35 Ark Royal

Heres one of the beast Courageous before it met the gas torch and after R.I.P

Hi again, you say you are modelling the whole fleet from 1990 so depening on your actual month you are modelling from 24 would be ok as it is as it did not get repainted until late September.For your interest i had the loco on its last run in theese colours intending to go to Pompey as 24 a good loco, but Vanguard failed with a loud bang at Exeter St Thomas and Howe dragged us in to St David's after a lengthy delay, for both to be uncoupled for Resolution forward.Date was Friday 17th August. Here is a pic of that Beast Vanguard before departure but sadly on this date very off colour. So im presuming for your time period you will not be having 50006/011/012/013/014/022/025/038/and 047 as they except Centurion had been cut up, but you could have 50004/016/019/020/021/034/035/039/040/041 as still intact but withdrawn.

Hi Jon i know very sad i went to a few scrapyards depots etc to see some of theese fine machines cut up. Anyhow just for you Vanguard in happier times leaving Salisbury, i took this from another Vac hauled service so quite pleased with the results.

Hi Jon yes you are right Vanguard for your period was in dark blue and had huge oversized flashes, here is a pic but sadly this fine machine is been dismantled. So what is your favourite machine? Yes they did especially in the NSE period and later in thier twighlight period for example 24 with oversized NSE flashes , 27 in dark blue with NSE flashes on headcode box one end and none the other. etc etc.

Hi John love those vacs especially Courageous, i take it you will be weathering 24?

Hi now that Hornby have seen fit to release Thunderer in Laira Blue, will we see the following next year or in the future. Large Logo with a black roof BR Blue refurbished 50001/006/013/017/019 and 047 Original NSE standard RNSE dark pristine And maybe some specials Monarch with a blue roof Ramillies in Laira Blue D400 in BR blue (AS 1991) Howe with it's hybrid roof blue and black For the others i have mentioned for Large Logo with a black roof i would like to see either Warspite,Vanguard with ploughs.Ajax with the 46 in the headcode box Original NSE Courageous with blue plates, Resolution with ploughs,Invincible or Furious with 034 on the side Rnse Dark i would like to see Conqueror, Barham, Royal Oak, Vanguard with oversized NSE flashes, Renown, GloriousNSE,Furious with 434 on lower bodyside. For the refurbished Blue it has to be either Neptune or Royal Oak(sandboxes) or Dreadnought or Ramullies) Not Ageincrate or Swifty So what does everyone else want to see?

Very good but can we please get back to the Hornby Vac and i did not know electric locos whistled? Anyway after 35 the next vac i am planning will be 44 Exeter but in a proper Livery Large Logo with a black roof. A pic of the real loco and what i am hoping mine will look like. Exeter at Birmingham New St July 1986 and not long before a big bang which caused 44 to enter works for last classified and repaint in tootpaste Livery.

Hi if it is DP2 you are after why not go for the forthcoming Heljan release.? Or has it been shelved?

In my humble oppinion the windows do look somewhere near right and do not benefit from replacement frames. Hi i agree, i can not see the benefit of changing the frames.The only thing in my opinion that lets the model down is those damm louvers, why ogh why did Hornby go for play value with this super detailed model?? Another thing i can do with out is the cab doors opening.Who actualy models the locos with the cab door open? or plays around opening and shutting the cab door.? I think it is a gimmick and instead of opening doors i would have prefered cab lighting instead. What do other people think? Do you play with your louvers and your doors??

Regards no 7, i can never forgive for Ajax it is 46 that should have been saved Re 21 yes i agree not the best name, but then others were not such as 03/05/11/12/13/22/23/27 to name a few. Agree with you but i do not think there ia a list of the total mileage they did, unless you mean personal mileage?? When i was bashing the class people used to rave on about 010/013/026/047 in particular as best of the class but i disagree. Only Swiftsure and Monarch are not in my worst list But it is all courses for horses and water under the bridge as we only have 18 left now. But back to modelling the ones i rated liked will be in my fleet long term but ones i did'nt not. Re Hood it was repainted May 1991 and withdrawn August so barely 3 months.

Yes because i am interested. Ok you asked a question and deserve an anwser so here goes Worst 07/11/12/13/22/26/38/43 Fair 01/02/03/05/06/10/16/20/21/23/27/29/31/41/42/45/47/48/49 Best 04/08/09/14/15/17/18/19/24/25/28/30/32/33/34/35/36/39/40/44/46/50 So apart from some differences similar i rated Warspite while you think it is a shed? While you rated Elgar and i thought it was a heap of junk but i notice 6 of my worst are in yours.But if i had to pick one i think it would go to Benbow. The reason is i only had 2 good runs of it the rest were average or poor, closely followed by Indomitable. Eagle at least was loud and very fast when it was actualy working. I am surprised to see Rodney and Swiftsure in your worst, used to like Rodders in particular, had some good runs behind it and Swiftsure or the Swift one or Swifty every one seemed to rave on about it but i thought only fair so your reasons for disliking theese 2? No 7 had good runs and high mileage but the name?? Agincourt seemed to me to stagger about it but loads rated it. Formidable good in 1985 but by 87 was well below par and some awful runs behind it Anson similar but some rated it. Im also very surprised to see Dauntless in your worst as i spoke to a driver of 33 at Yeovil August 1991 and he reckoned 48 was the best of the lot. As regards 31 and 49 been in your best colum Hood was good but weak and Defiance only fair but each to thier own. Thanks for sharing and fascinating to read. By the way can never agree with you on Warspite an absoloute beast and was my highest unmodified.

Ok, must have mis read your post, yes 26 was not too good, but not the worst either. So id be interested in what you thought were the worst ones? So long term what are theese 19 vacs to be? Imyself, now hopefuly next week to start renumbering Dauntless to 35 but it will be a long job as a lot of work. But should look good when i have completed.In the NSE thread im going to upload a pic of every Vac in ONSE Livery as i have a pic of every one.

So you another one who don't rate it. Well for me it was the best one and i chased it all over the place. My machine, no 8 and 50 had some bias towards them, probably because people were just jealous. You rated 46 i presume by your posts while i rated 35 and before you say i did not have anything against Ajax it was a hellfire engine and should have been preserved. The ones are disliked if this is possible to dislike a Vac would be 50007/012/022/026/038 and 043 and safe to say i would not have any of theese in my fleet. I notice you got Indomitable in your fleet. This was a bag of old spanners and not one of the best but each to thier own.

Sir Edward I can live with but the other 2, the best 2 in the entire fleet imho i can not. Royal Oak was vandalised in that horrible livery and Ark Royal looks like a mobile jaffa cake what on earth poseesed them would had rather had Original NSE with 35 above the headcode box or dark RNSE with no flashes. See pics. 35 in ONSE at Birm New St with 1M20 18/08/89 Luckiley for me 35 worked this diagram 3 days running 35 now in dark blue and missing crests at Coventry about to detatched from 1M20 now booked for a strumming devise but the spoon failed and 35 hooked on at Padd, so that was the day sorted.

Hi Vac basher no 4 very nice loved St Vincent probably second best between 50001-010 would rate Thunderer first, then St Vincent,Conqueror and Dreadnought. Got myself Lion with the extra window :rolleyes:but a bargain at £50 and just bought 50015 Valiant in Dutch which i was hoping to do a body swap with 48 as this will become Ark Royal. Also plan to re number Superb and de weather that awful factory weathering and re number to 17 Royal Oak. So Vac Basher any more 50's planned and will you be having 35? or are you another one who dislikes it?