The Fatadder

given that the final table will more likely than not end up based on points difference, going for the 7 was probably the right call at that stage. I’d disagree with some of the 3 points they went for earlier in the match but when we should have been going for the 4 try bonus. Given the reluctance to go for the try earlier in the game, it did seem a bit of an odd shout to flip it around at the death. That said, second half England were a lot more dominant, so perhaps they took their eye off the ball a bit more and forgot the pressure Italy had been applying in the first.

One thing I did have an issue was refitting the cab into the FGW Hst. Hornby have a different light bar in the new model (presumably it has more lighting functions and the ability to have all 4 lights lit like the prototype GW powercars. So I’ve swapped it out with the body that was providing the chassis (172 in intercity) which in turn will get a rebuilt Lima chassis eventually. As with most locos I hate spring contacts for the lights so as a matter of course hard wire them to the pcb instead. longer term the intention is to replace all the Hornby lighting with new boards that give full control. Ideally I want a surface mount board along the lines of the kit I bought for the 158, that can be glued behind the Hornby without the existing light guides. Of course refitting the cab interiors is a real pain, and always seems to result in a seat braking off. (Not to mention some of the spares I’ve bought over the years don’t have seats in the first place.) I have a plan to resolve this, 3d printing two seats on a base plate that can be stuck in place inside the cab interior while it is fitted to the model (once the lights are tested)

Having finished rewheeling my mk3s back to OO last night, this evening I wanted to sort some powercars to go with them So 43191 finally had its lights wires up, before swapping bodies with my Intercity 172 (which will end up on a Lima chassis) and a new Hornby body that will probably get an identity change to a partial white front. I think I’ve mentioned before the the roofs on my GWT powercars are all wrong, I thought they were falcon grey but apparently it was black. I wi probably repaint them all with a weathered black mix (but no doubt all the cantrail linking will need redoing

Damn, I knew there was something else I needed to put on my Shawplan order last week to finish off the roof on the last GWT example I repainted… love the horrendous state of 523, makes for a fantastic model. 484 is one of those I fancy doing but can’t justify, I’ve missed out on damages / non running Vi trains examples a couple of times now when the price exceeded the low limit I’ve set myself for non core locos. I remember it being a regular performer on the binliner, did that go through Didcot?

I know what you mean on that front, there is literally only one day in the two years I model (98/99) in which a class 56 operated in Cornwall, 56078 in unbranded triple grey arriving on a railtour to Fowey and returning light engine. Pretty tenuous for justifying a purchase, but it’s enough that should I see enough on my current eBay auctions that end this weekend I will be ordering 56074 (assuming I can still find one)

A few penalties showing a lack of ambition from England taking the 3 rather than going for the try. Given the odds of England pulling off a slam are slim, and the likelihood is the tournament will be decided on points, failure to get a bonus point (and the conceding that additional 7 at the death) will hurt England I think

Its not listed as a part on the Bachmann spares site, so I am guessing for the moment at least any spares they have are being kept for warranty work. Shame as for this (and for the 37) it would be nice to be able to buy it as an upgrade. Maybe another enterprising third party will produce a retrofit kit

updated list in post 1

Thanks to @Southwich I have got rid of the majority of my remaining P4 wagon/coach wheels, meaning this evening I have set to work getting my mk3s back to OO. So far having completed a full set of GWT and a full set of Virgin. The former is complete with couplings so it will be good to give it a proper test on Brent sometime soon (though I will need to sort out some decoders for the powercars first). I do still have quite a few wheels left that I am looking to swap: Maygibs are solid steel, Branchlines are solid nickel silver. There may be some surface rust on axles / overspray that needs cleaning up. Bachmann 158 (old model) > Maygib wheels with Bachmann gears / sleeved axles 2* Bachmann 159 > Ultrascales (nickel silver) Maygib 10.5mm *8 Maygib / Colin Craig 10.5mm *8 (these are fitted with Colin Craig brake disks on the inside and outside of the wheels) Branchlines 14mm * 11 Exactoscale 14mm * 10 (assembled) Branchlines 14mm *6 no pin points Maygib 14,5mm * 7 no pinpoints Gibson 14mm disk brakes *7 Gibson 14mm Maunsell *1 Gibson 14mm disk *4 Gibson GWR tender *3 Gibson 3hole disk 12mm * 3 Gibson split spoke 12mm *3 Ultrascale 2 axle Lima Ultrascale 14mm *3 Gibson Hornby Class 50 No doubt I still have a few more kicking around that I have missed (particularly those with odd quantities), but I think this is pretty much it

Thanks, there are a few others (private owners and a salt van) that have had similar conversions previously, always nice to get something that has a bit of sentimental value turned into something that is also useful, I still have another 6 wagons in the unfinished box (and I think a further 5 or 6 awaiting build), although everything thats left will require parts purchasing so they are certainly a lower priority. Its the unfinished locos that I really need to look at, with the County, 47xx, Mitchell 43xx and Manor all still not working, the Finney 2251 still without a chassis even in the to do pile, and the Saint awaiting a chassis build. Then there's the Bird.... The latter might actually see some progress. I think I have a way forward for a reliably running unpowered chassis for it using Bachmann Earl parts from their spares site. Having just dismantled my dukedog in preparation for fitting the chassis into a curved frame Bulldog I matched up the block against the existing block and they are pretty similar in size. It just needs modifying to add the body fixings and a new keeper plate (as I refuse to pay what Bachmann are asking for the Dukedog part). (This does mean that I will be putting a Dukedog body in GWR green with etched number plates on the classifieds soon). For those interested you can buy the complete drive assembly including motor and keeper plate for about £55 from Bachmann spares which I think is a bit of a bargain. With some metal removed from the insides of the boiler I think it would be possible to fit one to the K's white metal kit I have for sale.

I tend to do the same (using etch primer if it’s metal). for mixing enamels I use cheap disposable plastic shot glasses, which work really well

Does seem to be the variant they do the least though, last I looked they still hadn’t done a GWR version with it.

What seemed strange to me was that it gained a tender with the old full Great Western lettering (which I'd have thought by 42/43 would have been pretty rare being two logos behind the current identity), and that a loco that was scrapped in 45 would be getting a new coat of paint just a couple of years earlier.

Is the Vallejo primer ready to spray or does it need thinning?

Look forward to seeing how it comes out, I am planning to get the Oxford one, but I think it will also need major modifications to the cab to match the example that was at Newton Abbot. It will then be able to run along with my Bachmann one on its way to a civil engineering job...

Are you going to add the GW enclosed cab?

A couple more wagons finished this evening after finding some more buffers the NE van is a Cambrian kit, the Devizes sand open is another relic from my childhood trainset that’s been given a bit of a tarting up, as are the Mogo and the conflat . They have received new chassis to bring them up to scratch with the two vans and the open intended to join mainline freight services, while the conflat has dinghams to enter the branch / pickup goods fleet.

After the failure to do any spraying earlier today I have switched to a bit of DCC testing, the first task being a check that the new 37510 works properly on its predecessor's chassis. Thankfully it did, though I still need to try and find a way to get the Loksound 3.5 to sound better. My hope is using blacktac to better enclose the OEM speaker will help as I have no hope of fitting a better 100ohm speaker in there. The fuel tanks being designed to take sugar cube type speakers and the chassis block preventing anything deeper being fitted without major machining work. Next up were 37674 and 025, the latter I knew was on 37230's old chassis while the former I had no idea. It was at this point that I remembered how much I hate programming with the Lenz setup and how I really need to get a new baseplate / wire for my Powercab so I can switch the Lenz to the garage (where it was purchased for) and move the NEC set up indoors. I can never work out how to change an address with POM on Lenz (while I can on the NEC), cue a search for the programming track wires before eventually reprograming both locos to their new identities Continuing on the Class 37 theme 37668 has been primed and if it wasnt for the compressor issues would have been sprayed in EWS gold tomorrow... Looks like I could get a regulator from screwfix, but it has a female inlet and outlet. I have one suitable connector for between it and the compressor but nothing between the regulator and the airbrush. So that wont be ready until next week at best... Instead I have been working on trying to get my Hornby Sentinel. While I rebuilt the body and repainted it quite a while ago, its never actually worked. So this evening the model was stripped down and tested. Motor was fine, and with the Hornby DCC decoder removed it powered up ok. Eventually I got fed up with it and ripped off the pickups, rebuilding with nickle silver wire which seems to have done the job. I think the decoder could only have been getting power from 2 or 3 wheels and it didnt like it! Eventually I do intend to replace the chip with a better one (with a stay alive) but at least it means it can shunt some CDAs around the yard now...

2921 I find particularly interesting in that despite only lasting a couple of years after it’s repaint it is listed in GWRJ no7 as having gained wartime black livery but running with a green 3500gl tender that still had the full Great Western lettering

Parts arrived for the compressor this morning to replace the failed regulator, this time my plan was to replace the failed part (a male - male connector to the inlet of the regulator) with a higher quality part. It was only when I tried to fit it at lunch today I found that while it has a BSP fitting on the outer (broken) part, it has a different thread on inner side so my plan wont work. Leaving me with a choice between returning to Machine Mart for another replacement which will no doubt fail in the same way, or find an alternative pressure regulator . Most of the alternative parts I have seen have a female inlet / outlet and no valve on the outlet, further complicating things. Or there is the other alternative of just buying a new compressor... Im not too worried as its bloody freezing out there today so at least I am not missing out on lunch time spraying.

37510 and 37025 have now both been refitted with their glazing, windscreens were damaged on removal on all 3 locos, fortunately there were enough good bus to cobble together two locos worth from the remains. (668 is getting Laserglaze ) For 510 all that remains is to solder the light wires in place and get the body to fit properly 025 needs slightly more work, requiring the headlights glazing, and new LEDs for the high intensity lights (ordered from eBay and lost in the post). The main lighting boards can’t be refitted until this is done. finally it will need ploughs fitting

My one good file was just out of camera shot (which does have a smooth side), but completely agree about the crappy files making life difficult. I keep meaning to go and buy a new set of diamond files, but never quite get round to pulling the trigger as theres always something more interesting to spend on... Its done the job for now, with all 4 grills fitted to 37668's body, and at an initial inspection it doesnt look like too much filler will be required. I will try and get a coat of primer on it before heading to the gym this evening so I can properly gauge it. Replacement parts for the compressor are due any day, so will be good to get started on the respray. All being well with only two colours to spray and reasonable weather forecast for the next week it shouldnt take too long to get finished. Speaking of spraying, one job that could still be done was spraying varnish. So at lunch today the bodies for 37025 and 37510 were both given a dusting of semi satin varnish and are now drying pending reassembly this evening.

I do like the Ellis Clark stand at the bigger shows (and the fact they are usually rotating their stock so its always worth several visits as you never know what they had hidden away behind the back of the stand). Though the only time I tend to have cash at a show is when I am an exhibitor and I have a pocket full of my expenses, cost of attending the show can go on the joint account, the cash for attending can go to a deserving trader in exchange for more goodies..... Im still hoping for a flurry of late bidding on 60059 over the weekend, much as I love a sub £100 loco I am much less happy when its one that I am selling!

Finally time to stop procrastinating and get cracking on 37668 I don’t particularly enjoy changing the nose grills on 37s, but thanks to Bachmann’s lack of imagination in their releases it’s the only way to get a refurbished 37 that’s not a 37/4. Much like 521, 37668 had one piece grills all round making it the worst possible type to model. (I did consider doing 668 when I did 674 but rejected it for this reason). The first step is to drill out the bulk of the grills on one side only. This time I used the Dremmel in a pillar drill fitting with the stop set to protect the body fixing posts. (This being a complete 2022 37 it makes sense to actually keep the fittings…) this was then opened up with a scalpel and files until it accepts the 3d printed one piece nose grill. The process was repeated at the other side before gluing the first two grills into place. I will now leave the body until lunchtime before repeating the process with the other side. Small amounts of filler will then be needed to blend the grills into the body. I have also removed the centre windscreen frame for replacement with the Shawplan reinforced windscreen etch. The no1 end has this painted while the no2 end is in silver. So one will be glued in place once I’ve finished cutting up the body

Going to ask friends at Model Rail Scotland to have a look for me, as I’m pretty sure they are up there. Seeing as I have everything bar the bogies it just feels sensible to make it a complete working loco. Even if the original logic was that I need an unpowered 47 for top and tail work. That said an almost complete loco missing its worms/driveshaft/motor retains the possibility of re powering in the future (it’s what I’ve done with one of my DRS 20/3s…) Back to modelling, this is the chassis for 37025, as it’s a 37/0 I’ve added the sand pipes to my 3d printed fuel tanks. Also needed to add a bracket that snapped off when removing the supports. looking at the photo one of the actuator cylinders has fallen off so that will need replacing before painting. Enough procrastinating, time to start cutting holes in a new 37….