WillCav

I model 1948 so any white roofs (stopped in WWII?) would be quite weathered by then. I have some stock with bright white roofs painted before I knew better. When upgrading, I weather or use grey but try and vary it a bit. There are photos on the forum of coach roofs where the white is weathered very differently at one end to the other (eg autocoaches that always had the loco at the inner end). Will

That makes me feel better - I wasn't 100% sure that I had the ride height right, but you have used the same solution. It was a bit of a shock having to do this after swapping Mainline Siphon G bogies was a 2 minute job! Thanks Will

I think you are right about reflections / over exposure. I was thinking that the lettering could be smaller than 5"? Difficult to be sure. Definitely painted in the 1936 to 1948 period. Will

Craig, The ends are interesting - original flat cross bracing with top corners removed to make 'space' for the later double bonnet vents. Contrasts with the later end fitted on the V33. Thanks for posting the picture. I might have to try and build this (I'm waiting for an order of Mink Ds that I can cut and shut for the ends/roof/underframe). I'm guessing that the roof isn't white but is reflecting light? Shouldn't be white with post 1942 lettering. Regards Will

Andy, I think it's a difficult one from that angle with only part of the side visible. It would be an open verandah type originally as it has the 'ledge' where the top of the sides was - closed verandah types (like tunnel vans) didn't have it. The panel under where the verandah was is metal - A lot if early Toads had wooden planks there but many had metal sheeting added later on so it doesn't narrow it down at all. I thought that the bufferbeam shape would help (rectangular the same width as the end) but it turns out all Toads seem to have this type - you learn something new every day. So - sorry I can't be much help. I wouldn't even want to say 20' or 24' length but more likely to be the latter due to build dates and longevity. Will

Hi Pete, Where abouts in Wales and what timeframe? Different companies pre grouping and grouping. Different regions post nationalisation but now all Wales part of the same Route. Sorry to ask more questions rather than answer yours, but I think it needs narrowing down to give you what you want. Thanks Will

Hi Sidmouth, The bogies are more GWR like on the airfix/mainline Siphon G and H but it still has the earlier DC brakes so would still need some modifications for the later types of Siphon G. GWR did have palethorpes vans but unfortunately they were 6 wheel vans and the Lima one is fictional. Regards Will

Glad to hear that it's all in hand. Will

Paul, Looking forward to seeing this layout being built - an interesting idea. One observation - are the retaining walls and the low wall by the ferry a bit close to the tracks? You might want to check the clearances by running some stock through before everything is fixed in place. Especially, check the curved line on the crossover as the ends of a long vehicle swing out wide and may hit the low wall. It could be that it's an optical illusion and all is well but I wouldn't want you to have problems later and have to re-build. regards Will

Thanks for your responses Mike and Fatadder, Mike - are Maurice Early's photos available online? I've had a look at Fatadder's Centenary coach conversions and they look really good. It's a shame that wartime brown is not an option. I think I'll try chocolate/cream on a spare body before I start attacking a Centenary. Thanks Will

Hi all, When I was young and didn't know any better, I bought a rake of Dapol Centenary coaches (2 x D120(R) Brake 3rds and 4 x E149 composites) and happily ran it round and round as the Cornish Riviera. Now I am older (and hopefully wiser) I realise that this won't do. I am modelling early 1948 and by this time, the Centenary coaches would have been cascaded down into lesser services - so I plan to spread the coaches around. I am thinking of converting one of the E149s into a C69 all 3rd with etched sides (this looks quite easy as the doors can be retained) but I am worried about painting Chocolate/Cream. I have read on the excellent gwr.org site that during the 2nd World War, some 'more prestigious' stock was painted in a paler red-brown - would that apply to Centenary stock? I'm not expecting there to be photos to prove it as there was a war on. Many thanks Will

Where a trains consists of 2 or more units coupled up, if there is no corridor connection, you need a guard per unit. Will

If you're going to have a YG distant followed by 3 aspect then RG 2 aspect, the thing to watch out for is braking distances. There needs to be breaking distance between each signal. I'm guessing the 3 aspect junction to 2 aspect station starter is shorter than braking distance? If so then you need the distant to be Y when the station starter is R and have the middle signal R stepping up to Y on approach. Modern versions of this problem may be solved by having a very short 4 aspect sequence. Will

Hi 57xx I've just finished a Siphon C using the Ratio 4 wheel brake third as a basis for the underframe. I don't put much detail underneath so I'm not the best person to answer you. I just used the Ratio V hangers etc as directed and added a V hanger at each right hand end for a DC level. I would guess that the linkages go from there directly to the central(ish) Vacuum V hanger. Both linkages would have to be on the side away from the gas cylinder as it gets in the way. When you're ready to add transfers, the Railtec transfers for Siphon F/G have small Siphon (F) lettering that fits in the tight space required - I used an edited 'O' from Siphon G for the 'C'. Will

There's a couple of GWR departmental vans that I could use as mess vans: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrdeptcoach w96 on page 1 is a ratio 4-wheeler with duckets removed, reduced footboards and hand brakes added http://penrhos.me.uk/Eng.shtml#80919 80919 also looks like a modified 4-wheeler Although they're not the actual mess coach used in 1930s, they are legitimate departmental stock - and easy to cobble together - and I haven't got any 4 wheel coaches in the stock list yet. Will

M.I.B., The images I've found are copyright so I'll try and do links: Weed Spraying Train W82 with mess coach W82 closer up spraying Closer up still On board The last photo shows them spraying with the tank behind the spraying tender and a toad behind that - I'm guessing the other photos were publicity shots to show the tenders and regular usage was with a toad (which makes sense as you can then put a tail lamp on and spray in traffic). Will

Are you planning to add a mess van? Looks like an old clerestory coach in photos. I agree with the top and tail Toads for transit moves. Do you know how they did the spraying? Spray wagon leading or trailing? Will

I haven't put any transfers on yet. I think it's going to have to be a custom order from Railtec - they do up to 18 lots of up to 20 characters (max 2mm high) "TAUNTON DIVISION" & "W82" on one set and "WEED SPRAYING PLANT" on another for less than a tenner (and 3 trains worth) - I'm more worried about the ex-oil tank that carries the nasty stuff, that has a faded Corey's Fuel Oil on the side - not one POWsides do! I may have to hand paint that and weather it to hide my poor signwriting skills. There seems to be a number of variants of the weed killer train - I did the one with three tenders but no cab structure. The smaller tenders were easier as I used the City of Truro kit as a base and could alter the parts before assembly (spare boilers for wagon loads & boiler houses). I put top hats in and metal wheelsets, not thinking about curves and 6 wheel bogies - so it can only move on straight track until I come up with a solution. I also need to check the photos carefully as I've learned that early tenders had straight backed coal spaces and I've put slopes in - every day's a school day! Will

Hi MIB, You've done a lovely job with that almost empty tender. I did a few for a weed killer train and I share your pain at getting the angles right. Will

Update - I've used the Railtec transfers and the smaller Siphon F text fits live a glove. I've used the other Siphon F transfers with a bit of an 'O' as a 'C' to improve my Siphon C as well (roof still needs fixing). I've never used Railtec transfers before and I found them easy to apply. The only issue is that I had to cut a few Tares up to make the correct 22.11 weight for the American bogied versions. The 18T is from the HMRS transfers. I think the Railtec ones are a better colour. Will

Kit, There are a few important things to think about with semaphore signal boxes. Location: it needs to be in a position to be able to see the tail lamp of the trains as they go past before giving line clear to following trains. It also needs to be next to the road if there is a level crossing and close to the points it controls. Modern design is 350m max for manual operation. Signals can be considerably further as they are lighter to pull. Size: if it looks too small for the location, it will look wrong. It can be too big as the company would design in some spare levers - or the track could have been rationalized leading to spare levers. Heritage: the architecture should match the company or its predecessor- same with the signalling. Operation: 2 identical layouts could be signalled in different ways due to the operational requirements. If you need to share platforms (say, pilot onto back of train) then you need calling on signals whereas if it were units only, you don't. Think of all the moves you need - including run rounds and engine releases. You need signals for all of these ideally. In 7mm, you can do the point rodding and signal wires. Don't forget expansion compensators. Good luck with the signalling - it is hard to get right as there aren't many resources about the subject. Hope this helps a bit Will

I've been thinking about signal 3 and the crossover. On the real railway, you would want to be able to shunt the crossover whilst a train is heading towards the terminus. There would likely be absolute block in place between the signal boxes and the last signal at box B would remain 'on' until the block section and 440yds beyond the first home signal are confirmed clear through the block instrument. So as well as your offstage distant, you need an offstage home signal 440yds before the crossover. The only thing this will influence on your model is the number/colour of levers and the diagram in your signal box (if visible). Regards Will

On top of Rich's crossovers, I would pair 11 with 19&20 on one lever and have 17&18 on a second lever. The distant signal has to be braking distance (100s or 1000s of metres depending on speed/gradient) from the first stop signal so doesn't appear on most layouts. If you really want one, have it as a worked distant on the same post as 26 controlled by the next signal box (for trains leaving the terminus). Hope that helps Will

And feathers can be "bunnies ears". Loaded passenger trains can only accept a Subsidiary signal as authority if it is a calling on move into an occupied section a. These are shown in the sectional appendix. Usually for attaching moves or platform sharing. Will

There are some old installations where you get the sub (2 white lights) with a feather or a standard indicator. This is not compliant to modern standards but you can find it out there. Will