Silverstreak

Tony I greatly admire your determination and skill. Over the years I have bought the publications you list above, read them until I know them just about off by heart. I have the air brushes, compressor the paints enamel, acrylic, weathering paints and powders but despite all of this up to now all I have done is tone down the valve gear on my completed loco's. Ok all of my current builds are BR green lined locos painted to perfection by a very good friend and known to a few on these boards. I just have not built up the courage to weather any of them. Perhaps when I get around to completing a Black liveried loco I will eventually give it a go. Your builds and weathering are simply superb. Along with Dikitriki these are threads which I always look forward to seeing updates from. Long may it continue Regards Bob

Oh " Bxxxxx" The excitement is building !!!!!!

Very much looking forward to seeing some HQ images of the Class 4's and WD's once they have had their respective coats of working condition dirt / weathering applied Regards Bob

Perhaps Brian has had a nice recently overhauled Red DBS Class 60 to play with and lost all thought of O gauge

I'm beginning to suffer from "Dibateg" withdrawal symptoms Where has that WD gone to ??? Regards Bob

Or ----------- MIG Grease Stain Mixture

A very good and valid point and just imagine if this was a household item the press would have had a field day. Luckily for Bachmann dare I say its about "Boys and their Toys" so highly unlikely any newspaper would editor would be interested. I'm not surprised at all that many on here were so desperate to obtain and retain one of the new 40's they were prepared to dismantle the model in order to get it to run as it should have done directly out of the box. This has to be one of the only sectors where this happens. Can you imagine doing the same with a new Kettle, Tablet, Phone or Radio. The wait for an improved and more accurate Class 40 has been overly long and Bachmann should have had a QC system in place which would have alerted them to a problem with this model long before it hit the dealers shelves and this from a supposed premier company that should know better.

Speaking to Dave Alexander at our clubs recent open day he is hoping to have his Tyne Dock ore wagon kits available in time for the Blyth Club show this coming August. From the pieces he had with him I would say they very much look like a winner.

Thanks iak -- I have to say this is a completly new product for me having in the past relied soley on importing scale metal rivets from the USA. Im very interested to know how the individual rivet examples are extracted from the sheet and then fixed to the model. Sounds ideal for 4mm but I would need to be convinced before using them for 7mm Bob

Looks like a Scale Hardware rivet job Larry. I hope you have some in the spares box Bob

I suspect 61264 got its smaller flat door via a whole smokebox swap during some works visit. Being an ER loco all of its works visits were to either Stratford or Doncaster, the last at Doncaster in 1962 Interestingly it was mooted by the 61264 B1 group some time back that as part of its current overhaul they would be changing the smokebox door for a bigger door with greater curvature more common amongst B1's. We should not have to wait too long see as it should be back by next Spring/Summer If it appears with another door type oh dear Hornby's post bag will be full !!!!

Yes it does Alan Ive just had a look at the image of 61243 on Hattons site and it looks real quality. Very nice rendition of the electric light fittings, insigina look spot on Bob

Im intrigued re the wait for a "NER smokebox door" variant. If you mean the Darlington built ones these were produced in two separate batches 61000 - 09 and 61010 to 30. The door diameter, curvature and gap between the hinges differed from one batch to the other. Keeping in mind that some examples would have exchanged doors at works during their lifetime means that one really needs a good image of the particular loco for the period modelled. That Hornby will produce an example from the first batch of ten -- well who knows perhaps as Bachmann already does a flatter door variant Hornby could well give that type a pass. Lifes too short just bite the bullet. Bob

Futher to my earlier comment regarding the lower rear coal division plate on the tender of Hornby's B1 61180, having done a little more research I can say that Hornby have got it spot on for the period modelled. Later on in service these lower plates were replaced with a higher type which were positioned slightly further forward as can be seen depicted on the Bachmann B1 tender. An interesting thread this one as it covers one of my favourite loco types and although I moved to O gauge some time back I retain an avid interest in 4mm releases. I look on with envy at the general accuracy and detail that both Bachmann and Hornby have provided over the past ten years making kit building almost obsolete.Unless of course you want a B16, K1, Q6, or J27 Bob

Excellent pair of comparison shots although I dont recall seeing the cabside numbers set that high up on B1. Plus the tender fitted to the Hornby model appears to a have very low rear coal plate compared to the Bachmann tender variant. I only recall them with the higher rear plate and it will be interesting to see if the later emblem model differs. I agree the Bachmann body profile stands up well considering its over 25 years old but even so when I had mine I added the Bradwell bits and replaced all the handrail knobs with Gibson. The Hornby model requires very little in the way of alteration. Back in the day when the B1 first appeared (I think it was Replica produced then) as far as I was concerned if you wanted a more authentic model or a specific variant it was normal practice to purchase the bits to do the job. It was part of the joy of modelling. Fast forward to the present day Shock horror if some detail is incorrect or if it has the wrong smokebox door, Dear me I guess we have become too used to having it all "On a plate".

The images from Tom F speaks volumes for the Hornby model. Bradwell chimney replacement and Gibson front Bogie wheels add a tad of weathering to highlight all that lovely small detail and Bobs your uncle The image of both Hornby and Bachmann front ends is also telling despite the chimney on the Hornby example it wins hands down- lovely wide contoured smokebox door. Looking forward to to see Larry's Bradwelled B1 mind you Coach the post is slow from the "Far north" this time of year so the bits might be coming via the man with sleigh !!!!

Well for my two pennyworth it would have been nice to see Bachmann rework the B1 body at the same time as the chassis The overall body is still let down by the poor chimney, dome not forgetting the smokebox door which limits the choice of loco and dont get me started re the V2 update. From the images thus far the Hornby B1's chimney looks even worse. All of these errors can be put right with help from Dave Bradwell, one would hope he has stocked up on his B1 bobs a bits. His Chimney Domes and smokebox doors remain the most accurate replacements Bob

Cracking images Brian, No 13 really looks the part now with a bit of weathering and I particularly like the stains coming down the side of the noses Im just waiting for the detailing sheet from Dr Etch as I have almost everything else including some very nice decals from John Peck

Pete Lamp irons are they not part of the following sprue http://www.howesmodels.co.uk/Railways/viewProduct.php?ProdID=7305 found under Heljan O gauge spares Bob

Yes I see that now the brass flywheel just shows slightly through the glazing though I would not have noticed had you not pointed it out. As the release of the external etched parts are not due for week or so I have made a start on the Cab internals by cutting off the flywheel cover from the footplate and roughly levelled the floor on the secondman's side so that the seat and its existing stand can be re-sited. No doubt it will all have to be inspected by someone from ASLEF to ensure it meets with their approval. As for the partition screens I have come to the conclusion that they can only be fitted after the cabside glazing is put back in place. In the meantime I see some plasticard being wasted before I eventually get the correct shape/profile that can butt up against the curved inside of the glazing on one side but also which avoids contact with bogie housing on the other Enjoy your weekend Deltic fest Bob http://tracksrevisited.smugmug.com/

Number 13 is looking fabulous Brian, I'm very envious. I was about to ask which transfers you use but I see you mention HMRS. I have only ever used the meths sheet so pressfix will be a new challange. I can press ahead now and order the paint and glue. While I await everything turning up/becoming available Im going to try and figure out how to create a cubicle compartment for the footplate and allow the relocation of the seats while staying clear of the motor bogie. The biggest challenge will be getting the shape of the wall boards behind each seat to fit the exact contours of the existing Heljan side glazing, Note I do say I will be trying to work out how to do it, achieving it is another matter As for replacing buffers I'm assuming the shanks are solid plastic so cutting off the heads and replacing with etched or cast options should not be too big a problem for those that dont particularly like the Heljan ones Finally Brian Im sure im not the only one on here who gains inspiration from your first - rate contributions to RMW . As I have said before all my recent O gauge experience has been building steam outline and therefore dealing with a 7mm plastic locomotive is a new experience for me. hence so many questions and all greatfully answered Regards Bob http://tracksrevisited.smugmug.com/

Thanks for that Brian, I have a side print of a Deltic bogie post preservation so Im grateful for the tip. A couple of questions what glue do you use for fitting the etched/cast bits and bobs to the plastic body and bogie frames and is it Railmatch acrylic thinners that you have been using to thin the paint used on the Deltic JeffP MMP advertise a set of cast buffers for a Deltic so there is an alternative out there Regards Bob

Quite a productive day today as I managed to press out all the body glazing without any damage which was a relief then set too and filled in all of sandbox fillers plus now all four bogies have had their ridges removed After breaking one brake cylinder last evening while trying to remove it prior to ridge removal I decided to leave the remainder in place and just cut and file around them, Final task for the day was to fit replacement pipes to the brake cylinders using .5 copper wire Strange, on my loco two bogies sideframes are black plastic through and through while the other two have a black finish but are made from a grey/white coloured materiai which shows up while filing and cutting Next steps are to order the paint (Any more feedback Brian on your use of acrylics) await the release of Peter Harvey's Deltic etched fret and get hold some cast bits and bobs Regards Bob

Hmm I would be interested in how you find your first use of acrylics Brian. I have yet to place my order with Howes so I shall hang on for your conclusions Hopefully Image attached will be of my first de-ridged bogie I have also removed all of the moulded on pipe work as I intend to replace with a mixture of copper and brass wire Regards Bob http://tracksrevisited.smugmug.com/