Red Card by Phil Cooper

Red Card

by Phil Cooper

Now where was I before James went off his trolley? Ah yes; What’s your favourite locomotive? I bet there’s quite a few votes for the Class 37. I’ve got so many favourite locos but the numero uno is the Class 37. Not any 37. They must have the stag antlers logo which based them at Inverness Depot. I love everything about them, their ugly-beautiful look, the Highland stag logo, the obvious power as they growl and roar. The 37 sound chips are very good with the best being the Legoman Biffo (crazy name) but they are expensive (about £100+) although Hornby’s TTL &TTS decoders are good cheaper choices (about £50). I’ve got a couple of Hornby decoders in my 37 fleet, and I love them. Sound makes them come alive.

The expensive Legoman Biffos have more sound options but to get the best out of them you may need to upgrade your controller to a more expensive NEC Procab. I assume that Hornby’s Elite controller can also give more options but please check that first. I advise you to be wary of any cheap controllers from eBay and get as much information as possible from the seller and confirm he will take it back if it doesn’t work. And if he declares that he will not accept any returns, just say no!

I’ve bought 37s created by Hornby, Bachmann and Lima from eBay and I’ve found the best used models are from Bachmann and Hornby, but Lima models tend to need a push and run only at the controller’s maximum power which can’t be a good thing! However, I will remind you that when I started my project, I found an old Lima Class 26 which had been hidden away in a drawer below my bed for several years and, unbelievably, it worked first time without a push. Today it never lets me down. It looks great alongside its running mates of Highland Rail.

There is an excellent website devoted to the Class 37. Have a look here:  class37.co.uk. It is full of information and is obviously a work of love. There is a great photo gallery of just about every 37 known to mankind with individual life stories. 

Now it’s time for my book sale. Nanny Barb has demanded more space at home for her stuff so reluctantly I’m putting some of my books on sale, I’m selling at about 50% of the RRP with free delivery from courier service, Parcel2go. All these books are in excellent “as new” condition. If you are interested, need advice or want to know availability contact me by email please at philipgcooper@hotmail.co.uk. 

I’ve not been able to price some of these literary masterpieces, but I will sell at about 50% of RRP. A big thankyou to James at tracksidesigns.co.uk for giving me the space to sell these wonderful books. Payment is by PayPal please so here you go:

The Beaten Track Andy Chard £17 HB

Rails to Kyle of Lochalsh David McConnell £10   HB

Skye Railway John Thomas £4

Model Railway Projects Manual Andrew Duckworth £18.45

Class43 Locomotives Andrew Cole £8

Europe by Rail The Definitive Guide Nicky Gardner & Susanne Kreis £8

Class50 Locomotives Andrew Cole £8

Anglo Scottish Sleepers David Meara £8

Chasing Trains Vol2A New Dawn Martin Buck £5

Rail Atlas 15^th Edition SK Baker £5

Rail Freight Scotland Paul Shannon £4

Night Trains:The Rise andFall of the Sleeper Andrew Martin £4

Diesel Locomotives Colin J Howat £4

Renewing Britain’s Railways; Scotland Colin D Webster £4

BR From Green to Blue Russel Saxton £8

Cornish Railways Craig Munday £7

Britain’s Railways In the 1970s David Hayes £7

BR Blue: A personal Reflection Stephen Owens £7

West Highland Railway John McGregor £7

Railways of Central Scotland 2oo6-15 Ian Lothian £7

Hornby Yearbook2018 No.10 £7 HB

Hornby Yearbook 2019 No.11 £7 HB

Hornby Yearbook2017 No. 9 £7  HB

The Modern Railway Directory Review Opinion Reference 13^th Edition £5 HB

The Newcomers Guide to Model Railways Brian Lambert

Operating Signals, Points & Level  Crossings Clive Heathcote & A Anderson

Colour Light Signalling For Model Railways Simon Paley

Amazing Train Journeys HB

Rail Atlas SK Baker HB

Chasing Trains Vol2 A New Dawn Martin Buck

Locomotive Traction 2019 Pip Dunn

Class 47s Inverness to Penzance Ian McLean

From Inverness to Crewe The British 4-6-0 Locomotive Martin Evans Published 1966 £8 +2.80  £22.80

Buy used from Abe Books for £15  £8 from me

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The views and opinions expressed within the content are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Trackside Signs or its affiliates.