Steve's Blog January - March 2015

7th March 2015

The DVT has now got a 'nose'.

4th March 2015

I've now added the cab roof and some other features to the front of the DVT.

I don't have a DVT cabview/train planned for this, some of you may think that might be in the offering.

But no, I don't have the cab photo's to do so.

1st March 2015

Still working on the DVT, I've now added some shading to the body sides and finished the Yaw damper mountings.

Actually I've done a bit more than that but it doesn't really show in a screenshot!

28th February 2015

The work on a Mk3 DVT continues.

26th February 2015

Yesterday I started putting the end detailing on to the Mk3's.

Today I had got bored with that so I started on a Mk3 DVT (Driving Van Trailer).

24th February 2015

I've now made an FO, reconfigured the gangways and added details to the underframe 'box'.

These are not identical except for one case that they are on the 3a TSO and the FO.

The FO in the screenshot is a 3b and guess what the left hand side is different.

It also has roof details you would normally find on a HST Mk3.

21st February 2015

Back on the Mk3 coaches, I've now finished the ends of the roof, the gangways and started on the bogies.

I've also started on the coach I should be making, or a Mk3a RFM or Restaurant First Modular.

Other side.

18th February 2015

More work on the roof ends of the Mk3's, but I thought I would give you a screenshot of the loco that will be on the next Virgin XC release.

It's actually a year old and was made so I could make a route object for NWM from it.

Somehow Mr Haylor may have not been impressed when I said do you mind if he didn't use it as an object as he had added it to NWM.

16th February 2015

I have now started on the roof ends and also tried to make the doors more curved at the ends.

14th February 2015

Still working on the main part of a Mk3's roof.

One thing since two days ago I've done is to add the right number of 'ribs', I've also added more detail to the covers over the water tanks and added the air vents mainly HST car on the left and Loco hauled right that are actually the same ones fitted to later Mk2's.

12th February 2015

Work has been on the roof and the footboards for the last day or two.

Adding the roof ribs and the bit on the ends were the fibreglass half dome shapes the ends.

I've also started on the water tank covers on the roof.

10th February 2015

Five days ago the plan was to make some Inter City Executive liveried Mk2e's to mix in with the Virgin versions.

Then I got a bit carried away and started on some Mk3's instead!

Thinking being that I could make a West Coast Mk2 set as these had a Mk3 RFM or Restaurant First Modular in the consist.

But hang on that would mean either finishing the DVT or Driving Van Trailer I started a few years ago or making a new version and then it should have a Class 87 on the front!

Well I've got no plans to release a Class 87 as there's no plugin to make one work correctly and someone else has already made one anyway that's waiting for someone to write a plugin for it!

So it's a 47 on the front with the 87 'inside' or between the 47 and the train 'dead' as engineering work means the 25kv overhead is switched off, also weekends found West Coast sets being used on the inter regional services or Cross Country still with the DVT attached but not being used as such.

So far I've started on two versions the loco hauled West Coast Mk3a TSO and while I was at it a HST Mk3 TS.

Note the different window surrounds.

HST Mk3 TS

Loco hauled Mk2a.

5th February 2015

Released today is 47831 'Bolton Wanderer' on a 7 coach Virgin Cross Country Mk2e set and a 47829 Police version shown below this screenshot.

47829 Police version.

29th January 2015

Today it's back to the underframe, so I've added a few details to one side.

They are actually incorrect for this BSO, there are two types of air conditioning unit fitted to a air conditioned Mk 2.

The one shown and one with a single large fan but I have not made that unit yet!

28th January 2015

After a lay off from working on the Virgin Mk2e I am back working on them.

The Mk2e First Open.

Mk2e Restaurant First Buffet.

Mk2e Second Open.

Mk2e Brake Second Open.

20th January 2015

More work today on the body's of the Virgin Mk2e, the main things being finishing the footboards under the doors, adding the door vents and making the door ends look more round.

This is the Mk2e FO or First Open, although it can also be a RFB or Restaurant First Buffet.

I also made a Mk2e SO bodyside while I was at it..

19th January 2015

This is what the Mk2b TSO looks like at the moment, nearly completed.

As is a Mk2c version.

Then there's the Mk2d.

This has an underframe that is very much a WIP.

But to today I could not resist working on a Virgin Mk2e FO, also a WIP.

15th January 2015

More work on the Mk2's today, mainly making the dome ends of the roof longer and making the taper of the ends more pronounced.

I then moved on to the Mk2b TSO and currently that's finished bar putting the roof vents in the right places.

So as the the Mk2b TSO just needs the roof vents done I put the same details into the Mk2d SO, it of course needs a rather different underframe.

It also needs a couple of water tank covers added to the roof, so a Mk2c TSO is also on the cards!

14th January 2015

I've now finished the Mk2 TSO.

And a Mk2a TSO.

Then there's a Mk2b TSO, that's a WIP.

10th January 2015

Well no one got back to me to tell what was wrong with the 66's, I assume you never noticed that the day cab panel did not match with the night one.

So all of the Class 66 have now been released again!

With these latest releases the Lo-Emit versions now include a cab with the later side window in the cabview.

9th January 2015

Back on the Mk2 coaches, I've nearly finished the underframe on the Mk2a.

8th January 2015

Well another year and another error in the Class 66's!

It's a very major one, so someone must have noticed...

As ever have you all around the world told me?

No, it only takes an e-mail to the address on the home page, so this year could you start doing so!

You will not be taken outside, put against a wall and shot if you do......

But you might get a sorry can't fix that, although in the case of the 66 I can but I won't until someone tells me what it is!

Mr Haylor is banned from telling me what it is, please note Tony!

I am surprised he has not noticed...