GraemeWatson

A J70 of Wisbech and Upwell tram fame...

I note with interest, that on the latest batch, at least, (the batch containing Western Sultan) that the bottom of the cab, inside the shell, has a foam retaining strip, lightly adhered. Peeling this gains you access to the rear of the headcode glass. I was able to implant my own headcodes into here. Its harder on the first batch, including Enterprise, as this r retainer is a piece of black plastic, seemingly well glued into place. As with the Heljan model, it is possible to make you own headcodes. If you are happy to stick them on the outside, then all you do is print at high quality on regular paper, cut to size, and 'laminate' by folding sellotape over the headcode. A drop of pritt stick, and you are away.

To sum the reported QA issues: 1) Tight screws 2) Wobbly wheels not to gauge 3) Excess flash on the bogies, precipitating derailment. >None of which have been present in any of my own models, but reported plenty of times by other users...

UPDATE: The finished item can be seen tested here, with bare bones decals, made using white waterslide decal paper, and Liquid Decal Film. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=tJXPC0uzAHc

Living next to the East Coast Mainline, the Autumn RHTT is a welcome site, and often an excuse for the use of #ClassicTraction on the Great British Mainline. After encouragement from RMweb member, friend and fellow photographer, JaymzHatstand, I have decided to post progress on my "budget" RHTT made with Hornby Railroad items, some old spare bits, and scratchbuilding. He directed me to the RMweb article 00 RHTT KIT, which details construction of a more prototypical set of RHTT units, with a cost that may be off-putting to the modeller on a budget. Detail fiends beware! My budget attempt may not satisfy you, but it is an easy and cheap way to add a decent RHTT to your OO or HO programming. The model is based on re-painting "near enough" cheap models, to a similar "style" of the real thing. >Think of it as the "Blue Peter" Thunderbirds Tracey Island; ideal if you can't splash out on the resin kits, or have stuff lying around that can be utilised. Before you start Read through the whole method; adapt as required Work safely with sharp tools Time to complete A good 6-8 hours on the trot, or two nights. Rough Cost: £30-40 (or cheaper if you have old TTAs) Things you will need: Three "Hornby Railroad" TTA wagons: The "Fuel Pack" will suffice ~£10-12 from your local model shop Two "Hornby Railroad" container bogie wagons. ~£10 each Paint, and some brushes (Variable cost). I used "DecoArt" crafter's acrylic: £1.30 for a (59ml bottle) Colour: Coastal Blue. (This was left over from a non model rail project) Preparation of Two Hornby Railroad Container flats You need two container flats. Remove the IBC and UBC containers. The IBC/UBC containers are kept stable on the flats with rounded pegs; these stop the containers sliding off. I filed these off, to accomodate the TTAs later. I have added the now spare containers to my TMD-style layout as "furniture", and use them to keep "useful" bits in; after all they have secure doors! Preparation of TTA wagons: Remove the ladders from the ends of the TTA wagons. To my surprise, these were metal. Be careful when "levering" them off; you may crack the legs they attach to on the TTA wagon. (Use "superglue remover" if you have any, or just be careful) TOP TIP: These ladders can be re-bent, cut or straightened, to use the basis of ladders for a Class 08 shunter, or side ladders for a Class 20 diesel: Very useful! Remove the gantry work from the top of the wagon; this should just unclip out. Painting the TTAs I used "Crafters Acrylic" Coastal Blue, direct from the bottle, three coats, for the wagons. I used "Crafters Acrylic" Slate Grey, to paint the roof gantries; three coats. Making the generators, vents and personnel unit Using the space remaining on the container flat as a guide and photos of the prototype, I scratchbuilt the generators, ventilation units and personnel unit. This was done using cardboard, and conveniently some corrugated card from a box left over from Christmas. (Though I could indeed have used plasticard, I had none) See the pictures for a rough idea, but essentially it was simply made using rectangular shapes. I did not use "tabs" on the edge of each part of the construcion, but elected to glue it with some heavy duty multi-purpose Bostik glue in my hands, until it set. (Beware: Fingers may get sticky, so don't sue me! Use a better method if you want!) Making the railings The handrails were left over from the construction of a PECO diesel shed, and painted slate grey. Perfect. Assembling the unit I assembled my TTAs and other units on the two container flats, as shown, using double sided tape, on the bottom of the units (this is very secure, and allows me to return them to bulk container use if I wish) This was based somewhat on personal preference, and reference to photos of the prototype. Still to do: Apply Network Rail transfers (printing your own waterslide transfers is cheaper using graphics available online) Apply orange stripe around the TTAs. Apply weathering, as required. Potential problems The Hornby Railroad Container Flats have old-style couplings, that cannot be changed to the newer "slimline" NEM type. The standard compatibility issues with tight curves and mis-matched loco couplings applies. Progress so far:

Cracking shots Alcanman.

Aha. I saw that cabinet, but not the steel coil carrier. Oh well! There were plenty of distractions that caught my eye all over the place. Thanks for sharing the photos!

Where were they hiding at Hartlepool? Can't believe I missed them!

Champion. Thanks for the tip. You're YouTube channel has set a new standard for loco reviews in my opinion :-)

Do these moulded buffers on the Hornby Tornado and tender just "come out" or are we talkng of some cutting and drilling if one wants to fit sprung buffers? Any advice on a good method if we do? Thanks in advance!

May I suggest: http://www.craftycomputerpaper.co.uk/category/Decals It's probably not the only suppier of waterslide paper, but saw it in an advert in "Model Rail"

What a stunningly quick turnaround from an excellent video review to fully resprayed loco. Thanks also for providing the Revell paint number. Excellent work!

Arthur, many thanks for your comprehensive posts on this topic. Your scans are an excellent addition to this thread. Which book/publication could I find them in? Many Thanks

Thanks very much Arthur.

>Some great shots here DaveF thanks for posting. Formerly a very dynamic line, sad to see it the way it is now. Passes through a number of industrial sections, and of course, the British Steel Redcar Station.

I'd be grateful for any and all aspects of Steel Making History on Teesside; I'm interested in the whole topic. James' information regarding Scunthorpe and the workings therein provided insight in that regard. I'd trawled the Internet, to no avail, and I'm grateful that my old post in UK prototype has been transferred to the new industrial section. Thought it would be nice to collect info on the topic from those in the know, in one place.

Thanks for these posts, guys. There's a cracking issue of Steel and Coal Trades reviews I found from the 1950s, that shows the track layout of the former Jarrow plant, though it's Teesside that's close to my interest. Looking forward to as much information that can be collected!

Excellent. Will be picking mine up tomorrow, cheers. I guess it's a pre-shipment shot? It's been quite fun following the ship on the Internet, a bit like Jurassic Park 2 waiting for the T-Rex to arrive...

Is that the Feb issue?

Dropping a new loco is an expensive way to earn your £250 on "You've Been Framed"

A couple here of No. 60163 Tornado. Of note, Furness No. 20 and Tornado, Oldest and Youngest working British Steam, nose to nose...