Jump to content
 
  • entries
    261
  • comments
    1,413
  • views
    143,405

94xx and 2721 pannier projects

Barry Ten

Entry posted by Barry Ten

1,134 views

 Share

Before the announcement in 2015 of the Bachmann 94xx (which still hasn't appeared, nor appears to be anywhere imminent) I'd already gathered a spare pannier chassis and a cheap Lima body to add another of these locomotives to my fleet. Earlier this week it glared at me from the projects drawer and I thought it was time to crack on and finish it. It's the sort of job that really requires only basic modelling implements and skills - a rotary cutting tool, some knives and files, some filler, a few bits of plastic card, some drills and wire and a few patient hours. I've taken the black one to this state after just three evening sessions totalling about an hour each, so it's really not that arduous.

 

blogentry-6720-0-88768000-1511645493_thumb.jpg

 

Other than using a newer chassis, the work was very similar to the job done on the GWR 94xx seen in this picture. That one used a split-frame chassis, which is still offering good service ten years after the conversion, as is my other split-frame pannier, now pushing twenty years old.

 

The Lima body breaks down into a footplate and a body moulding, and being able to separate them makes it quite easy to saw away the excess plastic needed to get the newer chassis to drop into the available space. It's not difficult, just requiring a bit of trial and error until the necessary space is made. The relation of wheel centres to splasher mouldings is not exact, but if you have to live with one of them being out of alignment, I prefer it to be the one under the cab, which is very unobtrusive to begin with. If it bothers you, it would be relatively easy to correct the cab-end splasher.

 

Then begins the fun work of correcting the body errors on the Lima moulding, and replacing as many of the handrails as you desire. The main fault with the Lima model is the presence of steps on the driver's side of the cab, as well as some spurious handrails which should be absent on that side. Correcting these faults would be easy were it not for the presence of the rivet detail, which it's hard to preserve during cutting and sanding. On approach might be to lose the rivets completely as they are a little on the heavy side anyway. With the green one, I sanded them off then reinstated them with blobs of PVA, the success of which I think is debatable, but something I can live with.

 

With the black 94xx, I'm trying a slightly different tack which is flood the inset steps with Mr Surfacer (as used by military modellers etc) and see how I get on. If it all goes to plan (which I'm sure it won't!) the Mr Surfacer should form a smooth layer which blends in seamlessly with the surrounding cab. In any case, it'll be a learning curve. Although it'll remain in black, I expect the model to need a repaint in any case.

 

blogentry-6720-0-17327300-1511646454_thumb.jpg

 

Also on the workbench this week has been the venerable 2721 class. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, it's now running with a Comet 57xx chassis in place of the Hornby original. There are lots of things not right with the 2721, and using the 57xx chassis is a bodge in that (among other things) the brake pull rods aren't the right type. The main outstanding issue, though, was that the front splasher was now badly out of alignment with the wheel. Finally summoning up the nerve, I reworked that whole area by sawing away the splasher, relocating it, and then building back the detail under the smokebox. Once I'd done that, I had a huge void under the tanks which needed addressing. The motor angle was adjusted slightly and a false boiler bottom fashioned from plastic tube of roughly the right diameter. I then added a suggestion of inside valve gear using plastic rod, only just visible but I know it's there.

 

After all this, there's just enough daylight under the boiler to look convincing, I hope, albeit tricky to photograph:

 

blogentry-6720-0-65171400-1511646859_thumb.jpg

 

That's it for now. Happy bodging, one and all.

  • Like 16
 Share

5 Comments

Recommended Comments

  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

Yeah, I'm annoyed with myself for not buying one from the 247 stand at the Cardiff show. I kept going back there and it was busy each time, and then I forgot! I know they had a nice Dean chimney. Next time!

Link to comment
  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Great looking panniers, Al. Thanks for the tip about Mr Surfacer, it sounds very useful.

Link to comment
  • RMweb Gold
Barry Ten
  • RMweb Gold

The verdict's out on the Mr Surfacer so far, Mikkel - it's useful stuff to have in the toolbox (er, filler box?) but I'm not sure it's the way to go in this case, as it's taking a lot of applications of it to build up the level back to the cabside. The proof will be when I put some paint on. I might have been better off just using the usual toothpaste type plastic filler. Glad you like the panniers, though - you were one of the first to show the 94XX conversion, if I remember?

Link to comment
  • RMweb Gold
Mikkel
  • RMweb Gold

Thanks for the info Al, I did see a video where several layers of it were being put on, apparently of different grades.

 

Yes I did a 94xx conversion a good number of years ago, though not nealy as advanced as yours. No doubt someone did it even earlier, it seems a rule in railway modelling that someone has always done it before! Sadly I later dismantled that 94xx as I wanted the chassis for something else - I regret that now!

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...