WolfofBadenoch

After the last 2 years, it was great it went ahead and well done to the organisers for taking a chance however many months ago they made the decision to go for it. I was there Saturday, probably just over 5 hours. It certainly seemed quieter than normal. Didn't notice the aisles being that bigger but it didn't seem as crowded around layouts or traders. There was some very good layouts but seemed to be lacking many pre BR layouts - is this a sign of less and less people now still still modelling from those days? The small more specialised traders also seem to be appearing less. Quite often into the last 30 - 40 mins i'm trying to remember what layouts i want to revisit but this year i wasn't too fussed. In fact we actually left 15mins before they throw you out. It was great to be back at an exhibition, and i'll be back next year work permitting but for my tastes it wasn't my favourite visit ever.

Took the plunge yesterday at Modelrail Scotland - £425 for the 7 car set and £75 per pair of carriages seemed to good to miss. The retailer had already sold out of TUs but hey ho! I've only had a quick look at the models so far but hopefully i'll manage to get it tested, run in and some trial running tomorrow!

Took advantage of the calm day yesterday to go out for a walk in the snow. The horseshoe shaped line of trees is the course of the former Dundee and Newtyle Railway (Newtyle the village in the foreground). Somewhere in the middle distance the old Caley mainline to Aberdeen is also cutting across the photo.

There probably is some difference between models but during my struggles i consulted You Tube and in the 2 videos i watched (Roads+Rails and Jenny Kirk), neither seemed to find it totally straightforward to remove the body, but they at least gave me the confidence i was on the right road. I had 4 cardboard shims jammed up between body and chassis at each recess and i still struggled to work the body off.

Thanks for all the info. I wont need the grey piece then and the lampbrackets will go on the list of non-essential things to do. Looking at photos up to 1988 i notice that 86/0, 86/3 and 86/2s didn't have lamp brackets. I presume they were fitted when converted to 86/4s? Anybody wishing to model 86438 might like to note the lamp bracket is on the opposite side, i presume because as 86038 it had a round headlight fitted in the usual place for the lamp bracket - once 86438 there is a circular plate where the old headlight had been.

I ordered 86404 which arrived (very quickly from Hattons) , damage free. I think it must be the most difficult loco i have to seperate the body from the chassis and despite reading the instructions i still was not careful enough with the undercarriage and managed to snap off two items! One a small box is simple enough to refit but the other piece i'm not so sure which way it goes. Hopefully you can see in the attached image the broken piece. It has like a tooth brush at one end and a small box at the other. It doesn't show up well in photos i've checked but from drawings in Power of the AC Electrics I think it goes the opposite way round to how it is in my photo but if someone could confirm that would be great. Could someone also tell what this is and where it goes and also the two small yellow pieces that come in a bag with couplings ? Apart from trying to get into the loco, i'm happy with it. Hauled an eight coach train up the sweeping curves of my 1 in 50 gradient with ease.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going back to 1987, but the APTs are still running, the 1st 90 has arrived early for testing and will probably be joined by the 1st 91 too! Not quite sure when Intercity Swallow livery was 1st used but it smy arrived early too? As for 87s i have Robert Burns and King Arthur already and am happy to run them together even though RB is as new (mid 70s) and KA is late 80s early 90s i think. The addition of the cantrail stripes i presume would bring RB up to the mid 80s. I hope to add Cities of Glasgow and Birmingham when they arrive. Looking at the images for King Arthur and Royal Scot/Stephenson the TDM cables look the same, both have the same (poor) pantograph and headlight arrangement. Think i'll go for it. Another question which is probably in the wrong section of the forum, but why does 87002 (the real one) currently have both types of cable on the front?

As a youngster we used to have family days train spotting. The most regular involved having a picnic overlooking the loop lines at Abington, don't think this was the exact location we used to sit but seems the most appropriate streetview image https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.4970389,-3.6830673,3a,75y,306.38h,78.17t/data=!3m10!1e1!3m8!1sRbLD_GJ9B-NRJcUxDr1nzw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DRbLD_GJ9B-NRJcUxDr1nzw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D258.392%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!9m2!1b1!2i28 After lunch we'd move south to between Crawford and Abington and spend the afternoon playing football, cricket, flying kites, etc. but everything stopped when a train passed. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.4725522,-3.674537,3a,75y,253.16h,71.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZDBV55zYd5K8uqCOoPDMlA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Late afternoon would find us heading for Carstairs and the excitement of trains being split or joined. I even got on Cock o' the North one day. Mainly these were Saturdays so it was nearly all passenger trains hauled i presume by 86 / 87s with occasional 81, 85 or the odd diesel. Very rarely we went all the way to Carlisle and had our picnic over looking Kingmoor, before an afternoon visit into Carlisle station. Dad tells me we saw an APT near Lockerbie once but i don't remember unfortunately. My only memory of these was seeing them sitting at Shields Rd from the M8. Once i was a bit older dad and i started hillwalking and it was 37s on WHL we sometimes saw. The scenery has improved but not in my eyes the trains, although within 5 years the passenger trains were to get a whole lot worse as Sprinters took over the WHL!

Does anybody have any experience of back dating one of the modern 87s? I see a few shops are selling 87001(dual Named) and 87002 (Royal Soverign) pretty cheap - alot cheaper than the next pair to arrive. I'd want to move them back to the 80s so i can see i'd have to remove the fire extinguishers + aerials. Has anybody done this or can anyone tell me with this would just be a case of unclipping the extras? Is there anything else extra on these compared to the earlier models (87010 / 87035)? Thanks.

Spotted Trinidad's APT yesterday! Called James after the red engine i presume? Sorry, i'll get my coat.

No trains in these photos i'm afraid but they don't come along that often and i had other things to be getting on with! Who said the West Highland Line had no straight sections? Elevated view of WHL heading towards Rannoch Station (think that's possibly the station on the far left of the photo)

I'd had a look around the area that morning for a good location whilst driving south. In the end i decided on the other side of Blackford and got a great view as she swept past. https://youtu.be/BfYbmjYu5jM

Don't know if this helps but here's some photos of a Bachmann DBSO Mk2 F coupled to an Oxford Mk 3. Coupling is the Bachmann 'piping' accessory. Otherwise there straight out the box.

Were the 37/4s not converted at Crewe around 1985 / 86? Could it be a newly converted loco out on a test run before dispatch north of the border?

Thanks for the video. Nice to see how it all fits together Did you ever consder modelling Horseshoe Curve? I think it might have been good at one end but not sure how you'd fit it in with everything else?

Glen Eagles leads from the railway up to the watershed. Glen Devon is over the watershed (draining the Glendevon Reservoirs) and the road enters it where it starts turning east. Great cycling road! Your backscene is great - did you do it yourself?

I'd agree. I remember watching that as an innocent teenager (possibly making a poor recording of it on to a music tape!), and being throughly disappointed! I knew nothing about KLF except they'd done a few singles, that seemed full of energy and were different to most other music of the time and i just liked listening to (and shouting along to!). What they did that night was just noise though and was quickly recorded over!

Not sure if this will help or not but i came across this photo on FlickR today. Anybody know why the APT will have gone onto the triangle instead of using a loop? Would a possibilty have been that they wanted to reverse the direction? If so that would suggest the whole triangle was electrified and far enough toward Edinburgh for the APT to reverse up it?

Does he? Are we talking Rod Stewart, Jools Holland, Pete Waterman levels?

The KLF have uploaded some of their music back catalogue - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-55507226 . This includes Last Train to Transcentral which has a few scenes of a model railway which i think probably falls into the Steampunk category - Think it's pre DCC so no sound effects - just the music / noise* of the KLF. *Delete as applicable

http://www.leeslocos.co.uk/index.html The above website was doing the headlights around the time the limited edition 37114 from Mickleover came out, either send your loco to them, or just get the lights sent to you and fit yourself. There are photos in the OO gauge Class 37 gallery. There was also an article in Model Rail a few years ago about making your own - March 2012. If i remember correctly i think this was non-working but i don't think it would be too hard to construct working ones. I've always been put off as i've never managed to remove the nose end off the loco! Everytime i tried i felt something was about to snap that shouldn't!!

Thanks for the info. You even answered the question i forgot to ask re. hauling power of the Limbys. I have two of the new Hornbys, and two of the Limbys (but i don't run them much), and about a dozen Lima which are all in their boxes except my favourite (87022) which i have put a bullant motor in but unfortunately i haven't managed to get it to run up any gradient and i've run out of space for any more lead!

Over 20 mins of Class 87 footage - the best video on RMweb The Lima bodies on Hornby chassis - Are these the new Hornby 87 chassis or the earlier Hornby (Limby) chassis?

Ben Dorain must be one of my most unlucky hills - 4 ascents not one decent view! Last time i planned to descend south off it down the very steep prow to Horseshoe curve but there was a lot of snow, it was getting dark, and we were having trouble finding a way through the bands of crags so we took the sensible decision to return over the summit and descend the normal route before a longer than planned walk back to the car. I may have seen Horseshoe Curve in the gloom on that occasion but i had other things on my mind!!

Thanks for the replies. Would seem the problem is most likely Royal Mail in his area!