Steadfast

Yes. Linked from Flickr. I simply searched 47798 1995 Jo

L@@k!!! Professionally Weathered!!! is what the eBay listing would look like! Jo

It's Accurascale's attempt at the sandpipe mounting bracket isn't it Jim? There are two styles, the Hattons model represents later style (straight diagonal piece) the Accurascale model shows the earlier style. Not sure when they changed, but we have both styles on our 66s. 66001 was built with earlier type, but has carried the later type too due to bogie swaps. Edit to add, 66145 was the first loco with the later style. A mix of styles in this picture The tripcock bracket bolts onto the bogie and hides the sandpipe bracket from view, seen here. Finally for a bonus point here's one of 001 with Tripcock kit in EWS. From memory I think it did one season in EWS before repaint. Pictures all linked from Flickr. Jo

All may not be lost. Take a look at some photos of the real things on Flickr. Here's a link to one: Most (not all though) of them had the cabside repainted yellow or orange before the new logos went on. On most locos it's a noticeably different shade. Up close you can see the finish is different to the rest of the bodywork too. One or two didn't have the repainted cabs, and you can see the outline of the old logo on those. Jo

So instead of Day and Night, Bachmann now give you a choice of Day or Yard work. Interesting move, and potentially more useful than Night mode. Jo

Thanks for the posts ref the real steel, that pdf is exactly what I was after. Looks like my Google-fu wasn't up to scratch. Seems like pretty much anything goes size wise! I'm intending it to be Tata Margam originated steel, but I'm sure it won't be a million miles off what British Steel turn out. As for the model, I'm probably going down the road of a technique called non metallic metal, using oils. In N scale, the metallic look of the steel slabs isn't noticeable, it's more the colour and patina. Modellers using NMM on figure painting get some incredible effects, including replicating polished steel like on swords or armour. Slab doesn't have the sheen that rolled coil does either. Here's a pic linked from Flickr showing the effect, its quite blue. Jo

Hi all, I'm starting to think about making loads for my BBAs and BAAs. I want to go for the hefty slab you see being tripped through South Wales. (OK that pic is Bristol, but it's come from Llanwern) I'm struggling to find dimensions for this sort of product, which I believe goes for rolling into coil, hence the trips from Margam to Llanwern. Is there a standard industry size, or does each steelworks work to their own standard? Looking at Evergreen, I'm thinking their 1.5mm x 6.3mm or 1.5mm x 7.9mm may be suitable for N? That'd be 9 inch thick slabs, around 3 or 4 foot wide. The stanchions on my BBA are around 8mm apart. Any help greatly appreciated! Jo

It could be a) blown bulb, b) a dull filament bulb, with the lower markers replaced by LED. The lights on the modified 37s are on a rotary switch. Off - Day - Yard - Night. The top marker can only be illuminated at the same time as the lower two. Jo

The three markers are lit in that first video, they're just incredibly dim in those lighting conditions. Photo linked from Flickr on the same day Some locos, like the second video showing 423, had the filament bulbs upgraded to LED. Jo

Both classes 68 and 88 have 20.5 metres painted, well stickered, on the sides as the length over buffers. Class 93 is a little longer. Jo

Ah apologies for any crossed wires, the Dutch and plain grey ones I've seen are both the BR built, originally on plateback bogies but now on the EWS American style. The plain grey ones I've seen would be 1990s paint jobs at the very oldest. The shade was light, so could tie in with same grey as Dutch, and faded over the intervening 20 odd years. It certainly wasn't a common livery, grubby plain yellow I'd say is the common on the modern day Salmon and Ospreys. Jo

Some Salmon carried Dutch too. Perhaps Hornby thought these were just grey as the yellow is very narrow. I have seen the odd plain grey Salmon, but I'd think they were post privatisation "needs must" patch paint between the data panels type jobs. Pic linked from smugmug of a Dutch one. Jo

Nice of Hornby to hide all the development pics behind a fan club paywall. Would have been interesting to see, if the quality is good perhaps they'd have enticed more people to jump in to their product range. Jo

This link seems to explain it OK, from a quick skim read (there, that's my get out if there's errors on it!) http://www.solihullmrc.org/wagon_tops_codes.html Fundamentally the first letter is the category and the last letter is brake type. The middle letter is unique to that variant of wagon. So HAA is a hopper, the first type in its series and air braked. Other hoppers with air brakes are HHA, HTA and HKA, these are all completely different designs, note the middle letter that changes to denote this. Jo

I thought it was more of a EuroTunnel thing, at least initially, and was not used all the time. Class 92 and 68 also have the top light fitted but it doesn't seem to be used much on those locomotives. Certainly it is only on in some of the photos of these classes while the head and marker lights are on. The lighting on the 37s modified by DRS is on a rotary switch, with day / night/ yard settings. Yard is the 3 markers, then day and night adds the relevant headlight as well. So on whatever setting, the top marker is lit, and the driver cannot select it independently. Class 92s that top light is a headlight for working through the Tunnel and can be independently switched, but everything else in the UK that top light is only a marker and isn't dazzling. Class 68 may give the appearance of the top marker not being lit, but the lighting on these are LED so in photographs or video can appear to flash due to the refresh rate of the LED being close to the camera shutter speed. Jo

Ah but the artisan hand finish wins hands down! Thanks again for your help with these Mick. Jo

I've just put decals for the Accurascale HYAs on to the website. £15 plus P&P for 5 wagons worth of decals, these are for the NACCO / GBRf livery. More information available at https://steadfastmodels.wordpress.com/oo-176-cutdown-hya-wagon-decals/ Jo

Following on from the previous post, the HYAs are now on sale. £15 plus P&P for 5 wagons worth of decals. More information available at https://steadfastmodels.wordpress.com/oo-176-cutdown-hya-wagon-decals/ Jo

Excellent stuff! Enjoy those cab rides! Rules is pretty heavy going, but you need your switch off time too, other wise it doesn't sink in as well and can become a bit much. Sounds a good excuse for modelling, even if it's just 5 minutes gluing on a handrail or painting some air pipes. Isn't it! So weird having an empty seat beside you. Jo

Hi Jack, Are you out of the classroom and doing your handling yet? Getting out in the wild us a great feeling! That's a brilliant idea motorising the support coach! Should give you nice reliable running there. I've got to get on with my yellow stock. My RTOV is still largely a DBSO, but is getting there slowly. Jo

Castle Combe Rallyday last Saturday. Star of the show for me, even I've seen and taken detail pictures of it several times before! Pics and captions linked from my Flickr. Forwards is fastest, but sideways is, well, the way rally cars should be driven. P12WRC, Colin McRae's Rally GB winner from 1997 negotiates the tyres at Castle Combe's 2023 Rallyday with Louise Aitken-Walker at the wheel. P12WRC was the Impreza Colin McRae used to win the 1997 Rally GB, his final victory on home soil. Restored into the Subaru blue and yellow, it looks and sounds as it did back in '97. Trundling back towards the paddock for another run at the Feature Stage at the 2023 Rallyday at Castle Combe, Colin's daughter Hollie was riding in the Impreza here, with 'Gramps' Jimmy McRae at the wheel. Jo

I nearly had similar a few years back I was a shunter. Dopey lorry driver reversed across the crossing in the VQ, no NR staff to see him back or anything. Lucky for him I was on the adjacent road that is crossed in a different place. You do wonder sometimes... Jo

Temple Meads is having a new Eastern entrance constructed at the moment. There's a load of posters about it in the underpass. Presumably this is the works connected to it, seen from a 158 in 15 while waiting right time. Jo

Every driver issued with T-Cut and Mr Sheen? Jo

To summarise: 43187 and 43188 were the launch pair for the green livery and carry the cast logos. 43041 and 43005 were the next to go green and also got the cast logos. These 4 power cars also have the number on the sliding door. All subsequent green power cars gained stickers for the logo, and the number was applied to the cab side. 43005 subsequently had its number moved to the cabside, the other original 3 haven't. The 3 GWR green 57s also carry cast logos, 57604 carrying steam style livery so not fitted. So in theory there's 7 sets of cast logos that have been in service. Jo