exet1095

Of course; I have subscribed in good faith and am looking forward to reading BRM.

It does not say that anywhere on the website. If i enjoy the magazine, I will keep the subscription going. If not, I shall cancel after the initial six months.

The RFO does have a (very nice) interior. I would recommend replacing the bogies with ones from Replica Railways and if you wish to maintain access to the interior, glue the roof on with PVA. You can then cut through the bond if need be. It makes a nice coach. Paul

You’re rather out on speeds I fear. The current gravity train limit is 18mph. 21mph feels excessively fast, and the general bashing and crashing of the wagons into each other, especially towards the rear of the train, is exacerbated by speed, and is not easily controllable by the brakespeople. This is because each wagon has its own rolling resistance, which varies depending on the radius of the curve it is traversing. Troublesome trucks indeed. Hot boxes are also a real issue on wagons with plain journals. Wooden wagons will catch fire quite easily! Having done this last month, on track much better than ever before, the prospect of 50mph at Boston Lodge is terrifying; I suspect we would have gone straight through the side of the new carriage shed and over the sea wall into the Traeth! Paul

Can you give it a rest please, @phil-b259. This thread is not about your dislike for Brexit, modern Britain, or even how marvellous everyone is compared to the UK. If you want one of those, stick it in Wheeltappers so that those of us interested in the actual subject do not have to read through your tedious rants. Thank you. Paul

Not an LMS vestibule coach, but a Sunday afternoon project. I acquired an original Replica Railways FO bodyshell, with moulded window frames: I had Replica flush glazing in stock, and a couple of old gangways. Add this to a Mainline SK underframe, taken from a coach I bought back in 1979, repainted badly, and then wrecked trying to flush-glaze in about 1988. A layout coach, finished today. When you are as time-poor as I am, a real result! (I will paint the old brown underframe and bogies black at some stage…)

Thanks, Mike. Cutting thin slivers of paper is within my modelling comfort zone, and is something that I will be allowed to do downstairs! Paul

The D1904 and D1913 both sitting on underframes (work still to be done fettling them) with roof sections cut to length. I found a couple of Comet ones in my kit drawer, so I will save the MJT ones for GWR coaches. Marking and drilling for ventilators still to be done, and then thin slices of Avery labels used to show the panel joints.The D1916 in the background, just balanced on some Mainline bogies, which is why it is too high, with its roof yet to be fitted. As the other two will have removable underframes, their roofs will be stuck with Evostick. This is a different construction method, so the roof will only be lightly stuck on with a few blobs of canopy glue. Thanks for looking, and as above, current Halfords rattle can suggestions for BR crimson (rather than VW Tornado Red) would be appreciated.

Next one… Comet D1913 BTO. This one only has five seating bays, unlike the D1916 above. Extra supports soldered in before I dig out an MJT roof extrusion and get that ready to go. The other side.And another… A second D1904 TO, again with extra supports as the sides are very thin brass. Both these coaches will sit on Mainline 57’ LMS underframes. As the bufferbeams and buffers are fitted to the bodies of those coaches, I will have to add them to the chassis.

First ducket fitted and the main part of the interior cut, shut and roughly plonked into place to check the fit. A vestibule bulkhead also needs to be cut to shape and the whole unit will be mounted on a plastic card floor to bring the tabletops up to the base of the windows and to stop it sliding around should double-sided tape fail.

Dapol has stopped producing the kits for the time being. However, £6-10 will get you an older Airfix/GMR:Mainline version at most shows. Likewise, the Mainline 57’ coaches. If you’re lucky, someone has already installed metal wheels.

I have used a lot of RTR chassis with brass bodies (from a number of sources). The LMS dining triplet in Darius’s thread for instance. The 65’ RFO is on two Hornby generic chassis cut and shut together. The 57’ RTO is on a Mainline LMS coach chassis. I have lots of GWR coaches on Hornby chassis too. Easy to remove detail and add new parts. For your kitchen car, I would recommend having a go using an old Mainline 50’ BG and the Comet sides, as per Darius’s thread. If you want more of a roof overhang, you could always widen the cantrail with microstrip. Paint colours… Paul

Thank you. I have had experience with shorting when propelling into my Setrack sidings with other brass coaches, especially Mallard Toplights, so I am planning to use plastic wheels from Bachmann GWR 9’ bogies which I have in stock. They will be used with metal wheels on coaches with plastic bodies. The amount of running each coach will do compared to the time it will be sat static in a siding means I am not too worried by the build-up of crud. Paul

After hijacking Darius’ s Comet LMS kitchen car thread conversion with pictures of my Comet dining triplet and CK conversions, I said that if I did any more LMS stock I’d start my own thread. Well, here it is… First up, an LMS D1916 BTO. A few mistakes; despite careful measuring, I still ignored it, and put the trussing 5mm off-centre. This will require a little bogie surgery as it will not unsolder! (A 25W iron really is at its limit on big, thick etches like these.) The battery box is probably on the wrong side too - but never mind. Bachmann bogies just plonked; I will swap out the wheels for plastic ones in this case as I have some sharp curves that will otherwise cause shorting on the solebars. The roof is a Dapol CK one, cut down. MJT ventilators will be installed when the roof is ready to go on. I will use a cut-down Replica TSO interior and Comet duckets and door handles. The missing V-hangar came off with the Viakal scrub, so will be glued on when I find a dynamo and some vacuum cylinders. Looking at my most recent coaches, in crimson and cream, the red colour does not look as good as that on coaches I made 15 years ago. I cannot remember the Halfords colour; just that it is no longer available… I have gone for VW Tornado Red, but if anyone has a better (Halfords) suggestion (not the Ffestiniog livery of the Hornby Hawksworths behind!) then I should be grateful. Enjoy what’s left of the bank holiday, Paul

Thanks Darius, your kind words are much appreciated!

The RTO has been glazed and an interior cut and shut from the moulding from a Replica TSO. Just the handles and a bit of paintwork tidying to do. Trouble is, I need some more matching Stanier stock now. The next project is a cut and shut of an old Mainline 57’ CK with a section of matching BTK side inserted to make a Period I TK. If I remember to take pictures I will start a thread, but thanks again to Darius for the inspiration. Paul

5’8” in 4mm is 22.67mm. 5’6” is 22m. What is the wear tolerance on tyres? just curious; I’m not sure that I could spot any error at normal viewing distance. Much more exciting is the possibility of square drop ands and a high-roofed cab. Paul

Read the RCTS book - Dapol clearly has.

You’ve missed the 5100s, originally 3100s, but renumbered in the 1920s. 5100 and 5110-49. The 5101s were not rebuilds, but new engines. It’s all in the RCTS book.

As far as their announcement goes, they are tooling the 5’6” wheeled 8100 class, built from the frames of withdrawn 5100 locomotives in 1938-39.

The RFO has now been glazed, with sniper tape curtains and a Replica Mk1 FO interior cut and shut to fit. Again, tidying and handles to be added. The RTO still awaits an interior and glazing. Nothing here to hand so it might be a few days (hopefully, not years!). Again, thanks for the inspiration.

The Kitchen Car glazed and assembled. Door and grab handles still to be added, and the paint needs to be tidied. Glazing from John Lewis packaging, Avery labels to white out the kitchen and corridor windows, with micropore for the staff lavatory window. Percy’s not sure what he is expected to do next…

Apologies, the text for the three images above vanished… Whilst building the triplet, I dug out an old Airfix LMS composite which I bought for a song at Scaleforum some years ago. It had Comet sides in the box, and the body had been butchered in preparation for an assembly which never happened. It had Bachmann LMS bogies, with couplings and end stretchers removed; and P4 wheels jammed in. The lack of couplings was an issue, and having failed to bodge a CCU under the chassis, I bent a piece of scrap etch up, drilled the Roco CCU and a Hornby coupling, and soldered it all together with a Triang track pin as a rivit. It seems pretty solid… Just the last bits of detail to add, the roof to fix on, and then I have something to match the triplet… Finally, Darius, I hope you don’t mind me hijacking your thread in this way!

Further progress, but please excuse the mess behind. All three of the triplets have been painted and lined. Made up numbers applied (what were on the sheet…) and varnished. Tidying up to do, along with door and grab handles, before glazing and assembly.