Matt

I don't use set track so can't really comment on that but the tabs disappeared from streamline points some time back, and the tie-bar mouldings are definitely different on later releases than earlier ones. I'm sure I read somewhere once that Peco re-does the mouldings every now and again as they get worn out, and looks like they enhance them over time. Most of my track has been up and down a few times (house moves, rejigging things to improve fiddle yard) and I would say generally that my Peco points have withstood this much better than my Hornby ones - on the latter sleepers near the toe have fallen off and other issues but peco generally OK leading me to feel they are generally more robust. This includes some later moulding examples. M

I did not know that. Thanks for tip!! M

Ken’s method is probably more elegant than mine but if going his way I would recommend not reassembling the coach for a day or so after using superglue as the fumes can sometimes cause glazing to mist up which can only be addressed by new glazing... I try to avoid using superglue inside locos and coaches for this reason. M

That's exactly how mine went before repair above... not broken but dislodged due to the interior moulding not holding the cam in place. Surprisingly easy to fix! M

Some time back there was discussion about ORs flimsy cam coupler arrangement in the Mk3s... as I started fitting mine with Roco's bar couplers I fell foul of this and managed to dislodge a coupler mechanism. The fix however was actually quite easy... The cam coupler runs in a recess in the coach underframe and is held in place by the interior seating moulding sitting on top. What seemed to be the issue on my Mk3 was that the seating mechanism which is held to the underframe by a very short screw simply popped up slightly allowing the coupler to jump out of the recess and render the whole thing unusable. Opening the carriage up was a piece of cake - as others have said unclip the ETH(?) cables at each end and the coach body simply clips off the underframe when the outer edges are gently prised outwards - a little more of this is required to clear the seat mouldings and you have the chassis separated from the body in no time. On my example I am unconvinced there was ever a screw at one end (holding the seating unit to the underframe) as there is no sign of distortion on the plastic from the screw being tightened that exists at the other end... it may however have dropped out at some point. The screw at the other end was easily popped from its thread showing the weakness, and re-screwing it tight just resulted in popping out again. Anyway the fix was a really simple one... in a moment of inspiration I wondered whether the screw from an Oxford Diecast car casing (the ones through the floor of the casing that hold the car in place in its display cabinet that we remove and throw away) would work and what I found was that screw was similar diameter but longer shank than the supplied screw in the Mk3. So I held the cam assembly together in position and screwed the seating unit to the underframe with these screws. Seems far more robust and got carriage back together in a few secs. Overall with this fix made the mechanism seems fine - the frailty seems to be a very simple one to fix (i.e. not so much a design issue as a poor choice of screw for assembling). When I eventually get around to installing passengers in my other coaches I may well change the screws as a matter of course having seen how little length there is in the shank to purchase on the plastic, as can see this vulnerability repeating otherwise. M

in 2000 I was asked at 2 weeks notice to move to the Poole area (from Aberdeen) to take up a temporary posting for 6-12 mos. I was accommodated for the first few weeks in Corfe Castle at the Bankes Arms and I vividly remember sitting out in the beer garden in brilliant sunshine watching trains puffing past the bottom of the garden and thinking "wow - this is the life". I was able to extend my temporary posting to ~3.5 years during which time I met my wife. At the end of my posting we moved back to Aberdeen with my wife becoming an English expat in Scotland - we both hanker after those glorious days in Dorset and plan one day to return for good (we still go back on hols). The snap decision to move down in 2000 changed my life for the positive in many ways and if anyone ever has the chance - Dorset is an amazing place to live. BTW - beer specials on the railway between Corfe and Swanage - has there ever been a better way to spend time? good beer, nice people and beautiful scenery...

if I buy an item of stock and get home, take it out of its wrapper and then find I already have one that I didn't know about, does that mean I have too much stock?

It won’t couple on the level but can be made to engage by lifting both coach ends off the track and fine once coupled up. This will work fine for fixed rake but not if you plan to shunt them. I seem to recall is similar with my mk1 rake with Hornby similar but longer coupler. Alt for the mk2 f Would be to go the Hornby route but gap will be larger/ M

And lastly a line up of part of the new push pull set showing Roco NEM couplers nicely closing the gaps between carriages

Ok anyone familiar with my photography on here will know I always post upside down...hopefully as we are only talking colour this isn’t such a problem! First up Lima vs Oxford Oxford vs Bachmann Oxford vs Replica BG Bachmann vs Lima Bachmann vs Hornby Bachmann vs Vitrains Bachmann vs Dapol Bachmann vs sprayed railmatch but yellowed varnish?

OK so was hoping to get some nice photos and post them here but my tablet device thingy has decided to crash every time I take a photo - hmm not the best £1200 I've ever invested... Anyway i'll try describe for now and then post photos from my phone on which I can't type for toffee. Lima vs Oxford: The Oxford grey is definitely colder but the difference isn't perhaps as much as I thought it would be Bachmann vs Oxford: The Bachmann grey is definitely significantly warmer. I would perhaps say that the Lima is 50% between Bachs and Oxfords interpretation Replica vs Oxford: Replicas colour is slightly brighter and warmer than Oxfords but brighter and less mushroomy than either Lima or Bach Hornby vs Oxford: Out by a country mile. Hornby looks yellow beside Oxford (or indeed any of the others) Vitrains (on 37/4) vs Oxford: Definitely warmer, similar to Bach although i'd say the Bach shade is slightly more mushroomy Dapol vs Oxford (old Mk2d): looks like a mushroom soup Kit built DBSO sprayed in Railmatch Exec grey: yellower than Bachmann but I have a feeling that the varnish used has yellowed over the years Oxford's darker grey doesn't jar for me being similar to Lima's shade but slightly blacker than Bachs. Overall I am not sure TBH - they don't match that is for sure and generally I have in my head that the Lima colour is the correct reference colour - as such I would say that Bach's interpretation is as far different from Lima's as Oxford's is in the other direction I'm not convinced who is wrong now... both Hornby and Oxford have claimed to be right but are far different and the rest are in between. The only ones that look really bad to me are the Hornby and (to a lesser extent the Dapol one) and the one that looks most right to me based on how I remember them and how they appear in photos (which may have changed colour over time): Vitrains! Everyone will have an opinion I'm sure but I think I can live with the Oxford colours - having seen in the flesh now I really think the silver framing works and looks so much better than the overthick of Lima / Hornby versions. Photos to follow... M

The fact that there are so many different interpretations of this colour does make me wonder... I seem to recall that years back Hornby argued until blue in the face that they had used the correct spec for their executive grey coaches but the modelling community didn't agree (most agreed it was too yellow) - at the time the suggestion was that colour doesn't scale well and that using the technically correct colour might not work on models. Maybe there is something in the suggestion that there were errors / changes in paint specs somewhere along the way?? Mine arrived today and once kids are in bed the plan is to get them out and put them alongside my Lima examples, my Hornby examples, my Bachmann examples and also some replica Scotrail BGs for comparison. I also suspect that lighting might make a difference to how big the difference is... will report back

Sorry I misunderstood what "provincial was" and was thinking of the later Sprinter livery with cream executive grey lower bodysides and Running Man logo - this was the livery that has appeared on 150/ but not 150/2 to date. I realise from photos that the Provincial Blue is what is being released so I was incorrect. M

Whilst the list of new tooling is short there are some clever re-liveries filling some obvious gaps - a 47 in RF grey (not done by Bach or Vitrains before as far as I know and a buy for me), a 47/7 in large logo to complement the DBSO (a buy for me), a standard blue 47/4 (at last... I like my LL 47s but this has been an obvious missing for years - another buy for me). The 37 list is understandably short given the regional specials being rolled out through the year but, again, some clever choices - a 37/0 in 80s LL at last (another buy for me), another WCRC 37 after success of last one. Then on to coaches, Scotrail on Mk2s (something to go with DBSO to make a non-Mk3 set), Virgin on Mk2Fs etc. Perhaps the only area I find a little disappointing is the modern wagons list which is perhaps a sign that demand is not as strong on wagons with the higher prices these now require? Perhaps the only thing on the list that jumped out as odd was a further 150/1 in Provincial. As far as I recall this has been done before (as part of a set) and hung around for ages at discounted prices. A 150/2 in this livery would be a buy for me (and potentially others)... The other thing (and it may just be an impression so others may correct me) is that although newly tooled models have been slow coming to market, in last year or so it has seemed that liveries on existing tooling have been delivered in the year to 18mos promised which wasn't the case a few years back. Hopefully this means that the reliveries above will be delivered in 2019/early 2020. As a modern era modeller I can't say i'm disappointed - there are few new areas that I can see the major manufacturers going now with decent models of most locos and mainstream stock available. Most of the DMUs and EMUs outstanding have very strong regional biases which will limit sales, and it feels all the major manufacturers are "testing" their toe in the water with AC electric locos to see if the demand is there.

Stephen, I would check the colours of the Hornby coach too - in past releases Hornby's Mk3s (and others) have had lower bodysides sprayed in a shade too yellow (i.e. opposite problem to OR) and they don't match Bachmann's shade either by quite a way. Several of the details on the H coach are not correct for Scotrail Mk3s being as they are based on HST Mk3s (e.g. wrong roof vents). Finally the silvering around the window frames is normally wait too heavy on H's (and Lima's) mk3s. I don't have any more recent releases for comparison and it may be that they are better these days but assuming they are any better than OR's may not be a safe assumption. If you can get them Lima's Mk3s is best starting point for paint colour... M

There's a thought... glossing over the beige might actually help judging by how many of my varnished models have turned a little bit yellow over time... I agree on the colour match issue but i'm convinced that getting the airbrush out and correcting both colours (easier now that silver on glazing...) will be way easier than to improve my Lima rake to a similar standard. I have the B/Grey Mk3as and parking next to the Lima / Hornby Mk3s makes the latter look like unsophisticated toys. They can be improved but by time corrected roof vents, changed glazing (even opening the Limas to do this ain't simple) and correcting the overthick silver frames I will have spent more time and money than repainting the OR versions. We shouldn't have to but at £29/each these are a bit of a bargain for what you get - they could have been fanstastic with correct colours though. PS this is from someone who HATES airbrushing by the way... PPS maybe I will set up a production line and repaint all my Intercity Hornby MK3s, Mk2ds, Mk3 sleepers & HSTs which also have the wrong lower bodyside colour...

Hi Mike, Sorry I have realised just now what tosh I've just given you! Danger of going from memory (all my stuff included books is in boxes just now pending unpacking post house move...). One of the few bookazines not in a box is the REX train formations handbook and there on p67 is listed a FW - Mallaig train that was hauled by 37240 in dutch (hauling 3 grey TTAs) dated July 1992. My logic is logical but I'm just going to suggest that the whole sectorisation business wasn't logical... Sorry for bum steer! M

From reading REXs article on Scotrail pushpull formations it was suggested that the reason for CO conversions was to balance an overprovision of first class and allow release of a TSO for use elsewhere. So seems that creating the COs was what allowed one TSO to be dropped from each set, but looks like later in 80s demand picked up to the extent that an additional TSO was needed even in addition to the extra half coach of seats in the CO. I only read this last night to decide on how many Oxford Mk3s to order... decided on 4 TSOs and 1 CO for my third PP set (first is made up of Lima Mk3s in Scotrail livery with a DC kits DBSO, second is Oxford Mk3s in B/G with Bach DBSO, third will now be Oxford Mk3s in Scotrail with Bach DBSO - i still have a further DBSO which may become an Aberdeen set with mixed Mk2s... also time will tell whether the Lima / DC rake will survive or be retired...). M

Mike, I'm not sure Dutch 37s would have made it onto Mallaig extension although someone may prove me wrong... as far as I know locos heading up the WHL had to be RETB fitted and from mid 80s the 37/4 fleet was the RETB fleet. In early 90s sprinterisation led to many 37/4s being allocated away but seems some were retained and continued on freight and sleepers on WHL - continuing into EWS era. With superfluous RETB 37/4s I would be surprised if dutch 37/0s were used up WHL and I don't recall ever seeing a photo of such - I think it was possible to fit mobile RETB to locos / units without but I can't imagine it would be common to do this when RETB fitted kit was around. Now someone will prove me wrong with a series of photos of dutch 37s on WHL...! Dutch 37/0s were used quite extensively out of Inverness in early 90s with some turning up on sleeper services (double headed). 37156 was one such beast. M

Hatton pictures show the silver frames and they look pretty good from what I can tell - not overly thick like old Lima ones. At least one rake will be coming my way... sure I wish the colours were closer match but if bothers me too much then will respray lower sides which would be easier than doing window frames properly on a Lima or Hornby version. Hatton pictures show the silver frames and they look pretty good from what I can tell - not overly thick like old Lima ones. At least one rake will be coming my way... sure I wish the colours were closer match but if bothers me too much then will respray lower sides which would be easier than doing window frames properly on a Lima or Hornby version.

In terms of BCC PCAs - all the 80s photos i have seen were short rakes of plain grey depressed centre PCAs heading up Highland Mainline. AFAIK these were a Millerhill to INverness service and the formation normally included a handful of plain grey PCAs, some containerised coal, TTAs with fuels, TTAs with LPG. The exact mix varied with time. Later (beyond your period) we started getting block trains of cement on a less frequent basis and this is when i have seen more examples of the straight backed cement PCAs heading up north mixed in with depressed centre ones as a full rake of 20 or so wagons. Based on this i would say the Bach PCA is only really suitable for later block trains beyond your period and the Hornby / Lima / Dapol depressed centre PCA in plain grey livery is more suitable for your proposal (note that the BCC liveried depressed centre PCA that Hornby make is a fictional livery). Sadly the rest of that service is not easy to model with containerised coal and LPG wagons not yet available... I wonder in some of your photos whether you are looking at Alcan PCA rakes which do look similar to Bachs wagon - these only ran on WHL to Fort William and, whilst body is similar to the Bach model, the chassis is different (different suspension type). If you don't already have them then can strongly recommend "Scotland East and North" book (I think Roger Siviter) and also there are several amazing books showing WJV Anderson's work - both contain some inspiring shots of your period in these locations.

the problem with the cams jamming didn't go away for me with Kadees though I hoped it would. Whether you get the problem or not may be related to your individual setup - the problem in my experience only emerges when I run long rakes of wagons (usually bogie wagons like TEAs) and the couplings are in tension when entering / leaving 3rd radius curves. If curves shallower or rakes lighter then no issues. Maybe I should have avoided R3 curves but most stuff OK on them and building a helix in larger diameter would be some undertaking! M

i've not had bother with it being flimsy but it can jam over to one side and cause derailments of wagons. This is easily fixed by filing the rough edges off the channel in which the cam moves and applying a little lubrication. Once these small changes made i find they give me no issues (same needed on some 56s too). M

If money is no object then wait for Hattons one. If working on a budget and absolute detail not as important, get a second hand Bachmann one. As said previously prices are already tumbling on s/h Bach 66s with some falling into the sub £80 bracket on ebay and the like. The Hornby one is way behind Bach in detail and technical spec and doesn't make sense vs s/h Bachmann to me. In turn the Bach one (at normal retail new price) doesn't make any sense new against the Hattons one. If looking for Bach s/h 66s watch the first batch which has some deficiencies in pickups and i think may also only be 4 axle drive rather than 6 axle drive on later versions. For reasons i never understood there are certain models that seem to be unloved and consistently available at good prices - this includes a few DRS ones. Kernow also have "soiled box" brand new unbranded DRS 66s for a very good price at the moment. M

I’ve used other methods but found IPA and paper towel to be best. As others have said it’s staggering how much dirt comes off “clean” wheels. IPA and cotton bud for non driving wheels, wagons etc and a CMX track cleaner loaded with track cleaner for the track. Everything gets cleaned on purchase before running for first time - a lot of dirt comes off new wheels...! Traction tyres also banned.