SRman

In other words geoffers, don't worry about it too much, unless you are modelling a particular line at an exact time in its history! Most of us seem to be happy just to have the models as they are.

Jim beat me to the detail differences but I would add that the 114 side windows are also mounted higher up the bodyside - just look at the distance between the cantrail and the window tops. Class 107 were similar in style to the 114s but on shorter underframes like the 108. The chances of confusing 114s with 107s are fairly remote as they probably never met in real life, with the 107s being essentially Scottish units and the 114s working in the north east of England. 108s, on the other hand, went almost everywhere at some point in their lives. Back to Llanbourne, I agree with the comment about the backscenes adding depth. It is impossible to tell just how wide (or narrow!) the layout is now.

That's a good point. The three car section would be easy enough but the five car one with one MBS reversed would involve a bit of jiggery-pokery!

SNAP! I took the front coupling off my 30108 and it is on ... wait for it ... set 610! It looks the part!

The funny thing is, andyman, I was quite happy to buy and modify a Heljan Western - there is sufficient 'meat' on the cab roofs to allow a simple file-down job to produce a far more acceptable profile. The mods needed to fix the VEP front end have been detailed in this topic already so I won't go through them all again. I will be availing myself of those replacement interiors though!

While mostly agreeing with gwiwer, I sold out and bought myself a blue VEP for less than 100 pounds. I have compromised but am still wondering if I did the right thing: the solid partitions I can cope with and modify but it's the 'face' of the unit that is hardest to correct yet is the most visible of the errors.

My coach pack arrived yesterday and the models do look rather nice. I didn't go for the full train pack as I already have two black M7s with push-pull (or pull-push!) equipment. The coach set has not actually turned a wheel on my layout, yet ... maybe after work today ...

I found, to my surprise, that the Dapol 22 runs nearly perfectly with my Silver Fox one on a Bachmann class 20 chassis - the speed settings match nearly perfectly although the acceleration curves differ somewhat (they have different decoders fitted as well!). I had the pair, D6315 (Dapol) and D6356 (SF/Bachmann) trundling around for hours on a mixed goods train. I forgot to take any photos though. They did look good running together but you'll all just have to take my word for it ... for now!

More likely something stuck to a wheel. I have once or twice managed to get a spot of Araldite on a wheel (not the class 22, I should add) and the result was as you described. Being clear when dry, it was very hard to trace the glue spot as well! Rick (gwiwer): I didn't like the transparency of the headcode lettering but, now you mention it, I am also a little wary of the typeface they used. I haven't yet fitted the headcodes on mine while I decide what to do. Heljan's earlier headcodes would seem to be the way to go but really need to be mounted inside, behind the "glass" - that's not so easy with the cab interiors being glued in solidly!

Someone posted pics of their N gauge HST in Network SouthEast livery some time ago. I thought it looked just right: those stripes really suited the HST lines.

Yes. Thanks for the info ... I'll have to retro fit those inner buffers now! Thanks to both for the great pics.

I also did a Kirk conversion with my own scratchbuilt bits and pieces (like driver's door droplights). I have used the wrong buffers as I wasn't sure whether they used the standard ones or the EMU style heavy-duty versions (I now know it was the latter!). From the plans I used (November 1972 Model Railway Constructor, I think), I got the impression that the inner end buffers were removed since the coaches were semi-permanently kept together and used the Pullman rubbing plates and buckeye couplers. However, the Hornby models have the inner buffers, so can anyone tell me for sure which is correct? I have a pair of Hornby coaches on their way from Rails of Sheffield so my own conversion will now mostly be relegated to the stock drawers.

Two more for the pot! The Howes class 57 in Bachmann's 57 008 Freightliner Explorer and Howes Kestrel sounds in Heljan's model of same. Once again, slightly dodgy camera work as I was controlling the trains as well and the tripod was a little sticky in its movement in places.

Stepping back a little in time, back to February 2012, in fact, here is a video for your entertainment showing two Bachmann 2EPBs, 5765 leading 5770, running in multiple (a DCC consist) and my then new Dapol class 22 diesel-hydraulic, D6315, hauling a mixed parcels train - this loco is a limited edition weathered example from Kernow Models. I have, of course, continued the ballasting and started the third and fourth rail laying since this vid was taken (see my pics in previous posts). While there is still a lot of work to do, as you can see, I have managed to obtain good smooth running, notwithstanding the tight (for me!) curves.

The 03 and the Austerity sound very good, Paul. After a long hiatus due to my constructing a new layout, and Neil (who helped with previous vids of mine) also constructing not just a new layout but a whole new house to go around it, I have finally got my act together sufficiently to start a few new vids. I actually took some footage back in february but have only now uploaded from the camera and started editing. The layout has progressed a little further since this video, in that I have put down more ballast and started with the third and fourth rails (the lines seen here are actually the London Transport ones while the upper level will be, when completed, the Southern Region and successors' lines. When I purchased the Hornby sound-fitted class 31 I was a little unhappy with the sounds as they seemed to be a mix of class 31 and class 37 (essentially with the same English Electric 12 cylinder diesel engines but with different control gear and, hence, different running characteristics). Anyway, to cut a long story short(er!) here is the result after reblowing by Bryan of Howes. It is, by the way, an ESU LokSound v3.5 decoder. The speaker remains exactly as fitted by Hornby but with any holes or gaps sealed up (eg where the wires pass through the plastic chamber). Apologies for the dodgy camera work: I was trying to operate both camera and train at the same time! I do have a higher quality and, therefore, much larger version of this video which I will upload to Photobucket later and probably to Youtube as well. To follow soon: Howes' class 57, Kestrel and the production version of Howes' class 73 (my previous video of this was a beta test version). After that, I need to take some new video of Legomanbiffo's class 73 since I have now followed his suggestion and mounted the very large 40 x 28mm speaker in E6012.

Oh goody! Just what my poor, tortured wallet needs! I have one of the sound-fitted ones pre-ordered ...

All I can say for the pic of the 85 and 81 is (with strong Aussie accent!): "Noice!"

Size is great but I agree it does look a little too green in the photo - these things don't always reflect reality though with some colours becoming stronger or weaker in the processing. I wouldn't worry about it being too vivid though, since everything fades a bit with time and dirt and dust, especially with the U-V qualities we possess in Australia! Overall it looks great, Peter. I think we are all being super-critical because your layout skills are so good in the first place.

I detailed one up many (many many!) years ago and I still have it, albeit unused for a long time. I didn't worry about the length but the biggest improvement in appearance, in my opinion, was to add microstrip gutters along the sides just above door height and then paint the roof colour right down to those strips. I also flush glazed it using SE Finecast sets of glazing but making my own windscreens, thus eliminating the slight 'bubble' effect of the commercial glazing kits. Picking out the window frames also helps but depends on livery as well. In earlier days, when I had Triang Super 4 track, it was also very good at cleaning the track for me! Nowadays, it would probably do a better job of cleaning the sleepers it runs on!!

Good news! I have now put the last of the handrails and couplings on my second (and final) Cambrian Kits 'pill box' so that means that the Bachmann model will probably come out very very soon!!

I'll third that! The only real giveaway that it is a model is the shadow on the backscene from the tree on the right.

The backscene does seem to blend very nicely the way you have done it. The layout is getting better and better all the time.

Thanks for that, Bif. I'll have to give at least one of those suggestions a try.

One more thing to report: I noted one of the DTCs interior lights flickering for a while, then they went out completely. The headcode remained illuminated. This suggested one of the coupling contacts may be faulty. On further investigation, I discovered that one of the wires to the coupling on the motored coach had broken and come adrift, so yet another of the faults others have reported has now manifested itself on my unit! I was able to undo the screw on the coupling and get at the PCB to resolder the broken wire. This is a rather delicate operation, something I am not particularly good at but I succeeded in restoring the lighting function without joining two of the wires together with a huge blob of solder (my more usual 'form'!).