weather!

After the very welcome new RBR from Hornby go on, treat us with a matching RKB! That would complete the set of catering vehicles available in RTR seen behind the ACs in mixed stock with air con Mk2s, Mk3a around in the Eighties. A whole kaleidoscope of other liveries too.

I had no idea about the Britannia Pacific 312 until today, so thanks very much for the information. Hopefully they would be able to muster two sets of 310s one in blue and one in blue grey would be perfect! I agree, the 310/312s compared to many early EMUs went on to cover many regions and liveries, I may be wrong but I think I even saw a Silverlink once? I simply cannot contemplate the layout I have planned without some, so cost would almost be irrelevant. So there's some more evidence of a customer willing to buy a four car set, if any manufacturer fairies are listening! I'll take the positive views knowing that at least one potential solution is out there. Look forward to seeing yours when it's done.

This I completely agree with! The 70s and 80s WCML was a fascinating period of time but has not always been easy to model unless you're a scratch build genius with a degree in micro engineering! On the subject and on the heels of these new ACs, for me the missing piece of the jigsaw would be a RTR AM10 Class 310/312 which would've been seen alongside all these locos for more than a decade. With such a variety of liveries and regions they worked under I would like to know others opinions if were ever likely to see a RTR version. Are Southern Pride the only option in the near future? I would love to model an area of Northamptonshire in the Eighties but its impossible to do that without some 310s, several indeed!

Lets hope so! Around 1985 I used to regularly enjoy a ham, egg and gherkin sandwich, on brown bread, delicious and always super fresh from the station buffet. Also on regular morning trips to Crewe, two rounds of hot buttered toast and a decent cup of tea for about 69p sat in the white plastic seats of the MK1 RBR before retiring to a more comfy MK3a. The first microwaved burgers on the HST were also amazing at the time, in fact almost all the food served on trains under BR was way better than the fare dished up today and nowhere near as bad as joked about. Sadly today they don't actually really want to provide food do they, for this impatient get me there yesterday society? Maybe now as people take stock of their lives, getting to London from Manchester itself may not be so important never mind getting there in under two hours? As long a service departs and arrives about the correct time, is comfortable and a generally pleasant experience, I don't think people are that bothered. We know the pleasure is in the journey! What a perfect time, now thousands of commuters will change their working habits, more look to holiday at home sacrificing flights for their eco credits, and also off the back of Brexit to take the railways fully back under a new public owned system, Government subsidised, not for profit, designed and built in Derby or Crewe again, not Italy and run by those who actually know our railways and how to deliver them. Sadly wont happen but bring back the new BR!

I cant see it mentioned anywhere so I'll add this. Back when I was a young teen I saw this film on TV, it was on just before Christmas I think and must have been around 1982/83. It's a really enjoyable Enid Blyton Famous Five adaptation called Island of Adventure, with some recognisable faces including Wilfred Bramble. It's set in Cornwall with quite a few HST clips throughout, entering Cornwall over The Royal Albert bridge and arriving at Penzance. One of the kids parents was clearly loaded and fortunately for them they travelled First Class so some nice clips of the original orange interior! First clips from 8 mins. https://archive.org/details/IslandOfAdventure1982Divx

A very welcome model considering it's 30 odd years since the Mainline version, which was a standout quality coach and stood the test of time as for me, it was always run alone with Mk2/3 stock. My next project is WCML circa early 80's based around the Northamptonshire area, and in that time 3 x Mk1 catering vehicles were used, this model, the RBR, the RK and the modified Bachmann version. The current Bachmann is useless as it was never seen, only the modified version with the buffet counter added. I'm not sure what is was classified as RB, RU? Almost identical to the RBR but with the external pantry door between the kitchen windows. I suppose I should jolly well get on and convert the Bachmann! The only RK as seen at this period is by Southern Pride, so come on somebody and help me out with an RTR version, I'm sure they had them pre nationalisiation? None of the other current RTR offerings were seen in this period, RMB's and TSOT's could be seen from Coventry northwards but not on the lines into Euston, As a foot note I clearly remember the first Mk3a's to be seen were TRUB's, immaculate ex-work versions stuffed between grubby Mk2e/f. A modeling opportunity in itself! Oh and if anybody knows of somebody willing to build me a southern Pride 310 EMU please let me know!!!

Great reading through this thread, I was addicted to Deltics as a kid and although I'm planning a WCML next up, this model will be hard to resist. As it was mentioned a page or two back. Best start to a film ever?

Hello to all. Firstly can I say how lucky some of you must be if you are currently locked down in your model room. Not taking away any of the seriousness of this time but for any of us in the know, months can disappear let alone weeks. I do hope your all well and enjoying some serious weathering projects, I'm jealous! I'm making the return to modelling after a painful 35 years of abstinence, brought about by the usual life interruptions. I had many layouts until sixteen, modelling to a decent standard, all modern image back then but that was in the eighties when BR blue reigned supreme. You cant imagine how excited I was when Peco introduced concrete sleepered flexitrack! My favourite coach back then was the Mainline RBR which I had weathered, added orange curtains, white seats, people and an almost detailed buffet counter! Now I have started serious research again, despite all the obvious advances with DCC, sound etc, I find it difficult to believe that in all that time for such an ubiquitous coach it's only just about to be replaced RTR by Hornby. Also good to finally see a race to produce decent air-con MK2's but where are the MK2b's? Lima produced the last ones with glazing 2' back from the frame! Still cant make a MK2b TSOT! Anyway, sorry, I'm meandering! I wanted especially to say hello as I'm now located in Thailand, which is going to create special problems as I need to not only buy in bulk where I can but also I need it to be correct, I can't really pop back to the modelshop! For that reason as I can't fly back and collect myself that often, I'm hoping for an alternative solution in throwing my mercy on any fellow modellers out there planning to holiday or travel to Thailand who maybe carry a few locos or precious items, hence the mule part! No dodgy packages of course!! Obviously this may not be for some time, but I'm not starting as yet and as I have a small beach resort, I do need to wait until some semblance of any type of normality returns before I blow huge amounts of cash on trains, however important they are and however desperate I may be to start modelling again. So I'm fishing for any suggestions, even any model shops or retailers you may have experience with who maybe able to help with long range clients so I'm sure when I'm buying it's absolutely what I need and it's double checked, more in case I have made mistakes! Building over here has one single benefit, space. I have more room than I might in the UK so my proposal is a scale mile, around 70' oval, representing the lower end of the WCML around the early to mid eighties, of course! Now Peco are planning to produce 4 line portals (never been brave enough to build my own) we have Bachy's superb 85, Heljans new 86? Hornby's 87, Mk3a's, Mk2f's and now a realistic buffet coming to go with it all! Yay! The only big piece missing is a RTR (AM10) Class 310 in blue and blue/ grey (wish) Can anybody supply or build a Southern Pride one for me? These are many of the questions I'm hoping to get some help with here, so sorry for going on and well done if you have got through it all! To finish as mentioned I have a traditional bamboo beach hut and wooden bungalows on a coconut tree lined beach in Koh Phangan, Thailand. This project will take me years so the offer of help could be rewarded for free accommodation for your holiday. Just don't forget the "extra" suitcase! If not hopefully some experts here maybe able to help my upcoming project headaches as I'm the only modeller on the island!