Andrew F

Most of the time it's cheaper to buy a complete loco if you need a certain part. You can then sell the rest of it as separate spares and that will cover the cost of the part you needed in the first place. Depending what you mode,l you can acquire a large fleet for next to nothing. People are searching for a certain part only and they either can't be bothered breaking and selling the rest of the model or there is some psychological fixation that they can only buy the part as a spare.

The Mainline Jubilee, Patriot and Scot still look stunning to me. I respect most old models and all my modelling focuses around old stock now as modern rtr is not affordable to me or not available because of small manufacturing runs. I do like the Hornby Class 21/29, probably as this was my first model bought for me at Chrtistmas when it first came out and I still run these with newer mechansisms and modified bodies. Also the Hornby 110 DMU is pretty nice as is the APT. Now I'm modelling electrics and air braked stock I've had pleasant experiences too with the Hornby 86 and Lima 87 and modifying with better mechs from unpopular new rtr what are already models that look quite right. Also worth a mention is older air-braked freight stock such as the Lima PGA that can be bashed easily into other types and the V-tank PCA and the grain hopper looks good to me too. Like others: The Mainline RBU Jouef mk3 Airfix mk2d ......and the Lima Mk2f's ! Lima Class 47 Thank heavens for toy fairs.

Really well. People do like something unique.......over 2 scale feet short unique but who wants to be a rivet counter anyway?

I think that Delticfan,Brushman and me were on about the BR blue/grey model.

The windows do look a bit lost in all that light grey. I think it's the blue upper blue band that's too thin. Weren't these DBSO's painted to match mk3's rather than existing Mk2 air-cons?

That looks like a cake to me. I got one like that when I turned 25. It was 37025. delicious!

There looks to be enough meat on the valance of the ep to take a sanding block to. I'd be thinking about adding parts of the valance 'hanging out' for the authentic look.

I'll bet. ..and I should think it improves the look/angle of the underframe/modules too.

That's looking very sweet now David. "The canopy on the left is not in it's final resting place" ............now why doesn't that surprise me?

The Extreme etchings have EE at the start of the product code: http://www.shawplan.com/extreme_loco4mm.html

All this stuff about Tesla cars made me listen to a childhood favourite..........it's aged badly!.

They look really smart Simon. It is a pity you didn't take out the mould lines before the excellent re-sprays. The glazing too looks pretty good, especially for the age of the coaches. You got the livery shades spot on. I'd be really interested to see a Jouef mk3 with Lazerglaze and see how they fit as they have a different aperture to most coaches; just a thin lip and the tinted plastic Shawplan use is about 3mm thick so I wonder how they fit. On my coaches I've just cut some old tinted acetate and canopy glued them behind the frame lip. I think they look Ok but are not really flush fitted of course but they are easy to fit as the pane doesn't have to be an exact fit to the aperture. If I didn't have the Jouefs I'd buy the Oxfords without question. Also a word of warning about the Jouefs; many are now very brittle and I've known a coach end break away when someone just try to apply a transfer!

I placed my order, payed for it and waited three years before I received the OP's tat.......................................................from Coopercraft!

Sellers can't leave a buyer a neg. Your revenge idea is a nice one.

Looking at tractor260's comparisons with the Lima coaches it looks like the bogies on the OR coach are too narrow. They're not supposed to be overshadowed by the body like that on the real thing and I'm undecided as to whether the underscale roof ribs are better than the overscale Jouef ones. I wonder if they have a separate tooling for the bogies to depict the early mk3a wheelslip gear. . The close coupling system brings them really nicely together with the roco coupling.

I like the bit at the end "Where these colours are not available, other colours will have to be used". ..I've done that a few times.

Marc models do them in kit form and rtr I think; the fourgons too. They're exceptionally heavy and would need a really powerful loco to haul a long rake as in the steam era. They make up into nice models.

That's something I've not seen on a Scot's layout; an all green snub noser with discs.

Camera Obscura

Looks a very nice model Robert.I like modified older stuff. Is it powered by a Triang motor or something else?

Uh! I'd forgotten there was a turntable there.

Aye up David. Any ideas why the tunnel mouth was painted yellow? It should make an interesting weathering project. WIll you be having some kind of back-scene behind Priory station or leaving it black? I'm interested to see the overall effect but I prefer a light back-scene myself, but I guess you know what you're doing.

Do you want help locating transfers or removing the originals/applying new decals? Have you tried Fox transfers and Railtec transfers? Also try Cambridge Custom transfers and maybe Modelmasters.

Maybe Dunn fits in with the Christmas spirit of things. He does appear to be quite a Dickensian character. Have a lovely Christmas.folks.

The 47/7 push-pull trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I can't remember any other booked diesel workings. Diversions from the WCML during engineering work could result in all kinds of air brake fitted loco's on the front. The Settle-Carlisle line was popular for these sightings, Class 40's etc on mk3's without the electric loco along for the ride. Then there's the drags in the Midlands where the electric loco would be sat behind anything from a pair of 20's to a 58 and I suppose newer stuff. There's a nice picture on flikr of a Deltic on mk3's but it looks like an ecs working. https://flic.kr/p/6TgtMq