teaky

Looks to be solid as you suspect.

Roger & Gilbert - Thank you for the information. I do have a copy of the Banks & Carter book but it did not provide me with the clarity of information I was seeking. Perhaps I am just being lazy. I will have to revisit the book and cross check with what I can find online to see if I can figure out something close enough to prototypical. I really fancy including a 12-wheeler just for the look of it if I can. Plenty of time before the carriages are on the market.

Thanks Roger. I only had information on the 12-wheelers. Incidentally, I don't suppose you are able to shed any light on the following which I posted above but which no one has responded to? Speaking of LNER Pullman trains in the (late) 30s. It's easy to find details of the Queen Of Scots when it received a new full set of all-steel K type carriages but other than assorted references and mention of odd carriages plus indistinct photographs (in terms of the whole train), I am struggling to find details of the make up of other LNER Pullman workings. It would be particularly interesting to know the make up of one of those mixed bag Pullman trains with, perhaps, all-steel K types, earlier K types and 12-wheel brakes. The kind of train a C1 would have pulled after being elbowed off the ECML by the A3s and A4s.

If you are enjoying the conversion work then carry on and finish it. I think the old Lima body can look quite good once detailed.

Hi Ian. Speaking of LNER Pullman trains in the (late) 30s. It's easy to find details of the Queen Of Scots when it received a new full set of all-steel K type carriages but other than assorted references and mention of odd carriages plus indistinct photographs (in terms of the whole train), I am struggling to find details of the make up of other LNER Pullman workings. It would be particularly interesting to know the make up of one of those mixed bag Pullman trains with, perhaps, all-steel K types, earlier K types and 12-wheel brakes. The kind of train a C1would have pulled after being elbowed off the ECML by the A3s and A4s. What are you thinking of running behind your C1?

Details of the current Pullman train: http://www.belmond.com/british-pullman-train/british-pullman-carriages Doesn't answer your question completely. You will need to find out what type of carriage each one is.

In case anyone is confused about these carriages; Andy does mention this in his initial text, but these new ones are the all steel K type. They are an up to date replacement and expansion of the old Triang-Hornby ones currently in the Railroad range and are primarily of interest to LNER and eastern region modellers. The other Hornby Pullmans are the standard K type and largely applicable to Southern modellers. Since Pullman carriages were generally not owned by the railway companies some carriages were moved around over the years. This and detail differences like the shape of the Pullman crest, colours of panels, carriages rebuild from 1st to 3rd class, renumbering/renaming etc. mean it is a minefield if you want to model a specific era.

Yes, but people seem to be buying sets like the Great Goodbye and today's newly-announced set of four silver A4s. Perhaps Hornby could throw in a loco for free if you save seven Pullman tokens?

Good opportunity with these new coaches to release a seven coach Queen Of Scots set perhaps with a suitable pacific to haul it. Don't know if that's too long for too many people though. Most sets seem to be limited to three coaches.

There were nine 12-wheelers refurbished and sold to the LMS in 1933.

Oh yes it is! See: "Is there interest in an F5?" thread. (You have, however, added more information.)

They are nylon. Isn't that what the original ones were made from?

Hi Bill. Someone has suggested these only fit the Bachmann J72 rather than the Mainline one which had round axles. Can you shed any light on this please?

Actually, I think it's the later BR version because of the diagonal bracing. Fortunately, they are more easy to come by as RTR models. (Sorry Jonathan. Couldn't resist. )

Lamps - I agree Tony: many lamps do look oversize. The Springside ones always look the best out of the readily available lamps. Your weathering helps provide some definition of the moulded shape and, perhaps, slims them down a little too. I have not seen any pictures of 3mm LNER lamps. It would certainly be interesting to see what they look like on a 4mm loco. I always feel that it is the over thick handles that let lamps down. Though the idea of removing them, drilling out and replacing with fine wire seems over the top. I have seen some from RT Models that look quite effective once fettled. They don't come with handles at all. Mannings Lane bridge - Is that the one over the now disused line which has been turned into part of the national cycle routes? Only a few weeks ago, I walked over the next bridge along in the Chester direction (Fairfield Road). At least the line is still finding some use.

Someone else who can't spell personnel !

I think you mistyped the last sentence there Sandra. Did you mean: "... put a weird face to all the names"?

A very promising start in terms of communication I feel. It will be interesting to see how things progress between now and the first release.

The Mailcoach Silver Jubilee moulds were damaged beyond repair many years ago (fire, I think) so the only ones currently produced by Cooper Craft are the Coronation and tourist coaches. Silver Jubilee sets come up on eBay but prices are high. Though they might well be higher if they did not have a reputation for being tricky to paint because of the all-in-one clear sides. (I believe micklner is particularly fond of them ) I am very much looking forward to seeing how you get on Tony. Please share as much progress as you can without clashing with your BRM article.

Photos please. (We'll understand if this has to be after Warley of course.)

ABS Models, 39 Napier Road, Poole, Dorset , BH15 4LX01202 672891

Variants...remember the comment the Oxfordrail website, prior to the poem, along the lines of "why make one chimney when you can make two?"

Can I claim my prize now please?

As you are probably aware this has been discussed on Tony Wright's thread too. My feeling is that telegraph poles are an important feature but few people look closely at them. For example, a housing estate from the mid 20th century would have telephone poles dotted about because they were added after the state was built, but a 21st century estate wouldn't because they tend to be laid underground these days. However, does anyone really notice how many insulators there are on each pole? A model of a steam age railway needs telegraph poles. A model of a modern railway needs lots of grey lineside boxes, steps handrails etc. I think Tony calculated around £600 for his poles and concluded he could live with simplified versions. I agree with the reasoning behind this compromise. It seems the same logic we apply to, say, track where we accept generic flat bottom Peco on larger layouts simply to be able to complete a layout before we die, whereas the builder of a compact P4 layout might be able to justify a couple of perfectly detailed telegraph poles and perhaps even include the wires. Similarly, some people (not everyone) may be happy with a 50 wagon coal train of RTR wagons (with or without minor modifications) whereas a P4 BLT might only have a dozen perfectly modelled wagons built from brass kits. If you are modelling the station in the photograph then it needs at least a couple whopping great telegraph poles with lots of insulators because I'd have thought they would have stuck in someone's mind if they visited the station. These could be cobbled together from Ratio kits or similar I'd have thought. There we are. No doubt lots of people will disagree but you asked for opinions GN.

Fantastic stuff. Happy birthday Allan.