Model Railway Forum

Hi everyone. Firstly, thank you Admin for accepting me. At 54, I am building my first model railway and am looking forward to all the great tips that I can get. I am confident with many things but it’s the smaller details that I need help with, especially as I am trying to use the ‘stuff’ that I had from my childhood and my 1980s train set (built on the bedroom floor until mum got fed up of it being in the way). I plan to use as much of my old stuff as possible to keep costs down. First question. Hornby buffers - what are they based on, especially with respect to colours - wood, rust, paints? My layout is BR mid 1970s and western region.

You are most welcome Albert!

Feel Free to post as many questions as you need... The only stupid question is an unasked one!

There's hundreds of years of experience of all aspects of building and maintaining model railways here.

I hope you enjoy your time here!

Regards,

Steve

Which Hornby buffers?

By the way welcome, great forum.

Welcome to the friendly helpful forum. Sorry I can’t help you with your question this time but someone will no doubt be along soon who can.

R083 buffers.

They are made of steel, often bits of railway track, with wooden blocks on the cross member.


Depending where they are will decide what colour they are. In a busy area probably painted, in a remote siding, rusty.

Hi Albert, and welcome to our forum.

Welcome to the forum. Friendly helpful bunch on here

A belated welcome - this a great forum - lots of help and information - just ask.

Hornby buffers work well but are not that accurate having been made more for function and ease of use from a model railway perspective. I preferred them for this reason as the general alternative maybe a lot more accurate, but accidently hit them with a loco or reverse a train into them and they are in pieces...
At last Hornby buffers withstood those little accidents!
The best saviour of them all when it comes to buffers was the Hornby hydraulic buffer stop which is sadly no longer made. These things could withstand the force of a 10 coach train being driven flat out... Something which saved many a loco when I was a kid and I was so impressed with it thatI kept it for many years. I may still have it! Who knows! They are sprung so will absorb quite an impact, and are based on the ones found in city terminus stations.
For realism though other makes maybe etter, though those hydraulic buffer stops do double up as a somewhat convincing model even though they are of a more general look rather than specificially modelled on a prototype.

But yes. Costs these days are high so I would use what you have and enjoy...! The secondhand market has never looked so attractive and withpatience one can pick up some good stuff, but ask in here first just in case as there are the odd well known "Lemon" to be found. Most of the older stuff is usually good. .. The only downside is to esure that one has a decent controller as some older locos need a little more current. (Also some older Triang items had large wheel flanges so needed careful consideration which track one uses if one wants to run them. Very durable locos though).

What I am getting at, is that there are ways to enjoy the hobby without spending too much money if one is armed with a litte know how on what runs with what etc.