Rejoice!!
Acording to the GF website, the following are on their way to the shops now:
379-500 Bristol VRT NBC Western National £7.75
379-503 Bristol VRT NBC United £7.75
379-515 Harrington Cavalier Trent £7.75
379-532 Bristol RELH Royal Blue £7.75
379-576 Leyland National United Counties £7.75
379-591 Bristol Lodekka NBC Eastern National £7.75
379-593 Bristol Lodekka SMT Western £7.75
Quote from: captainelectra on December 09, 2011, 07:44:35 PM
Rejoice!!
Acording to the GF website, the following are on their way to the shops now:
379-500 Bristol VRT NBC Western National £7.75
379-503 Bristol VRT NBC United £7.75
379-515 Harrington Cavalier Trent £7.75
379-532 Bristol RELH Royal Blue £7.75
379-576 Leyland National United Counties £7.75
379-591 Bristol Lodekka NBC Eastern National £7.75
379-593 Bristol Lodekka SMT Western £7.75
Typical.... No buses for years and then seven come at once....! :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: 4x2 on December 09, 2011, 08:02:42 PM
Quote from: captainelectra on December 09, 2011, 07:44:35 PM
Rejoice!!
Acording to the GF website, the following are on their way to the shops now:
379-500 Bristol VRT NBC Western National £7.75
379-503 Bristol VRT NBC United £7.75
379-515 Harrington Cavalier Trent £7.75
379-532 Bristol RELH Royal Blue £7.75
379-576 Leyland National United Counties £7.75
379-591 Bristol Lodekka NBC Eastern National £7.75
379-593 Bristol Lodekka SMT Western £7.75
Typical.... No buses for years and then seven come at once....! :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
LMAO :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
An appropriate day and they nearly missed the bus - as it's the last day of bendy bus services in London. I wonder how long it will take them to produce one in 1:148 scale. :evil:
H.
Bob of N-Train has already done a nifty 3D printed Bendy Bus. :)
Quote from: captainelectra on December 09, 2011, 09:36:04 PM
Bob of N-Train has already done a nifty 3D printed Bendy Bus. :)
Don't let Boris know :o
I used to drive these bendy buses in Bath - great fun !
These are much better than the rubbish they used in london, the engine is under the floor in the front section and the 'trailer' has rear wheel steering - a test of a real driver is to reverse these !
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee442/djmikeymike2011/bbc04.jpg)
Quote from: captainelectra on December 09, 2011, 09:36:04 PM
Bob of N-Train has already done a nifty 3D printed Bendy Bus. :)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa372/ntrainuk/3D%20Models/DSCF0881.jpg)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa372/ntrainuk/3D%20Models/DSCF0883.jpg)
Quote from: NTrain on December 09, 2011, 10:54:52 PM
Quote from: captainelectra on December 09, 2011, 09:36:04 PM
Bob of N-Train has already done a nifty 3D printed Bendy Bus. :)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa372/ntrainuk/3D%20Models/DSCF0881.jpg)
(http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa372/ntrainuk/3D%20Models/DSCF0883.jpg)
Hi Gang;
Does it bend then????
Later;
STU in KNID
:Class89:
As a matter of fact, yes the bus does bend. There is a design fault on the 'hinge' which allows one part of the body to drop from alignment, and I have no idea how I could turn this into a resin moulding.................................
Rails of Sheffield are doing the new GF Bus Depot for £29.50 for today only! Just ordered mine, ready for all those lovely Atlanteans! :)
what's everyone's favourite bus then????!!!!!
airbus A380 :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
no seriously it would have to be the leyland titan
it's the first bus i can remember as a child in wigan corporation livery
dave :thumbsup:
The original London Country "Superbus" Metro-Scanias from the Stevenage of my youth.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andytakersdad/1442393795/# (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andytakersdad/1442393795/#)
Some of the early dual-doored Leyland Nationals also appeared in this livery, with SB branding applied to other SV-based buses.
Quote from: bluedepot on December 12, 2011, 08:57:27 PM
what's everyone's favourite bus then????!!!!!
The Who's "Magic Bus" :music: ;D
i'm not into buses (that's just sad!!!), and to be honest all the ones i've been on have been pretty rubbish and run down and given a bad ride and had yobs upstairs!!!
anyway... if i was pushed i would have to select the dennis dominator as my favourite!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Dominator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Dominator)
Found a real gem - Atlantean AN7 in Rediffusion livery from around 1973.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/londoncountry/6303677753/#in/set-72157628022986424 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/londoncountry/6303677753/#in/set-72157628022986424)
I'm going to re-vinyl a Farish Atlantean when it appears ;D
Already got a model of mine.
Destination Board is correct with the places in the right order.. Used to go all sorts of places on them as a kid.
London Transport/London Country RT series :thumbsup:
Volvo B10 aka '113 - The beast' ! Any model of this bus in ANY gauge would be awesome ! ;D
This bus could do the kestle run in 12 parcecs... I know, i've driven it :evil: :evil: :evil: and it sounds SOOOO good that even clarkson would enjoy it !
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee442/djmikeymike2011/0113.jpg)
We had some B10M's,absolutely awful to drive,brakes were too sharp,jiggly ride,good engines though but absolutely boiling hot in the summer months due to the radiator being at the front.Later ones had them in a side panel just behind the doors.
The B10BLE's were a lot better,engine at the back,nicer to drive,brakes were a lot smoother,ie not just off and full emergency stop,went like a train so to speak,these were the original barbies.
When I took my PSV,this was taken on an Iveco mini bus,it was 1990 and the rules said that anything over 12 seats qualified as a bus,I think,so we did this.As a company we were then called SYT,this was before First became interested in us and bought us out which came much later in 1998.Anyhow,SYT policy was when a vacancy came up to progress from mini bus to double deck,we had to retake our test in a double decker.The training fleet consisted of Leyland Atlantean AN68's.Although they were cold and draughty old things,they were great to drive,these were the last ones we had that had semi automatic gearboxes and you could either drive em like a manual,ie accelerate,into neutral,let the revs drop,select next gear,then accelerate or just keep the accelerater floored and select the next gear without lifting off.It didn't matter which way you did it.
We had B6's which were again,awful,some Dennis Superdarts,again awful with brakes that pulled this way then that,electronics that often shut down the engine at any speed and were as rattly as a rattly thing that rattles and the fleet as it is today consists of Volvo B7's,B9's and Dennis Dart SPD's.The B7's are getting a bit old now but the B9's are still fairly fresh,despite having around 250k miles on the clock and being of 2008 vintage.
Pete
Quote from: captainelectra on December 12, 2011, 09:54:40 PM
Found a real gem - Atlantean AN7 in Rediffusion livery from around 1973.
Interestingly that was replaced by a different version in 1975, shown in the 1977 Ian Allan abc of London Buses. The Rediffusion band stayed the same, but all the pictures were changed. Of course, in both cases just the offside is shown. Quite likely the nearside would be different again.
Personally, I find the Daimler Fleetline to be the best buses....
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/tank_fv101/NGF/NSEbus.jpg)
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Gordon Bennett - is that thing for real :o :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: Tank on December 13, 2011, 10:01:46 AM
Personally, I find the Daimler Fleetline to be the best buses....
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/tank_fv101/NGF/NSEbus.jpg)
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
and i bet there was still someone come up to the driver and ask if it was the rail replacement bus lol,,,,,,,
Quote from: Pete Mc on December 13, 2011, 03:57:58 AM
We had some B10M's,absolutely awful to drive,brakes were too sharp,jiggly ride,good engines though but absolutely boiling hot in the summer months due to the radiator being at the front.Later ones had them in a side panel just behind the doors.
Quote from: 4x2 on December 12, 2011, 11:56:20 PMThis bus could do the kestle run in 12 parcecs... I know, i've driven it :evil: :evil: :evil: and it sounds SOOOO good that even clarkson would enjoy it !
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee442/djmikeymike2011/0113.jpg)
So, the above to drive, need Jedi reflexes do you? ;)
For me it would be a Leyland Atlantean in Maidstone and District colours.
Preferably with a 136 route code displayed.
These are the first buses I remember travelling on to visit my cousins in Chatham.
Boneshakingly good! :evil:
Quote from: Pete Mc on December 13, 2011, 03:57:58 AM
We had some B10M's,absolutely awful to drive,brakes were too sharp,jiggly ride,good engines though but absolutely boiling hot in the summer months due to the radiator being at the front.Later ones had them in a side panel just behind the doors.
The B10BLE's were a lot better,engine at the back,nicer to drive,brakes were a lot smoother,ie not just off and full emergency stop,went like a train so to speak,these were the original barbies.
When I took my PSV,this was taken on an Iveco mini bus,it was 1990 and the rules said that anything over 12 seats qualified as a bus,I think,so we did this.As a company we were then called SYT,this was before First became interested in us and bought us out which came much later in 1998.Anyhow,SYT policy was when a vacancy came up to progress from mini bus to double deck,we had to retake our test in a double decker.The training fleet consisted of Leyland Atlantean AN68's.Although they were cold and draughty old things,they were great to drive,these were the last ones we had that had semi automatic gearboxes and you could either drive em like a manual,ie accelerate,into neutral,let the revs drop,select next gear,then accelerate or just keep the accelerater floored and select the next gear without lifting off.It didn't matter which way you did it.
We had B6's which were again,awful,some Dennis Superdarts,again awful with brakes that pulled this way then that,electronics that often shut down the engine at any speed and were as rattly as a rattly thing that rattles and the fleet as it is today consists of Volvo B7's,B9's and Dennis Dart SPD's.The B7's are getting a bit old now but the B9's are still fairly fresh,despite having around 250k miles on the clock and being of 2008 vintage.
Pete
To be honest most of the B10's were rubbish, except for 113 - this one drove great, brakes were fine and no limiter.... The double deck versions were the worst, i took one of those over the severn bridge on a windy day. That was the day when i discovered that the colour of fear is brown !!! :smiley-laughing:
The other bus i miss is the good old Leyland Olympian... (aka Limpalong !) First service bus i ever drove, they just feel like a propper bus should. ;D
So, is anyone going to try to bash LEV1 from a couple of Leyland Nationals? tempting ;D
Quote from: 4x2 on December 12, 2011, 11:56:20 PM
Volvo B10 aka '113 - The beast' ! Any model of this bus in ANY gauge would be awesome ! ;D
This bus could do the kestle run in 12 parcecs... I know, i've driven it :evil: :evil: :evil: and it sounds SOOOO good that even clarkson would enjoy it !
(http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee442/djmikeymike2011/0113.jpg)
Great photo Mike! Brings back some memories.
Quote from: captainelectra on December 13, 2011, 08:24:40 PM
So, is anyone going to try to bash LEV1 from a couple of Leyland Nationals? tempting ;D
Good idea that - a couple of modded kato tram chassis and a bit of bodywork tweaking - job done ! ;D
The buses have arrived in Hattons!
http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/26/2/152/0/Graham_Farish_N_Gauge_Road_vehicles_buses/prodlist.aspx (http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/26/2/152/0/Graham_Farish_N_Gauge_Road_vehicles_buses/prodlist.aspx)
They look good, the ones I can see that is.
Shame the rest have no pics.
Leyland Atlantean in London Country colours :thumbsup:
Seem to remember going on a few of these from Gravesend to Dartford as a kid!
I've just preordered a Leyland Atlantean. :NGAUGE:
Can't wait to get some Atlanteans myself. Going to re-vinyl one up as AN7 in Rediffusion colours.
Been talking to some old friends in and AN7 became the first bus in the London Country fleet to wear the new green / white stripe NBC livery after losing it's brakes going down a hill in Stevenage.
On the subject of buses, I wonder when this will appear in N...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2076/6516806755/#in/photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/2076/6516806755/#in/photostream)
The Borismaster :)
Quote from: captainelectra on December 15, 2011, 08:07:23 PM
Can't wait to get some Atlanteans myself. Going to re-vinyl one up as AN7 in Rediffusion colours.
Been talking to some old friends in and AN7 became the first bus in the London Country fleet to wear the new green / white stripe NBC livery after losing it's brakes going down a hill in Stevenage.
If I'd been in it at the time there would have been brown stripes :o
Quote from: captainelectra on December 15, 2011, 08:10:27 PM
On the subject of buses, I wonder when this will appear in N...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2076/6516806755/#in/photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/2076/6516806755/#in/photostream)
The Borismaster :)
That's a superb looking bus! I didn't like it at first, but I can see the design features of it now. Two lots of stairs?! Fantastic idea.
From a bus drivers point of view... No better than a bendy bus ! Very long wheelbase means a huge turning circle and going extra wide around tight corners to avoid hitting kerbs. The mirrors don't look big enough either...
Sorry to put a downer on what should be a future icon of London, but as usual it seems the last people they asked for input from were the bus drivers... Everybody gets a say on how it looks, performs and how enviromentally sound it is, but nobody ever asks the poor sods who have to drive it for five and a half hours without a break, if it is comfortable or easy to drive on it's intended route.
Don't get me wrong, i'd love a go in one, but having driven Leyland Olympians in central London for a week doing rail replacement work after the 7/7 bombings (that was hard enough !) - I know i wouldn't want to spend a shift in one of those 40 foot long, £1 million monsters !
I'll be needing quite a few of these I suspect. VRs, Nationals, and the RELH.
Wonder why Hattons (or GF?) describe the united counties national as fitting the 1972-1982 era, they carried standard white fleetnames and NBC logos throughout this period.
Quote from: bluedepot on December 12, 2011, 08:57:27 PM
what's everyone's favourite bus then????!!!!!
My favourite to drive was definately the Dennis Pointer, little bus with loads of power!!!
Quote from: bees on December 15, 2011, 11:57:15 PM
Quote from: bluedepot on December 12, 2011, 08:57:27 PM
what's everyone's favourite bus then????!!!!!
My favourite to drive was definately the Dennis Pointer, little bus with loads of power!!!
.......Although yes I agree, the Leyland Atlanteans were great fun too!!!
>>what's everyone's favourite bus then?
Probably an AEC Reliance, with a late BET-style Marshall or Willowbrook 4-bay body, preferably in an attractive 2-tone green and cream livery, with Aldershot & District on the side.
Im amazed no one has said the Bristol VR and the leyland national. They were the buses of the late 70s/early 80s. Although id add a vote for the olympian to. Painted green and yellow.
Not into busses or coaches but my brother is, you can see some of his here ;D http://www.baylissexecutivetravel.co.uk/ (http://www.baylissexecutivetravel.co.uk/)
Whoah!
I was expecting a nice fleet of EFE models, not the real thing!
I've got a couple of the new buses and I'm waiting devlivery of some others which are on order.
Although they are very nicely finished I'm very dissappointed about the scale - the Bristol VRT is hopelessly underscale with doors measuring only 5'3" in scale height, the overall length is a tad under 29' (should be 32'9" or 36') and the width is just 7'6". The bus looks tiny and is very small when placed up against a 1:150 scale Fleetline DMS.
The Harrington Cavalier scales out at just under 28' but should be 30' for the original 'short' version.
Could someone please measure the Leyland National.
H.
Worryingly, on passing those dimensions through a calculator, that sounds like they may be to 1:160 scale.
Quote from: BernardTPM on December 16, 2011, 02:07:15 PM
Worryingly, on passing those dimensions through a calculator, that sounds like they may be to 1:160 scale.
I was wondering about that especially as the packaging doesn't mention 1:148 scale (unlike the Farish railway stuff that does) and only says
'N Scale Buses'.
H.
the mrs confirmed that amongst my stocking fillers is a leyland national,,,, look forward to getting it,,,
Quote from: tadpole on December 16, 2011, 09:52:11 AM
Whoah!
I was expecting a nice fleet of EFE models, not the real thing!
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Aye, no longer a son of Fife, my wee bro is now a man of Kent apparently, and with his own fleet.
BTW if anyone in the south east needs white collar chauffeur hire or executive coach hire, don't bother mentioning my name to him he wont give you a discount - you can take a man out o Fife but you can never take the Fife out o a man :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
:smiley-laughing:
Quote from: Lawrence on December 16, 2011, 08:32:40 PM
Quote from: tadpole on December 16, 2011, 09:52:11 AM
Whoah!
I was expecting a nice fleet of EFE models, not the real thing!
:smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
Aye, no longer a son of Fife, my wee bro is now a man of Kent apparently, and with his own fleet.
BTW if anyone in the south east needs white collar chauffeur hire or executive coach hire, don't bother mentioning my name to him he wont give you a discount - you can take a man out o Fife but you can never take the Fife out o a man :smiley-laughing: :smiley-laughing:
He's neither me ol' china!
You're only a Man of Kent if you were born East of the River Medway.
If you were born west of the river, like me, you are a Kentish Man.
Sorry! He's still a Fife Man. (Or whatever terminology you use up there!)
Oh and BTW, never tell anyone born in Kent that they are from Essex, BIG MISTAKE!
Fierce rivalry stemming from way back in time.
Thankfully the River Thames seperates us! :evil:
I may have lived north of the M25 for nearly a decade, but that part of me won't change. :smiley-laughing:
Quote from: BernardTPM on December 16, 2011, 02:07:15 PM
Worryingly, on passing those dimensions through a calculator, that sounds like they may be to 1:160 scale.
We did the maths for the National and VR in the RMweb thread...
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49106-bachmann-n-gauge-buses-scenecraft/page__pid__561497#entry561497 (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49106-bachmann-n-gauge-buses-scenecraft/page__pid__561497#entry561497)
Those two work out at aprox 157/158:1 in length and width but 1:160 in height. i.e. they are under height even for their own length/width...
disappointed about the buses being the non british n scale....
i guess if i move it away from any 1:148 vehicles it will look ok though????
tim
Quote from: bluedepot on December 20, 2011, 06:17:16 PMi guess if i move it away from any 1:148 vehicles it will look ok though
It'll still be on a 1:148 road next to 1:148 buildings, trains, figures and scenery. You'll need to rebuild all the scene around it to a smaller scale.
H.
that's a real f##k up by bachmann, any comment from them on this???
tim
Quote from: H on December 20, 2011, 07:16:49 PM
Quote from: bluedepot on December 20, 2011, 06:17:16 PMi guess if i move it away from any 1:148 vehicles it will look ok though
It'll still be on a 1:148 road next to 1:148 buildings, trains, figures and scenery. You'll need to rebuild all the scene around it to a smaller scale.
H.
Put it next to N gauge track, it'll be the trains that are wrong then ;)
Taken delivery of some GF buses today, namely three Nationals, two VRs and a Lodekka. Have to agree wholehartedly with the comments regarding the scaling of these models. The Leyland National isn't too bad but the VR and Lodekka are tiny and positively dwarfed by the Oxford Routemasters.
There's nothing worse than a pair of undersized Bristols! ;D
Now, I really need some white "London Country" NBC branding for the Leyland Nationals and will consider doing a vinyl strip to run along the roofline if no better alternative is available.
what livery leyland nations did you buy?
tim
United Counties green - I think they are the only ones out at the moment.
I'll be adding a couple of Green Line ones when they are available, not to mention a handful of Atlanteans!
i'm going to buy the national in stagecoach livery...
tim
Quote from: captainelectra on January 17, 2012, 08:00:49 PMNow, I really need some white "London Country" NBC branding for the Leyland Nationals and will consider doing a vinyl strip to run along the roofline if no better alternative is available.
I think you will find a ready market for most NBC fleetnames - virtually all NBC fleets had VRs and Nationals at some time...
Oxford South Midland were famous for never having any Nationals, their single deck fleet being mostly coaches and various random oddities. Alder Valley ran Nationals into Gloucester Green regularly from Reading and Newbury, as if to say "look what we've got". I didn't see any COMS drivers in tears over it.
I'm happy to be corrected, but I don't recall Midland Red having any VRs. Not ECW bodies ones, anyway? Maybe some second-hand ones in later years?
Bachmann have released a statement regarding the size issues in response to the RM Web Thread (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49152-farish-n-gauge-buses-now-out/page__view__findpost__p__584630):
They acknowledge they are undersize (but say 1:152 rather than 1:160) however it does not say whether they intend to correct it for future releases...
When Ixion/Dapol owned up to producing a British N gauge model (GWR steam loco) to the wrong scale they withdrew them and re-made it to the correct scale; exchanging customer bought models at no further cost.
Will Bachmann match that I wonder?
H.
Quote from: tadpole on January 18, 2012, 09:27:08 PMOxford South Midland were famous for never having any Nationals, their single deck fleet being mostly coaches and various random oddities. Alder Valley ran Nationals into Gloucester Green regularly from Reading and Newbury, as if to say "look what we've got". I didn't see any COMS drivers in tears over it.
I'm happy to be corrected, but I don't recall Midland Red having any VRs. Not ECW bodies ones, anyway? Maybe some second-hand ones in later years?
I did say
'virtually all'... but of course there were exceptions (and Midland Red was always a law unto itself!) The other one is Southern Vectis who I don't think had any Nationals from new (they may have later got some second hand)
a bit off thread, but can anyone tell me what types would have been in service around Inverness in the late 1980s, and any idea of schemes ?
had thought probably Nationals, but not certain.
cheers
alan
Quote from: class37025 on January 19, 2012, 07:58:35 PM
a bit off thread, but can anyone tell me what types would have been in service around Inverness in the late 1980s, and any idea of schemes ?
had thought probably Nationals, but not certain.
cheers
alan
my grandad lives just down the coast in lossiemouth in morayshire, from trips to elgin ther was a mix all different buses that i couldnt even start to pretend to identify but i can recalect seeing nationals til a bit later up there but then i dont know if the same operator (bluebird i think it was) served inverness,,,
Many thanks for that Fratton, I'll google bluebird and see what come us.
cheers
alan
they had olympians in the late 80's so nationals shouldnt be too unrealistic, they are stagecoach bluebird now, most of the pictures taken of them are in elgin so i would search inverness,,,
I'll try to help with the Inverness late 80s question - I moved to Aberdeen in the very in 1990ish, so caught the tail end of this era:
Single deckers - Undoubtedly Alexander bodied Leylands/Volvos, Y-types, P-types and T-types. Probably NOT many Nationals actually.
Double deckers - fleetlines/Atlanteans, and as already mentioned, Olympians. Again, mostly Alexander bodied.
Liveries - country buses would've been SBG-style Highland red/turquoise - gradually being replaced by early Stagecoach. There was also Rapsons, blue livery, but I think that might've been formed later when Highland hived off certain areas which got amalgamated with someone else - not sure?? (I'd imagine McBraynes fits into this story somewhere, too). The City buses also became Stagecoach, branded "IT" (Inverness Traction, Bluebird branding came much later). Not sure what livery they would have worn before, maybe Highland as well?
Quote from: PLD on January 19, 2012, 09:10:49 AM
Bachmann have released a statement regarding the size issues in response to the RM Web Thread (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49152-farish-n-gauge-buses-now-out/page__view__findpost__p__584630):
They acknowledge they are undersize (but say 1:152 rather than 1:160)
They look smaller than that and people who've micrometered them say some at least are nearer 1:160 than much else.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on January 20, 2012, 10:28:06 AM
Quote from: PLD on January 19, 2012, 09:10:49 AM
Bachmann have released a statement regarding the size issues in response to the RM Web Thread (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49152-farish-n-gauge-buses-now-out/page__view__findpost__p__584630):
They acknowledge they are undersize (but say 1:152 rather than 1:160)
They look smaller than that and people who've micrometered them say some at least are nearer 1:160 than much else.
They certainly are. And even worse is the fact that the scale they are made to is inconsistant; the height, length and width all seem to be to different scales.
1:152 would probably have been a lot more acceptable and less noticeable with 1:148, but 1:160................ oh dear.
H.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on January 20, 2012, 10:28:06 AM
Quote from: PLD on January 19, 2012, 09:10:49 AM
Bachmann have released a statement regarding the size issues in response to the RM Web Thread (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49152-farish-n-gauge-buses-now-out/page__view__findpost__p__584630):
They acknowledge they are undersize (but say 1:152 rather than 1:160)
They look smaller than that and people who've micrometered them say some at least are nearer 1:160 than much else.
Sorry, I could have made that clearer...
It is Bachmann who are now saying they are 1:152, rather than the 1:160 we modellers agree them to be closest to having measured them...
Yeah 1:152 wouldn't bother me - its within the 'looks right' window providing you don't put the same or very similar thing in 1:152 and 1:148 next to each other but 1:160 is the point at which people start appearing not to fit in and it looks odd IMHO.
Mind you I've had worse. I got an "N scale" white metal landrover that looked tiny. Seems it was actually 1:200 or so. It's now looking fine on a Z scale plank 8)
Best option for undersize vehicles is to place them towards the rear of the layout and away from anything that is to the correct scale.
I'm thinking of getting a Lodekka and repainting it in United red, then placing it under a bridge towards the rear of my layout - I was thinking of doing a bit of 'perspective' modelling there anyway.
Having said all that, is it not easier these days for manufacturers to get it right??? I don't understand how obvious dimensional errors can get through to the tooling and manufacturing process. Forget about the errors in dimensions of these vehicles being corrected: it would require brand new tooling and would not make economic sense.
Quote from: BlythStationLad on January 27, 2012, 09:12:32 AM
Best option for undersize vehicles is to place them towards the rear of the layout and away from anything that is to the correct scale.
I'm thinking of getting a Lodekka and repainting it in United red, then placing it under a bridge towards the rear of my layout - I was thinking of doing a bit of 'perspective' modelling there anyway.
To create a proper false perspective you need to make everything in that zone (the 'rear of the layout') to the reduced scale; so that means the roads, buildings, bridges, street furniture, figures and other vehicles. And, of course you can't run trains close by otherwise they'll destroy the illusion by appearing to be too big.
H.
Unless the trains are smaller too - didn't Copenhagen Fields experiment with T gauge in the back ?
I've seen a OO layout with N in the background... In a RM Annual from when I was a kid. It looked ok in the photos, not sure what it would look like in RL.
But we are talking about a very small reduction in scale so I think it could work really well.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on January 28, 2012, 10:18:13 PM
Unless the trains are smaller too - didn't Copenhagen Fields experiment with T gauge in the back ?
Yep, I have seen it although it appeared to be on display through a 'hole' in the backscene board. They weren't the first; back in the 70s/80s there was a large scenic N gauge layout with a Z gauge section high up in the hills at the rear.
H.
The one at Bewdley station did that if I remember correctly. That was an amazing layout.
I know these have been a long time coming, but today I picked up the first of the Leyland PD2s to be delivered. The photos are the Southdown and Trent liveries, and Leicester City is available. Picked up at Osborn's models when passing through Bideford today. Hurried photos taken with my iPad in subdued hotel room lighting. Before someone asks the inevitable scale question, I'll be getting out my trusty IKEA paper tape measure shortly. Ah well no IKEA tape so I folded some A4 paper into four and my length estimate is just under 50 mm - so shorter than 1/148 scale and close to 1/160 scale again.
(http://i68.servimg.com/u/f68/12/12/53/02/image11.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/view/12125302/141)
(http://i68.servimg.com/u/f68/12/12/53/02/image10.jpg) (http://www.servimg.com/view/12125302/140)
That's a shame, I won't be buying any based on the size issues. They do look good and I could have done with many of them to furnish my layout.
Jamie
These are really nice looking models that bring back great memories. Shame about the scale issue, but it's not stopped me buying any of them.
They look quite nice,if they were parked at the back of a layout the
scale wouldn't be too obvious, now how about an N gauge
Inspector Blakey,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,