mattingleycustom

Shhh! ... listen, I think I can hear a Castle coming ... (I'll set 'em up, you fire them), Glenn

I renumbered and changed the BR emblem on this Bachmann E4 for a customer recently. BR crest and numerals are Fox transfers, as is the shedcode. The smokebox number is a Modelmaster transfer. The whistle is now brass and it's going to be weathered later. Glenn

Look!, Look! a proper Bulleid behind the 2P-thing. Glenn has Bulleiditus, please help him, make your donation to ...

Far too clean, that needs weathering !!! .. back to the Castle. Glenn

Chris, Congratulations on trying to explain the full Southern coach set history, it is something I have pondered over many times when renumbering stock to make different sets out of existing Hornby models. I've made one discovery since re-reading your notes on the 2-Coach 'P' Sets and that is that I have put the wrong number on the BCK in Set 25 on more than one occasion; I really must get my glasses fixed! Thanks for pointing out the source for the Bill Bedford sides, I wondered where I could obtain these. Of course the easiest way to make different sets is to renumber the Hornby models, but they have not produced all the diagrams across all the livery combinations (yet), most notable is the lack of High Window stock in lined SR olive (other than in train packs). This is the most complicated livery to reproduce, so repainting and lining is not an option unless you are a lining expert. HMRS produce the coach numbers and Set numbers for SR liveries, I use the yellow Fox transfers or HMRS for BR green coach numbers and Fox 8" off-white are the best size match for Set numbers in BR days. Glenn

Okay, looking back at my original posting I was a bit over the top with my criticism of using brake fluid for decal removal. I have no wish to start a dispute. As you said each to their own. Fine Grade wet and dry paper is widely available at car accessory stores. Bachmann numbers tend to 'fall off', Hornby do at least apply a little varnish to provide a little more of a challenge. Glenn

Eek!, talk about playing with fire! I use brake fluid for stripping paint off the entire loco or coach, but because it reacts with the existing paint; leaving a weak area, I would never use it just to remove decals. Most of the time I use wet and dry paper, carefully rubbed over existing printed lettering or numbering. Handled carefully it removes just what is required in most cases, unless there is a particularly weak painted finish underneath when it can remove the body paint, or if there is a heavy coat of varnish over the lettering that needs a bit more elbow grease. The Siphons had been varnished with acrylic varnish over the shirtbutton logos and this had to be scraped off as it had stuck like the proverbial '$#!£' to a blanket. The whole sides were then resprayed in GWR brown, before gloss varnishing and applying the new decals.

Rob, Pleased to see two beautifully finished Siphons in the rake behind the mogul(!) I only wish there was a 'before' picture or two ... they were not pretty before surgery. Glenn

Graham, Fox nameplates/plaques/scrolls and HMRS cabside transfers, if I'm not mistaken? Nice work under the running plate too, just enough weathering to capture the in-service look of the real thing about a month or two out of the shops. The shortened drawbar works well too, but lack of air-smoothed casing and various other 'standard' fittings ruins these machines for me ... original is best! Glenn

I've just been perusing a well known auction site and found no less than 36 listings for the Hornby 2-BIL; that's the proper 2-car EMU, not spares and accessories. Even the box shifters appear to have plenty of them. Over-production, or just not as popular as first thought? I wonder if the 2-HAL will appear in quite the same numbers. Glenn

As a matter of interest I think 5020 was the first LMS Black Five into service, not that it's important, love the pics! Looking at Winston Churchill, I must rename one of my Bulleids as 21C151. Moving the workshop to the back bedroom at present - one of my daft ideas. It'll be nice when its finished (in 2016!). Subsequently production has slowed to a crawling pace ... and I have a brick wall to build in the garden too. I think I'll by a flat and give it a go with the knitting, so much less hassle. Glenn