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Hi Keith, That is where I initially got the idea from. The advantage of using the Replica bodies is that I don't have to put on all those hinges!! Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, I have decided to lump all my EMU projects onto one thread as most of them are now modified RTR items. To start with is my Replica 2Hap. The pictures show the bits needed from the donor BS and them in place on the DMBS. These two vehicles are part of a demonstration I did a couple of years ago, but they show the method quite well. I now use superglue to fill any small gaps. The DMBS uses the long cab from the Replica MLV. You will need to cut new droplights in one of the brake van doors on each side. This is best done before fitting into place. As you can see if you use the doors as a cutting guide none of the door furniture is lost. The next photos are of the 2Hap itself, firstly the DMBS. The bauxite paint is a guide for me to see if the joins a acceptable. Next the DTCL. The DTCL uses the small driving cab from the MLV, all you do is remove the end seating bay from the SO and replace it with the cab unit. This gives you a 2EPB DTS, to turn it into a 2Hap DTCL you need to fill the door lines of the relevant seating bay and enlarge the door window. I have all the parts I need to finish this unit so will keep you up to date with progress. Once you start to gain confidence cutting and shutting the Replica coaches the possibilities are vast. This is a trial to see if ER EMU's are possible, if I can get hold of some DC Kits ends I may try a 305 or 308. A 307 is a real possibility as is a Bury 504. This is a 501 driving end which is going to be in test unit 051. Hope these ramblings are of use. Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi Colin. Thanks for the comment. I have definately got my modelling Mojo back at the moment, I have a half completed Replica 2Hap on the go and have re motored my DC KIts 4Cep. With these and an El Crappo 7mm class 158 I feel I am really enjoying my modelling. I am even going in the loft tomorrow to sort out the various boxes of railway related stuff (junk)!! I will start a topic for the 2Hap if anyone is interested. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, Thankyou for the comments and the likes etc; Yesterday and today have seen rapid progress with the coach. Underframe and roof are finished. I reused some of the Bachmann parts and combined them with Southern Pride parts. The roof was done with Comet and DC kits parts. I have primed all the coach components and the results seem to be OK. I have decided not to use my DC Kits 4Cep as a basis for the unit but utilise Bachmann 4Cep bodies picked up from Invicta. With this in mind I have used glazing from the 4Cep SK to match the finished unit. The unit will be unpowered and use DC Kits Underframes, with detailing bits from Replica and MJT. I have really enjoyed the process of doing this coach, I may try a 4Rep with the leftover buffet coach sides. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, I haven't posted for what seems like an eternity! Inspired by various cut&shut projects I have started to concoct a 4Bep Buffet car from Bachmann/Your Model Railway MK1's. The underframe and roof are Bachmann and the sides are chopped up from the £8 Mk1. I have managed to get all the joins bar one at the doors and the various windows were blanked off with 2mm plastic sheet. Gaps have been filled with superglue and smoothed down. I used the Gould book as a guide for the positions of the windows. The Bachmann donor vehicle was a buffet car and the underframe has been stripped down to the trussing only. It is going to run in an unpowered 4Bep based on a reworking of my DC Kits 4Cep. More tomorrow. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi Andrew, Your container flats look excellent. I have an S kits conversion kit and the wagons in my to do list. I have always wanted a rake of container flats as I used to see them regularly as a youth, mainly on the Western region. Looking forward to seeing more progress. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi, Looking great so far. I will be following with interest as I plan to do a 4Big to compliment my 4Cig and seeing someones elses methods will be good. I will use Replica coaches as the base again but will probably use their Chassis unit this time. Keep up the good work. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi Andrew, Your 33's look spot on, creases were very common when I was taking photos of them in the early 80,s. This is at Clapham Junction in 82 or 83. Hopefully there is an image attached!! Looking forward to seeing your Pullman's Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi Andrew, Your models are excellent, the Pullmans especially so. I am looking forward to seeing more of them. My own ones have stalled somewhat as other projects have neede to be finished.

Hi, Thanks for the comments, the windows are of differing sizes, the later cars being smaller. I have used the Railway Modeller drawing for Orion for my 1951 conversions and Modellers Backtrack for the earlier cars. There seems to be about 1mm difference between the different types of cars, I have only just realised myself!! Andy I will be carving up the interior of Pegasus to get the approximate layout and eventually will replace the Hornby Gresley bogies with the heavy duty MJT ones. The MJT curtains fit well inside the Replica windows and I have used them in various MK1 based models. They don't add much weight to the model either which is good. The 71 is indeed a very good model, with some of the best grille work I have seen. There a quite a few extra details that you can put on if you wish, a process I am going through at the moment. I will have to wait how it compares to the two new RTR ones due soon. Also now I have started these Pullman conversions, Hornby will bring them out as RTR models to compliment their MN and 71! Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, A quick update on the Pullmans. Carina now has it's third set of bogies,following the purchase of spare Hornby close coupling mechanisms from Peters Spares. I have followed the Hornby pattern with a cut out in the bogie stretcher to get the mech to work correctly. Comparison between original and new bogies. New Hornby mechanism fitted. All working smoothly, please excuse my left thumb! I am now a lot happier with the way the coach has turned out and now it can be used in rakes with RTR couplings. Also from Peter's Spares i bought a pair of Hornby Gresley bogies to fit under The Nightcap Bar. Fitting these was really easy, with the addded bonus of keeping the original close coupling mecanism. Fitting the bogie pivot. Modified bogie on the left. Bogie in situ. Both coaches together. I think the Hornby bogie looks a bit undernourished compared to the MJT sides, but they are models of a different type. I may end up getting some more MJT ones. Finally for this post, something to pull them. A DC Kits 71. I am trying to get the parts for a Bachmann Warship inside!! The motor won't fit so I am using a Mashima alternative. Just a word of warning to Warship owners, the chassis on my model (Avenger in BR Blue) has warped along the lines of the N class footplate. I will post some pics of the warping next time. Cheers for now, Ian

Maybe he's been down the road to New Romney and had a look at Dr Syn and Winston Churchill, to get a more accurate re-tooling of Hiawatha. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, A quick update on Pegasus/Nightcap bar. I have finished the filling and smoothing of the windows and made the new doors. The doors are made from brass shim with the windows cut out using the Peco drawing for Orion as a template. I also put the roof details on, then realised after spraying the undercoat that I have left off the rainstrips and roof board clips. Still it gives me something to do!! The body is starting to look the part now. I am going to attempt to use Hornby Gresley bogies for the underframe and retain the Hornby close coupling mechanism. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi, Thanks for the comments. The spare glazing came from some that Colin Parks kindly gave me, but there are plenty of cheap Bachmann MK1's out there for spares. I am not sure if Bachmann do the glazing as spares. Good luck with your two, be good to see them on here. Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi All, I like the reverse livery, but it does make the coach look very slab slided. I have decided to put car 208 on hold for a while and use the underframe for S307S, retaining the Hornby close coupling mechanism. The work needed was more straightforward than I thought it would be, only taking about an hour. The difference between the 10ft and 8ft 6ins bogie centres. Bogie centres marked on the underframe. Modification of the Hornby keeper plate. Original on left. Reduction of the Hornby pivot, with cutout to clear the bogie pivot screw. Hornby keeper plate and MJT bogie mounting plate combined. Keeper plate and bogie mounting plate re fitted to chassis. Body and chassis reunited. When I got the coaches the couplings had been crudely removed so I will need to get either some new Hornby cam assemblies or the Keen replacements. You may be able to use modified Hornby Gresley bogies to do this conversion and it will be cheaper than MJT bogies. I will look into this when doing the underframe for Pegasus. Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi Colin, Great to see you back. The 4Cig looks excellent, it is amazing what a change in track guage can do for the looks of a model! I may have a go myself. Have you thoght about using the new Hornby 4Vep motor bogie frames on the Cig, they are usually available from Peters spares. Once again, great to see you back. Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi Andy, Thanks for the comments. At the moment I am going to re-use the interiors as they are, the one for Pegasus will be modified because there is a huge bit of plastic strip behind the blanked off windows. The only thing I need to do now is put some MJT curtains in. I never realised Mopok did these transfers, I know Wrenn made some in dry print form and I had some many years ago but thes were lost somewhere in my dad's loft!! It would be good of there were some up to date ones made available. You may be able to get the Golden Arrow boards from Peters Spares, I haven't checked .Be good to see some pics of your models. Once again thanks for the comments. Cheers for now, Ian

HI All, I have always wanted to model the Golden Arrow Pullmans, but there have never been any models or kits available to do so. I am not counting the Hornby or Lima versions! Rather than just relivery one of the current models I am in the process of modifying four coaches to represent the prototypes more accurately. A few years ago I aquired these models for less than a tenner each from Modelfair with the intention of doing this project. I have completed one, Carina/S307S in reverse blue/grey. One is to become Car 208 in reverse blue/grey, another will become Pegasus/Nightcap Bar in standard blue/grey and lastly a second class parlour will become Car 35 in Pullman livery. First up is Carina/S307S This coach is converted from a First class KItchen car. The original windows were removed and replaced with Replica items. They are virtually a straight swap, just a little bit of surgery to get them to fit. The oval toilet windows were made into the rectangular shape. The most challenging bit of the conversion is the roof ends, achieved by carefully cutting a slot on top of the doors and putting in some plastic strip to continue the cantrail. The roof was then built up using Milliput. New doors were fashioned from thin brass sheet. The bogies are from MJT with Hornby wheels moved out to the correct bogie centre measurements. MJT corridor connectors were fitted. The couplings have been replaced with Gutzhold items, but I have now worked out a way in which I can keep the original mechanism for Pegasus/Nightcap Bar. Transfers are from Replica and HMRS. Dimensions were taken from the Railway Modeller article on Orion. Next is Pegasus/Nightcap Bar. This coach left the Golden Arrow in the mid sixties, but went on to run on other regions of BR and I thought it would be an interesting project. It started out as a second class Parlour car and is intended to be a representation only as window spacings are slightly out. Three of the windows have been blanked out and also one of the toilet windows. You can see the methods used in the creation of S307S with regard to the roof in some of the photos. This is very much a work in progress as is the third one S208S. Hornby helpfully provide S208S in its earlier incarntion as Leona, but by the time I am modelling it the coach has been converted into a Brake parlour and the matchboard sides had been plated over. I have filled the matchboarding with green filler and remodelled the end doors. I think I have made the toilet windows too big on this model, but it is at the very early stages. The fourth model will probably be of car 35 as converted with rectangular toilet windows and should be a nice quick conversion. I say probably because depending on the success of Pegasus the donor coach may become Aries. I am on the lookout for a cheap First class Parlour to become Pheonix, which will require the roof, door and window mods doing but I should be able to keep Hornbys' Pullman livery intact. I would like to finish one in Pullman Blue/Grey as on the Brighton Belle but there are no transfers available for this livery. Overall I am very pleased with Carina/S307S as it is not something you see modelled very often, if ever. After doing all this work I hope I have prompted Hornby into releasing them in a couple of years!! Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi Rosspop, Your coach looks excellent, did you ever finish it. I wouldn't enjoy cutting all those window parts individually, would drive me nuts! Cheers for now,Ian

Hi Martin, The buffers are oval. Though I admit it is not clear from the photos. ian

Hi, Thanks for the comments. The Replica FO and BCK certainly look to be the same spec as the Buffet car but they were entirely Replica products. The track is exactoscale bases with steel rail. The bases are now made by C&L and do look good but I think they are currently unavailable in 00. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi, Thanks for the comments. There are a number of things on todays modern coaches that were done better in the past. Think of Kitmaster glazing in the 60's, wire filler pipes on Hornby Dublo Mk1's. The early Replica Mk1's had roof ribs the same as the Mainline buffet car, they are still good on their latest versions of the FO, SO and BCK. Once again thanks. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, Looking for something to get my enthusiasm for modelling back, I chanced upon a Mainline Mk1 Buffet/Restuarant for £9 at the Spalding swapmeet. Those of us of a certain age will remember when this model came out it completely raised the bench mark for RTR coaches, (just checked, came out in 1981)!! Even the windows were good compared to other coaches around at the time. I decided to try and improve the coach a bit by flush glazing and changing the buffer heads. I had a Bachmann restaurant car that has been earmarked for conversion into a Bep buffet car so was interested to see if the glazing fitted the Mailine model. All that was required was to snip out the window vent mouldings and tidy up the window apertures. The Bachmann windows were from a maroon version so the vents were painted grey. The door droplights would not fit so I used Replica glazing from the spares box. The glazing was secured with canopy glue and the kitchen windows painted white. Bufferheads were replaced with brass items. Overall a quick, easy and effective conversion that has lifted my modelling Apathy and also lifted the model so it doesn't look out of place among more modern models. Now onto some Golden Arrow Pullmans from Hornby's latest offerings. Cheers for now, Ian.

Hi John, The shop you got it from would probably have been Percy's. I spent most of my Saturdays as a youth in there. It was at the top end of the high street by near the RAF Camp, now sadly gone as well. The shop closed in 1982 and I still have a Lima class 50 brought there on the final day. It was a proper model railway shop, the owner Tommy Thompson always wore a brown dustcoat and was always very helpful. There was always something of interest in his second hand cabinet and he carried all the major ranges. He once offered my dad two Wrenn Coronations for £60 each, stating that Wrenn were going down the pan and he wanted to get rid of them!! Oh for a time machine. Cheers for now, Ian

Hi All, Anyone remember Percy's in Uxbridge high street. Half sweet shop half model railway goldmine!! Tommy Thompson the owner always wore a dustcoat and was very helpful. All gauges, a massive selection of second hand and he would always get something for you if he didn't have it in the shop. I did quite a few deals with him in my formative modelling days. The shop closed on 21 May 1983, FA cup final day, Brighton V Man Utd. I still have the Lima 50 my dad brought for me on the last day. Tommy Thompson went on to drive trains at the Ruislip Lido Railway. Also in my area we had a shop on the road bridge at Slough station where I first met Colin Massingham of Modern Traction Kits fame. We also had Puffers, the two shops in Harrow, Railfayre in West Ealing, Kings Cross models, Hadley hobbies, W&H's and Victors. Used to cost me £2.50 for a Capital card to visit them all, throw in some spotting at various locations along the way and you could while away many a happy day. Happy days indeed!! Cheers for now, Ian