acg5324

I was close....

I think Bachmann / Farishs logic with the RU was that they could use liveries earlier than B/G whereas the RBRs were not all the same and I think could only be produced accurately in B/G and Executive. I've just renumbered and lettered my RU as an RBR. I'd still prefer it if they modelled an RBR.

The interior was from a TSO plus the brakevan area reused from the BSK. Farish have done loads of Blue Grey TSOs the current one is a C suffix, fourth issue. I think my interior probably came from a SR green one as the chassis would have been used for a Carflat conversion. There are some pictures of the finished coach on my Olympia layout thread here http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/75679-kensington-olympia-in-n-scale/?p=1742756

Well nearly a month since the last update and not much modelling done due to reasons I wont go into just yet, but it involves last weekends trip to York. I was able to get the following 4 slides on ebay recently.....so here they are for your enjoyment. 33054 at Latchmere Jct with a train of ferry vans mainly Transfesa, undated. Latchmere Jct 50021 Rodney with a SR GUV and a brakevan in tow. May 1983 Kensington south main, 50011 Centurion with a train of mainly HTV coal hoppers. June 1983. Kensington South Main and 37044 with a refurbed class 307 in tow enroute back from Eastleigh? to Ilford? June 1983. All four images taken from the signalboxes.

Yes sorry they were Cararama ones....and I've just had my eyes tested! No change either! Could a model car be made that for example looks exactly like a Ford Escort but is not described as such, is the licence just for the trademarks/ brand names or also for the likeness?

Both announced earlier and more 1950s vehicles ( not seen pictures only artists impressions on the website ) rather than 1970s onwards.

Oh well nothing in 1/148 other than some reliveries.....shame as when I first loaded the page it showed a Mk1 Escort and Capri....however they are both 1/76.

I thought they must work to and from Sugar beet factories, might order a short block anyway.

Whilst the Fuel company tankers are two early for me ( I think ) where did the United Molasses run to and from.....can I make a case for running them through Olympia? Would they have been only in block trains or in a mixed freight?

http://www.squirestools.com/files/12-17.pdf If you have no luck with your current order. I can do Bognor easily.....Need some more D connectors anyway.

I bought two tins of Fluxite from a hardware shop in Hove, Sussex, more than 30 years ago and the second of these finally ran out today. I suspect that this is the end of an era, unless anyone can tell me where I can buy more (I actually tried to find some while we were in England last month but failed to track any down - is it still made at all?). The Blatchington Road shop is now a running shoe shop called....errrrr..... RUN! The Boundary Road shop is weirdly a Plumbers http://www.dorringtonplumbingandheating.co.uk My tin of Frys is getting close to being empty, came from Airds in Bond St, Brighton...been closed some years now.

Off topic a bit but interesting that the 12 car CIG BIG CIG formations are show 12 CB CIG.....as a Central man these would have been described as ICBC or the CEP / BEP version as ECBC.

With run of the mill cars a lot of people not just modellers would like a model of car(s) that they have owned. Hence the Vauxhall Viva HC on my earlier post...... I'd then have to get a second one as I was daft enough to buy another after RMD183L ( BRG with black vinyl roof ) was traded in for BWV83T ( white with blue vinyl roof ).

Now then how do I justify a sound fitted split headcode 40 for Kensington Olympia............apply rule one I think.

Certainly blue in b/g livery. Don't know about all over blue.

I note on the Farish website that the Mk2 b/g FK is not shown as weathered.....there maybe hope!

No second issue of the Mk1 FK in b/g the first issue has been sold out for a year, seems an odd omission. Mk2 FK in b/g weathered is a pain, hope it's just a light coat. 100 ton tanks are good news, as is the prospect of no class 25/3 for at least a couple of years.....my conversion can start. Misread the carflat release with cars as n Gauge........with the NGS ones due this year.

Well its back to work ( on the layout ) after the Christmas break. We spent Christmas at my wifes parents in York, for the first time we decided to drive up in the evening rather than very early morning so set off at 1845 already knowing the M25 was completly blocked near Sevenoaks so had had to go the wrong way round the M25 via Heathrow and the M1. With just a loo stop at Leicester Forest we pulled into the driveway at 2315. 4hrs 30 mins not bad at all. Made up for it coming home as after a clear run as far as Cambidge we were stop start all the way to Clacket Lane on the M25 and it took 5 3/4 hrs. Nothing train related for Christmas other than a nice screwdriver set I ordered myself! Its far to cold to do any work in the loft so I've started to finish off some projects. My order from Etched Pixels arrived just before Christmas so I've been able to finish the third of the Transfesa vans bar spraying etc ......too cold for that for a few months!!! I've had a spare BR Commer PB van that I wanted to turn into a BT van for ages having got the decals ages ago so with the addition of a bit of plasticard for roof rails and an etched ladder......voila Its been dirtied up a bit since I took the photo. Another been sitting around for ages has been one of the Ergo cabs I got from PG Models this has now been mated with a cut down eight wheel Oxford diecast chassis to make this 6 wheeled tipper This will be sprayed orangey- red to become a Hall and Co wagon. I went to order some Bachmann 36-558A decoders last week to find that they have been discontinued. They were around £15 each and have been 'superceded' by ones costing £25 each. A hunt round on the Internet found Coastal DCC had DCC concepts ZN6D decoders for £80 for 5. Great price and great service they were on my doorstep the following day. A start has been made on the 3rd and 4th Newton Chambers Mk1 car carriers, I'll get as far as I can before I need to spray them. I just need to hope that GF announce the later style body for the class 25/3 on Sunday before I start looking for a class 25/2 to convert. One of the batch from 25083-087 look favourite as they have new style bodies with steam heat so the underframe of the 25/2 wont need chopping. On that note Happy New Year.

http://www.derbysulzers.com/24063.html

Great to see you again John during your visit to Brighton, look forward to more progress in 2017 with the layout. Happy new year.

And no clue on the front cover......

A Merry Christmas to everyone.

That's good then I've already offset the connections. The heat shrink was only a £1 from Barnitts in York so might do it still once everything is wired up. Are you going to get a train for the miniature railway? Looking forward to the beer tuesday night.

OK a bit of a photo catch up................ The first board to gain any wiring...a reminder on the top for what connects to what! . My upside down lighting Droppers to the busbars and soldered. Heatshrink to add. ..........and finally what to do with one of the A1 sheets of foam board...instant test track and so light too!

Got a tiny bit of track laying done this week plus soldering yet more sleepers at the baseboard joints. I've also made a start in wiring the busbar for the DCC. I'm using the blue and brown cores from a striped drum of lighting cable for the busbar with corresponding blue and brown droppers......itll look nice if nothing else. One board was completed and the the Digitrax Zephyr connected....woh.....lots of short circuits. I suspected the scissors crossover was the issue to this was removed to no avail. After a bit of trial and error.....this is my first DCC layout.......I found that I need to gap the rails from the frogs at each set of points. I'd already gapped the crossovers but didn't realise that I needed to do it elsewhere. Anyway that appears to have cured the shorts and a tentative test run was made with the class 56 along the one board. I'll add some photos in later.