DiveController

They're often out of stock on item. Nice bargain though

I suspected there was a reason such as this and this makes lot of sense. Our 'representatives' have been pretty good at finding ways to dispose of entrusted funds over the years with little or no return on the 'investment'. GM probably thought it was a great PR stunt for them too, with the focus on cutover satisfaction (but unlikely they footed any part of the bill). As Stephen points out the class is now subtotally shelved, so we can 'save' money on newer traction and coaching stock. The MkIIIs had half a lifetime too bar the few to be resurrected in Scotland.

Ivan, I looked at your kit and the photos again and, honestly, the windows shapes appear to look the same. I understand you're striving for perfection but you're also going to have to fit the kit windows into any space you create unless you're going to customize them.

As there is presently no rtr 121 Class locomotive available from any manufacturer, I am considering completing a MIR 121 kit and mounting it on a modern chassis. Ideally, the chassis would have to be at least DCC ready with a view to potentially putting a decoder/sound decoder in this at some point. I would also like the chassis to be equipped with directional lighting from the outset if possible. Most importantly the chassis should be a modern chassis with excellent operational qualities, and good slow running speed. Previously the Athearn SW1500 switcher seems to have been a popular or necessary choice. However, these did not necessarily run to the standard we have no come to expect. As I understand in more recent years (maybe around 2011 or 2012), Athearn upped its game and improved its SW chassis to include a modern 5-pole skew wound motor with flywheels and all-wheel pickup on it B-B switchers. There is a bewildering variety of new SW1500 switchers out there so I am uncertain about which ones meet these requirements. While trying to research the subject I also realized that some of the switchers have different trucks/bogies, some being AAR A-type, B type or Flexicoil bogies. Since the MIR kit side frames seems not to be compatible with the Athearn chassis I would like to select one with bogies that most closely resembles the 121 class locomotive. If anyone has used more modern SW1500 switchers by Athearn or another manufacturer, I would be grateful for any advice you can offer. If anyone can offer any advice on the bogies, this may help me to narrow down the road names that I might be looking for as a donor. Any specific recommendations are also very welcome. Many thanks

Nope and the Euro rate stills sucks, so maybe as well for now

The central window would be RECTANGULAR but instead of being vertically orientated would be in a plane that tilts toward the locomotive (from bottom to top) as the 'flat' lower front of the locomotive angles backwards at about waist height in the cab (kinda like any car windscreen, (if it were flat)) However, it looks like the lower centre of the cab of the only part that is vertical and perpendicular (vertically and transversely) to the long axis of the locomotive. It looks like each side, right and left of the center front panel also angles towards the locomotive (from centrally to the side). The distance between the central and side window frames appears to remain constant between (say,) the top and bottom. Hence, (while remaining parallel to the centre window edges, from the front and angling away from the central window on each side) the non-central windows are not parallelograms but QUADRANGULAR in shape. The tops and bottoms of these windows are parallel to each other and only the central side of them is parallel to the central window vertical edges. Now, if theres a curve on these panels, everything I just said is wrong for the non-central windows. So hopefully whoever designed the kit also came to the same conclusions. And since the corners are rounded all these shapes are approximate While all of this might be evident on the prototype, I doubt you would appreciate it scaled down 76 times, so it's likely the window will appear as a rhomboidal parallelogram with rounded corners (side are unequal length), not a rhombus (equal) Sorry, I may have driven you completely mad now

Roll on the beloved ICRs What was also interesting was the comment form John McCarthy that they would operate at 100mph …… Oh, wait, you'd need appropriate infrastructure for that. Anyway that said, it was a record-breaking heavy-lift operation. I wonder how much time was saved and money spent to speed up the order? I can't help wonder if the order had been submitted a few weeks sooner, whether there would have been a need to airlift her at all or whether GM's factory at London, ON was the limiting factor?

If your modeling is better (or seems better to you) while inebriated, then have a Happy New Year and happy modeling! (TYPO Fixed above 12 Days OF Christmas)

=)) A bit late, Dave but appreciated! Optional?……. Is that the new urban slang for essential? Otherwise your post is 'phat' and 'sick' …...hope I'm not breaching the forum rules on the (mis)use of the 'English' language 12 days OF Christmas, Rich (then follows sobriety, for an indeterminate period) You're still in time Merry Christmas!

Same, Tom. Sorry

Gotta agree with Weshty here. I'm subscribed to this thread so been waiting patiently for an update. Definitely worth the wait. l remember that skew bridge from my childhood and the model's really perfect. Even the steps beneath. I think all the superlatives have been used. You should be very proud of that:drool:

Child's play for you, Eoin. Didn't even need the high-amp cutter gizmo! Wish the models were all that easy:D Happy Christmas, guys!

This is the sum total of my modeling efforts for today, Christmas Eve. I'm calling it the gatekeepers cottage since it was a joint effort between me and what I hope will be the next generation of railway modeller presently aged four years old! Upstairs are "Dad's trains" (which can be taken for a spin on a couple of DC loops, and treated with the utmost respect) and 5'x3' play table covered with Thomas the Tank Engine tracks, stations, and engines!

Merry Christmas, John! I guess in NZ you're already on Christmas Day so You get to open your prezzies first. A little ways still to go over here in US. However,…. NZPS & USPS have done well this time, kits arrived unexpectedly early and in time for Christmas! Depends on whether your nearer to Mayner or more in west Kerry nearer me:D As soon as you can get away with it would be my opinion! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Thanks, David & Maitland. I remember Grayrigg now that you mentioned it. Completely preventable, 5 years for the furore to die down, a paltry slap on the wrist (no, £4m isn't really that much (and better spent on track maintenance, I know)), and a knighthood to boot. Spectacular!

Some of the measurements seems critical to success and maybe easier to do in O gauge than OO?

I'm not reading anything above. Spoiler alert!

How does that run, Noel? I think the SW1500 is a recommended donor chassis for the MIR 121 kit, iirc. As a connoisseur of centre drive double flywheel motors, would value your opinion on that or a video if possible? K

Eh,… same question, Des, what chassis and how does it run?

Great little thread, I considered trying to buy a Dublo crane on eBay after this but it went for too much so I opted out of the bidding. Are these superior in any way to the more modern plastic version? they're not prototypically correct if I recall and Eoin seems to think they need a little refining. Nice little thing though, IMHO

So I wonder why they needed interlaced track then but in this age of health and safety and high viz vests and …. Well, why go with to a facing "Y" point now? Are modern points more reliable with regard to absence of potential derailing, someone decided it had been unnecessary in the first place on safety grounds, or what? The bridge is no lower now and I presume if the bridge itself was not going to 'hold' a derailing loco then it would not do any better job now. We did have a discussion about facing points and modern stiffer track on another thread here in the last year or so but I'm not sure if any of that factors into this? Was the interlaced track controlled by a token/key as there were separate up down lines but these would normally overlap/interlace as here? Were the tracks interlaced because bridge was too narrow or could not support the weight of two trains on the bridge simultaneously?

Not exactly, the first wagon is actually green with a heavy coat of rust. The browns probably outnumber them 3:1 now

Hehehe I'd never have believed it! It's not your usual flavor of Black'n'Tan for sure I think this B-B switcher (SW1500) is still current, photos of her up to two years ago but mainly in the US Midwest http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=15663

So was I Think you've used that one before, JB but I like it:D Agreed. My personal MacBook Pro has been very trusty indeed until this week when augmented multi-mode authentication plus a software upgrade at work left my OSX 10.7 no longer supported for remote access. Time for a long overdue replacement for the iMac that is still in perfect order behind me, also no longer 'supported' due to it G5. So a new iMac will be purchased no doubt in the New Year which may finally spur me to contemplate what to design for the newly negotiated real estate

Old Hornby Dublo. Are these metal or plastic?