Silver Sidelines

This Post describes some modifications that I have made to a Replica Railways BR Mk1 RB. Previously i have modified the Mainline Maroon RB by fitting Finecast glazing, wire handrails and Bachmann close coupling mechanisms. I promised myself that I would do the same for the chocolate and cream Replica BR(WR) RB. Success! Replica Railways BR(WR) Restaurant Buffet on BR1 Bogies First task - find a suitable coach! Replica Railways Mk1 RB from around 1992 Models are bit like London buses. When I first started looking for a BR(WR) RB there didn’t seem to be any around and eventually my coach came from Australia. Then suddenly there were lots available here in the UK. On opening the box I was surprised to discover that Replica had painted the solebars chocolate to match the lower body panels – why? Was someone confused by the blue solebars ion the blue and grey version? They should be black and they can be over painted with new transfers added from the P...

My previousPost looked at some detail improvements to the old Mainline Restaurant Buffet including fitting Finecast Flush Glazing, wire handrails and simply filing the buffer heads. Mainline RB slotted into a rake of BR Mk Is all fitted with Hornby R8220 couplers For me the most important improvement is the fitting of the Bachmann close coupling mechanism. This enables the coach to be unobtrusively slotted into a rake of Bachmann Mk Is – in my case all fitted with Hornby R8220 couplers. Bachmann RU top, Mainline RB bottom My first plan for improving the Mainline Restaurant Buffet was to use a complete Bachmann RU underframe. Comparing the underside of the Bachmann 39-101 derivatives with the Mainline vehicle showed a great deal of similarity. The Mainline truss detail is perhaps heavier but when viewed from the side I don’t think there is much to choose between the two models. Either I would have to remove the corridor ends from the Bachmann underfra...

My first Mainline Restaurant Buffet came from the Cheltenham Model Centre in 1986 for the princely sum of £5.50. For the time it was a well detailed model and far superior to previous Mainline Mk1s which had holes in the sides to aid assembly. Original Mainline Restaurant Buffet – with re-painted roof I parted with my first Mainline RB in 2008 and upgraded to a Bachmann Restaurant Unclassified with metal wheels, wire handrails and close couplers. However there was a slight problem. The Bachmann maroon RUs only come with E or W prefixes. If you want an M prefix on a ready to run restaurant car with kitchen facilities it seems to me that it has to be the old Dapol / Hornby twelve wheeler. Fast forward to 2015 and there has been some correspondence on RMweb about the old Mainline / Replica Railways Restaurant Buffet Cars and in particular what to do about the recessed glazing and the raised window surrounds. I would take a second look at a Mainline 37-114. Main...