Steadfast

Big day for the future of the WRC today. Hybrid will be gone from next year, leaving the Rally1 cars to be engine only. Rally2 cars can be fitted with a kit to make then faster and be Rally2+. How close will the 2 classes be I wonder? 2025 could be very interesting indeed. https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/unraveling-the-wrcs-big-decision-day/ https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hybrid-ditched-as-part-of-major-wrc-regulation-change/ Jo

Didn't the Horner story first leak out in the Netherlands? Talking about this at work tonight, since Dietrich Mateschitz died, there have been rumours of a Red Bull power struggle and the Verstappen camp not being happy. Has Jos been feeding the trolls press? Jo

One from Sunday from me. Quick race down to the local station as I'd forgotten about this and remembered at the last minute. Screaming well as the driver gives it some more power, 56113 passes Keynsham working 6C97 Llandeilo Jn - Westbury with an empty RDT. 70803 was on the rear. Jo

Hi Rob, They look great in place, really pleased they fit well. It's always exciting seeing the little part I've helped to make other people's projects come together. I like Tamiya sprays a lot. So long as you don't go too heavy, and keep the can warm to keep the pressure up (do you know the warm water trick?), they're super reliable. They're varnishes are my go to these days, much easier than trying to clean clear paint you can't see out of the airbrush. Jo

Well since you ask... ...Please shrink it to a sensible scale 😉 then: A long lived Colas machine (maybe 094 or 087) since they cover most of the 2010s as well as 2020s up to date modellers. Also there's renumbering potential if you pick the right loco. 56091 or 103 in debranded white livery as used by DCR. Jo

I believe (and my Scottish geography is patchy at best) that the Weat Highland line is one of those that requires RETB signalling equipment. If so it'll be a loco from the GBFM pool, 66733, 736, 737, 739, 740, 743 and 746. None of these match the GB model being done by Revolution at the moment, as they have the second style "bug eye" round head lights. I believe some, if not all, the ex DRS 66/3s now with GB have RETB fittings too, certainly 66304 did when I was on it a few weeks back. Whether there is portable kit that can be used to allow other locos to venture up there I don't know, it's not something we use round here. Jo

It seems I've been as rubbish as expected at keeping posts on this thread regular...ah well! I don't seem to have had much time for my own modelling the last few months, modelling time being spent either designing decals or comissions for other people. Rather a coaching stock heavy update, we'll start with 17105. I started this at the Swindon show in 2020, the last show I demo'd at before we had 18 months of nothingness! It's been a proper one step forward, 2 steps back project, especially with the paint, but it's getting there. The lining, letter and grill decals are all designed by me. The roof and ends are hacked about to match the real thing, and the doors have been modified too to resemble the wrap around type on the Mk2B. I'll get some better pictures of the modifications once it's less glossy and easier to photograph. Paint on this are airbrushed Tamiya acrylics. The chassis has been heavily modified too, but that isn't to hand at the moment. Next up, 3 Farish Mk2Fs that I've resprayed into Anglia livery. There's the odd wonky line, but that will be tidied next time the airbrush is out. Paint is celluolose, and these will be debranded and run with 17105 and some debranded Virgin Mk2Fs too, to resemble something like this: This is a Farish Mk2F DBSO, modified to be a generator fitted RTOV as Network Rail call them now. Most of the work was the cab front, where a new panel was cut on the Silhouette to replace the gangway, vertical strips around the windows, blanked ETH recess and reworked headlight. There's also grill for the generator (less said the better...) and extra vents, NRN and GSM-R aerials on the roof. Cellulose again, the front is a subtly different shade of yellow, not that the camera picks it up at all. The final coach we have is UTU1, no. 62384. This is a 3D print from Andy @LMSfan72 and is a shoot down from his 4mm models. There is some lovely detail on there, and it has saved me months and months of cutting and joining Farish Mk1s to make a UTU coach, so his efforts really are much appreciated! Considering its a shoot down from 4mm, it's amazing how much detail has printed unmodified. The handrails didn't (and Andy kept me up to speed on progress, so I was aware) so will be replaced with 0.2mm wire handrails, as will the filler pipe from the roof down the end. The orange warning lights are being replaced with 0.5mm Evergreen rod because I virtually removed the printed lights while attempting to clean what little print lines there were up. The model comes with the belly tanks, interior, coach ends and cosmetic bogie side frames, so all in all should hopefully be a speedy build. The final vehicle in today's update is a 3D printed JHA, one from Nick @njee20. I've had several of these sat painted, waiting for me to finish drawing up the decals and get them printed. The blue stripe being part of the artwork makes things much quicker! Paint on the model is Tamiya AS-20 Insignia White, which seems to be a good match for Hanson light grey. So far I have 5 wagons in grey and black, but have got decals for all the wagons I own so once the first 5 are done hopefully I'll crack on with the next few. As the image below shows, there's variation in the weathering of the Hanson logos, accurate to each side of each wagon, as are variations in the positioning of the solebar labels. The idea is that everything on the grey part of the body goes on as one piece, it all being correctly spaced out on the clear carrier film. Once dry, the rebate for the ICD and ICR levers can be cut away before varnishing. Jo

Lucky catch there Dave, thanks for sharing. Although a pain to deal with professionally, it's interesting to see these things as an enthusiast. Jo

Will the bumps be there next week in testing? Maybe their purpose is to throw off and create speculation away from the real changes. Consensus from what I've read thus far is that the Red Bull launch car (particularly round the front) is likely to be different to the testing car. Several others (McLaren for one) are being coy about what they're not showing yet too. Jo

Well the Red Bull livery is a copy and paste of last year! Most years at minimum there is alteration in the stripes or some other colours in with the dark blue. One less reason to like them. Jo

How many layout operators are unaware (or don't care) how it works in the real railway? I've even heard tail lights referred to as brake lights before... Jo

Idea for your next project... ...shrink that lovely 56 by approximately 50% Perhaps include an older Colas machine and an ex Fertis plain white DCR one, if I'm being really greedy! Jo

Revised Hyundai livery from Sweden on. Definite improvement for me. Simple colour blocks, styled to match the panel lines and shapes of the car. https://dirtfish.com/rally/wrc/hyundai-makes-surprise-wrc-livery-change/ Jo

Forgive my dopiness there, I had the headcodes back to front earlier, thinking it was the Alpha you were referring to. Unless one has sprung up since last Wednesday, I can confirm there are no TSR/ ESRs on the Down in that area. IETs are definitely not speedy on diesel. When road learning in them, one driver likened the performance on diesel to a 158 if you have a good IET. Jo

The time loss at Newbury in Up direction currently is because everything is being routed through the platform instead of using the centre road, dropping to 40 mph as a result. Jo

On BR locos its pretty much standard that the radiator is no. 1 end. More recent builds from overseas tend to be the reverse, with 59, 66, 70 etc having the radiator no. 2 end, as is the American standard. Jo

Nice catch. 66097 has it, one side only. 66111 had it on the gold band both sides, I'm not sure of the remnants remain or if its all peeled off now. Jo

Certainly word doing the rounds down here tallies with it going onto the bulky (6M40 / 6V14). I can't see the logic of hiring it over a 66, unless GB did it for a really good price. A standard 66 can do 6M40/ 6V14, or cover something else freeing up a 70. There's driver training and fitter training to consider, and it's hardly the most reliable of things either. Here's one of 003 after being shutdown over the weekend, on a cold Monday morning. 59003 does its best impression of a class 56 as it attempts to smoke out Westbury. Sat in the New Sidings, the loco would later work 0O41 to Eastleigh. 005 back in September Since Freightliner took over the Mendip contract, Class 59s on the Avonmouth stone have been a rarity. 59005 is seen dodging the shadows at Newton St Loe, working 6C68 Avonmouth - Whatley, having taken another train load of stone for the construction of Hinkley Point power station. A couple of years back, the Mendip wagon fleet was largely silver or grey, the silver, maroon and blue mix still takes some getting used to. Jo

66s are both headlights together, with the markers remaining steady. Don't know about other types. Jo

As @Wheatleyand @stewartingram said the flash is to prolong battery life. They flash at 2 Hz (so twice a second) and are only lit for a small portion of the half second cycle, so would have a significantly longer battery life than a steady battery lamp. Most model tail lamps fail to replicate the distinctive look of the the flash. Once you've noticed it, it makes many models look wrong. Jo

As daft as the name is, the livery isn't terrible and the blue harks back to the Toro Rosso days, a livery I liked. Jo

Nice progress to date Rob, the trailer is definitely looking a lot less European now. As mentioned, I've been doing the decals for this project for Rob. I always find custom projects like this a bit of fun, and a step outside my comfort zone! The will be going off to print shortly, Rob supplies me with a research pacakge which I work from, with back and forth discussion through the development. I look forward to seeing them applied, especially seeing how that grill comes out for real. It is hand rendered from scratch, with graphic effects to create the shadows and recesses. Jo

If you do some more green sleepers Adam, can you take a look at the artwork please. Relative to the green HST, the printing is vertically stretched meaning they don't match. Very noticeable if you put them side by side, say if you wanted to use a TGS vice BFO, or a buffet with the sleepers. Jo

You have my sympathies! Having seen how bad the Bristol starters are at Bath, I can well imagine what something from further south west was like. 1A77 is another one that loads rather well. It was cozy as a 9 car previously, but now seems to be booked 5. A Plymouth starter, every time I've used it the last few months it's been standing from Westbury. It feels a little ungrateful complaining about something I'm on many occasions not paying for (travelling on a duty pass for work) and it feels bad enough travelling on some of these services, but I can't imagine how it feels having spent potentially hundreds on a ticket to travel sat on your suitcase in the vestibule or getting cozy with a stranger stood 6 inches away, but some of these crush loadings are an accident waiting to happen. There is definitely a contrast between busy and quiet services, and obviously a train does more than one trip across its diagram so a 9 car that works a peak crush loading could come back with mostly fresh air, however when they are busy, these things are ridiculously busy. The more I travel on IETs, the more I dislike them. Hard ride, hard seats, harsh overly bright interior lighting and luggage racks you hit your head on for starters. It's been interesting to hear the views of drivers when I've been up the front road learning, and it sounds like a set with no faults is a noteworthy event! Jo

To take one set in isolation, last night I travelled back from London on a 9 car, 18.36 ex Paddington for Exeter. Not standing, but very full in my coach. Think it's possibly the last west of England before off peaks can be used, which may affect how popular a service it is. Anyway, fine on electric, after Newbury losing a fair chunk of time, not helped by the fact it stops everywhere after Newbury. Announcement by the guard, only got 2 (out of 5) engines working, so it would terminate Westbury, with the following fast stopping additonally at Westbury to mop up the people needing to carry on west. Thankfully, Westbury was my stop. People for Castle Cary were miffed as rather than add an extra additional call on the IET that was picking them up at Westbury, they were told to travel to Taunton and come back to Cary in a taxi. No doubt a discussion for another thread! Back to the capacity comments, the mid morning starters from Bristol are regularly full by Bath, and full and standing from Chippenham or Swindon, and that's with the booked 9 car set. If a 5 turns up...good luck! Jo