What are you running currently?

[Iskra]

In the theme of the popular ‘what’s your latest acquisition’ thread, I thought I’d do one where we can share highlights of our latest running sessions, which probably aren’t significant enough to justify their own thread but cumulatively interesting enough to warrant an ongoing thread, especially as we come into the winter modelling season. It’s also a great way for people to introduce their layouts, without necessarily starting their own thread.

- - -

I’ve fairly recently changed the stock on my layout from steam/BR Green diesels over to 1980’s/1990’s era. This gives me the option to run a mix of my favourite locomotive-hauled services, or units too for variety and flexibility:

So I’ve currently got a:

- BR Large Loco Class 37 on the tourist train. The 37 also does freight work and regular passenger work.
- BR Scotrail 156’s operating the normal passenger service
- A class 20 that does some freight work, shunting, test train, departmental work, nuclear flasks (rule 1) and occasional passenger work.
- A portion working of the Highland Sleeper with a BR Intercity class 37/4 on the front.

With a bit more rule 1, the following run:

- A once daily HST service to London Kings Cross
- A once daily class 47 hauled Intercity cross country service on Mk2 stock.
- Various DMU’s including a WYPTE 158 as that’s one of my favourite livery’s. At this point rule 1 has well and truly taken over and the layout is more of a busy terminus than a remote branchline…

So, what are you currently running?

 

[Peter C]

Oooooh this is a brilliant idea for a thread @Iskra! Loving those photos. You've got a great variety of stock! And I think 'Rule One' is perhaps one of the best ways of running a layout - I thoroughly enjoyed it when I had mine set up. I'm also very partial to a good HST set so you've got my attention there if nothing else

-Peter

 

[sprinterguy]

Ooh this is a good shout that could run and run.

In the theme of the popular ‘what’s your latest acquisition’ thread, I thought I’d do one where we can share highlights of our latest running sessions, which probably aren’t significant enough to justify their own thread but cumulatively interesting enough to warrant an ongoing thread, especially as we come into the winter modelling season. It’s also a great way for people to introduce their layouts, without necessarily starting their own thread.

- - -

I’ve fairly recently changed the stock on my layout from steam/BR Green diesels over to 1980’s/1990’s era. This gives me the option to run a mix of my favourite locomotive-hauled services, or units too for variety and flexibility:

So I’ve currently got a:

- BR Large Loco Class 37 on the tourist train. The 37 also does freight work and regular passenger work.
- BR Scotrail 156’s operating the normal passenger service
- A class 20 that does some freight work, shunting, test train, departmental work, nuclear flasks (rule 1) and occasional passenger work.
- A portion working of the Highland Sleeper with a BR Intercity class 37/4 on the front.

It's worth noting that there were never any 37/4s in Intercity livery, as none were ever allocated to the Intercity sector. They wore the similar, "jack of all trades", Mainline livery which admittedly matched IC liveried sleeper and landcruise stock well.

On that note, recently, my 37404 'Ben Cruachan' had a particularly prestigious outing with the general managers saloon.

 

[Iskra]

Oooooh this is a brilliant idea for a thread @Iskra! Loving those photos. You've got a great variety of stock! And I think 'Rule One' is perhaps one of the best ways of running a layout - I thoroughly enjoyed it when I had mine set up. I'm also very partial to a good HST set so you've got my attention there if nothing else

-Peter

Thank you!

Ooh this is a good shout that could run and run.

It's worth noting that there were never any 37/4s in Intercity livery, as none were ever allocated to the Intercity sector. They wore the similar, "jack of all trades", Mainline livery which admittedly matched IC liveried sleeper and landcruise stock well.

On that note, recently, my 37404 'Ben Cruachan' had a particularly prestigious outing with the general managers saloon.

Ah, thank you for pointing that out! I think I just assumed it was Intercity because, well it looks very similar from a distance doesn't it! It does make some sense though; 37's aren't the fastest locomotives.

I'm liking the look of that Inspection Saloon train. I always think very short trains look interesting and catch the eye!

 

[Cowley]

Ah, thank you for pointing that out! I think I just assumed it was Intercity because, well it looks very similar from a distance doesn't it! It does make some sense though; 37's aren't the fastest locomotives.

@sprinterguy will know this anyway but it’s worth mentioning, although no 37/4s received Intercity livery some 37/0s actually did do for their work on the sleeper trains in Scotland back in the 1990s, and very good they looked too:

A photo from Bob Avery in this thread:


Anyway, nice idea for a thread @Iskra. I’ve been fettling things for the show next weekend and tonight I’ve been running my newly put together extremely tatty late 1960s/early 70s train of vans:


My 31 with a train of wagons full of reclaimed sleepers/bits of rail etc:


Sometimes I like to run things that are more ‘main line’ like a sleeper train (definitely not suitable for the Barnstaple line):


And my Dutch 33 pretending it’s somewhere near Honiton in 1992!

 

[hexagon789]

@sprinterguy will know this anyway but it’s worth mentioning, although no 37/4s received Intercity livery some 37/0s actually did do for their work on the sleeper trains in Scotland back in the 1990s, and very good they looked too:

A photo from Bob Avery in this thread:
View attachment 146888

Anyway, nice idea for a thread @Iskra. I’ve been fettling things for the show next weekend and tonight I’ve been run my newly put together extremely tatty late 1960s/early 70s train of vans:
View attachment 146891

My 31 with a train of wagons full of reclaimed sleepers/bits of rail etc:
View attachment 146892

Sometimes I like to run things that are more ‘main line’ like a sleeper train (definitely not suitable for the Barnstaple line):
View attachment 146889

And my Dutch 33 pretending it’s somewhere near Honiton in 1992!
View attachment 146890

Very nice photos there

 

[Cowley]

Very nice photos there

Thanks Hexagon. Pretty sure that original Network Southeast is a terrible livery, but I really like it.

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks Hexagon. Pretty sure that original Network Southeast is a terrible livery, but I really like it.

It has an attractive ruggedness about it

 

[Iskra]

@sprinterguy will know this anyway but it’s worth mentioning, although no 37/4s received Intercity livery some 37/0s actually did do for their work on the sleeper trains in Scotland back in the 1990s, and very good they looked too:

A photo from Bob Avery in this thread:
View attachment 146888

Anyway, nice idea for a thread @Iskra. I’ve been fettling things for the show next weekend and tonight I’ve been running my newly put together extremely tatty late 1960s/early 70s train of vans:
View attachment 146891

My 31 with a train of wagons full of reclaimed sleepers/bits of rail etc:
View attachment 146892

Sometimes I like to run things that are more ‘main line’ like a sleeper train (definitely not suitable for the Barnstaple line):
View attachment 146889

And my Dutch 33 pretending it’s somewhere near Honiton in 1992!
View attachment 146890

That’s very interesting. So is that a 37/4 behind the 37/0 providing heat, or would there be a generator coach in the rake?

Very nice photo’s, I really like the parcels and engineering train!

 

[Cowley]

That’s very interesting. So is that a 37/4 behind the 37/0 providing heat, or would there be a generator coach in the rake?

They had generator coaches and the trains were massive as they had Motorail vans as well, so a full 16 or so coaches on the workings I managed to get.

Very nice photo’s, I really like the parcels and engineering train!

Thanks mister.

 

[sprinterguy]

Ah, thank you for pointing that out! I think I just assumed it was Intercity because, well it looks very similar from a distance doesn't it! It does make some sense though; 37's aren't the fastest locomotives.

Yeah, there's not much that separates the scheme visually from the Intercity identity, and having checked the ends of the boxes of my assorted Vitrains and Bachmann 37/4s in Mainline livery, both manufacturers have incorrectly described the livery as 'Intercity' - It wasn't described as such in contemporary sources when the livery was current.

Thanks Hexagon. Pretty sure that original Network Southeast is a terrible livery, but I really like it.

I'm quite fond of the original NSE loco livery, but it was very much of its time and dated quite quickly compared to the later version, in my view.

---Separate post----

Lima's thirty year old 'Super Sprinters' can be a bit hit and miss for electrical conductivity, but I've found that they are reliable runners when combined with regular use, and they do effectively capture the look of the real things and authentically replicate their distinctive and soothing "clickety-clack" over rail joints.

 

[43055]

'What am I not running Sunday'. Due to the overtime ban 43002 and 43314 join 57302 for a nice Sunday rest.


Meanwhile 43357 prepares to start the 1230 to Edinburgh which is one of the few services that is running.

 

[D1511]

Ooh this is a good shout that could run and run.

It's worth noting that there were never any 37/4s in Intercity livery, as none were ever allocated to the Intercity sector. They wore the similar, "jack of all trades", Mainline livery which admittedly matched IC liveried sleeper and landcruise stock well.

On that note, recently, my 37404 'Ben Cruachan' had a particularly prestigious outing with the general managers saloon.

Nice thread, and I will prepare my contribution presently. However, having done some recent sectorisation research, as I creep from era 7 into era 8 (because I like the triple grey and the railfreight sector branding - and class 90s!) I have found out a few things I'd forgotten (or never knew in the first place)

I quote from CJMs book "Rail Liveries BR years 1948-1996" from a caption alongside a photo of 37420 in black white and red executive livery "A total of 19 members of Class 37/4, plus a handful of 37/0 and 37/5 were repainted into Mainline or Executive livery. Some examples carried the INTERCITY branding and swallow insignia on the upper body panel. The scheme was standard 2 tone grey, off-set by red and white waist height bands. If applied, nameplates were fitted on the upper body panel with a red ground."

Italics are my emphasis, but according to Mr Marsden, there were some INTERCITY branded examples.

 

[Cowley]

Nice thread, and I will prepare my contribution presently. However, having done some recent sectorisation research, as I creep from era 7 into era 8 (because I like the triple grey and the railfreight sector branding - and class 90s!) I have found out a few things I'd forgotten (or never knew in the first place)

I quote from CJMs book "Rail Liveries BR years 1948-1996" from a caption alongside a photo of 37420 in black white and red executive livery "A total of 19 members of Class 37/4, plus a handful of 37/0 and 37/5 were repainted into Mainline or Executive livery. Some examples carried the INTERCITY branding and swallow insignia on the upper body panel. The scheme was standard 2 tone grey, off-set by red and white waist height bands. If applied, nameplates were fitted on the upper body panel with a red ground."

Italics are my emphasis, but according to Mr Marsden, there were some INTERCITY branded examples.

The one pictured in post #5 has the Intercity branding @D1511

 

[D1511]

Mr Marsden isn't terribly clear on the 37/4 issue, but the one in post 5 is clearly one of the 0s that were so painted. I'll keep looking for a 37/4 with a swallow on!

 

[hexagon789]

Ah yes, Mr 'All corrections greatfully received' not...

I wouldn't trust most of what he puts his name to.

Some of the inaccuracies in his books and photo captions are so glaring it's frankly sad.

 

[D1511]

Ah yes, Mr 'All corrections greatfully received' not...

I wouldn't trust most of what he puts his name to.

Some of the inaccuracies in his books and photo captions are so glaring it's frankly sad.

I recall the pocket books had introduced the livery details back then, so presumably he could just count them.
I reckon there must have been one 37/4 at least, so I'll trawl through some more pics.....

 

[Cowley]

I recall the pocket books had introduced the livery details back then, so presumably he could just count them.
I reckon there must have been one 37/4 at least, so I'll trawl through some more pics.....

I must admit that I don’t believe there were any 37/4s in Swallow livery but I’m not certain. I wonder if it’s worth putting this out to the history section types..?

I’ve met Mr M in the pub in Dawlish a couple of times. A great photographer and good fun to have a beer with. Not sure I’d trust him to remember which beers he’d actually ordered though.

 

[sprinterguy]

Nice thread, and I will prepare my contribution presently. However, having done some recent sectorisation research, as I creep from era 7 into era 8 (because I like the triple grey and the railfreight sector branding - and class 90s!) I have found out a few things I'd forgotten (or never knew in the first place)

I quote from CJMs book "Rail Liveries BR years 1948-1996" from a caption alongside a photo of 37420 in black white and red executive livery "A total of 19 members of Class 37/4, plus a handful of 37/0 and 37/5 were repainted into Mainline or Executive livery. Some examples carried the INTERCITY branding and swallow insignia on the upper body panel. The scheme was standard 2 tone grey, off-set by red and white waist height bands. If applied, nameplates were fitted on the upper body panel with a red ground."

Italics are my emphasis, but according to Mr Marsden, there were some INTERCITY branded examples.

That quote seems to conflate two different things: The 37/0s and 37/5s, as Intercity sector locos allocated to the Aberdeen and Inverness sleepers, received INTERCITY insignia, and Swallow livery, the 37/4s did not. And no 37s at all wore IC Executive livery, though the contemporary Platform 5 pocket books describe the Mainline livery that they wore "As Old Intercity [Executive], but without the yellow cabsides", so the differences in the basic colour palette between those two were minimal.

There seems to have been a strange thing that's crept in recently where 'Swallow' livery is described as 'Executive', despite Executive actually being the previous scheme with yellow cabsides, rail alphabet font and double arrow logos: I'd previously thought that it was purely a Hornby error, but perhaps not.

 

[D1511]

That quote seems to conflate two different things: The 37/0s and 37/5s, as Intercity sector locos allocated to the Aberdeen and Inverness sleepers, received INTERCITY insignia, and Swallow livery, the 37/4s did not. And no 37s at all wore IC Executive livery, though the contemporary Platform 5 pocket books describe the Mainline livery that they wore "As Old Intercity [Executive], but without the yellow cabsides", so the differences in the basic colour palette between those two were minimal.

There seems to have been a strange thing that's crept in recently where 'Swallow' livery is described as 'Executive', despite Executive actually being the previous scheme with yellow cabsides, rail alphabet font and double arrow logos: I'd previously thought that it was purely a Hornby error, but perhaps not.

Interesting. He's obviously had one too many pints with @Cowley
What you've said is certainly my understanding of that livery.....double arrows and yellow cabsides ....and in some random examples, roofs as well!

 

[sprinterguy]

Interesting. He's obviously had one too many pints with @Cowley
What you've said is certainly my understanding of that livery.....double arrows and yellow cabsides ....and in some random examples, roofs as well!

Yellow cab roofs were certainly a standard and distinctive feature of the Executive livery: Quite striking, I've always been quite keen on it, though with c.40 years of hindsight it was a livery very much of its time.

 

[Cowley]

Interesting. He's obviously had one too many pints with @Cowley

You can never have too many!

What you've said is certainly my understanding of that livery.....double arrows and yellow cabsides ....and in some random examples, roofs as well!

Yellow cab roofs were certainly a standard and distinctive feature of the Executive livery: Quite striking, I've always been quite keen on it, though with c.40 years of hindsight it was a livery very much of its time.

I must admit that I really love it, I think partly because it bought a bit of colour to the railway when it first came out. My favourite was always the Scottish (Highland Rail) fully ploughed up Inverness versions though. Mmm…

 

[sprinterguy]

You can never have too many!

Fully agreed.

I must admit that I really love it, I think partly because it bought a bit of colour to the railway when it first came out. My favourite was always the Scottish (Highland Rail) fully ploughed up Inverness versions though. Mmm…

Oof, now you're really talking. Stunning machines, those Scottish 47/4s in Executive.

Definitely a vibrant change from BR blue, and 'large logo' was very smart and striking in that mid-eighties period, too.

 

[D1511]

Fully agreed.

Oof, now you're really talking. Stunning machines, those Scottish 47/4s in Executive.

Definitely a vibrant change from BR blue, and 'large logo' was very smart and striking in that mid-eighties period, too.

Our light blue body stripe up here was nicer than the red in my opinion, but 47s did look smart in that Executive livery with the wraparound graphite and yellow ends. Most of the IS locos had graphite roofs and red stripes though, but the HA 47/7s mostly had the yellow roof and light blue waistband

 

[sprinterguy]

Our light blue body stripe up here was nicer than the red in my opinion, but 47s did look smart in that Executive livery with the wraparound graphite and yellow ends. Most of the IS locos had graphite roofs and red stripes though, but the HA 47/7s mostly had the yellow roof and light blue waistband

That's an interesting point regarding the dark grey roofs on those IC executive 47s: I wonder if that was purely an Inverness depot affectation at the end of the eighties? As they all seemed to have yellow cab roofs, as standard, to start with and then received dark grey ones later.

'Blue stripe' Scotrail livery readily suited absolutely everything it was applied to.

 

[Iskra]

I’ve changed the stock on my Fort George layout to modern, just to cycle the fleet so everything gets a decent run. I don’t have a GBRF 66 yet and there are no CS 73/9’s so I’ve used some EWS substitutes. The 37 and Inspection Saloon is masquerading as an LSL jolly.

 

[hexagon789]

I’ve changed the stock on my Fort George layout to modern, just to cycle the fleet so everything gets a decent run. I don’t have a GBRF 66 yet and there are no CS 73/9’s so I’ve used some EWS substitutes. The 37 and Inspection Saloon is masquerading as an LSL jolly.


View attachment 156728View attachment 156730View attachment 156729View attachment 156731View attachment 156732View attachment 156733

Very nice