Robert Shrives

Check out Peters spares he has packs of finer profile coach wheel sets with lima length axles and they are very good - I have them under most of my lima vehicles. The big tlc coupler can be cut off leaving a mounting plate for a Kaydee no 5- use a small screw through coupler box into the lima plastic - or whetever as glue does not take well. This gives a cheap upgrade with out going down the road of new bogie mounts etc. The Replica and Southern pride B4 bogies are very good if you want to go down other roads. Robert

The development is left of field but not a boundary maker or a 6! But it does depend where you stand. To introduce a UK finescale model system from the get go is brave and perhaps shows the shrink ray machine has been perfected. Clearly this exciting development has been under wraps for awhile. The fun thing is that in UK a 3mm 1:100 modellers scale has been in the niche corner- historically using 12mm with varying standards for track and an uber niche gang using 14.2. The parallels can be drawn win 16.5 and 21mm Irish modelling. Historically 1:120 scale on 12mm track is pretty near scale but like the HO/OO of old UK small loading gauge saw the track kept and scale increased to 1:100 (approx) and Triang led the way but did not displace or compliment OO enough and the mainstream trade in UK fell away. 1:120 kept faith with two odd bedfellows - the US and USSR! With reasonable trade support . The European models for metre gauge models on 12mm track shine with central motor and PCBs for DCC and lighting on 12mm The steam locos are also well built but do not easily help the idea of fitting a new body represent to another company or era and is very popular across Europe with many fine evocations of the ideal "Swiss chocolate box village with a railway." Peco had the track sorted with HOm 12mm track with decent sleepers and points with code 75 rail. In 1:120 Peco have noted the fact that the track has UK spacing sleepers but at a 1:120 is now underszed for exsisting UK 12mm track users. HOm while not right looks better than the new offering. Seemingly a good move but not a complete model system until the news today of Heljan shrink raying a BR class 31 and suggestion of shunters in steam and diesel outline suddenly makes the 1:120 launch much more successful, however the timescales brings in the retail dread of delay.. track June this year , loco mid next and no stock seen at anything other than early CAD. As a lover of 12mm TT Triang I can see the track development as really good and there is suggest a 12mm point that is a current day replacement of the triang point which opens up a very brightly lit upland! I have pre ordered a blue 31 and hopefully make up some sort of layout and see what comes. I too look forward to new layouts and a flip given to the hobby. Robert

Hi loads on ebay obvs check for 7 windows blue grey cheapest NSE go for a bit more. Robert

My silverfox one came with set of etches for the sliding window frame units and after flash removed from buffers was an easy repaint. I was going to use an older Jouef chassis as a starting point but then found tucked indie the body was a resin centre section belly tanks complete with cutout for the gen set. So I cut some 2mm plasticcard as a chassis and was going to fit the jouef interior. However this all in the to do mountain range as I was able to obtain 3 coaches and driver as rtr models in Silver fox boxes - and very good it is to. I will also support MM and his forthcoming MK3 models so will end up with three. So I guess doing the first two which had Linke Hoffmann- bushe dart style bogies would be "fun" to vary the view. Robert

Fun to see 155 in a crossover livery, one end does look to have been in the wars with the badly chipped paint. Thanks for showing. Robert

Given the era and that Shildon works had been churning out 11000 4 wheel MGR wagons for the UK market and then a CDA varation perhaps 50 5`3" CDA might have been possible conceived as a solution but engines .I guess more 071s on hire. Makes the might have been engines rotate swiftly... Robert

Worth soldering joiners rather than fitting droppers for such a short length of rail ? Good to see work continuing. Robert

Yes a good one with both skins broken through, which takes some doing and must have scared passengers, sadly part of the fabric of life at the time. Robert

Phil, Differing braking system a 3 pipe air brake on the Hunslets and normal twin pipe on the 111s . The 3rd pipe was a straight air brake - I guess so engine only brake could be applied remotely when two engines on the train. This change why 8xx vehicles became 9xx to show change to two pipe when both classes of loco overlapped and some push pull work was possible. Oh and confuse folk like my me working out the evolution of the fleet! Robert

Hi corp pack one with - gen brake and two coaches gives minimum adding pack 3 in corp livery gets the coaches and buffet add on, albeit 6 vehicles but could stand some down/ sell on ... the DBso brake ceased being a driver once hunslets finished and used as a second brake as required. Robert

Certainly getting there and as you note some tweaking required but at least nothing "fatally wrong" with work, just obvs no maroon and blue option - keeping your powder dry on that one for the hunslet news later this year ... At least it keeps me busy detailing Lima ones in the time ahead. Thanks to all involved Robert.

I really look forward to seeing the NIR versions in maroon and blue and packs of Hunslets to encircle them in time. These first decorated samples look good and hopefully after factory corrections all will be good to go, certainly give these rejects a retirement home and some new clothes... thanks for showing and keeping the froth as the last few hours have shown at bonus production rates... If only BR had invested in the MK2 style of demu for the Waterloo - Exeter and Portsmouth- Waterloo then as said above the NIR 80 would be a great add on run to a British model.. Robert

Hornby shorty M3 might be a good place to start for roof and connectors . Due slab sides it might be a case of cutting your own as cheapest option other wise something like a GUV or CCT from Lima ranges but you will still end up cutting doors and windows etc. Vents I got for mine from Ventura models on FB, IIRC as cannot find link now. Robert

That looks very tidy minded - hopefully you can now sort stuff to suit Good use for mini legs as well . You will need a back edge "crash barrier" now as recovery of that empty bogie flat/ wagon of choice will be pretty near impossible. Happy shunting when time comes. Robert

A good test , now it needs boxing up and given the first floor fire escape drop test. thus replicating contents of an ISO box on board in a force xx storm... or the postal service of your locality enjoying some drop kick training. Robert

Hi yes and of course knowing the shade of red does mean I can paint some lima MK2bs into the original Enterprise livery ensuring the powered surprise comes with suitably coloured coaches. The coach pack with 812 as DBSO and the mkb2b in "bumble livery" aready means 2/3 of an 80 class is in progress - albeit a one off it was quite long lived. A no brainer when spending the good lads money. Some discussion after IRM doing air con MK2s - clearly if an F type then the Gatwicks are easy fruit and would "only need" 8911... just saying - having yesterday started adding MIR translink transfers to an airfix Mk2 for "fun." Robert

looks like time interval working or ETRMS4 flexible block in use. control staff will need to exercise a little judgement on releasing traffic. The pics do show the capacity to abosrb stock quicker than the pocket can fund ! Brilliant as ever. Robert

Hi Thanks to the good gents with the 80 class - RAL 3005 "Wine red" has been reported as the shade used. The blue however was a colour match as no record of BS/ RAL/ pantone .. Robert

Very sharp modelling puts my bodging to shame ! I have to consider the interiors of the 450 class at some point... Robert

That info is really useful as I have a tinlet of precision NIR maroon. Might need a 5l tin!! Robert

Hi gang ! Steve at Railtec has indicated he could do the stripe for the white/ red stripe livery - also modified when on hire to IR. but is concerned that if he was to use say BR maroon he would be a "moving target" as it would be a wild guess. so does anybody have the RAL number or a Pantone ref for the red .... cheers Robert

930/ 775 Found a pic of it in UK stored - I think cut up now, shows Mk2 rovac so just 777 to prove but pretty likely that it is Rovac type as well..

Undoubtedly but I would think the faff of new body shells for these conversions over the std 3 shells required for the original versions means it will be a case of DIY , having said that the clever use of 811 in original form with a 774 - 780 style no middle door TS is made reasonably possible with the coach pack as advertised by IRM mated to an 80 class motor car. Current bodging plans involve a 310 emu coach side for the DTS passenger door arrangement behind the cab - off an etch from Southern Pride let into a either an etch MK2c or a thinned lima side- all pretty tragic for donnor vehicles... Robert

Interestingly DTS 753 which was a conversion (SO 5498 also looks to have large "class 70" style roof vents - , I wonder if stores were having a "fire sale." Need to tie down DTS 752 as that an earlier conversion in 1981 ,from TSO 5516 Robert

Well the following found with a couple of hours of disappearing into Flikr 774- ex BR5521 converted 1982 ran in original red and blue had large 70 class roof vents - only one. _ IC branded in Bumble bee livery 775 - Ex 930 rovac style. 776 ex 824 Mushroom style vents possibly only one as minority showing in pics. 824 was last of original 1970 Enterprise stock which might explain the mushrooms as the mK2b build was fitted with them. 777 ex 931 ..... 778 ex 826 rovac style - IC branded 779 ex 827 rovac style 780 ex 828 rovac style - IC branded All carried white with red stripe with "centrally placed" logo, all carried Bumble bee - need to go back and check if all got IC branding but pretty likely ( neck on block) . All bar 778 carried translink. Will have to check modern ish enterprise photos for 930/931 on grounds roof not likely to get make over as a MK11c rovacs were fitted so likely answer. Well it helps my quest on the mushroom vents and the 70 style vents as I can now number correctly. Robert