LIMA CLASS 31

Curiously, three different Model Rail readers have sent in requests for information regarding the humble Class 31. To illustrate one of my replies, I dug out this old timer from my collection. I bought this Lima 31 on my 15th birthday (July 1990) from Hattons and I can remember the day clearly, not least as we ended up in a nasty car crash on the way home. Luckily, this model emerged completely unscathed despite being thrown around a fair bit, so it's become something of a lucky charm.

It has been detailed and repainted a number of times, starting out in Railfreight red stripe livery and named Phillips Imperial. Its current guise is as a typical early-1970s Type 2 and numbered D5658. The most recent detailing upgrade was covered in the May 2005 issue of Model Rail (No.79), which included the back-dating of the bodywork, given that the donor model featured later modifications, such as the sealing-up of the boiler access and removal of the raised waist strip. Re-instating all of these details proved time-consuming, although a comprehensive detail kit (I think it was from Craftsman Models) helped.

The old Lima mechanism still runs pretty well, despite its age and it doesn't look too bad either. However, I can tell that it was painted with an aerosol and that the weathering was applied via a naff airbrush and compressor - the finish is a bit coarse in places and I could do the job so much better now.

The point of this is that I'd been wondering about the possibilities that Hornby's imminent re-release of the ex-Lima 31 into the Railroad range. Many people rate the Lima bodyshell above the Hornby model. Therefore, with a better motor, the Railroad product may well find its way into the hands of avid detailers. I'm definitely planning on having a go...

Comments

  1. Will the Hybrid class 31 be appearing in Model Rail anytime soon?

    Cheers

    Brandon

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Brandon,
    That depends on when the Hornby Railrod model becomes available - and when I can fit it into my schedule - but I am seriously tempted to have a go at a hybrid project. And if I do have a go, it will certainly appear in Model Rail in due course - stay tuned!!

    Cheers,
    George

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi George,

    I meant the one in the link - I followed it on the Eastmoor blog and thought it great. It would be really good as a step by step guide!

    Brandon

    ReplyDelete
  4. Did the Russian armoured car and anti-aircraft gun wagon get built?
    I really fancy building a couple of these after stumbling across this blog entry.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Paul,
    Sadly, no. They've gone into the attic for now as I've had too much other stuff on. I've been picking up some more similar kits, though, along with a German 0-6-0 diesel shunter from HobbyBoss. See:
    http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/hobby-boss-172-german-wr360-c12-locomotive/

    As they all need quite a bit of work to convert to 4mm scale, they're on the backburner for now...
    Cheers,
    George

    ReplyDelete

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