RThompson

Did someone say rail replacement? This was last night doing Chester to Crewe after I had been out on a private hire in Leek! She has done some miles this week!

The Ffestiniog Hunslet 125 Gala is on June 22nd, 23rd and 24th only.

It wouldn't work for me up righting the photos. I will be conducting from mid afternoon on Friday and driving most of Saturday and Sunday. I will be the young London fella in Regional Transport uniform.

Something a little different. Not all Routemasters operated in London. In 1997 and 1998 RMC1490 along with fellow sisters owned by Stagecoach used to travel up to North Wales to operate a special service on route 15 and 493. Fast forward to 2018 and RMC1490 will be replicating some of this at the weekend of the Ffestiniog railways Hunslet 125 event away from its usual route of the Shrewsbury & Ironbridge sightseeing tour. Not sure why the photos are sideways, sorry everyone.

Nellie is more closer in proportion and size to a peckett as someone did one in P4 years ago? Is it coincidence, Who knows?

About 9 years ago in my early 20's I was driving on school runs around Staffordshire leyland Tigers with various bus and coach bodies and a leyland Lynx. But then I was also driving on regular service a Routemaster in Stoke on Trent! Recently helping out various companies the oldest I've driven on schools was a 1994 Plaxton premiere on a Volvo b10m, ex greenline first. The oddest coach I've driven is a 10 metre DAF with a Smit body! There's only a few about, I'm only aware of 2 so far.

From what I remember with both the fulgarex and lemaco point motors was to use the clear packaging as a cover over the motors when installed. You both get protection and a means to see in easily if there was a fault.

5050, Does the chimney come down and back up when passing though tunnels and bridges like the coach in the titfield thunderbolt?

She was new to Arriva London North as DLP82 and originally dual doored. None was built for Arriva South London but Arriva did gain for a short batch the ex capital logistics ones at Beddington Farm which mine was one of them. As to high/low bridge it's a difficult one. All mine are high bridge but the 3 inch difference in height between types makes all the difference as to where I can go. DLA273 can pass under Shotton bridge but not RMC1490 and certainly not VC23 if it was ever on the road standing at 14'9" high! I class low bridge anything 13'10" and below

With regards to stunning scenery from the top deck. I was called out to cover for a unit from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth in my double decker bus (DAF DB250 with Alexander ALX400 body) on Monday. When I got to Machynlleth there was a train due to leave in 10 minutes but everyone wanted to stay on as it was quite cool inside and they was loving the alternative scenery! I got to over look to Dovery Junction station myself on the way back whilst taking my break and watching a pair of class 158's by chance on seperate lines both in sync to arrive at Dovery junction at the exact same time.

Interesting about the VR carrying all over advert London & Manchester Assurance as my RMC1490 was one of the few Routemasters to carry all over adverts and this was the advert it carried. In fact it carried 2 different versions of it. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dickdapre/8791387118/in/photolist-oYDhTg-oDxDre-7up66e-fizKNJ-pU4Vxq-eaPX1m-dQ762G-dxNx2u-eoSa6Y-ea9LYz-bXpwuU-ceoAkm-9Xprd6-6nJYdr-qim5Ym-etojTq-g4nX4-cEYYhS-h13iDu-6gdkRE-aDQzTd-qQ1SUh-etiB8H-dxNxg7-98MAbi-qQ6fwa-6nJZon-qPW5c6-UMmCkk-aaYKvx-dn1fY2-dn16ug-onERMv-dnLiwg-TioCYj-ioWjvr-dn1Nws-7UwrNs-dKdPuf-coggDd-b15UkX-zRLpXg-7Uwjvh-dkfTNM-c8sziS-aDLHcr-7XGfwW-eeS6LE-Ucw2wL-9vyMxq

You are correct on this Laurence, the body has to now form part of the chassis strength.

You might have seen something very similar a Coachman. Note this bus was the only batch not built for Arriva but was later using them in the original red and black livery from Capital Connections ill fated route 60 from Streatham to Old Coulsdon. This bus will be restored eventually to as new condition just how I remember them in my early teens.

I agree with the Leyland Olympian, Volvo Olympian not as good and suffer from chassis rot a lot worse despite being younger! My first ever bus was ex London Transport T1000, fairly complicated for its age but very well built which the Olympian is a less complicated version allowing other builders bodies to be mounted. Modern Scanias are awful all round but the old ones was smooth and nice to drive. I had a Scania L94 coach and it's put me off Scania for life! My favourite bus from a engineers point of view is the step entrance Dennis dart. Very simple bus on leaf springs. Ideal to work on with the simplest of tools.

If the rear seats downstairs faced sideways at the rear that sounds like a ex Arriva London DLP Plaxton president body on a DAF db250 chassis. I've got what is the forth one to be built but thankfully all the windows are at the same height! The body framework goes back to earlier Northern counties designs such as the Palatine 2 and the chassis to the MCW metrobus. I have been inside the first president built on a one off Volvo chassis. When built the body was actually narrower than today. The regs allowed the width of buses to increase so the existing body was widened (how?!) and you can see the gap on each side in the roof all the way along from where it has been widened. It never entered service and was trying to be sold to me!

Both my northern counties buses single and double deck from the late 80's to mid 90's has no rattles to this day nor has the Routemaster. I certainly agree about the roads having a role especially as they are causing damage to the vehicles in general. My late 80's ECW Olympian was rattle free also. I remember travelling at a rally and I'm sure it was a willowbrook body and watching it flexing before my eyes going down the road!

You may well have seen me on most Sunday's in my ex London red double decker ALX400 on a DAF chassis on Rail replacement between Llandudno Junction to Chester. Very little rattles despite it being built in 2001 but I do go in search for rattles and banish them. Modern bus build quality is lacking but early this year I caught a Enviro 400 and that was rattle free surprisingly.

HST tourist stock livery or Coronation anyone? The tourist livery looks far better than all these modern and complicated liveries, although I do miss intercity swallow or Network southeast. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/26542-lner-tourist-hst/

3/5ths of the de Winton orders have been delivered to the post office, all Royal Mail special delivery or international track and signed so today's batch should be delivered tomorrow. The post office lady did have a double check on the amount spent! I'm taking 30 mins out to deal with other business matters then to carry on packing kits so the next batch will be posted out on Thursday for Friday delivery and hopefully that's it all as I'm not scheduled to go out driving tonight.

Hello everyone, the final parts have arrived today meaning the 4mm scale De Winton kits will be posted out during next week. Once all the pre-orders have been posted, I will put the remaining kits on the website. Thank you all for your patience and support in getting the kit out. Certainly been a challenge!

It looks like you've filled the wheel centres on your panniers which improves the models.

Whilst the website is about bus types, quite a bit of information is mentioned on the routes they operated. Just google "Ian's bus stop" Below is the page on the RMC as a example. http://www.countrybus.org/RMC/RMC.html

Unfortunately not, it's taken a long time to get these made specially. They are made from solid brass so can be turned down on a lathe quite easily. the flanges are very fine tbh.

Hello everyone, I have now added the 4mm scale narrow gauge chimneys and 4mm scale, 00 gauge 8mm diameter, 1.5mm axle, 8 hole slag ladle wheels to the website. The wheels are available seperately as well as part of the kit.

Some good news with RT Models. I now have in stock the 4mm scale Slag ladle wheels, these will come only in rp25 profile on 00 gauge axles. These will be added to the website shortly both as part of the kit and seperately. Also in stock is 2 new 4mm scale chimneys for narrow gauge, one for Kerr Stuart hair and the other for Diana. I will try to add these in the next few weeks, just a bit busy at the minute with trying to catch up with orders, packing the de Winton kits as parts come in and literally driving all over the country.