SRman

Sounds like Charlie is developing a split personality!

I went to Rails site to get a green one but their website was playing up (possibly saturated by demand for the bargains). When I eventually did get on properly, the green ones were gone. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be. Edit: tried again just now and there were still some green ones of D1002 showing. However, when adding one to the basket it said they were no longer available.

I have a couple of Lenz decoders on the way from Kernow Models, so will hold off to try one of those in it. My other two units (350/1 units converted to 450s) have ESU LokSound v3.5 decoders and don't have any problems with the lighting. I don't intend equipping the latest one with sound, though.

I have a small anomaly showing up with my 450 073 now. When running in reverse (car D leading), the lights are working correctly, but when running forwards, the head and tail lights illuminate at both ends simultaneously. To elaborate a bit more, I started off with a Hornby Sapphire decoder (one I had lost track of - it had been mis-labelled in my decoder box) but wan't entirely happy with the slow speed control. I replaced it with a TCS EU621 decoder, which gives much better smoothness at low speeds and also smoother acceleration and deceleration curves. I didn't notice the lighting fault with the Sapphire decoder fitted, but only since the TCS one was installed. I have checked the decoder function allocations in JMRI Decoder Pro and can't see anything amiss there. More investigation is needed, I think; possibly I have left a leg of one of the removed capacitors sticking up, or maybe the decoder itself is faulty. I'll have to try another 21 pin decoder to see what is going on. I'll post further information when I have done a little more testing.

Perhaps a couple of bicycles for the driver and fireman?

Thanks. I was lucky enough to jump in when the C in full SECR livery was first announced, and pre-ordered it. I also bought, on a whim, the second issue with simplified lining, but that didn't seem to sell out quite as quickly. I do, indeed, have one SECR green liveried P on order, as well as the Hornby H in the similar livery (who could resist, even if it means selling the wife and house to pay for them!!). I assume that wagons would have worked through, regardless of the originating railway, hence the early GW wagons in my train above (Parkside kits). I agree the Cambrian kits generally go together very well. In the case of the LSWR wagons I did a couple of different treatments for the brake gear, as suggested in their instructions. The problem, as you have highlighted, is that many of the SECR wagon kits are too late fr the 1904 - 1910 period I was trying to represent here.

Bachmann did a set of three SECR wagons for their collectors' club at one stage, although I cannot vouch for the degrees of accuracy (maybe they are what you were referring to in your post) - I did buy a set. I also built several Cambrian Kits wagons for the SECR, as well as LBSC and LSWR ones. To go with the original Bachmann SECR C class loco, I also built a couple of early brake vans; a Roxey ex-LCDR brake in etched brass (not a kit for the faint hearted. Edit: actually DougN did much of the build for me)), and an SECR 6-wheel brake converted from a Midland brake with two LNER chassis doctored into a 6-wheeler. For later SECR wagons and brakes there is more choice from Cambrian (I built a couple of the 'Dance Hall' brakes, but finished them in the BR era), plus the luggage vans from Parkside, or, if you are really keen, some etched brass kits from Roxey Mouldings. Once Bachmann release their birdcage coaches, we'll also have some 'proper' passenger stock to run with our collections of SECR locos. The photo is of the Bachmann C with the two brake vans I referred to, but I'll have to find a photo of the SECR wagons - I seem to have mislaid photos I know I have taken, at the moment!

Take two aspirins, stand with your head in a bucket of lukewarm boiling water, and spread some rancid yak butter on your knees; I'm sure you'll soon recover from the bout of madness, Mike. (with acknowledgement to Spike Milligan and The Goon Shows)

The P class may have been a small one, with only eight locos, but there were a multitude of liveries worn over their long lives, as well as the previously mentioned four of the eight being preserved, so hopefully a lucrative and successful choice for Hattons. I have already pre-ordered two.

I did the reverse: two P's and one Barclay pre-ordered! SECR and Bluebell for the P class, and a Caledonian Andrew Barclay. The latter will lose its CR and crest to match up closely with the Hornby H&P Peckett. The EPs all look good to me.

I'm not sure about the gearing, Rick, I can check when I get home. REPs and 73/1 and 73/2 were all rated for 90 mph, although the REPs, as you know, did unofficially exceed the ton on more than one occasion.

I thought the class 73s were directly equivalent in power to a 4 REP DM coach. Nominally they were 1650 hp continuous on third rail, while a half a REP unit would be (again nominally) half of 3,300 hp, i.e. 1650 hp.

John beat me to it; I have 'modelled' lots of derailments, but almost never intentionally.

It zigged when it should have zagged! An interesting photo of something different, with lots of nice, incidental detail (like the signals) for modellers to study.

They run OK with the standard Hornby couplings, but there is some 'slop' when using them. I ran a pair of units using Kadee #19 couplings at the outer ends, which are now going to be replaced with the Hornby Scharfenberg couplings, as in my earlier post above, as soon as I find the other pair of couplings to do the second unit.

The answer to that is: Dave will post something when he has some news.

Ok; having been inspired by the comments above, I have drilled and slightly elongated holes in the sides of the NEM pockets, just where they flare outwards. The Hornby Dellner couplings then clip neatly in with room to couple up and allow for some swing on curves. Trying to show holes in black plastic is a bit tricky; I used flash illumination for these photos, something I normally turn off. Hopefully they show what I have done reasonably well. Note that these photos show rather cruelly the faults in my 450 conversion, still in progress on this unit (I have used both Driving Trailers from the same unit for the tests). I have to eliminate the remnants of the orange cantrail line, and tidy up the edges of the 'swooshes' where I have varied them from the vinyl overlays.

There are a few ways to dismantle these models. My favoured method with the double deckers like the PD1, PD2 and RT (amongst others) is to use a centre punch of the same diameter as the poles holding the model together. Grip the lower deck somehow - a vice with felt pads, or simply use your knees; Tap the poles from below with the centre punch and a small hammer. Don't hit too hard and don't try to do it all in one go or you'll end up with raised 'discs' on the bus roof. Tap one pole a few times, then the other. Repeat. ​ After a few goes, the upper deck should just drop free from the lower deck. Did I mention doing this over a carpet or some soft cloth? Alternative method: Drill a couple of holes in each of the plastic 'top hat' retainers, on either side of the poles. Use some long-nosed pliers to extract the retainers. The top deck should then lift off. Some people have used method 1 but with a spring-loaded centre punch. Method 1 saves the plastic retainers intact for re-use. However, I usually prefer to remove the centre poles altogether and lightly glue the bus back together when I have done with whatever the task was (usually repaints, in my case). I am not a collector, but a modeller so have no interest in retaining the collectible value of my buses.

There was also another section of experimental ATO using COP Stock on the Metropolitan Line, although the location escapes me at the moment (at work with no access to my reference books). Edit: It looks like I got the details wrong, but the principle correct! It was on the District Line between Stamford Brook and Ravenscourt Park and it involved R Stock - link to an article here with the photo I had in my mind's eye when i wrote the above: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/21/newsid_2546000/2546071.stm. Note the transponder aerial on the front corner of the train in the photo.

Mick and Pete have given me an idea: working out the distance for the fishtails to sit, then drilling holes in the sides of the pockets to allow the fishtails to lock into place. I'll have to give this a try, and report back here when I have a result/failure.

Yes, I tried the Hornby couplings with the idea of coupling my two existing class 450 units together (converted from 350/1 units) but, like andyman, I found they were too short. I would eventually like to fix that to, because they look so much more realistic than any otehr couplings.

It was the other way round, John: long bays for the front, up to and including the centre door bay (where fitted, as was the case with most of the Australian ones), then short bays for the back bits - this kept the rear overhang down as well, better suited to Australian roads. The reasons given for the hybrid length were axle loading restrictions. This was one of seven Brisbane City Council examples with several non-standard features (look at those windows!) - not my photo, so I can only provide a link https://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=19&pos=2[/url]

Adding to my previous post, I was able to check the Kadee coupling heights against the gauge, this morning, and they were spot on at both ends. I didn't even have to bend the droppers.

Thanks for the thoughts on couplings. All of my Heljan locos immediately get their cranked tension lock couplings replaced with straight ones as soon as I take them out of their boxes when new. That takes care of the droop and the height mismatches, usually. I'll have to experiment with the Kadees when the TC arrives - easier to do before I assemble the unit, using just one of the DTS vehicles. In preparation, I have added Kadee #19 couplings to the intended class 33, but as it was late last night, I haven't checked against the height gauge yet. I intended to use D6520, an early release Heljan model with newer wheels and Howes sound on a LokSound v3.5, but wanted to use Legomanbiffo's newer sounds on a v4 decoder (which I have on a newer model of 33 117). Since both models are in blue fye, it was a relatively simple job to swap the bodies over, so D6520 is ready and waiting for it's allocated train to arrive.

I agree the diesel ones are much better than the steam ones. However, having bought the recent Merchant Navy with TTS sound (I bought it for the MN, not for the sound!), I decided the sound was definitely not remotely like a Bulleid, but did sound like a fairly generic 2-cylinder type. The whistle is fairly deep and would suit some of the BR Standards, so I looked through my collection for something with 2 cylinders and an 8-pin socket, and came up with a Hornby Standard 4MT 4-6-0. I have now shoehorned the TTS decoder and speaker into the 4MT tender, which did not have provision for sound. The decoder is a tight fit under the front of the coal space, with the speaker perched precariously between the decoder and the socket, and partly on top of both, all sealed with Blu-tack. The sound is a bit muffled at present because there are no holes in the tender to allow it out. On reflection, I might actually shift the socket altogether and make more room for the speaker to sit properly, then drill some holes in the coal space and hide them under some real coal on a bit of card. The effect is not too bad. Chuffs are still not synchronised with the revolutions of the wheels, but it does sound like a 2 cylinder job. I need to tweak a few settings as it tends to accelerate too rapidly, currently. I might remove the capacitor as well as I left that in place while I was just experimenting. The MN now has a DCC Concepts decoder in it and runs very quietly!