Sometimes a project comes about through planning, others it comes through chance. This project is defiantly driven by the latter.
After reading mention of DRS Class 37 ends produced by Rainbow Models on another thread, I clicked through to have a look what else they might have to offer. The first thing I saw on entering their website was a set of Bachmann 37/5 flush front ends for £10 with damage to the locating lugs. This put me in mind of 37521 English China Clays, which unsurprisingly was very common on the clay lines in the late 90s

So with a loco in mind, along with the ends I needed to find a suitable loco to work from. I have various Class 37 project locos available, but checking photos 37521 has a smooth roof (rather than the riveted verity) so an EWS body would be a good start. Fortunately in my for sale pile sat 37417 in EWS awaiting repairs to its buffers, giving an ideal start point. This was originally 37411, back in 2007 I renumbered it to 417 (replacing the logos and numbers with Fox transfers, and replacing the OHLE flashes with the post 98 verity) along with fitting Fox nameplates.

So the work to be completed:
Remove nameplates
Replace OHLE flashes with pre 98 version
Buy and fit English China Clay plates
Fit new numbers
Fill / repaint the roof horn recesses (then paint and fit horns to Bill Cooksworthy)
Correct nose grills - Eventually…
Remove remnants of red stripe livery from nose ends
Add new numbers

The Work

I started off with the body preparation, removing all glazing, air horns and the original ends. With this complete I added an application of squadron white putty and filed to shape with a foam emery board.
This was followed with a coat of LMS red oxide paint as a primer, before painting with a mixture of LMS red oxide and EWS maroon in an attempt to match Bachmann’s peculiar shade of EWS maroon. It still needs another coat (probably along with some weathering) as I still can’t get a perfect match.

Next up were the sides, starting with the nameplates. These had been glued on with superglue, so after removal from the model the resulting superglue marks were carefully tidied up with wet and dry the transfers for the post 98 warning flashes were scraped off with water and a finger nail revealing the original version printed below. This left additional flashes to add either side of the cantrail grills on each side (added from a Replica transfer). The same approach was used to remove the 417 from the sides, replacing with Fox Transfers. The problem here is that Bachmann got the colours too dark, while Fox got the transfers somewhat on the light side. The net result is a pronounced difference between the red of the transfer and that of the body. The age of the transfers is starting to show (these would have been purchased circa 2004/5), which I assume was the cause of problems encountered with the transfers lifting off the model.

Moving on to the noses, the red stripe paint on the lower corners along with the blue star markings were removed with Microsol and a scalpel. Replacement nose number transfers were added (also Fox) though I had clearly made mistakes with the ones on 417 originally (as only had one left), instead I chopped up a seven to make the other.

The noses were then glued into place on the model, followed by slight adjustment to the tabs for the lights.

I now need to order some new etched plates, for which I need to sell some old ones (so let me know if anyone is interested in a set of Fox plates for 37417). I also need to change the nose grills, but in order to do this I really need to find a closer match for EWS red.

For my next 37 I am considering finishing off a bit of an oddity (even if it was the other side of the country in the 80s and out of use in the late 90s), the model is of 37075 with one end rebuilt flush and the other with split boxes. I am still undecided if it will be finished in BR blue (1987) or unbranded triple grey (1988 onwards)