97406

Just needs the blue tweaking to Rail Blue and the numbers changing to the Rail Alphabet style and that would be perfection!

I really miss the regular loud diesels that you could hear rumbling in the distance from miles away. The current crop of over-silenced locomotives just doesn’t do it for me, Class 68s being the exception. For many years my only exposure to a Hymek was a Triang one until I visited the East Lancs Railway where there was D7076 freshly restored in green. It was a lovely site and sound. It is a shame they didn’t last in squadron service. 37s weren’t originally all that popular in the North West due to the prevalence of the 40s, but that soon changed after the 40s had all but disappeared and 37s started being shown some love at Crewe works, being refurbished and painted in nice liveries. They have basically the same cab and I’ve spliced Bachmann 37 cabs into a Lima 40 before. There was that sweet spot between 1985 and 1987 when you could still have 25s and 40s alongside the newly-released 37s. 47s also became more interesting with Large Logo, Railfreight and the especially nice Executive and Scotrail liveries, all of which I have in the fleet. The aforementioned Banger Blue 47 with plated headcodes is all I am after to complete the collection.

Yes, but how's the cactus doing?

It's brandishing its weapon! So to speak.

The irony is that the 47 that I am after is the plain Banger Blue one, plated headcode panels and a square headlight. I only need one though. Or maybe 2..... (stoppit!) A few reminisces: Rats were so underpowered and ramshackle that they had to be thrashed within an inch of their lives to do anything of merit and that was much of the attraction. One of them still managed a loaded train of PHVs (just). The sheer noise belied their lack of power. 40s were overweight and underpowered (not unlike myself), but their stance and the sound was what did it. How anything with a diesel engine could sound like that was a mystery when I was a kid. I like the Logs too, though Banger Blue wasn't particularly flattering on them but Large Logo made them. They sounded a lot more rateable than a 47. Small Sulzers and large English Electrics always sounded the best to these ears.

Like this one 🙂

Original Railfreight grey for me. I remember them being outshopped from Crewe in that livery which later evolved into Red Stripe and then Sector livery. What a great time it was.

Hopefully there’ll be some flush fronted 37/5s to go with the 37/7s in the next batch.

The track has curves so you can’t simply measure from end to t’other in a straight line and get an accurate distance. Also think about trying feeding a tape measure around curved track under model OHLE.

Haha, snap! Great minds and all that!

That 31 actually looks like a real one that's been shrunk. You normally notice little 'artefacts' on models that tell your brain that it's still a model but that looks the real deal. Can't wait to get mine!

Plus are people as passionate about 47s as they are with other diesels? I have several 47s and will no doubt get a couple more, but they were exceedingly common in the 70s and 80s and a duff turning up didn’t attract the same excitement as a 37, 40, 50, Rat, Peak or whatever. I still view them as a timeless design classic but they don’t stir the blood as much as other more rateable traction does or did. I’m quite happy to collect far more 37s than I need but not so much with the ubiquitous Duff.

That does look quite fetching. I think I like that more than the blue

37350 and a Red Stripe Railfreight split box 37/3 as released from Crewe in the mid-to-late 80s are both ones I’m after. I remember seeing them ex-works at Crewe so an excuse to run them like that.

Isn’t it “vonky”?

It’s a toughened glass windscreen. Quite hideous looking and accurascale are modelling one, albeit 31432 which had headcode boxes. I just had to get one! 😈

Talent! In my day it were Trimphones!

I’ve gone for a couple and fitted sound. I’ll be getting a couple of Bachmann early body ones too, then the SLW ones will trickle in. One cannot have too many Rats (or 40s)!

That’d be a load of Pollocks!

I was meaning more from the livery point of view - I also failed miserably to find any earlier shots as I was after one without the orange cantrail stripe ideally. I’m not too fussed about the roof pods as they can be removed if need be, or added for that matter. I have a set of moulds made from silicone putty from a Hornby example.

For me, this has to be the best look for No 8, though I've already got 3 LL ones on order, so I'll plump for a Laira Blue one when its turn comes. From A Ned's Perspective's Flickr page.

Viz comic does a great line in sending up this sort of tackiness, normally based on the Franklin Mint.

I find I need most of them or the body doesn’t sit quite right, alas!