Lapford station in N gauge.

[hexagon789]

Yeah it’s just a bit of a concoction of various bedside lamps and an old mini strip light thing out of my dads old kitchen really. Just the main light in the room isn’t enough that’s for sure, but you can brighten up photos on the phone a bit once you’ve taken them as well obviously.

New post!

Right then, @hexagon789 - What have I got wrong here?
Too near the front of the train (I actually did that for photographic purposes)?
The coach is the wrong way around?

Operational advice needed…

View attachment 108251

View attachment 108250

To be honest which the carriage working books would prescribe formations to be followed, in practice that didn't always occur. Vehicles would be swapped for others of similar or different type as necessary if maintenance requirements demanded it.

The prime consideration was keeping the service running, followed by trying to maintain similar seating capacity/dining arrangements as possible.

For a catering car, next to First Class was the most common arrangement, but on services which split or had catering vehicles only part journey, those catering vehicles would be placed where most operationally convenient, such as in the middle or at the extreme front or rear to allow easy detaching.

The WoE in the 1970s with Mk1s for instance usually had a Mk1 RU, immediately next to a full First FK on one side and and an open second the other side used for "fluid dining".

I'd need to check some carriage books for later years and the immediate pre-NSE days, but that was the situation in the early 1970s before a lot of catering provision on secondary routes was significantly rationalised.

The vehicle pictured looks like an RU, but carrying Restaurant Buffet branding would make it a post-rationalising conversion to RU(B) or RBR.

I can't make out the number though, which would make it easier to identify - because I can just look it up straightaway in one of my books and cheat with the identification!

 

[Peter C]

Right then, @hexagon789 - What have I got wrong here?
Too near the front of the train (I actually did that for photographic purposes)?
The coach is the wrong way around?

Operational advice needed…

View attachment 108251

View attachment 108250

Now I'm not @hexagon789 (strangely enough), but just thought I'd jump on to say those are some super photos. Good idea to put the buffet restaurant so close to the engine

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

To be honest which the carriage working books would prescribe formations to be followed, in practice that didn't always occur. Vehicles would be swapped for others of similar or different type as necessary if maintenance requirements demanded it.

The prime consideration was keeping the service running, followed by trying to maintain similar seating capacity/dining arrangements as possible.

For a catering car, next to First Class was the most common arrangement, but on services which split or had catering vehicles only part journey, those catering vehicles would be placed where most operationally convenient, such as in the middle or at the extreme front or rear to allow easy detaching.

The WoE in the 1970s with Mk1s for instance usually had a Mk1 RU, immediately next to a full First FK on one side and and an open second the other side used for "fluid dining".

I'd need to check some carriage books for later years and the immediate pre-NSE days, but that was the situation in the early 1970s before a lot of catering provision on secondary routes was significantly rationalised.

The vehicle pictured looks like an RU, but carrying Restaurant Buffet branding would make it a post-rationalising conversion to RU(B) or RBR.

I can't make out the number though, which would make it easier to identify - because I can just look it up straightaway in one of my books and cheat with the identification!

Great stuff Hexagon thanks for that.
I just nipped up and took a photo of the number:



E1974
Need some passengers in there!

Now I'm not @hexagon789 (strangely enough), but just thought I'd jump on to say those are some super photos. Good idea to put the buffet restaurant so close to the engine

-Peter

Wouldn’t be a bad place to have lunch would it?

 

[hexagon789]

Now I'm not @hexagon789 (strangely enough)

I tell you what, Peter - I'll designate you honorary Hexagon789 Depute. Whenever I am absent from the forum you can stand in for me, I'll even provide a life-size cardboard cut-out free of charge!

Of course I'll disavow all actions taken while acting on my behalf, that goes without saying...

but just thought I'd jump on to say those are some super photos.

They are at that - @Cowley you having a competition with Dave from Waverley West - 'Spot the model'?

E1974

Bizarre - this one is one of the very few in that batch never to be converted to have a buffet counter according to Longworth. Withdrawn Aug '79, scrapped Mar '80.

So, no idea why it's carrying the Buffet Restaurant markings. Of course that arguably makes it perfect for a renumbering to a suitable WR example.

Also, you're going to love me(!), but I've found the prototype photo I was thinking of. Exeter St D's, 1979, Class 33 and while the RU has been converted to RBR still got the traditional pairing with an Open Second for fluid dining:

Class 33 33021 - Exeter St Davids.

Descending downgrade from Exeter Central, 33021 was almost at journey's end with the 09.00 departure from London Waterloo, arriving at Exeter St Davids on July 28th 1979. The nine-coach train with a mix of BR Mk.I's & Mk.2's included a Mk.I Buffet/Resturant Car (RBR).

flic.kr

(Photo credit Martyn Hilbert)

 

[Cowley]

I tell you what, Peter - I'll designate you honorary Hexagon789 Depute. Whenever I am absent from the forum you can stand in for me, I'll even provide a life-size cardboard cut-out free of charge!

Of course I'll disavow all actions taken while acting on my behalf, that goes without saying...



They are at that - @Cowley you having a competition with Dave from Waverley West - 'Spot the model'?



Bizarre - this one is one of the very few in that batch never to be converted to have a buffet counter according to Longworth. Withdrawn Aug '79, scrapped Mar '80.

So, no idea why it's carrying the Buffet Restaurant markings. Of course that arguably makes it perfect for a renumbering to a suitable WR example.

Also, you're going to love me(!), but I've found the prototype photo I was thinking of. Exeter St D's, 1979, Class 33 and while the RU has been converted to RBR still got the traditional pairing with an Open Second for fluid dining:

Class 33 33021 - Exeter St Davids.

Descending downgrade from Exeter Central, 33021 was almost at journey's end with the 09.00 departure from London Waterloo, arriving at Exeter St Davids on July 28th 1979. The nine-coach train with a mix of BR Mk.I's & Mk.2's included a Mk.I Buffet/Resturant Car (RBR).

flic.kr

(Photo credit Martyn Hilbert)

Ah that’s some great detail there.

There’s a couple of interesting things about that train actually.
A couple of weeks ago I saw a similar image of a 33 on a Waterloo -Exeter service running down the bank and that featured an RMB as the second coach behind the loco, which I’d always assumed was what those trains usually had…
The train in this photo is also interesting to me though because of the amount of mk2s in it. Again I thought that in the days of class 33s those trains were pretty much all mk1s.

As I said a few posts back I kind of got it to run behind the Western on my friends railway but it would also go nicely behind the blue 33 by the looks of things.
Not sure I’ll be tackling renumbering it though!

 

[hexagon789]

A couple of weeks ago I saw a similar image of a 33 on a Waterloo -Exeter service running down the bank and that featured an RMB as the second coach behind the loco, which I’d always assumed was what those trains usually had…

I'm guessing that's what took over from full restaurants because by the middish-1980s when the sets became all Mk2a/b/c, catering was provided with Mk2C TSOT conversions which are essentially an even more miniature Miniature Buffet. I must look up the carriage working books and see - ots completely unrelated to what I'm doing but you've got me interested!

The train in this photo is also interesting to me though because of the amount of mk2s in it. Again I thought that in the days of class 33s those trains were pretty much all mk1s.

Not sure when the Mk2s would've appeared, but as with so many things 81-82 is a good year to guess because lots of Mk2s were cascaded in those years because of:

- ER/ScR HSTs all delivered freeing up lots of 2D/Fs
- MML went to HSTs in 1982, again feeing up air-con stock
- freed up air-con stock went to the Scottish Region and the Great Eastern among others in turn freeing up older Mk2s
- the NE-SW HST sets were introduced freeing up Mk2 stock
- the West Country WR Expresses became HSTs, freeing up air-con stock for various secondary and even sons tertiary WR workings which freed up older Mk2s (I'm guessing this latter cascade is where the WoE got its Mk2 a/b/c stock from).

As I said a few posts back I kind of got it to run behind the Western on my friends railway but it would also go nicely behind the blue 33 by the looks of things.
Not sure I’ll be tackling renumbering it though!

Does anything not look nice behind a Western (within reason - no Mk3s please )?

 

[Peter C]

I tell you what, Peter - I'll designate you honorary Hexagon789 Depute. Whenever I am absent from the forum you can stand in for me, I'll even provide a life-size cardboard cut-out free of charge!

Of course I'll disavow all actions taken while acting on my behalf, that goes without saying...

Why thank you - I'll have a card printed up forthwith
If there's any chance the cardboard cut-out could be OO gauge, that'd be easier. Although the antics which would follow with silly photos on the layout might bring a swift end to my time in the role...

-Peter

 

[hexagon789]

Why thank you - I'll have a card printed up forthwith
If there's any chance the cardboard cut-out could be OO gauge, that'd be easier. Although the antics which would follow with silly photos on the layout might bring a swift end to my time in the role...

-Peter

That would be brilliant though, I don't think we'd all stop laughing for weeks...

 

[Cowley]

I'm guessing that's what took over from full restaurants because by the middish-1980s when the sets became all Mk2a/b/c, catering was provided with Mk2C TSOT conversions which are essentially an even more miniature Miniature Buffet. I must look up the carriage working books and see - ots completely unrelated to what I'm doing but you've got me interested!

Well I remember them very well and I actually bodged a Lima mk2 into one back in the day…

Not sure when the Mk2s would've appeared, but as with so many things 81-82 is a good year to guess because lots of Mk2s were cascaded in those years because of:


- ER/ScR HSTs all delivered freeing up lots of 2D/Fs
- MML went to HSTs in 1982, again feeing up air-con stock
- freed up air-con stock went to the Scottish Region and the Great Eastern among others in turn freeing up older Mk2s
- the NE-SW HST sets were introduced freeing up Mk2 stock
- the West Country WR Expresses became HSTs, freeing up air-con stock for various secondary and even sons tertiary WR workings which freed up older Mk2s (I'm guessing this latter cascade is where the WoE got its Mk2 a/b/c stock from).

Yes that’s a good point actually. There must have been plenty of the around after all that.

Does anything not look nice behind a Western (within reason - no Mk3s please )?

Not much to be fair although I don’t know if Network Southeast would have suited them?

 

[hexagon789]

Well I remember them very well and I actually bodged a Lima mk2 into one back in the day…

Another thing I need to 'bodge' for my Inversnecky Mk2 sets

Not much to be fair although I don’t know if Network Southeast would have suited them?

Ask and thou shall receive :

Network SouthEast: Class 52 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotive (fiction)

The Western Region diesel hydraulics were prematurely withdrawn in the 1970s, primarily because they were deemed to be non-standard on a railway that had standardised on electric transmission, rather than any fundamental shortcomings in their design or construction. Had a different attitude...

flic.kr

(Copyright northernblue109 flickr)

 

[Cowley]

Another thing I need to 'bodge' for my Inversnecky Mk2 sets


Ask and thou shall receive :

Network SouthEast: Class 52 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotive (fiction)

The Western Region diesel hydraulics were prematurely withdrawn in the 1970s, primarily because they were deemed to be non-standard on a railway that had standardised on electric transmission, rather than any fundamental shortcomings in their design or construction. Had a different attitude...

flic.kr

(Copyright northernblue109 flickr)

That actually doesn’t look that bad!

 

[hexagon789]

That actually doesn’t look that bad!

The same account has a large number of 'what-if' liverying of locos and MUs, there are some intriguing combinations.

I've checked the CWNs as well, no '79 but '78 has the Exeter-Waterloos as per that photo with an RB-SO Mk1 catering combination. The rest of the set is booked Mk2 air-brake (so a/b/c stock), by 1980 the familiar set-up with 3 TSO, two back-to-back BFK, TSOT micro-buffet and another 3 TSO is in place. Still possible RMBs saw use either booked or ad-hoc replacing an unavailable RB.

The Exeter-Barnstaple locals also change through this period, with the booked 4 set of TSO-TSO-BSK-CK becoming a 5 set of SK-SK-BSK-CK-SK.

 

[Cowley]

Well my Farish class 47 seems to have randomly packed up.
Basically it made a kind of electrical popping sound and then stopped dead, I’ve tried it with a different decoder and it’s exactly the same, the lights work as they should but nothing else.
Annoying!

 

[reddragon]

Well my Farish class 47 seems to have randomly packed up.
Basically it made a kind of electrical popping sound and then stopped dead, I’ve tried it with a different decoder and it’s exactly the same, the lights work as they should but nothing else.
Annoying!

Just like a real 47 then!

 

[TheEdge]

Just like a real 47 then!

No, they'd dump more vital fluids on the track. @Cowley needs to pour some Castrol GTX on the layout for realism.

 

[Cowley]

No, they'd dump more vital fluids on the track. @Cowley needs to pour some Castrol GTX on the layout for realism.

I like 47s (not this one right now though)!

Being towed to Laira for further investigations.

 

[BRblue33]

That look's good with a split headcode class 37.

 

[reddragon]

I like 47s (not this one right now though)!

Being towed to Laira for further investigations.
View attachment 108471

Where's the fire damage . . hahaha

 

[hexagon789]

Well my Farish class 47 seems to have randomly packed up.
Basically it made a kind of electrical popping sound and then stopped dead, I’ve tried it with a different decoder and it’s exactly the same, the lights work as they should but nothing else.
Annoying!

Sorry to hear that; no jokes about "Duffs" mind, or I'll get the 47 Preservation Society to have words...

Just like a real 47 then!

Hey, I said no "Duff" jokes...

I like 47s (not this one right now though)!

Being towed to Laira for further investigations.
View attachment 108471

The combo works well, and as much as it pains me to say it I've seen one or two such pairings.

Where's the fire damage . . hahaha

View attachment 108472

Ouch, what happened with that?

 

[Peter C]

Well my Farish class 47 seems to have randomly packed up.
Basically it made a kind of electrical popping sound and then stopped dead, I’ve tried it with a different decoder and it’s exactly the same, the lights work as they should but nothing else.
Annoying!

I thought I'd responded to this earlier - apologies - but that really doesn't sound good. I wonder if a wire somewhere has touched a bit of the clever inside bits (technical term) and shorted it? That's the only thing I can think of, not sure if it's anywhere near being right though - or if it's even plausible. If in doubt, hit it with an N gauge hammer, that's my advice

Being towed to Laira for further investigations.
View attachment 108471

Making the best of a bad situation! I quite like that livery on a 47, reminds me of 47376 on the GWSR.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

@BRblue33 , @hexagon789 , @reddragon and @Peter C - Thanks for the replies.
Had to do the failed 47 drag. Didn’t fancy doing a 47500 and setting fire to it (well not much anyway).

I ended up ringing Bachmann in the end and they’re quoting about £47 for replacing the pcb which for peace of mind is probably the best option I think. It’s just a bit too tiny for me to tackle and I’d rather work an extra hour and pay for someone else to do it!

We had a running session on my friends railway on Monday night and these were the pick of the photos:

 

[reddragon]

Weathered locos look better in the snow!

 

[Cowley]

Weathered locos look better in the snow!

Definitely.

 

[cossie4i]

I’m in the wrong job Cowley lol
Great pictures.

 

[Peter C]

@BRblue33 , @hexagon789 , @reddragon and @Peter C - Thanks for the replies.
Had to do the failed 47 drag. Didn’t fancy doing a 47500 and setting fire to it (well not much anyway).

I ended up ringing Bachmann in the end and they’re quoting about £47 for replacing the pcb which for peace of mind is probably the best option I think. It’s just a bit too tiny for me to tackle and I’d rather work an extra hour and pay for someone else to do it!

We had a running session on my friends railway on Monday night and these were the pick of the photos:

View attachment 108669View attachment 108670View attachment 108668

£47 for a 47 PCB - I dread to think how much they'd charge for the equivalent for a first-generation DMU...
In all seriousness though, that's not amazing but like you say, it's sometimes just easier and better to pay that kind of money to know someone who won't just stick a screwdriver in it will fix it all. (Famous last words...)
Those photos are lovely. There's something with the perspective on the first one which makes it look particularly nice.

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

£47 for a 47 PCB - I dread to think how much they'd charge for the equivalent for a first-generation DMU...
In all seriousness though, that's not amazing but like you say, it's sometimes just easier and better to pay that kind of money to know someone who won't just stick a screwdriver in it will fix it all. (Famous last words...)
Those photos are lovely. There's something with the perspective on the first one which makes it look particularly nice.

-Peter

It is a lot of money but I think it worked out as £20 parts and £27 for the work.
At the moment it’s no use to anyone so I might as well do it I suppose…

I’m in the wrong job Cowley lol
Great pictures.

Thanks Cossie.

 

[reddragon]

It is a lot of money but I think it worked out as £20 parts and £27 for the work.
At the moment it’s no use to anyone so I might as well do it I suppose…

Scrap line / awaiting repairs as were many 47s, you like weathered locos so maybe weather on some fire damage!

 

[Iskra]

Very nice shots those. Always a fan of the toothpaste livery!

 

[takno]

It is a lot of money but I think it worked out as £20 parts and £27 for the work.
At the moment it’s no use to anyone so I might as well do it I suppose…


Thanks Cossie.

Everything's so expensive at the moment, and n gauge is crazy fiddly. I can definitely see the sense in getting somebody to do the repair

 

[SteveM70]

Those are really, really brilliant photos. I do like this thread