John Isherwood

Years ago, I went through all the swatches at my local motor factors; (hundreds); VW EISGRAUEN KJ94 is a virtual exact match for Phoenix Precision BR early wagon grey, and ALFA ROMEO BRUNO DE37 is similarly extremely close to Phoenix Precision BR early wagon bauxite. (For those interested, ALFA ROMEO AR530 is a very good match for BR carmine red (blood). The advantage of going to a motor factor's is that you can specify the paint - cellulose, acrylic, matt, satin, gloss, etc. Regards, John Isherwood.

The grey to which I referred above is applicable throughout the 'BRITISH RAILWAYS'; (as opposed to the 'British Rail'); period. Regards, John Isherwood.

Go to a motor vehicle factors; (a company that supplies car repair garages); and get them to fill an aerosol can with VW EISGRAUEN KJ94. Whilst you're there, get them to fill another can with ALFA ROMEO BRUNO DE37 ; that's the match for BR wagon bauxite orange / brown. Regards, John Isherwood.

CONFLAT, actually. Regards, John Isherwood.

Tony, I have just come across this on the RCTS site ...... Cl 4 No. 43060 on bridge over the ECML at Little Bytham 28/2/59 - Copyright RCTS ..... no doubt you've seen it, but it may be of interest to other members. Regards, John Isherwood.

Whilst you have the gloss varnish out ..... .....90377 needs a coat, too !! Regards, John Isherwood.

I, too, pause between fitting the first side / end pair and fitting the second pair - sorry I didn't make this clear. I always check the floor dimensions before starting assembly - simply comparing the floor with the end and side mouldings should reveal if the floor is too large. When weighting a closed wagon, always fit strips of plastic card around and over the weight - nothing is worse than a loose weight that unbalances the finsihed model !! Regards, John Isherwood. Regards, John Isherwood.

You're over-thinking this. First - use only solvent adhesive to assemble plastic kits; superglue is too quick and permanent. Second - stick one side to one end at the bevel joint; use your steel block to get them at right-angles, but the joint will remain flexible and adjustable for some time. Third - repeat the side / end joint with the other side / end. Fourth - stick the floor into the right-angle between the first pair of side / end; this will set the right-angle and make the assembly much less flexible. Fifth - stick the second side / end pair to the floor / side / end assembly. Sixth - place the assembled body onto a flat surface and ensure that both bufferbeams are touching the surface - this will ensure that there is no twist in the assembly. The human eyes are your best tool for this sort of work - they are remarkably accurate in detecting incorrect angles and twist. Regards, John Isherwood.

In the latter photo, I think that's an old-fashioned oil roadworks lamp, not a crossing lamp. Regards, John Isherwood.

The pick-up arrangements are up to you - what the LoRider comprisesof is an etched fret containing the chassis structural components, which have to be soldered together. Also provided are multi-stage gears, and you can include a Mashima motor in your purchase if you do not have a suitable one. These are not plug-and-play drive units - your have to assemble them - but they do fit directly into the Lima underframe unit. Using the existing Lima trailing bogie pick-ups, plus new ones attached to the LoRider, you will have eight-wheel pick-up. Be aware that the Lima wheels have larger axles than the Gibson 2mm. ones, so you will need to sleeve the Lima trailing bogie with brass tube in order to fit Gibson wheels. So - some work involved, including soldering; but the instructions are very comprehensive and the results are superb. Regards, John Isherwood.

You can't do better than a High Level LoRider - though you do have to build them; http://www.highlevelkits.co.uk/loriderpage.html . I've recently fitted one in a Lima GWR railcar, and I've a couple more in the 'to do' pile. I also replaced the wheels with Gibson DMU ones. Virtually silent running, with no stuttering on points. Regards, John Isherwood.

Andy, I'm not sure what you refer to as my ".... contacts within the industry .... "; I am a one-man transfer producer, Cambridge Custom Transfers comprises a couple of desk-top printers the size of a large electric toaster, sitting alongside my PC in our hall! Beyond that, my ".... contacts within the industry .... " are non-existent. I have neither the time, inclination nor finance to produce rolling stock of any kind; but as a member of this e-group I choose to exercise my right to express a personal view concerning a commercial project, which has been publicised within the group. I do not choose to accept challenges from you; not do I recognise your right to issue them in response to my expression of personal views. Clearly there is some expressed demand for these coaches; market forces indicate whether those expressions are translated into purchases, and whether the commissioners have made a wise decision or not. Regards, John Isherwood.

You're correct - that does not make a scap of sense ! Generic stock can only appeal to purchasers who don't know - or don't care - what their chosen locos should be pulling. So long as the livery of the coaches is co-ordinated with the livery of the locos, they don't care. The fact that the coach - under it's incorrect livery - is an model of something that existed is equally of no consequence to them. They will still buy the model, and modellers of the railway that did own the coach may well do so as well. Argue it as you will - with or without logic; generic = lost sales. Regards, John Isherwood.

No, no, no, no, no !!!! WHY would the market be far more limited? The potential purchasers don't (apparently) care what the model resembles (or doesn't). Why would potential purchasers be deterred if the model actually looked like a real coach - apparently, they wouldn't know the difference anyway ! Please - let's have some logic here. As no-one can - apparently - put forward a case for the 'generic' coach, I must conclude that muddled thinking was indeed behind this project. Regards, John Isherwood.

I think that those of us who feel that this project is a lost opportunity will readily concede that these coaches could be turned into a representation of ......... anything. The point is that even secondhand coaches, operated by the NCB, had an origin with one of the mainline companies - and could be identified as such. If the modeller cannot identify that origin - or doesn't care to - a model of an actual coach would do just as well - unless someone can explain to me why not. (I really hope so - I am starting to feel that I am missing the obvious)! Regards, John Isherwood.

I too got bored with the other thread - that's why I pressed the 'IGNORE' button. However, the discussion here seemed to be somewhat more reasoned and therefore constructive - that's why I joined in. In neither thread has anyone explained why models of real coaches with a variety of fictional liveries would not have been as / more acceptable to the 'not too fussed' amongst us as fictional coaches in 'sort-of' correct liveries. I had hoped that this thread might have enlightened me - it seems that I am doomed to be disappointed ! Regards, John Isherwood.

You need to look elsewhere for whoever it was that raised the topic of 'generic' coaches here - it certainly wasn't me. Nonetheless, the subject having been raised, I reserve the right to participate in the debate. Regards, John Isherwood.

Precisely !!!!!!!!!!!!! What on earth is the point of a 'right-for-nothing' coach? If, as we are told, there is a substantial market for fictitious coaches in 'sort-of' correct liveries, there must be a greater market for prototypical coaches in prototypical and fictitious liveries. ...... or is the thinking that, as the coaches are correct for nothing, everybody who buys them runs coaches that are as incorrect as mine? (So that makes it somehow OK). The strategy for this project immediately rules out sales to those who would have purchased a prototypical coach in its correct livery. Muddled thinking, IMHO. Regards, John Isherwood.

If an LMS 4F was to be released, painted, lettered and numbered as an SR Q, there would be an outcry and sales would be minimal. Yet I was shouted down at, (and I now ignore), the freelance / generic coach thread for suggesting that these forthcoming models should not be given house-room by anyone who purports to be a modeller. I fail to understand the mentality of someone who gets seriously 'wound-up' about the minutest details of a 'Terrier', yet welcomes the promise of models of coaches that never existed, just because they will bear a version of the livery which matches the locomotive. IMHO, that is NOT modelling; it's playing with RTR trains. Regards, John Isherwood.

It depends if the 'average modeller' wanted the finished model to look anything like the prototype that he / she had in mind. Freelance will always look 'odd', because it resembles nothing that ever existed. Using your Ratio four wheeler example; all GWR coaches had a very distinctive style, which no amount of chocolate and cream (or crimson) paint can ever recreate using a freelance model. Sorry, but in my experience, the 'average modeller' knows exactly what the railway that he / she is reproducing should look like. Whatever - if, a year or so after these models are released, the bargain bins are full of them, we'll know that the 'average modeller' is more discerning than some give credit for ! Regards, John Isherwood.

Ahh - but he isn't; he's asking other modellers to fund it ! If he were spending his own money he could be as objectionable as he wished - but he isn't, and that brings with it a duty to act in a businesslike and open manner. He can't have it both ways. Regards, John Isherwood.

Having seen that photo - I'd agree ! Regards, John Isherwood.

Yellow PALETHORPES for BR period; see Sheet BL153 at https://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm I take it that you are aware of Regards, John Isherwood.

I think that he will tell you - in no uncertain terms - that he has covered this earlier in the thread! Regards, John Isherwood.

.... or you could use Alan Gibson 4M92 'universal' ones. Rgards, John Isherwood.