SRman

I still haven't received my replacement chassis, although post to Australia can take a while. I live in hope!

It's not even on the Australian exhibition circuit! Peter retired it from exhibitions some time ago but it still well and truly exceeds exhibition quality standards!!

One other thing with the v3.5: if you fit two speakers, don't run them with the volume set at more than 50. ESU didn't officially support two speakers with the v3.5 but did tacitly support it, even releasing a model themselves with two speakers fitted.

Sorry: yes, I stand corrected. Thanks Paul.

Not sure if I can stay up late enough to watch the WC: 15:37 your time is 00:37 Australian Eastern Standard Time. It's not far off but I need sle-e- e- eeep!!

Just a few minutes ago I saw train 1Z15 on the Dawlish Beach webcam (http://www.dawlishbeach.com/live/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=18) - a maroon Western diesel hauling a 47 and mk 1 Pullman coaches, heading westbound. What a nice surprise for what was a random viewing of the camera!

I'm not sure if the one you refer to will use an ESU LokSound v3.5 or LokSound v4. Either way, you can adjust the overall volume using CV63 - maximum value on v3.5 is 64, and on v4 is 192. The speaker is a rectangular one (100 ohm on v3.5, 4 ohm on v4) but in Bachmann's standard installation has no sealed enclosure. The quickest tweak to improve both volume and sound quality is to seal an enclosure under the speaker - Blu-tack or similar works wonders here and is quick and easy to apply. Better still, replace the speaker with a bass enhanced one, or even better still, install a bass reflex speaker in the fuel tanks, but that last one means dismantling the model. On my own v3.5 versions, I added a second small round 100 ohm speaker in parallel in one of the noses of each locomotive. For v 4 versions, a second 4 or 8 ohm speaker can be added but you will have to work out whether to wire in parallel or series, depending on what combination of impedances you use (2 x 4 ohm, wire in series; 2 x 8 ohm, wire in parallel; 1 x 4 ohm and 1 x 8 ohm, wire in series). EDITED to correct the last recommendation.

Hi Mister Spoons. Do you intend to convert any of those Spanish Q1s to diesel power before sending them over? As you say, you would be copying what happened in real life! As for painting my models, nowadays I tend to use automotive spray packs for primer and coats in approximately the correct base colours (in this case, a red), followed by brush painting with very thin coats of the correct colours (or as close as I have in my possession to the correct ones). Getting correct paint colours over here in Australia has always been difficult but now it is almost impossible with the mailing restrictions. The LBC models do come up nicely. They do have a few compromises to help simplify construction but are also well thought out - I know some of the thought processes Tony goes through when designing the kits. My photos show all too cruelly where my finish is less than perfect! I received your PM and have replied - with many thanks for your generous offer.

Don't forget the Little Bus Company L3 and K2 trolleybuses from recent years also. This is the L3 - spot the mistake on the windscreens though: I must redo them! I should also replace that moulded on rear handrail. I also built one of those Pirate kits as a C class, many years ago. I would probably do a better job nowadays but it wasn't too bad. p.s. Excellent work on your K2. It looks wonderful.

Further to the last post, I have painted the tyres on the coach wheels for the Duple Commander bodied Southdown Leyland Leopard. I think they work in this new installation, in spite of the extra diameter. I have also started on another Little Bus Company resin kit, this time a Bristol MW bus with ECW body from 1958 or so, to go into Hants & Dorset livery. All work done at this stage has been achjeved using an optivisor type magnifier because I can't yet focus on closer objects. I am typing this using a 60" TV set and an HDMI cable from my laptop, so apologies for any typos or other errors.

Hi pwr. In this case, it was clear plastic material from a shirt box lid. The technique works with most of the plastics I have come across but as it is quite easy to try, just have a go and see if it works with whatever material you have.

350/1 has third rail pickup shoes on the driving car bogies (later removed from many of the prototypes) and extra modules under the driving coaches when compared to 350/2, presumably for the DC operation. As detailed earlier, I had to remove a different module under the pantograph car for the conversion to class 450 (the 25kV bit!). Having the third rail beams and modules enabled a simpler conversion, in this case.

Colin, when curving the glazing, I have always used boiling, or near-boiling water, with some cold water handy to splash on when I am happy with the shape. While nowhere near to your modelling standards, this pic illustrates the effect on a model Duple Dominant II coach (Pirate Models). Because of the size of these windows, I used a fairly thick material for strength. For full strips of glazing like this, I tend to use a former to get the curvature even; in this case, the draining board of the kitchen sink had just the right degree of curvature, and a short section of wooden skirting board moulding allowed me to press the glazing down a little without scalding my fingers.

Many thanks, Pete.

My modelling abilities have been temporarily curtailed, along with my on line presence and reading abilities; I had a cataract removed from my right eye last Tuesday and am having the left one done this coming Tuesday. I am typing this with one lens in my glasses and a patch over the right eye!! Once the left eye is done, I will have to wait for some reading glasses before I can see properly to read and type again - I will be doing a little of both but with severe limitations for a month or so. I did have one small wheeze though: I decided that the wheels on the Southdown Duple Commander coach were wrong for the vehicle it represents, as all the photos show proper coach trims fitted. A rummage through the spares produced some Pirate Models coach wheels from their Duple Dominant II kits, left over from the reverse swap I did when building a Metrobus AEC Reliance coach which had standard bus type wheels. The only reservation I have is that the Pirate wheels are about a millimetre larger in diameter than the LBC wheels. It's a bit hard to judge while they are unpainted, but I think it will look right once I have done that. Just for the record,here is the previously mentioned Pirate Models Metrobus Reliance coach (all white metal), together with Paragon kits for an Optare StarRider (resin) and Tillingbourne Valley Plaxton Bustler (etched brass and white metal), all built some years ago.

Hi Rick. Running qualities are above reproach, as I would expect from Heljan. I like some of the extra touches like the better bogie sideframes and the vacuum exhaust pipes, and the earlier roof detail is good. It's good to have something different to the existing models. I do have reservations about the side grille mesh, and the prominent frames around same, but the rest is good. I am tempted to paint over those marker lights though, as they weren't really used.

Thanks Reece. I have a second signalman (and a cat!) to go in in the near future. Presumably, signalman 1 is explaining or pointing something out on the track diagram to (not yet visible) signalman 2!

Two new additions to the locomotive stud: A new Heljan class 33/0, D6570 with original style roof details and silencer, in green with full yellow ends and with coach stock crest. It is seen here with the earlier Heljan release of D6585 with later style roof details and modified cab roof profiles. D6570 managed to burn out a Gaugemaster decoder. It has a temporary TCS M1 decoder now but will receive a Lenz or ESU decoder once I can get hold of an 8-pin version of either. D6585 has a Zimo decoder with Digitrains (Paul Chetter) sound. A Bachmann class 47, 47 715 Haymarket, in Network SouthEast livery, which arrive today. This is straight out of the box apart from adding the coupling on one end and adding a Lenz Silver+ 21 pin decoder after some initial running-in on the rolling road on DC. It is seen here on 'menial' engineers' duties!

I am reporting a little further progress with the three coaches I have been working on. The Southdown ones have had a little further tidying of the paintwork (no photos as you cannot tell the differences!) while the H & D Bristol LS has had a coat of Tilling cream and some initial touches of Tilling green, plus the seats painted. The Tilling green was used on the mudguards, wheels and thin strips between the chrome 'bumper' strips. It still needs another coat of cream and all of the chrome trim picked out. Also on the workbench were two pristine Corgi Trackside Ruston industrial machines, a crane and a back shovel. They are not pristine any more!!! I have weathered them both down a bit. There may be a few more touches to do but overall I think they are coming up well and don't look too glossy and toy-like. See what you think.

Mister Spoons: Tony is not currently rerunning the K2 but is always open to requests - that's how he decides what models need to be rerun. In my case, I pre-ordered it last year but Tony forgot to bring it with him when he came to Australia. He still has it on the shelf so was going to send it on when he got back to Halifax. He usually comes to Melbourne for a few days each year but was unable to earlier this year or late last year. His visits are usually timed to coincide with one of our exhibitions or with the AGM of the Model Bus Association of Australia. I built the L3 when that was available. I can post a pic if you wish but I don't want to detract from the main topic of the 1:43 K2.

I am still awaiting arrival of a Little Bus Company resin K2 trolleybus kit in 4mm scale. Much easier than a scratchbuild in 7mm scale but any research the OP has done or information supplied here by others may be of help to me when mine arrives!

After a longish spell of not doing anything with the buses, concentrating more on the trains and layout building, I have resumed work on the Southdown pair I started a couple of years ago. I painted the seat units today and touched up some of the body paint work. There is more to do but they are looking somewhat more complete, nearly ready for glazing. I find painting the seats rather tedious, particularly doing the antimacassars on coaches or the seat back handrails on buses. The First two photos show the Little Bus Company (LBC) Southdown Commer TS3 with Beadle body. The next two pics show the LBC Southdown Duple Commander bodied Leyland Leopard. The white wheel trims form a light undercoat for the silver that is to follow. And now, the latest arrival from LBC, a 1951 Bristol LS6G coach with ECW's early style of wrap-around windscreens. I was planning to convert this to a Royal Blue version with rear roof luggage rack but I have decided that this is a little too difficult to do. There is the possibility that LBC may produce the Royal Blue variant later, if there is sufficient demand. These pics show it with the castings cleaned up and primed: grey primer for the chassis and seats, white primer for the body as it will end up in Tilling cream with green mudguards as Hants & Dorset ran them.

That's useful info, Rick. I intend to change the headcodes on mine too, in the very near future.

I do like those Dirty Boy weathered examples. Here is my straight out of the box D6570, side by side with D6585 with modified cab roof profiles (compare the edges in particular with Rick/gwiwer's photos earlier). The main (large) side grilles on the new version are a little too prominent but overall it does look better than the original. I particularly like the new bogie side frames, althugh the brake blocks are still not in line with the wheel treads. My D6570 is currently fitted with a TCS M1P decoder, after burning out a cheap Hattons one! I will try to get something a little beefier to replace the TCS one but I have run out of good quality 8-pin decoders (I usually like ESU ones for Heljan locos but Lenz are also ideally suited).

With reservations about the main side grille, I succumbed and ordered a green with full yellow ends version, because I still appreciate having one with the earlier roof style and better roof shape. The grille can be fixed later (another potential customer for Shawplan here!). That will make it seven Heljan 33s in my 'collection': 3 x old 33/0s with slightly reshaped cab roofs, 1 x new 33/0, 2 x 33/1 and 1 x 33/2. Four of these are fitted with sound from three different sources (Howes, legomanbiffo and Digitrains/Paul Chetter). One question: can anyone remember what the sound was like when they still had the large silencers fitted? I would assume they would have been considerably quieter in early days, which means the existing sound projects available probably won't suit the original condition versions, but can someone confirm this please?