Morning all. I'm looking at buying the book sets from Dapol of the gwr and east coast hst sets. Obviously they come as a 4 Car set. What length trains did they run in, and what carriages would I need to make the book set into a full length train? Thanks...

East Coast:
TF-TF-TRFB-TS-TS-TS-TS-TS-TGS

GWR is a bit harder, not least because the bookset includes the buffet, but GWR got rid of most of the buffets by the time they refurbished the sets. A lot now have mini-buffets or no buffet at all. They used to be composed the same as East Coast with one fewer TS, now there are 6 and even 4 car sets.

Look on YouTube for all the various arrangements!

Thanks for the quick reply to a novice, so a few TS coach will bulk them out nicely for now, can't decide make them 5 or maybe 7 long not sure I've the space for more 9/11 Car sets...

Yep, definitely! If you're running a shorter rake then TF-TRFB-TS-TS-TS-TGS will look reasonable without needing 6+ feet!

Thanks all. I've gone for the two book sets and a couple of extra TS coaches for each making them 6 Car units. Will be dwarfed by my pendolino 11 Car units, only so much you can run through....well when i start the track build ...

Quote from: njee20 on November 05, 2018, 03:14:29 PM
East Coast:
TF-TF-TRFB-TS-TS-TS-TS-TS-TGS

GWR is a bit harder, not least because the bookset includes the buffet, but GWR got rid of most of the buffets by the time they refurbished the sets. A lot now have mini-buffets or no buffet at all. They used to be composed the same as East Coast with one fewer TS, now there are 6 and even 4 car sets.

Look on YouTube for all the various arrangements!

The GWR sets are all 8-car, although as you say there are various types of buffets.
The Dapol model is numbered as a TRFB (although it has the wrong window arrangement for this), and the set they've done is the first one which received GWR green. THe formation should therefore be TF-TRFB-TS-TS-TS-TS-TS-TGS.

Well over half of the GWR buffets are first-class variants, so the formation would be as above with whichever of them is used in place of the TRFB.

With the small buffets (TSMB?) the formation is TF-TC-TSMB-TS-TS-TS-TS-TGS. Dapol haven't done this type of buffet, or the TC.

In the case of both GW and East Coast (and Virgin East Coast), one of the TSs has a disabled toilet which alters the window arrangements (and with the GW ones, there are several variants).

The set Dapol have done in GWR green has actually now mostly gone off-lease and at least four of the carriages have gone to Scotrail. The remaining GWR HST fleet is in a mixture of liveries - some in green, but some remaining in the previous blue.

There are also the sets being refurbished for use on local services in the SW, which are comprised of TS-TS-TS-TGS. The livery is the same green, but they have power doors so look different. If the incorrect doors doesn't bother you, this is an option for a short set, although it does render the buffet in the set redundant as one isn't needed.

Hi Check with Railtec transfers as Steve does some natty yellow line packs with cantrail oranage line attached - so an easy piece of modelling to add yellow lines to make a TC - coach number would be wrong but perhaps steve will oblige at some point. TSMB - easy  to do by painting out window on one side.  I wonder if Steve could do a matching transfer window blank as an easy modelling option.

Robert   

Quote from: robert shrives on November 05, 2018, 08:50:23 PM
Hi Check with Railtec transfers as Steve does some natty yellow line packs with cantrail oranage line attached - so an easy piece of modelling to add yellow lines to make a TC - coach number would be wrong but perhaps steve will oblige at some point. TSMB - easy  to do by painting out window on one side.  I wonder if Steve could do a matching transfer window blank as an easy modelling option.

Probably talking blue here, though - I'm not sure that any TCs or TSMBs have been repainted.

Are there not some 2+4 HSTs in GWR green? Didn't realise they were all 2+8 still.

I use a Posca lining pen to do yellow first class stripes. Did it on my FGW ones as it annoyed me that Dapol got it right on the buffet (gap between cantrail and first class stripe) and didn't on the TFs. Cruel close up below, looks good to me from normal viewing distance. Top is Dapol TF, middle is my modified TS, bottom is buffet with correct lining:

FGW by njee20, on Flickr

Only one 2+4 set so far, in green but it has power doors so the model isn't quite right. More sets to come.

Here are the power doors on a Crosscountry HST - the GWR and Scotrail ones are of an identical design.

How small do you want to go?

If you are going to include stock moves you can have a single power car - they do sometimes trundle quite long distances between depots on their own - e.g. Leeds to Edinburgh or Derby.

The GWR 2+4 Castle HST sets with power doors are available from Electra Rail, along with the new Scotrail Inter7City sets.

Power car vinyls will work with Farish or Dapol but coaches are designed for Farish only.