143 replies to this topic

[TimC]

Well I was going to start a JLTRT Class 37 that has been lurking around but I came home from Reading Show last weekend with an Easy-Build Cravens Class 105 DMU. I only went to their stand for some Delrin sprockets and they were demostrating the SWD DCC sound in their Cravens. Cut a long story short, I came away with a bit more than the sprockets. My JLTRT Class 25 is now awaiting the paint shop, which is in my case is outside so that project is unlikely to progress towards completion until milder weather arrives.

I've enjoyed others construction threads so thought I'd write this project up - it may motivate me, we'll see.

My modelling interest is the BR Blue era, circa 1981/2, a period of time when I spent an inordinate amount of my time sitting on my bike at Horton Road crossing in Gloucester and, when funds allowed, getting around the network. However, the grass was always greener elsewhere and it was the Eastern Region that really caught my interest. I certainly remember the Cravens units and their curved backed seats in particular when on trips to Norwich/March and Doncaster/York.

The Easy-Build Kit comes complete expect for paint and transfers and any extras you may want to add such as lighting, passengers etc. Here are the components for the DMBS vehicle (there is a load of straight wire and misc plastic rod/section too). The DTCL is similar but only the DMBS is motorised.





The instructions for the kit come on a CD and updates are available from the Easy-Build website.

My chosen prototype is DMBS/DTCL E50381/E56426, a BG based set. There is a photo here: http://www.flickr.co...phy/3702734462/

Needless to say research wise, you can spend hours (and I have) trawling fotopic and Flickr for prototype pictures. There is also an excellent thread here on RMweb relating to the introduction of the Bachmann 4mm Cravens model that covers alot of the history and build differences. One other essential source of infomation for DMU modelling is the Railcar Association website www.railcar.co.uk

When I start a project I need to have some little challenge to get me going so I'll pick up with the instructions (which I have read!) once I've got the cabs sorted. The cab as supplied in the kit:



A few jobs here. The 2 digit headcode box and louvres on the front need to be removed and I need to sort out the destination blind box and fit some lighting.

If anyone has already built one of these kits and has any timely advice then I'd welcome it!

Hopefully, I'll report back soon.

Edited by TimC, 25 April 2012 - 15:03 .

[brian daniels]

Best of luck with this build Tim, I must try one of these myself (I keep telling myself this )

I am in the same boat as you regarding painting at the moment

[Andy Siddall]

Hi Tim,

Always good to see someone having a go at an Easybuild and I think you'll find that they really are......

If it is of any help, I built a 129 and a couple of coaches that I documented on the old RMweb here.
http://www.rmweb.co....php?f=8&t=36438

I am also about to (re)start my Class 108 as time allows so I shall start a new Easbuild workbench here.

Cheers

Andy

[IC126]

I had just posted a tip for marking out roof detail on Easybuild coaches on Jamies "Coaches for Culreoch" thread when I saw your Cravens thread. The tip might be of use to you too.

I agree with the comments about Easybuild coaches - they really are very nice to build and make an excellent basis for further detailing.

[Pugsley]

I'll be watching this with interest - I've got one of their 108's on the 'to build' pile.

[richard_t]

Another "I'll be watching this" - I was very tempted to get one (a power twin) at Guildex this year, but somehow resisted - and then couldn't make it to Reading, so my wallet was saved again!

Eventually I'll need a 105, 2 lots of the 108, and fingers crossed they will produce a 115 as I'll need 2 of those as well.

Good luck with the build.

[TimC]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Andy - I've got your thread book marked and IC126, you've given me a good use for my next (empty) can of Old Speckled Hen!

Having very carefully removed the 2 digit headcode box and the louvres/other unwanted detail on the cab fronts. I moved onto the destination blind panel. The kit has a solid etch that should be let in between the gutter rail above the cab windows. I thought it very odd that this panel was not included in the cab moulding and then I twigged. The cabs in this kit must orignally have been produced for the Easy-build Class 129 single parcels car (now I understand).

However, I want an illuminated desination panel. In checking the sizing of the panel from a good end-on photograph. I noticed that the marker lights looked a bit low (looking at a variety of pictures of cars from difference batches - marker light position appears to be a variable) hence off came the marker lights too. I therefore ended up removing all the detail on the fronts below the windows which actually made cleaning up the cab fronts after surgery much easier. I'll make up some new lights from brass tube.

I'm currently experimenting with a fabricated box out of plasticard:



It should not be too obtrusive in the cab as the destination blinds are in the roof. The glazing will probably end up flush with the ends too and not inset as per above.

I'll let you know how I get on. Weekday mornings are my modelling time so not much will happen over the weekend.

[TimC]

Well I've made some progress with the cab fronts.



I had a good number of goes at getting the destination boxes to my liking. In the end I used balck plasticard and, with gentle heat, bent it around a former (itself made from scraps). Having no layout myself, I opted for a couple of generic Cravens DMU destinations - Doncaster/Cambridge. The blinds themselves seem have used a variety of 'fonts' and where possible the destination was stretched out to the full width of the blind, except where names were short (e.g. York/Hull). I did spent ages trying to get SPECIAL to look right - the problem is that it is the curved letters like S and C that really stand out if they are wrong.

Having had a lighting test, I found that two LEDs were better than one. With only one LED, only the middle of the blind appeared to be illuminated. Thankfully, my boxes were just deep enough to take two of the square type LEDs (see above). I need to add the gutter which rises up to towards the mid line of the destination blind box (see http://roger-sutclif.../p68102234.html).

The marker lights are work in progress. They will be lit by white/red 2 colour LEDs (with common anode - ideal for DCC and available from dccsupplies). I opted for plastic tube rather than brass and have made the lens by building up a clear (ish) accumulation of Glue'N'Glaze. This is a bit of an art as too much seems not to dry clear so the glue needs to be built up in thin layers. I've got about eight on the go and I'll pick the best four!

Going forward, I'm going to pick up with the instructions and get on with the sides/roof/non driving ends.

[easybuild]

The 115 116 117's are in development now !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work !!!]

[TimC]

easybuild, on 17 December 2010 - 20:09 , said:

The 115 116 117's are in development now !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work !!!]

Shawn

Maybe but how about a Swindon Cross Country Class 120?

I'm plodding on with the Cravens, nothing really to report about the bodywork. Its the interior I'm really looking forward to.............

[Andy Siddall]

Hi Tim,

The cab fronts are really looking good, I think they look a lot nicer without the headcode square under the window.

The destination blinds are impressive too, I take it from the pictures that they are just printed onto plain paper?
How well do they transmit the light through, I may just have to 'borrow' this idea for the 108.


Cheers

Andy

[Ressaldar]

Hi Tim,

all looking really good, keep those pictures coming.

regards

Mike

[two tone green]

Very nice Tim. With yours and Andy's threads its a big help for me about to start out with O kit building. Thanks.

[TimC]

Ressaldar/Two Tone Green - Thanks for the positive comments guys, I'm glad you're enjoying the thread!

Andy Siddall, on 18 December 2010 - 00:23 , said:

Hi Tim,

The cab fronts are really looking good, I think they look a lot nicer without the headcode square under the window.

The destination blinds are impressive too, I take it from the pictures that they are just printed onto plain paper?
How well do they transmit the light through, I may just have to 'borrow' this idea for the 108.


Cheers

Andy

Hi Andy

Yes, the destinations are just printed off with an ordinary inkjet printer and stuck to the inside of the glazing material with a smear of Glue'n'Glaze.

I lashed up (quite literally!) some power this morning to the destination panel. See what you think (I had about 4V applied to the two LEDs coupled in series and a 1K resistor), they can certainly be made brighter if required. The LEDs and their backing plate are not permanently fixed yet and I'll get them more central once I do fix them in.

Looking at photos the panels were not that bright so in the end I'll set them quite dim (probably less bright than in the photo below - it just needs hint of light):



At the moment, my plan is to have the front marker lights and destination panel (one end) and the tail lights at the other end on the same function off the decoder. I will certainly have to play around abit with trimming the voltage down and with different resistor values to the various LEDs as DMU marker lights were not that bright and as you have said in your thread the tail lights were certainly dim but I'll cross that bridge once I get there.

The one other thing, I'm not finalised on is whether I will use normal white/warm white LEDs for the marker lights (dccsupplies do both with red in 2 colour common anode format). Once I'm further down the road with the rest of the build, I'll compare with another lash up and see if the destination panel LEDs needs to be tinted slightly to match if I go with warm white (hence why they are not yet in their boxes permanently). However, sometimes, warm white just looks a bit yellow to me.

Anyway, hopefully, I will get the DMBS body together by Xmas. I'm working on only one car at the moment just to see how it all goes together, so far so good.

Cheers for now.

[Andy Siddall]

Thanks Tim,

The destination panel looks really good and I may just have to give it a try. I am thinking of doing the North Eastern style with Black Lettering on a white background at one end, and the missing blind with the two bulbs showing at the other.


Keep up the good work mate.

Cheers

Andy

[two tone green]

Have you considered a thin white plastic backing sheet to the destination blinds to act as a diffuser. May give a better light spread across the lettering. Also by carefully tinting it, it may give a more prototypical shade to match the tungsten lights used then.

But looking good, could well be using a similar method for mine.

[TimC]

two tone green, on 18 December 2010 - 14:30 , said:

Have you considered a thin white plastic backing sheet to the destination blinds to act as a diffuser. May give a better light spread across the lettering. Also by carefully tinting it, it may give a more prototypical shade to match the tungsten lights used then.

But looking good, could well be using a similar method for mine.

Hi TTG

Nice idea but unfortunately that is not an easy retro-fit now unless I make another pair of boxes as there is glue and card spacers on the inside the blind which would make fitting a diffuser (neatly) difficult . The photo above shows the lights quite bright. This is a more a function of the camera (a fairly cheap Nikon Coolpix) working in a low light environment than what they actually look like in the flesh. In the end, I will probably just have a hint of light behind the blinds on the completed model - maybe just barely perceptible. So you may ask why then go to the effort but the blind boxes I've build are an improvement on the flat etch supplied with the kit.

If, I do end up needing needing to tint the LEDs, then they'll just get an appropriate thin wash of acrylic paint.

[two tone green]

A camera is not very good at times capturing lighting effects.

Reducing the brilliance will certainly help but I suspect that even on the real thing with the bulbs being behind the blind that there are areas of bright and dim across the it. Getting the colour right, or close to it will add to the realism as well.

At times a compromise is needed and you are not far off it being right anyway.

Thanks for posting this, very helpful.

[boxbrownie]

I found printing on HP High Gloss film in my inkjet printer gives a much cleaner edge to the figures and also the plastic film backing helps diffuse the light too, also being plastic there is no "paper grain" showing through.
I am loath to start my 108 yet as its still bloomin' freezing out in the fridge, er I mean shed

[two tone green]

Not allowed to play in the house David !

[TimC]

boxbrownie, on 21 December 2010 - 16:50 , said:

I found printing on HP High Gloss film in my inkjet printer gives a much cleaner edge to the figures and also the plastic film backing helps diffuse the light too, also being plastic there is no "paper grain" showing through.
I am loath to start my 108 yet as its still bloomin' freezing out in the fridge, er I mean shed

Hi David

At times, I'm guilty of just using whats around me and whatever springs to mind. I like your idea and if I need to do something similar in the future I'll try it. Saying that I'm quite happy with the results I've got.

Thankfully, on the modelling table front, I'm in the living room next to the fire. Though I do get some stick if I encroach onto those shelves too much



Now, after a couple of days of distractions, hopefully I'll get a productive morning in today.

[ozzyo]

Not wishing to be pedantic, but one thing that I have not seen modeled correctly is any diesel head code blind when it is lit up.

On the real thing the out side of the lettering is about 1" wide. The back of the lettering where the light shines through is only about 1/2" wide. I dont know why, but on the real thing you can see it but you dont always see it in photos.

I dont know how this can be achieved. May be a second layer of printing on the back.

Just a small point, but if we can all help to make our modes better.

The light always seemed to have a yellow glow to it as well.

IHTH

OzzyO.

[Pugsley]

ozzyo, on 24 December 2010 - 13:09 , said:

I dont know how this can be achieved. May be a second layer of printing on the back.

I think that would most probably work, it might even need a couple of layers front and back.

[boxbrownie]

ozzyo, on 24 December 2010 - 13:09 , said:

Not wishing to be pedantic, but one thing that I have not seen modeled correctly is any diesel head code blind when it is lit up.

On the real thing the out side of the lettering is about 1" wide. The back of the lettering where the light shines through is only about 1/2" wide. I dont know why, but on the real thing you can see it but you dont always see it in photos.

I dont know how this can be achieved. May be a second layer of printing on the back.

Just a small point, but if we can all help to make our modes better.

The light always seemed to have a yellow glow to it as well.

IHTH

OzzyO.

Wot? I am being thick here.....not sure what you mean Ozzy.....be clear man, put the Egg Nog down and explain yourself!

[ozzyo]

boxbrownie, on 27 December 2010 - 17:25 , said:

Wot? I am being thick here.....not sure what you mean Ozzy.....be clear man, put the Egg Nog down and explain yourself!

OK, I'll try again. The letters and numbers on the out side were about 1" wide A, but the letters etc were only about 1/2" wide on the inside A. Picture the two letter 'A's The narrow one on the rear of the blind and the bold one on the front of the blind.

The best I could suggest would be to have a look a a preserved diesel that has headcode blinds.

OzzyO.


Edit; 'on the inside' inserted.