Dublo 3 Rail Layout

Hi there,
Just spent a pleasant few hours in the TGV from Valence to Paris and back reading this thread. Very inspiring especially as I’ve been busy here in Ardèche France building myself a 3-rail layout this year. All my 2-rail has been boxed up since a house move in 2013 and is awaiting retirement in 5 years or so.
Since Brexit, postal charges + VAT + customs duty have become ridiculous, so I get my eBay purchases sent to my cousins in Kent for pick up when I get back to the UK.
Needless to say I had quite a few parcels waiting for me in August this year!
Most of the locos were advertised as « spares or repair » or « non runner ». All are now operational with not much work needed apart from some neodymium 7mm cube magnets for some, new brushes and the odd resoldering of a loose wire. A good wash of the die cast bodies in warm soapy water did wonders - especially for 7013 and 6231 which now both look like they just left Binns Road!
I had to change the identity of one of the Duchess of Atholl locos I picked up (a mistake, I put in a ridiculously low bid, forgot about it and then bought another one on « buy it now »).
So yesterday I dug out an ancient set of HMRS pressfix transfers and renumbered it to 6234 by just rubbing away the 1 and replacing with a 4. The original nameplates were in very poor condition and it’s been rather roughly repainted too, so it will eventually get a full repaint. For the moment I’ve fitted homemade paper printed Abercorn plates made up on PowerPoint.
I am planning longer term to fit etched plates, smoke deflectors and either a repaint in LMS or BR black though the lining is putting me off! I really like the LMS blue and could get away with not lining it out as I believe the LMS lined one side and not the other to test public reaction. Like you I love the solid mechanics of these models and can ignore the third rail.
I do think proper scenery as you have done makes a big difference. in one of your photos there were palm trees which at the time seemed out of place until I got to the photo of the same spot with a Castle running past and as a Cornishman I immediately thought « St Austell » where palm trees line the platform!
For the moment I’m busy getting electrical and track issues sorted (Edit: they’re sorted and everything runs well!). I had track, buildings, a rake of tinplate blood & custard coaches and six locos waiting for me in the UK in the summer and spent a few happy hours getting them all back into good running condition over the holidays.
I can’t imagine splashing out north of £150 on a Chinese made plastic model when I can find at least 5 useable Dublo die cast locos for the same money. I doubt the £150+ ones will still be running in 2090 either!
Looking forward to your next updates and thanks for the inspiration !
Here are 6231 and 6234.


Now a few views of the layout, which is obviously a « work in progress »
The layout appears to be double track but is actually a single track dumbbell.

This area will eventually be a large through station.


This area is yet to be developed - goods yard here perhaps?


The essential for me was a turntable and loco depot! The turntable is scratched and playworn but in perfect working condition so that’s fine by me!


And here is a selection of its residents:

 

I’ve only just started tbh, but I might try three railing a few more recent models for variety - I’ve got loads of 60’s-80’s two rail stock. What I’d really like to try is producing a « hybrid » that could be switched easily for 2 or 3 rail. One idea I’m considering is finding a 3-rail 8F tender which I could swap with my 2-rail 8073, together with a switch to redirect the insulated wheels pick up to the chassis. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.

 

I forgot about 60016. My sole working locomotive until this summers pick up !
The Flash photo is a bit cruel. She looks a lot better in the metal.

 

If anyone has a 3-rail 8F tender with plunger pick ups and metal wheels in their scrap box, or even just a chassis for one, let me know. Prices on eBay have gone crazy especially when you add international postage, customs duty and VAT. Thanks Brexit

 

Hi there, thanks for the reply. What's news in your Dublo adventure?

 

Looking again in the cold light of day, my paper nameplates don’t look so bad after all. Finding the right character font was a bit of a nightmare. Comparing with the originals on Duchess of Atholl, I eventually settled on «Aptos SemiBold»

Fortunately I have a stock of Pressfix for the numbers. I couldn't find any standard fonts which even vaguely resemble those used by the LMS.
Though the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of stripping and repainting 6234 in LMS post war blue. I wouldn't do it to an original condition loco, unless it was in really poor condition, but this one has already been brush painted by someone in the past. The colour is good, but doesn't match the tender exactly.
I’ve been using car aerosols to paint base colour on my models since I left the UK. So I just need to find a close matching blue. What colour and style are the cab and tender side numbers and letters in this livery? Are they specific to the blue Abercorn or the same as those used on LMS black livery?

Wolseley, would you be able to post up some more pictures of your 6234 in LMS blue ?

 

That huge gap between the loco and tender really bugs me. Back in the '80's on my 2-railed 46232 I made a new shorter drawbar, filed off the tender-loco coupling flush to the front of the tender, and put a new one under the tender fall plate - easy to do when using wide radius curves made up of Peco Streamline flexi track - but I can't see a solution that would work on Hornby Dublo standard curves and points and I can't see myself taking a file to 6234 either!

 

and now… introducing :
« the DeLorean Duchess »

 

Yep,I bit the bullet and decided to go for a full repaint. After a coat of grey primer, frankly I’m gobsmacked by the finesse of the moulding. They really knew their stuff at Binns Road. It’s even clearer in primer just how good they were.

 

This is the closest I could find at my local « centre auto » if I can find a better match I’ll repaint…

 

Well, here it is,

I’m not at all happy with the colour, it’s nothing like what I expected and nothing like the LMS blue shown in the liveries of Coronations on Wikipedia, and even less like yours Wolseley. It’d make a great Gordon the Big Engine though .
I think I’ll leave it for a couple of days before making a decision, but I suspect she’ll either go into BR unlined black, or back to LMS red. I can’t do LMS black unfortunately as I don’t have the corresponding block lettering. We shall she. Maybe the colour will grow on me. I could always number it 46234 and pretend it’s an experimental BR livery.

 

I’ve just blackened the wheels… it seems to make quite a difference. Lets add some nameplates...

 

Better again with its nameplates fitted. For numbering I think I’ll use black shaded insignia, or even red shaded on one side and blzck on the other.
Come to think of it, no colour photographs exist of 6234 in LMS blue so I can do what I like

 

You’re right, Just blacking the wheel rims and adding nameplates has transformed it from a blue blob to a pretty serious looking locomotive. I’ll post up another photo once cab numbers and tender lettering have been applied. I’m quite pleased with my paper nameplates.

 

So…
Black shading?

or red shading?

 

Blackened wheels, lettering, numbering and nameplates make a HUGE difference. As for red or black shading, what do you think? I maybe prefer black…