Steve has been in touch with his Hornby Thompson coaches:
“Hi Al
I have read a lot of discussion of the Hornby Silver Jubilee coach sets and how unrealistic they are.
I did think of buying a set to go along with the ‘Silver King’ that I purchased last year but they usually sold at very inflated prices.
A couple of weeks ago I purchased 3 Hornby Thompson coaches for 99p each (+postage!) on Ebay.
They are quite easy to dismantle and probably would have made one complete coach from the unbroken parts.
I decided to repair a coach side, a roof and the delicate parts of the bogies. I also needed some new buffers and coach wheels to replace those that were missing.
All 3 coaches are near completion. I am just waiting on the delivery of a set of coach wheels and some more buffers.
I am please with the result even though they are not that realistic compared to the actual Silver Jubilee coaches.
One day I might venture into building some of those articulated coach sets!
Steve”
“Hi Al;
I read your posts every day and have to tell you, there are some very clever model railroaders out there. I really enjoy the tips from all who contribute.
I have a little something that may be worth something to someone. I make my own N scale coal loads, here’s how I do it.
First I take a piece of sandpaper, cut it to fit inside the hopper, paint it black and sprinkle some real n scale coal on top. I think it makes a pretty convincing load, It’s quick, easy, and inexpensive.
Chuck M. USA”
Now on to Paul who has thought of a fun way to annouce his ripping up part of his fab layout, which you can see here.
“Hi Al,
It seems that an asteroid is coming and my Jurassic Adventure Park is right on the path to destruction. The demise of the dinosaurs is imminent. I guess I will have to put the land to better use so over the next few months I will expand my layout to make use of the new found area.
Paul”
That’s all for today folks.
A big thanks to Steve for sharing his Hornby Thompson coaches. And to Chuck and Paul.
Please do keep ’em coming – I’m running out of stuff so if you have anything to share, now’s a great time.
And don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide is here if you want to stop dreaming and start doing.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
Chuck I think you would need something a little more ridget then sandpaper.It may tend to sag. Corex sheeting works best ,no sag and water proof from the 50/50 water , glue mixture.
The Critic
I have been a big fan of this site for quite a while.
I have been wanting to create a turntable & roundhouse for my new layout for over six years. I start to drool at some of the creations enthusiasts have built whenever they are presented here.
How about a couple of issues on the construction of turntables and then the finished turntable / roundhouse scenes.
I know there has to be others like my self who truly appreciate the work that people have done on their turntable systems.
To all you contributors, you do not know exactly how much your work influences & helps so many other beginners and intermediate builders. Whenever I get stuck trying to figure out a part of my system design, I fall back onto the images I have saved of the exceptional work done by others. You all inspire us to do better.
God Bless you all. Stay safe!
Nice coaching stock…
The tip on the coal loads would work great in HO scale too…
John
Looks really great. I going to make my set something like this.
for chuck m regarding his coal loads. i have been making my own coal loads for ho hoppers. may i suggest the following, glue a small washer on under side of coal load as this allows for easy removal with a magnet. ike saylors
Ike, thanks for the suggestion, that’s a great idea. I think I’ll try that.
I built the Peco OO gauge turntable, which was very easy to construct and install , and added the Peco motor, and found it all very easy to install as well. It works beautifully, being smooth and quiet and with a little practice, easy to line up the bridge with the spurs.