Hal Nail

I use 2000 grade wet and dry to remove some logos - its like a gentle polish. I tend to use this on factory finish anyway especially on diesels to really smooth down the surface. Avoid rivets and raised detail and after a very light buff with kitchen roll, it looks more like metal, which then I weather with washes, wiped off to leave a light layer of grime which clings in the detail where the surface is still rougher. Not my idea - pinched from Giles on here who does all the amazing radio controlled vehicles.

I couldn't find the set numbers today - can you remember what they are listed as? Ta

Thanks to the middle at lidl, I've armed myself with a mini drill and what better place to test it than my expensive new coaches.

Hi, I feel I should warn you that is really tiny - I test my locos on a couple of lengths of flexi which is about 6 foot and its a struggle not to run off the end. A 121 is 18 inches long so even that would only travel a few times is own length - if running is your thing you could quickly tire of it. Most who start threads on moving up appear to have underestimated the space needed. All this said, I don't actually have a layout at all but enjoy detailing and weathering so I'm not trying to put you off. The heft and detail you can get in 7mm does make these models attractive just as display pieces. There is always a steady stream of largely unused locos on eBay and since you can always ship things on again, you can effectively try for free.

All the photos I've found of the blue era with multiple working symbols, have them directly under the lights as here. No idea what the norm was on buffers as seen all three types on blue units but I've found one on my line with the circular type so will model that one.

I'm not sure about us being more tolerant or just better at modelling Fox do Pressed Steel speed whiskers and presumably removing the existing ones is no harder than renumbering. https://www.fox-transfers.co.uk/transfers/pressed-steel-dmu-cats-whiskers

Have revisited 8702 which I was never satisfied with but wanted to try powders on it now I'm a convert! I had found a photo taken at St Blazey and the logos were initially mid-tank rather than over the tool boxes where I'd put them, so the sides were cleaned back with 2000 grade wet & dry and new Railtec transfers applied. Several other St Blazey 57xx tanks had the rare forward facing drivers side logo but I don't have a photo of that side of 8702 so am blissfully unaware of my error at present! The smoke box dart was twisted round so the inner one correctly points straight down. Then the body has been worked on with Vallejo Iron Oxide which is basically black but with a hint of brown. They also do carbon black (smoke black) which is about the most neutral black I've found, although looks a little too black if that makes any sense. I've used this sparingly just for a bit of contrast - for comparison, the cab roof is just oxide and under the smoke box door, smoke. The original weathering also means there are subtle variations. I haven't sealed it all as I don't want to lose the glimpses of slightly buffed metal under the grime so it will need a rework periodically to counter handling. I have a rivetted one to do which is waiting till I source a top feed (anyone know?). As I'll have the enamels out at some point I may end up filling the crack in 8702s chimney but for now it will do as its not as obvious to the eye as in photos.

I thought the GWR types were inevitable once they did a GWR underframe for the conflat rather than use their existing BR design and I had said elsewhere an LMS 10ft wheelbase underframe would open up a number of types using a shared wheelbase tooling. What is slightly strange though, is these new vans seem to have reverted to the BR type W irons rather than the more open GWR ones they just did on the conflat - are they just new bodies mounted on the existing BR underframe? I've e mailed Dapol in case this can be corrected. With so many being drawn to 7mm, largely thanks to r-t-r, all the popular selling prototypes will be replicated and those of us who like building kits might be wise to stock up as they may not remain viable: they have already jumped up disproportionately over the last few years.

Very nice. Did you replace the whole number or manage to find matching digits? Once I've tested my I think I will have a crack at lowering some of the door windows for a little variety.

It was reported somewhere that Dapol were improving the motors for the 121 to sort the problem. As far as I can tell reading through the posts, all the issues reported on here have been the original model so I'm hopeful they have done something. All my stuff is still buried somewhere at the back of my storage unit but im not going to risk it so going to have to buy a couple of lengths of track and a mini controller to test mine!

Except it won't let you order them at the moment as a backlog of custom work - there is an option to be e mailed when next available tho.

I read somewhere the other day that the oft quoted 7 years was for a full strip and repaint but a quicker spruce up happened as required, so new liveries might have been be applied more quickly than that. I'm sure you would get a few lasting years but always very hard to know how quickly changes became widespread - if nothing else, photographers might have preferences and not take or publish everything!

This could be a normal van being used for bagged clay? Not unusual to have them as part of a clay train and I can't see any fruit vents on the end, looks like it is ribbed all the way down.

Just out of interest how did you remove them if already sealed? I want to move the Railtec totems I put on my pannier as I've discovered St Blazey had them in a different position to the photo I'd originally worked from. They have been on a while so the varnish will be properly set and I was going to basically polish them off with 2000 grade wet and dry.

Finally had a chance to compare my Lionhearts alongside a Bachmann brass BG. The dimensions of windows/sides are quite similar so not a bad match. The Bachman buffers are set higher but the actual ride height is about the same. Bachmann's roof is taller but this isn't quite as apparent to the naked eye as in the photos. The Lionhearts have much more finesse, especially the bogies - I may do an RMB conversion with commonwealths, which would allow me to cascade the spare Lionhearts to the BG. I don't think I'll run them directly together but will hang on to the BG for my blue era parcels train rather than try and cut and shut two Lionhearts together.

It's not for everyone but you could have them different liveries on each side and get two rakes for the price of one. Especially easy on my 7mm mk1s as Lionheart make them with separate sides, which I simply swapped around and can easily change back if I ever sell them.

Carmine and crimson are the same colour - crimson is the correct name for the early BR "red". GWR coaching stock is a huge topic to cover in a quick reply (well it was quick originally!). Also ive found researching my slightly later era, 4 years is quite a long time so changes occur. In that broad time frame there would have been a number of family types still around as you mention, but there were loads of different Collett designs: bow ended, flat ended, sunshine, excursion, centenary etc and there were non-corridor versions of many of these too - the different profiles show up even of they are fundamentally similar. For a simple free resource try one of the online photo sites such as rail online or transport library and try searching by location. There are several books on GWR coaching stock eg Russell, Harris which a quick Google search will find and the Bradford Barton books (eg the GWR steam in action series, or steam around Bristol) often have a lot of photos from that period and can be picked up cheaply. Depending what your plans are, if r-t-r then what is produced will limit you far more than what was prototypical. Edit. I was under the impression from my books that by mid 1950s mk1 rakes were pretty common on express trains (albeit often with an ex GWR restaurant car/set with converted corridor connections). Lots of photos of early crest castles on mk1s so certainly towards the end of your period the mainline types would be suitable. Suburban mk1 stock maybe less so as GWR types were numerous plus ex mainline coaches were cascaded down. Ian

I have a Springside Prairie I started in about 1995 and only stalled over the cab rear coal bars. Actually come to think of it there's a Mashima motor in there I can raid!

Worth googling "airbrush rmweb" and there are several threads and advice along the same lines and similarly about compressors.

Are these running issues all on the earlier 122 or has anyone had the same on the 121 as well?

My eyes cant help being drawn to the imminent 4 way car crash!

Has anyone managed to obtain any spares for these yet? I noticed the other day that Gaugemaster have a few listed at last but when I e mailed the link with reference numbers, I got the same generic reply I've had for the last 2 years that they don't know when parts will be available.

I lived at Castle Bar Park until recently and I thought that box was still in use. Has it been boarded up recently* - linked to the Old Oak closure maybe? The old leaning semaphore on the curve towards South Greenford from the Paddington direction was replaced with a colour light in the last few years but I've seen those ones photod at Greenford in use when I've very occassionally timed arriving just as a freight is given the route. (When I say recently, covid has made 2 years not happen!)

Noce work on these. It's always satisfying coming up with variations on r-t-r to make it a bit more unique. I can see the 1/105 has bottom door markings and independent brakes. Any body mods?

https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/minerva-expands-o-gauge-wagon-fleet Maybe not seen much of them as fewer people modelling GWR these days and they weren't widespread by steam/diesel transition era. They do seem to have gone bit under the radar though.