inspectorsands

I have seen a photo on a social network of 86222 Fury having NSE flashes under the name plate in 1987. This is dated 30th May 1987, but this photo dated 12th May 1987 does not show the flashes, I haven't been able to find any further photos from around this time on the internet, and a google search throws nothing up. So, rather a long shot, but does have any more details as to whether Fury carried these NSE logos and whether they were on both sides of the loco. It would make for an interesting addition to my class 86 collection. I did ask the OP on facebook, however they did not respond, so though I would ask here.

Great models. What are you using as your car type spotlights on the 26 and the 37? At some point I will need a pair for my class 86 'Hardwicke', but haven't seen anything suitable? Many thanks.

I'd probably buy enough to make this worthwhile. I'd happily commission an etch. but sadly I wouldn't even know where to begin with process and who to commission it from.

No, sadly not

Last coach could possibly be a MK1 BG

Very impressive collection of AC electrics, watching this one with interest.

Well in the end I went for the plasticard and LEDs option, far from perfect I know, but still a slight improvement all the same, and it seems to work with 86s in various liveries. The close up photos show the deficiencies, but from a stand off distance it looks ok.

For the benefit of the tape, Jim has now replied :-)

He's one of the people I've emailed, but didn't receive a response from :-(

Thanks everyone, I'll try and source some of the headlamps. I think I'm going to go for some directional lights too but lots of great inspiration on here, as there always is.

Thanks for that, looks like it's going to be plasticard. A decent RTR model and 81 would be fab too, but suspect that really is too much to ask.

Hoping for some inspiration. I'm looking to detail my various AC Electrics to date them correctly in the mid 1980s, however having found a number of parts I need thanks to some of the great posts here I am struggling to source a plated over headcode box. I've emailed a couple of people who appeared to sell something which would fit the bill, but no response, so could I substitute something like a class 37 panel which I know is in the craftsman kit. Any suggestions please from the good people here.

Since the Chritstmas blockade I have completed laying the rest of the double track section, sadly my local model shop had run out of right hand points so I am waiting for them to get a delivery in before I can lay the remaining two tracks which will complete the trans pennine / long distance platforms of the Midland station. |Inspired by some of the layouts on here the second part of the layout is going to be a station serving the Smithdown Road / Sefton Park / Wavertree area, I think most of these stations names have been used so I am going for Wavertree Playground. I'm going to take West Derby as my inspiration for this, long enough for 4 carriage DMUs and the station building on an overbridge which will be a scenic break and hide the entrance to the fiddle yard. Having looked at quite a photos of West Derby, and a visit to the site I am going to bash a couple of the old Hornby large station buildings into a station building of the same style. When its covered in a dark brickwork and the windows are painted white hopefully the toy feeling to the building will be gone. The photos attached show the beginnings of platforms for both Midland and Playground, nothing wrong with a bit of timber, some peco platform edging and some mount board as a platform surface.

Progress has been slow the last couple of days; been remembering how to use a soldering iron and wiring up the various sections; I'm sticking to traditional DC, so won't inflict photos of the undersides of my baseboards. That and wondering how I can incorporate lot of carriages labelled ScotRail into the north west of England in the mid 1980s.

Yes, the Bold Street side of the station is going to be two suburban DMU platforms, with two longer distance / trans pennine platforms on the Renshaw Street side. Its going to be an approach from the fiddle yard side branching out to four tracks, with the centre two tracks continuing under Church Street. This potentially means all I need to have as a backscene in one corner is lots of Rapid DIY signs in low relief, although I do fancy having the bombed out St Lukes over the tunnel. If I ever do decide that in my imaginary world Exchange and Midland (Central) were connected by tunnel I could always run some EMUs through the centre lines too. As you can tell my main aim is operating potential rather and 'what if' rather than any degree of historical accuracy!

So after a couple of aborted attempts where I ended up trying to recreate something way too big for the size available, I’ve decided to go for something small and recreate a terminus style layout set firmly in the BR Blue period, but with a large helping of modellers licence. The inspiration for the layout comes from Liverpool Central High Level which closed in the early 1970s, however the idea of a compact terminus set in a cutting deep in a city centre fits the bill for what I would like to recreate and the space I have available. Expect to see lots of DMUs shuttling in and out, with the odd loco hauled train. A couple of through roads into a tunnel leading to Exchange and / or a station at the landing stages in the style Riverside also creates some interesting potential. The layout assumes firstly that Central and the suburban lines of Liverpool and beyond didn’t close although there is a tunnel, the Merseyrail northern line wasn’t connected underneath the city centre, nor did the concentration of services on Lime Street happen, as it was felt that capacity to extend and offer contingency was more important that making money (or losing as little money as possible). The name Midland places it in the location of Central Station, although this may be renamed more than once as I am also considering Liverpool Bold St, Church St, St Luke’s or Liverpool Hanover. By the end the only service running from the High Level was an hourly service to Gateacre, but for the purposes of this layout I am assuming that the Liverpool Loop line was built and this service now extends all the way to also still open Liverpool Exchange, courtesy of a connecting line between Kirkdale and Sandhills. A tunnel has been built to allow for local services to run up to Edge Hill and onwards to Bootle. Services also run to Aintree, Manchester Piccadilly, along with longer distance trains to Leeds, Hull, Nottingham Victoria, Chester, Sheffield, Llandudno, and a train to Holyhead. Additionally there is the added possibility of trains to London St Pancras and London Paddington via the Midland Lines and Reading respectively. Possibly even a boat train to Harwich Parkeston Quay could still be operating, and an overnight sleeper to connect with morning boats to the Isle of Man and Belfast. I am also trying to recreate the idea of a small terminus station that was trying to be as grand as possible to compete with the LNWR Lime Street, but which has been a bit run down as it is now a commuter and local station resisting attempts at closure and rationalisation, although the presence of the underground Wirral line running around a double track loop under the city centre does mean that Central is an important interchange at peak times, and for those coming from over the water to access the main shopping area of the city. Ready to run DMU’s form the backbone of the stock. With ready to run versions of the 101, 108, 110 and 117 all being utilised, with some conversions, particularly of the 117 somewhere in the future. Locos for the hauled stock will be classes 31, 37, 40, 45, 47 and 50. The ubiquitous class 08 shunter will also be present to act as station pilot. Coaching stock will mainly come from a variety of mark I and II coaches, although the occasional mark III will make an appearance.

Great idea, I'm (very slowly) building a layout where Liverpool Central becomes a through station combining high and low levels in one, and the various cross city lines via Gateacre and Tuebrook didn't close. Look forward to seeing this one develop.