APT Fan

So after discovering my old 80's train set in the loft I've embarked on a bit of restoration project. The job list includes servicing, lighting upgrades and some paintwork. When it comes to painting, personally I don't like the look of brush finishes, especially on models. I decided to go the aerosol route to provide the options of spraying where possible or brush painting - spray the paint into a container and brush on. I purchased Railmatch aerosol BR Blue (RM1207) and Warning yellow (RM1202) and hit a couple of models with them to check for match and finish. I have four HST cars 253 001 X 2 and 253 005 X 2 and the older 001 cars have always had dodgy paintwork with 'crazing' or cracking, anyway this has since deteriorated and is now flaking off. I thought I'd mask a section, give it a hit of yellow and look at the colour and finish. It looked distinctly yellow to me at first inspection, but then again, I always thought the factory paint looked a little bit too 'orange'. In the picture below, I've placed it next to one of the 005 cars which never looked as orange, but not as yellow as the new paint. The finish is nice and I think once I've flattened it all down and painted directly over the base blue body coat it should look acceptable.

The Mk3 coach has some deep gouges which need filling and then spraying, the paint test showed a really good match with the BR blue, the finish was matt but this is probably exaggerated when sat next to an area which has been T-cut to remove blemishes. I think most models from this era seemed to be finished in matt BR blue, so all should be well after filling and spraying, I could always polish up the gloss level.

Following the experiments to understand the paints I intend to use, I turned my attention to a Lima Deltic with a busted nose in urgent need of some TLC. No doubt I'd be able to 'patch' it with a brush but thought I'd mask off and 'blow in' the paint using the spray. I think the match is excellent and although the finish initially was quite glossy, I've been able to bring that back to more of a matt finish with some wire wool. I think the initial gloss finish was due to the amount of paint I've had to apply to the area - she had a very bloody nose, and bled yellow! I'm very pleased with the result and the loco now looks immaculate for such little effort. Let's hope I can make the HST cars look presentable too.       

20 hours ago, Lee Clarke said:

Silence came the reply,....... Looks like nobody has an answer,

I think you should risk it ...I've got an old Lima Deltic somewhere, can't remember what state it's in as it was one of my first locos and probably the experiment for a lot of things, if memory serves correctly..... I think it's got a good thick coat of paint (like it's been done with a tar-brush, but expensive etched nameplates 

Yeah I think the worst of it woudl be having to cut out the head code box, but I'm into drilling the body regardless. The current headcode box looks like its been hand painted at Lima! Looks alright from a distance but could be improved, even if I just painted over it and added domino transfers.

But yeah lets go for lights, it makes the loco come alive.

Good Evening,

I'm looking for replacement coupling hooks for some MK3 Hornby coaches, they appear to have a closed loop. Hooks with an open loop are also available (see pictures), would it be easier to fit these instead? 

Thanks in advance.

Good evening, I have a Lima Class 55, 'The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry' which has a recessed painted headcode box. I'd like to add LED lighting and was thinking along the lines of a 'Domino' headcode box. I came across the 'Bachmann Class 55' conversion kit and wondered if this could do the job, does anybody have any experience with this kit? 

https://www.expressmodels.co.uk/catalogue/head-and-tail-lights/dcc-locomotive-lights-4mm-scale/dcc-lights-for-diesel-locomotives-4-function/Bachmann-class-55-deltic-detail

3 hours ago, Lee Clarke said:

Hi @APTfan I'm same boat as you thinking of returning to the hobby after about 20 years, I've got two of those Lima 47s with etched brass replacement grilles with working fans on little motors. I've got at least 9 good locos and 3 multiple units and an HST, all hardly used, been in boxes in the loft for 20 years .....I'm avoiding getting my stuff from the loft because I don't want the disappointment if I don't have any track (can't afford to buy any at present) can't remember exactly what is up there.... getting more tempted every day,.... sooner or later with all the good stuff I'm seeing from other modellers, I'll have to climb up and retrieve the boxes.

It does seem a shame to simply leave them in storage, they were designed for action. I think one of the most important parts of owning a set is building it up and developing it further and budget is very important, we all have to start somewhere and usually that means modest beginings. At the moment despite having some nice pieces, I only have a first radius loop fitted to a board made from scrap wood from my shed. I can pack the board away against a wall after use, eventually I'd like to move the layout to the loft but have a lot of work to do before I can get there.  

1 hour ago, westernviscount said:

Returning to this hobby is such a good thing and i hope your 47 progresses nicely!

The plan is to fit lighting and eventually DCC, I've an electronics background, so I'm comfortable with that side. I fitted the four HST cars out with led's last week and the effect is fantastic, although I think the led units that they sell should be fitted with better low pass filtering, but that should be an easy fix. It was great getting the soldering iron out again! The DCC side should give me a chance to use my software skills, I've already had a Traintronics signal operating from my laptop via an Arduino, so there is plenty of fun in store.

I'm really not confident about repairing bodywork or painting at the moment, I'm going to buy aerosol paints to give me the option of spraying or bushing.

5 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 Welcome to RMWEB APT.

 

Where did you source the buffers from? Whitemetal often have residual ridges and bumps from the casting process that can taken back with some light filing. Painting the buffer but leaving the shank bare metal should lead to a life like finish. 

 

Whichever method you choose, i hope you are successful. 

Thank you!

I haven't bought the buffers yet but found the metal Lima one's at Hatton's (see link above) and the Hornby plastic one's on Ebay. Both items are 'Peters Spares' so I've emailed them directly for advice. I was thinking about what GWR-fan said in that these are push fit which suggests they are an interference fit so they need to be the correct item. This might sound a bit daft but rather than glue, I was going to use a bit of silicon sealer, I tend to use this approach when I want to secure something whilst allowing relatively easy removal.

I must say that it is nice to see that Hatton's is still going albeit online only, which is a bit of a shame. I used to love going to their shop in Smithdown Road, Liverpool and I'd say that the majority of my models were purchased there. A few new one's but most were second hand, usually with a few bits missing, but all I could afford at the time. Those old model shops were great!

I'm very impressed with this Lima Class 47, the detailing is very good and much better than earlier Lima's. I'm a fan of the 47 but I always thought the Hornby model (R.075?) was awful, very crude and boxy and the body just didn't seem to sit right above the bogies. I was reading on here about the 'paint guides' on the body which I always thought a bit odd, but never worked out why they were there until now.   

4 minutes ago, GWR-fan said:

These are the Hornby class 47.  They are a push fit (do not glue).

 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hornby-X9774-Class-47-Round-Buffers-Pk4/323324320138?hash=item4b47a1998a:g:wfgAAOSwoHJbN0Gc

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes! they are the one's that I've spotted - will they fit the Lima? These are the one's listed for Lima:-

https://www.hattons.co.uk/392873/peter_s_spares_psp_35_metal_round_large_buffers_for_lima_locomotives_pack_of_four/stockdetail.aspx#15890167113132&_command=reamaze%3Aresize&_height=350&_name=_embed_0&_url=

Or (out of stock)

https://www.petersspares.com/lima-l5627-06-round-large-buffers-for-class-20-class-47-pk4-black-shaft-oo-gauge.ir

Good Morning, I've just joined the forum and this is my first post, so please don't be too hard on me!

I couldn't see an 'Introduce Yourself' thread, so I'll provide a bit of context on my background. I use to have a nice setup in the mid 80's whilst I was a teenager and recently I uncovered some of my old set during a loft clearance which consisted of an APT, 2 HSTs, a Deltic  and an 09 shunter, plus a bit of rolling stock. I thought I'd have a go at restoring the set whilst sticking to that mid 80's theme. The Deltic is green and doesn't appear to match the era, so I've just bought a blue Lima Class 47 which needs a bit of work.

The Lima Class 47 needs replacement buffers, which I've read on here actually forms part of the fixings between the chasis and the body. I've sourced the replacements but I don't like the look of them as they are cast metal and don't look to be finished very well. I've also seen some 'Hornby Class 47 buffers' which look much nicer and are plastic - will these fit?

Also, I have a question on fitting these with them being part of the fixtures between body and chasis, are these to be glued in?