Trix and Lima Scales

Newportnobby · July 19, 2013, 09:32:55 PM

I have been sorting out my Mk1 coaching stock today but have also suffered severe brain fade (heat and age probably

).
I have some 24 Lima Mk1's and believe these to be 1/160 scale
I have some 13 Minitrix Mk1's but am not sure if these are 1/148, 1/150.
Before I take a decision on what to dispose of can some kind soul put me out of my misery and confirm what scale these coaches are.

EtchedPixels · July 19, 2013, 09:40:22 PM

The trix ones are 1:148 and not far off scale although the lack of flush glazing detracts from them a bit. In other areas like the underframe they are arguably superior to the old Farish ones.

The Lima ones are basically toy trains not models. (except the Mark 1 four wheel CCT which isn't bad at all)

BernardTPM · July 19, 2013, 11:04:15 PM

The Minitrix Mk.1s were developed jointly with Peco who originated 1:148 scale. The Lima Mk.1s are meant to be 1:160, but are rather too wide and sit a bit high on the bogies. Ironically this meant that their BGs, by lucky accident, were almost the right length!

Newportnobby · July 20, 2013, 12:31:54 PM

Thanks very much, Chaps.

I now know I can retain the Trix ones and let the Lima ones go.

Jerry Howlett · July 21, 2013, 05:55:36 PM

Quote from: newportnobby on July 19, 2013, 09:32:55 PM
I have been sorting out my Mk1 coaching stock today but have also suffered severe brain fade (heat and age probably ).
I have some 24 Lima Mk1's and believe these to be 1/160 scale
I have some 13 Minitrix Mk1's but am not sure if these are 1/148, 1/150.
Before I take a decision on what to dispose of can some kind soul put me out of my misery and confirm what scale these coaches are.

E-Bay bargain "collectors rake of 24 Mk 1's" etc etc etc with this heat you will probably get enough to buy a small island somewhere...

Ok albeit a Blue Peter model of Tracey Island...

A long time ago in a galaxy far...STOP..

There was an article in the NGS Journal about using lima mk 1 chassis to make car flats. Worth considering.

BernardTPM · July 21, 2013, 11:18:53 PM

Quote from: Jerry Howlett on July 21, 2013, 05:55:36 PM
There was an article in the NGS Journal about using lima mk 1 chassis to make car flats. Worth considering.

The Mk.1 based Carflats were all 'long' chassis, so unless you do them 1:160, the Lima chassis are too short.

mickster04 · May 22, 2016, 05:32:33 AM

Sorry for resurrecting a really old thread, but it seems the most appropriate for my question/ponder. I came y some old lima freightliner container wagons, with the idea of bolstering my existing few BachFar ones, but they are noticeably smaller. So does anyone run them together? It might irk me a little but I just wondered if I should not bother with anything other than actual BachFar ones... Maybe if they were their own rake it might be less obvious? Has anyone else found work-arounds for the difference in scale?

:/

BernardTPM · May 22, 2016, 09:13:39 AM

Since standard box containers are all the same width* mixing them does look wrong, though being 1:160 scale you could mix in continental/US scale containers to add variety. Having said that, the Lima container represents the early pre-ISO type which went out of use by the mid 1970s (of course, they are better detailed than the Poole Farish version!). Oddly/handily the actual bogies seem to be 1:148 scale Ridemaster bogies as used on a large proportion of the original Freightliner fleet. I actually hacked/altered the pivots to fit them to the then-new Farish Freightliners back in the 1980s. As well as being 'proper' Freightliner bogies (as opposed the the generic 100T tank/Freightliner compromise) it lowered the height quite a bit.

*1:148 containers might pass for 2.5m width ones if shortened to match the length, but they would be too modern to run with the Lima containers anyway.

Bealman · May 22, 2016, 09:28:23 AM

Would it be possible to put vinyls on the Trix ones so they have flush glazing? I realise that Electra Graphics is on holidays at the moment, though!

Just a thought.... I've no experience with vinyls (except old LPs).

belstone · May 24, 2016, 02:34:53 PM

Quote from: Bealman on May 22, 2016, 09:28:23 AM
Would it be possible to put vinyls on the Trix ones so they have flush glazing? I realise that Electra Graphics is on holidays at the moment, though!

Just a thought.... I've no experience with vinyls (except old LPs).

I put some BH etched sides on a couple of damaged ones a few years ago to make Mk1 sleepers. I cut out the entire window section from the body and then glazed them with a single strip of clear Plastikard after painting. They came out not too badly, but obviously you have to paint them, and also add all the roof and underframe details. Not sure it's worth the effort unless you really enjoy that kind of thing and already have some unwanted coaches. Looking at the BH website they don't list Mk1 sides any more, but they have sides for Bulleid and Thompson corridor coaches which have about the same end and roof profile as a Mk1. Or if EMUs are your thing, four Minitrix Mk1s, some etched sides and a Green Max chassis would make any of the Mk1 based Southern units. I think most of those were on B4 bogies like the Minitrix model. Or unpowered as a 4-TC with a push-pull Class 33/1. There's still life left in those old Minitrix coaches.