87023Velocity

With the arrival of the Revolution 320s, thought it would be good to set up a Scottish them with a push pull rake and the blue 08 (just need a few Scotrail 47/7s now!)

Although 37513 in Loadhaul is a welcome release, I hope that the bodyside window will be removed/filled in rather than the Loadhaul logo being applied over it as in the press picture. Simon

Revolution trains class 320 running on Dallam, out of region and era by someway.

47785 caught between a gap in the vans.

Another Mk1 test vehicle has been started. Whilst looking for pictures of Mentor, I found pictures of the previous Lab 6 which became Test Car 5 with Serco. Previously used for high speed pantograph testing, this vehicle had been fitted with Mk3 BT10 bogies to allow 125mph running. During its use with Serco, the pantograph had been removed and it was just used as a brake force runner for test trains. I cut the coupling from a Farish BT10 and also modified the bogie pivot hole to match the underframe moulding on the mk1 allowing the close coupling mechanism to be retained. With that done, several laps of Dallam through the reverse pointwork in the fiddleyard were successfully carried out with a 47 either end. Next step will be to put the body in IPA and cut the roof to form the well area were the pantograph was located.

Strathclyde class 320s on Dallam, just arrived today. Quickly posed, not inspected yet!

Taken from Folly Lane overbridge, 86621 & 628 speed south from Coatbridge passing 08802 shunting the yard.

One end of Mentor is nearing completion detail wise. Toilet water tank filler pipes added and the access ladder fitted but not glued - going to redo this as twisted it slightly and will need the anti climb plate adding. Decided also to ditch using the Farish pantograph and use one of my Dapol spares, looks alot better. Insulators are Sommerfelt. The ETH moulding is a Dapol version from the loco detail packs.

66135 heads the Enterprise service from Immingham to Arpley under Bewsey Road as 37610 and 20304 take a single flask from Bridgewater to Sellafield.

Bit more work done on 975091 Mentor. Central roof section cut to size and glued in position. Flat roof areas formed from 10thou plasticard and strip. Cab ends formed from 10thou plasticard with the windows cut out. With regards the pantograph, ideally would use a Dapol version but going to use a Farish one from the spares box. Could not resist a test run so formed the rake up with 47761 and 47785. Cheers Simon

Had the Intermodal and Freightliner rakes running yesterday. Here is 90029 on the Intermodal to Mossend and 86621/628 on the Freightliner to Crewe Basford Hall. Cheers Simon

A class 142 heads back to Liverpool Lime Street from Warrington Bank Quay past RES liveried 08802 shunting the yard.

Great idea about the Courier vehicle, I was just planning to keep the remains of the body for any future departmental conversions but think I will make a courier vehicle for a railtour rake. Good shout about the filler Steven and Paul 👍. As mentioned usually I would strip the paint but thought the Intercity lines would assist alignment. From the filling and rubbing down so far, I think whatever is left of the original livery could be removed using some very fine wet/dry to make the body suitable for spraying. Cheers Simon

Finally made a start on Mentor. I did think about using the Electra vinyls but decided to have a challenge and butcher 2 perfectly good mk1 BSKs. Usually I would strip all paint before doing any mods but there is a method to the madness. Using the Intercity livery with all its lines certainly helps with lining up all the spliced in sections. 3 sets of doors required removing and standard saloon windows fitting in their place. Holes have also been cut in the ends for the windows. Will leave the filler to dry fully for a few days before removing the paint.

60078 rolls under Bewsey Road with an MGR for Fiddlers Ferry power station.

Bit more done on the mk1 runners to go with Mentor. Had a first attempt at creating the flaking/patches quite often seen on mk1s which had not seen works/the painters attention for sometime. Still a bit more to do I feel. Finding direct overhead shots of the actual vehicles is basically impossible. So attempted a representation.

A few pictures from operating the layout over the past few weeks. One train which has not seen much use is the Freightliner rake. This is because the 5.1mm wheelsets for the FGA/FFAs had been pinched from my Cawoods rake for testing. So wheels ordered and now able go run the 18 wagon rake consisting of FGA/FFA, KFA, Megafrets, Pocket wagons. This runs pretty well with the odd coupling playing up.

Finally got some modelling done over the past few weeks. Decided to model the Mentor test train as seen during 2001. Mentor 975091 was in Serco Red/Grey and the runners that went with it occasionally were 2 Mk1s in Intercity ex charter vehicles and 2 Mk1s in Waterman Railways livery. The 2 Intercity Mk1s are the Farish Executive Intercity liveried versions but the Executive dark grey has been oversprayed with Falcon Grey. The Waterman liveried Mk1 FK and SO have been stripped and sprayed LNWR plum along with the lining which was sprayed on. Just got to get Mentor itself progressed.

Excellent news! Will be having a 175 in First North Western livery. Cheers Simon

60078 heads north and is just about to pass under Bewsey Road with 6S55 Burngullow to Irvine clay slurry tanks.

At somepoint I really do need to look at the backscene on Dallam and do something other than plain white. Had a play around on a photo edit app adding some different overcast sky for some fun and to get ideas. Although Dallam is based around the summer months, grey skies are quite a regular thing! Cheers Simon

At somepoint I really do need to look at the backscene on Dallam and do something other than plain white. Had a play around adding a grey overcast sky on a photo edit app for some fun and to get ideas. Here are a couple of the pics I edited, these are my first attempts.

Bit of messing about tonight. Back to 1992 and 31421 takes some wagons north to Carlisle Currock, a GM liveried 142 heads to Bank Quay from Lime Street whilst a BR blue 08 shunts the yard.

2 Freightliners are seen passing from Bewsey Road overbridge.

A Transrail 37 is captured shunting the yard at Dallam.