Red Fox

Plymouth and Penzance.

All the 150 models have the same interior which also doesn't have the forward bulkhead in the right place so the tiny passengers can access the driver's doors. Does anyone know of a supplier of more appropriate seating for the unit. I imagine 3D printing the correct seats could get quite costly! Overall I do like the Bachmann 150, it is probably making up the majority of my DMU fleet at the moment (too many FGW units!)

Mine arrived yesterday. haven't had a chance to run it in yet or place it next to the FGW 150/1 for a colour match but first impressions are good. One thing to note on this model is that unlike other Bachmann 150's is that it is missing the etched exhaust pipe guard at the end of each coach but looking at pictures of the real unit it does appear to be correct https://www.flickr.com/photos/greatwesternrailwayphotos/30242513420/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/121196525@N07/16970670247/

It is very nice. I'm pleased DCC Supplies and Dapol went the extra mile on this to provide the door locking plates.

Ampton 3 currently exists as a very long piece of paper where I am trying to fit in everything I want within the planned length. Trying not to make the same mistakes as Ampton 2.

I echo the comments about running in the 121, I have a some of the Hattons Limited Editions and after about 30mins of running in at half power they achieved a much more reasonable speed. I've had no problems with the steps catching on my 3rd Radius test loop though one unit is noisier in one direction than another but that sounds like something internal. It appears the DCC Supplies Limited Edition Chiltern Green 121 is now in stock, had a request for payment last week. Hopefully mine will arrive before Christmas.

Thanks for the info, I can see in that last video 42299 had an off white top light put back in. I've had a look on Youtube and various videos from later this year show a coach C with clear top light but the number of the coach is not distinguishable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG3jhjmmovw but in this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGe0IQC4sG0 the set has the GWR green seats so should be set LA15 which means 42299 has regained its clear top light (I understand the other GWR green set LA16 which has 42220 as coach C still has a FGW Blue interior). The varnish I used was just Humbrol Gloss Varnish from a spray can. I haven't matt coated the blocked off part of the window in the matt stripe yet but the all-green window is as applied and unvarnished Olive Green on the top and unvarnished Hornby Green at the bottom. I have an airbrush that will be put to work on some FGW unit resprays soon but I haven't airbrushed varnish before.

For my coach C I've used Phoenix Precision Southern Dark Olive which is an acceptable but not 100% match on the gloss side. On the dull band it needs toning down, possibly with a bit of watered down white. Still need to work on the upper part of the toilet window which is clear on the prototype on one side and painted over on the other. I may removed the window glazing to give me better access to remove the remaining paint and tidy it up. After that I just need to add the coach C stickers and new number. Coaches E and F are already done though I made a bit of a booboo with masking off the doors and some of the varnish I used has seeped under and reacted with the silver doors. My HST Power Cars have had Precision Labels dragons and GWR logos applied and the whole set is in the process of receiving NEM pockets and Kadee couplings to match my FGW set.

All the Hornby gWr mk3's have 2+1 seating for some reason.

I found the printed details on the mk3's (coach number and letter) very easy to remove with a T Cut soaked cotton bud, I imagine the First Class stripe and 1 would be just as easy. Perhaps a solution for those that can't find the standard class coaches?

I'm having a go at a FGW Local Lines 153 in the near future using Precision Labels transfers, they recommend Revell 52 Gloss Blue for the top colour. I'll be using that and Phoenix First Group Blue. I'll let you know how if turns out to be correct.

Just had a look myself at what I did to my 166 power car, it was simpler than I remember, all the driving coach body clips and screws line up and the power chassis is designed to accept the small lighting board and the dummy BSI coupling. As knitpick says you have to unsolder the light cables but that's about the most difficult job. I recon the whole job should take less than 30 mins. Here are some links to pics of 166's operating as two car units https://www.flickr.com/photos/train-pix/15853641326/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/laurasia280/9533239358/

My problems not that they are moulded in red, though that was an odd colour choice, it's that the interior is for a TF with 2+1 seating. Luckily the heavily tinted windows hide the mistake and the colour. The TGS, Buffet and TF interiors have the correct moulding, the TF in a more appropriate grey colour. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good colour match for Hornby gWr green, I'd like to model a TSD coach (coach C) which has the toilet window and half a large window painted over.

Anyone else had a look at the interior of the standard class coaches? All of mine have the first class layout moulded in red plastic.

Didn't work for me but the BRM code for 15% off listed in the 3D Printing section of the forum did. BRMXSW15

You can swap the cab coach, lighting board and the moulded coupling to the power car but not all the body clips line up correctly. I think I had to cut one pair of clips off when I changed the motor chassis to the cab coach on FGW model.

Seems to have been quite a logistical challenge getting it there! My understanding is that the extra low low loader used to take it to the Island came from Spain and was shipped across to Poole. The loco was moved on to that low loader at the Swanage Railway, driven to Portsmouth where it was loaded on to Wightlink's St Clare. It was the heaviest load Wightlink have ever shipped. Does anyone know how the loco was discharged off the ferry in Fishbourne? From the pictures taken onboard it looks like the loco couldn't fit under the stowed mezzanine decks so despite being double ended the St Clare would have had to turn around so the low loader could reverse off??

Anyone have a pack (10 pairs/20 pockets) of Symoba 210 Short NEM Pockets pockets they are willing to part with for a reasonable price? I already have the sliders, just need the pockets.

It was many years ago (over 10 I think) when I did my respray, it was actually my first full respray so enthusiasm outweighed skill at that point (and still does!) Unfortunately the black paint i used for the door rubbers reacted with the varnish I used but apart from that I thought it was a pretty good first attempt. I created the Alphaline 'A' by first scanning the side of the Bachmann Wessex Trains unit on a flatbed scanner so I had a scale 'A'. I then printed the area with the 'A' at the correct size and used it as a template to cut the logo out using white sticky back plastic. It was applied at the same time as the rest of the transfers and had a couple of layers of varnish over it. The Wessex Trains and purple Alphaline logo and coach numbers were home made transfers printed on Craft Computer Paper clear waterslide paper. The silver base coat was a Halfords spray.

Many years ago I made a three coach Wessex Trains 158/9. I tried doing as you are attempting but also ended up taking off some of the silver. Unfortunately I couldn't find a match for the silver and ended up doing a full respray. For the pink doors I used a Games Workshop paint which was a pretty good match, I don't have the name to hand. Unfortunately Games Workshop revamped their range a few years back and changed the name of everything.

Almost finished building my Bratchell 455 and the cabs are almost ready to be attached. I found the kit very easy to construct and if I hadn't messed around with the cabs I could have had it done in super quick time. After tidying up the gangway area the blanked off door and air con pod were constructed from plasticard and attached to the cab moulding. Using the same scale template the holes were drilled for the new light clusters. Following SRman's suggestion the light clusters are made of brass tube, I looked at plastic tube but the right side wasn't available and the sides were too thick. The unit will have kadee couplings so the moulded coupling mount was removed. Here is a before and after with the two cab fronts together. Once everything was in good order the cabs went in to the spray booth for a blast of warning panel yellow. Following a quick blast of gloss varnish transfers were applied. Fox Transfers were used for the numbers and I decided to go for home made transfers for the grills which I think have come out quite well. The black seal around the centre window looks a little rough but thats because of the black paint on the masking tape protecting the window, when the mask is removed it should look a lot better. Finally detailing parts have been added. There doesn't appear to be a perfect match for the 455 pipes so Dapol 73's have been used which I think are an acceptable substitute. Southern 455/8's have electronic destination boards but the old roller blind above the drivers window is still used, having seen the 455819 in the flesh during the week with the roller blind in use I decided to add this to the model and went for Victoria as a destination. To represent the electronic display I've added a block of orangey brown to match the colour of the displays when they are not in use, the light seems to have caught the glazing on cab front to the left, the one on the right shows the true colour. Tonight the windows will be masked up again and the cab fronts attached to the body. In addition to all the work carried out the cab front the cab coach sides have received Southern logos which were also home made transfers. Once everything has set the glazing will be added to the cab coaches leaving only the directional lighting and the horns to sort out. Despite my best efforts I made a couple of mistakes, mostly on the second cab front, one of headlights surrounds isn't quite in the right place on cab, the positioning of the pipes could be better and I scuffed the glazing of the centre window while cutting the gangway off. To cover up the window damage I intend to add a blind to the interior of the window which should hopefully do the trick. Now giving serious thought to purchasing a 456 kit!

Pipes and sockets taken care of as the Dapol 73 parts are on order. Just lacking in airhorns at the moment as 455 horns are both the same size, not one big and one small. That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that. I may use plastic tube though. Bodyshells have now been put together minus cab fronts and glazing. MSO body is currently happily sat on the Replica Railways chassis. Next job is the bogies.

They don't have any in stock.

I've been considering purchasing a Bratchell Southern 455 for sometime. For almost as long as I've been considering the purchase I've been wondering if it's possible to update the cab front to the current refurbished version without completely ruining the cab moulding. The threads showing Bratchell units in various states of assembly inspired me to save my pennies and purchase one of the Ready To Assemble kits. After a period of umming and ahhing with the cab moulding in my hand I decided that the cab modification was possible and today I took the first steps. So here is a Bratchell 455 DTSO body ready and awaiting butchery. And the cab front moulding It is a one piece moulding in clear plastic which Bratchell have applied the Southern livery to. In real life the 455's didn't last very long in Southern livery with cab front gangway as they went off to be refurbished early in the franchise. After masking off the areas I didn't want damaged I carefully attacked the gangway with a razor saw and here is the result.... Still needs a little bit of tidying up but I'm quite please that I didn't make a complete mess of it, though I do have another cab front to do! The warning panel yellow will be resprayed so I'm not too bothered that I manage to knock a bit off. I intend to create the blanked off door and air con unit from plasticard, I've found a perfect head on shot on Flickr which I will print to scale to make templates. Not too sure about the grills yet. Pipes will be Dapol 73 spares, I know they are not a perfect match but hopefully will do the job. Head and tail lights will be added, I'm not an electronics wiz so I'll need to do some research on LED's. While I wait for various parts to arrive I will build the centre coaches. The MSO will sit on a Replica Railways chassis. I may remove the yaw dampers from the bogies as 455's don't have them but that might be too difficult to get a neat result.

Cab front of weathered version with object deflector and droopy Dellner attached. Side display with Waterloo destination. Weather like this makes me wish I had a garden railway!