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...

I like my rakes of Bachmann coaches especially when the coaches are brought closer together. Close coupled Bachmann Mk1s hauled by Heljan Western King For track layouts with Peco Medium radius points and above with 36 inch radius or greater curves, there are a number of options available for bringing the coaches closer together. Some appear more readily available than others. My coaches have been bought over a number of years. As supplied by Bachmann they came fitted with what I believe are now referred to as 36-064 Long Cranked NEM couplings. Bachmann Cranked NEM couplings 36-064(long) left 36-027(short) right And from the side: Bachmann Cranked NEM couplings 36-027(short) top 36-064(long) bottom I standardised on Hornby R8220 (Roco) type couplings to go between coaches and Bachmann 36-027 Short Cranked NEM couplings for the ends of rakes to couple to the tension locks fitted to the locomotives. Roco 40270 left, Hornby R822...

I have given in to temptation and purchased one of Dapol’s Class 22 green diesels. (Left) D6313 (Head Code Boxes) back from hospital (Right) D6311 (Discs) fresh from its bath! In fact I have bought two Class 22s, one with Discs and one with split Head Code Boxes. Green Diesels from “The Western Since 1948” (G Freeman Allen 1979) I never saw the prototype but there is a picture of a Class 22 with an early form of air conditioning in the company of a couple of Warships in one of my favourite reference books for things ‘Western’. D6311 with Headcode Discs D6311 was purchased new from one of those well known retailers. It was very noisy and jerky. I was advised to apply some oil to the gearing - or if I was not happy the engine could be returned. The replacement model had been tested and was a little quieter. I still thought it was an uneven runner. The latest models have a small hole in the keeper plate on the underside of the bogie to aid...

I have been watching listings for the six wheel Stove R on that well known auction site. I have succumbed and ‘won’ one. From its name I imagined that it was perhaps a train heating van that the LMS had designed for use with the LMS twins. Dapol Stove R in company with Bachmann ex LMS BG How wrong can you be! A check with Jenkinson and Essery shows that the Stove R was Sir William Stanier’s first design for a ‘Full Brake’. It was a Period III design and appeared in 1932/33. It was a six wheel vehicle– the precursor to the more familiar 50ft BG. The name ‘Stove R’ is because the vans were later fitted with a central stove to keep the guard warm – we can imagine.  The Dapol model dates from 2010/2011. It was commissioned by Ian Allan Publications and marketed in their periodical, the Hornby Magazine. There is a comprehensive thread on RMweb from the time detailing modellers’ expectations and listing various perceived shortcomings in the model – too many door hi...