Red Fox

They are pretty easy, the lights and motor chassis are the same as the Bachmann 158. The motor is easy to wire up as it easily accessible and on the lights you unsolder the pick up wires and wire the board to the decoder as per this picture. On my 166 I've shifted the motor chassis to one of the driving cars which again was pretty easy though the body clips are not a perfect match so you may have to cut some off. In other driving car I've used an old decoder to run the lights wired as per the power car.

Does anyone know of a good paint match to the blue Hornby used on R2946? Preferably a spray paint (Halfords?) as I don't possess an airbrush. Going to have a go at making unit 3417 'Gordon Pettitt' from a cheap BR blue unit I picked up and a NSE motor coach.

Excellent stuff! Can't wait to see what else you come up with. Have you considered a modern ticket machine and associated shelter? Pic Pic or level crossing panels? Pic Pic

Love the platform shelter, very useful for current layouts. Have you considered a longer version, as seen at busier stations, or the type that is used as a covered walkway, seen at Southampton Airport Parkway amongst others? Are the rectangular passenger information displays (A-04) the larger type SWT use or the smaller ones seemly favoured by other TOC's?

http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/page/61/Class_205_Thumper_Unit There is your answer regarding what has been commission.

I am 100% certain she did not sail from Weymouth or Portsmouth for Sealink, She is a short sea ferry - double deck loading (though fitted with an internal ramp I believe), no passenger cabins, no stern or bow ramp (Eastern Channel ports tend to have a ramp which lowers on to the ship) . Until 1990 she rarely strayed from Dover. A good site to read about her and her sister is http://www.hhvferry.com/doversaints.html The size limit is manouvering in an out of the harbour not the length of the quay, the Condor Express, Vitesse and Rapide are 86m long and 26m wide vs 129m length and 21m wide of the St Anslem. I suggest the maximum practical length for a vessel using Weymouth is in the region of 110m (which is what Earl Harold, Havelet and the unstretched Coutances were). St Anslem and her sisters would also have been too big for the harbour at St Helier in use during the Sealink era. Even the new terminal can only take v/l's of 129m

That is the former 'St Anselm' which went on to become Stena Cambria. Although she is a former BR Sealink ferry she never ran from Weymouth, too big. She was one time BR Sealink flagship on the Dover-Calais service but was moved on to other routes. Her last UK service was for P&O Stena on the Newhaven-Dieppe service. Off the top of my head BR Sealink and Sealink British Ferries ships from Weymouth were Caesarea, Sarnia, Normannia, Earl William, Earl Godwin and Earl Harold.

Couple of shots from my phone of the unit sat on the layout. Engine grills are now dark rather than white on the pre-production model and looks much better for it. This makes the colour change look really sudden, it's not that bad really. I'm glad they went for blanks at both ends on the display, I know its not to everyones taste but it does look better when the model is expected to run both ways. Model is currently being run in, straight out the box is reasonably smooth with a hint of a 'thump' at low speeds

Connex 205 has arrived. Going to have a play with it now. First impressions are good but not too sure about the sudden change in colour of the yellow band at the cab ends.

Something like this..... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/51508-refurbished-4cep-from-Bachmann-model/

A comment from Kernow on their Facebook page says they are due today

Desiro all sorted now and has the black section on the gangway doors and the first class spots Continuing to ponder what to do with the layout as there are various bits and pieces I am not happy with.

Not much done to the layout itself but there have been some new arrivals. First up now operating the Ampton-Reading via Basingstoke service is 3 coach 150001. Centre coach is a Bratchell kit with through wiring to resprayed Bachmann 150/1. Fluorescent lighting has been quite cruel to the pink on the doors, shall have to get some pics in natural light! Departing on a stopping service to the capital it's 450022. Some joker has been fiddling with the destination display though as it says its going to Euston..... Few bits need sorting on the Desiro, like the lack of black on the gangway doors and the blue spots above the first class windows. Now this has arrived I fully expect Bachmann or Modelzone to announce a 450 (you can thank me when they arrive ) Can't claim to have resprayed these myself, not in my skill set I'm affraid, but they certainly look the part and add something unique to the layout amongst the the more run of the mill standard issue units that populate Ampton. Layout plans???? Possible replacement of some of the Peco points and a slight remodelling of the station area but we shall see. Far too hot to do anything at the moment. UPDATE 1740 - More pics, outside this time.

The last batch of 450's when delivered to Bournemouth depot the formation was:- 66 - 4xVGA/VKA- modified VIA with 20ft Columbus Line container - 450 - modified VIA with 20ft Columbus Line container - 4xVGA/VKA. All except the 450 are available from Bachmann. There is a video on of a 350 being delivered in formation 66 - modified VIA with 20ft container - 350 - modified VIA with 20ft containe r- 4xopen wagons (???). So apart from modifying the inner ends of a Bachmann Intermodal pair to couple to a Desiro it looks doable.

(I posted a version of this before the 'Great Forum Outage of 2011' but it seems to have been amongst those lost, so here it is again) Been working on ridding my rolling stock of tension lock couplings and replacing them with something more appropriate (though not necessarily prototypical). I particularly wanted to get rid of the awful coupling arrangement on the Hornby HST power cars. I purchased a Symoba Coupling Conversion Start Set which comes with 3 pairs of coupling sliders, 2 pairs of each NEM pocket (short, standard and cranked), 2 of each drawbar (an NEM pocket one moulded to represent a hook and chain type coupling and a bar coupling that slides over the slider pin with an NEM pocket) and 1 Height gauge. I used this to commence my experiments and my EWS Management Train was selected as a guinea pig On a Hornby mk3 coach. The existing Hornby tension lock couplers were removed from the bogie (those plastic bits really do fly across the room at some speed!) and the coupling slider glued to the chassis, I positioned mine as close to the buffer beam as possible though they could be positioned further back without fouling the bogie. Once the glue has dried I then experimented with which NEM pocket would be best and decided upon the small pocket with Kadee 18 knuckle couplings. You can't use the height gauge with the small pockets as the Kadee needs to be put in it before attaching the the slider so a Kadee height gauge is required. I did try the NEM drawbar but this gave a slightly wider gap between coaches and doesn't give the operational flexibility of a Kadee. After my success with the Management Train I decided to move on to my HST sets and ordered a bulk pack of sliders and small NEM pockets. I have seen power cars modified for Kadees before but in most cases the cylinder mouldings either were removed or reattached under the draft gear box at a lower level then they previously were which to my eye looks a bit odd. I started by removing the cylinder, centre power socket and dummy buckeye mouldings to see if the coupling slider would fit properly. I found that the locating hole for the centre power socket needs to be cut off as it's slightly raised (easy to do on the dummy as its a plastic chassis, but the power car has a metal one). Once this was done the slider was glued in place and left to dry. The cylinders were modified by cutting out most of the centre of the smaller one and some trimming of the inside of the larger one and the removal plastic lugs that used to hold it to the chassis. When reattached (glued to chassis) it fits over the slider but from normal viewing angles looks the same as before. Once everything is in the right the position I cut of the unneeded part of the slider pin. Before and after I'm quite pleased with how the power cars turned out. On test the two power cars coupled together will still go around a Hornby/Peco third radius curve. I have completed my FGW Barbie HST set and got half way though my FGW Dynamic Lines set before running out of Kadees. If I was doing this again I would consider using Kadee 17's for the coaches to give closer couplings but as I didn't have any of them it's 18's all the way! I want to fit Kadee couplings to my Bachmann 66's but have them chassis mounted rather then using to NEM pocket on the bogies so I can still have the skirt/object deflector/whatever it's called attached. Shall ponder a solution for that one.

The tone of the first few seconds of the 'whine' on the 450's (and 444's) changed after a software update a few years ago, it's now a lower tone before changing to the higher pitched 'whine' as heard on the 350's. Originally they sounded the same as the 350's.

VEPs are still for sale because Hornby don't accept there is a problem, if there was 49 pages of mostly negative posts about a Bachmann unit I think we would have seen some action by now, for example the 2EPB number issue. Feedback from my local model shop is the VEP is not selling because of its known problems, I think that Hattons and Rails still having stock from release says quite a bit when the initial release of the Bachmann CEP flew off the shelves and had to be boosted by further orders. Though I must say the work being done by some people to improve their VEPs is quite extraordinary but should all this work really need to be done on what is meant to be a premium quality model?? I think not.

Same here (on both counts). The 450 is inevitable, I just hope its not a Collectors Club model! I'm sure I could justify the Silverlink one as being part of an order from the SRA for extra stock for my layouts line or a London Midland one as a hire in for Southern. Must resist!

Pictures of painted samples of the 350's are on the Bachmann site Silverlink London Midland

How critical can you be in a review when the manufacturer has paid for a full page advert for the product in the magazine?

It wouldn't be the first time a manufacturer has had to do it, what version of the Bachmann 37 are we on now???? IMHO I think people would look on the 4-VEP more favourably if they did rework the driving car with a more accurate cab face, beefier horns, windows on the compartment bulkheads and sorting the bogie issue. I can live with the Limby motor and the roof vents but it's mainly the driving car I have problems with. I had a chat with the owners of my local model shop and they have had potential buyers put off by all the problems I can see Hornby doing one of three things 1. nothing. 2. attempt to make the above modifications 3. give up with Southern EMU's.

This was the only thing from the Hornby 2010/11 range that I was really looking forward to getting but having seen model and read the performance horror stories I've decided to cancel my pre-order of the NSE unit. For me I think there is just too many niggles to justify keeping it. The Southern Electric Group have a two page review of the model if anyone is interested which includes a good head on comparison shot http://www.southernelectric.org.uk/modelling/modnews.html

Loft isn't very well lit for pictures but here goes A 159, pretending to be a 158, passes a 66 hauling some refugees from Holland Park. Full station. FGW HST on a service to Paddington, Southern Turbostar on a Coastway service, SWT 159 on a local and a 150 on hire to FGW for a service to Cardiff. The Turbostar was DCC'd up yesterday and was even more of an annoyance then the 166. The buildings on platforms 1 and 4 have yet to be fixed in place and application of the platform surface is on going. The new and as yet unpainted footbridge, behind is the new frame work for the low relief shopping centre sprayed in primer which replaces a cardboard structure glimpsed in some previous pictures. West Quay Southampton will be used for design inspiration when it comes to cladding the building. HST heads off into the tunnel under a double yellow. The pictures don't really do the HST justice, with its weathered roof and underframe the aim of toning the Hornby purple down has certainly been achieved, see the earlier pictures of the HST to compare. The coaches are all correctly lettered A to H and have passengers reading a variety of magazines and newspapers, Road and Rails really did a great job.

Been just over 2 months since the last Ampton update and there have been a few developments. Board 2 went on a diet to match board 1. Adding a sky photo backscene to board 2 resulted in a miserable failure when the paper went all crinkly and didn't smooth out when the paste dried. It was replaced by another sheet which isn't a perfect match at the join but will do for now. Platform 4 has all its buildings complete and in place, these are the footbridge, canopy and station building. Detailing and signage to be added later. All that is needed to complete platform 4 is a length of security fence and finishing off the surface and ramp. Platforms 2 and 3 have had the main canopy unit modified as mentioned earlier in the thread, this was required due to my botch job the first time round. The kit came with a small waiting room which I'm thinking of turning into one of those small Cafe Ritazza or Pumpkin coffee shops that are common on large stations. Platforms 2, 3 and 4 have their brick surface added for most of their length. Platform 1 is awaiting the construction of the framework for the shopping centre building before the surface is added. The station forecourt finally received some attention with road surface and pavement constructed from styrene sheet, at present one bus stop is in place, one more to go and a taxi rank. I'm trying to source some paint pens so I can add the road markings for the bus stop and some disabled parking spaces next to the station building. Various bits of signage are being created for the bus stops and station building, just need a decent printer. The footbridge for board 2 has been built and at present requires painting and the support and steps to be added on the backscene side. I'm quite pleased with how this has turned. The start of the station end of the 'great wall' is attached. A few months ago I purchased some curved baseboards off 'Shedmaster' of Battersea Stewarts Lane fame. These allow access to the fiddle yard on the other side of the loft. I have adapted these to the height of my baseboards without compromising their ability to have their legs attached if the layout ever goes to an exhibition. Basically they are standing on 'stilts' on an existing board/workbench. There is now a board 4! This has the potential to be partially scenic but for the moment is serving the purpose of getting the line down from 4 tracks to 3 which will then reduced back to 2 on one of the curved baseboards ready for the fiddle yard. Stock wise there has also been a number of developments Installation of DCC decoders has recommenced, the latest non DCC ready victims subjects being the 220 CrossCountry Voyager ( a three decoder job but relatively straightforward once you get the hang of it) and First Great Western 166. Installing decoders in a 166 can only be described as a pain in the posterior! I moved the motorised chassis to one of the cab coaches which I have done many times on 159's but the body clips don't match up for some reason so some plastic had to be snipped off along with a glazing support but it all went together in the end. In the unpowered cab coach I used the bogie with pickups from the other cab to double up on the number of pickups so the decoder should have power at all times and the lights shouldn't flicker. Next up to feel the wrath of my soldering iron will most likely be my Southern 171 which IIRC are equally as 'fun' to wire up correctly. Other stock was simply plug and play with 21pin decoders which now Bachmann have finally produced another batch means that the 21 pin units and locos that were sitting waiting for a decoder now have one and I have a stock for future purchases. My First Great Western HST set in dynamic lines livery has been expertly weathered and detailed by Mr Richard Croft of Road and Rails . I am very pleased with the results and can thoroughly recommend his services. Various other pieces of rolling stock are with him at the moment for weathering. My other First Great Western HST set in Barbie livery has received new power cars, new style Hornby resprayed in to Barbie with blue cabs livery replacing the old style Hornby pair with white cabs. The old pair will be sold or junked. I currently have various items of stock for sale on RMweb market place that don't fit in with the theme of the layout. Pictures to follow.

Nice pictures there. Is the Ark Forwarder, the Stena RoRo, on charter to DFDS? Two of her sisters are running the Harwich-Rotterdam route at the moment. Didn't see it posted on the forum but this happened at Cowes Week earlier this month:-