Having pretty much finished my PTA rebuilds, I am now in need of another project to keep me busy. Realistly I aught to be working on either my 73s or 59 detailing jobs, but instead I have dug out another major project to work on, conversion of 4 Hornby short mk3s into a Royal Mail 325 EMU.

The plan:

First step is to strip down the mk3s and do the prep work. The coach has the window strip and bogies pulled off, followed by cutting off all raised detail and the corridor connectors. The roof ribs were filed back past the toilet hatches (to remove the latter), but depending on how well new ribs blend in with the existing stuff will determine whether or not I just remove the lot and start over.

Once all 4 coaches are prepared, the next step will be the cutting. Firstly the 2 inner coaches and the 2 inner ends of the driving coaches will have the rectangular hole cut in the location of the corridor connectors, with a plasticard blank being fitted into position to restore lost strength. Once thats out the way the next job is going to be cutting out the pantograph well, again filling the gap with plasticard to the correct design.

Once that is completed the next job will be the cuts for the new doors, cutting to shape before again fitting plasticard behind them. Once the doors are cut and fitted, plasticard will be fitted to the glazing strip to fill the gaps and get back to maximum strength.

With all the major cutting finished on the sides, the final major cut will be made, fitting Hornby Networker cabs to the outer ends (must try and source a pair.)

Attention will then return to the inner ends, with the application of filler and filing to get them to the correct profile, this looks to be the most difficult part of the conversion, particularly as it needs to be done to a decent standard 12 times.)

With all the major work done, it will then be a case of applying the smaller details (new doors, roof ribs etc), scratch building a new underframe (it will either get Bachmann 25 or 158 power) along with end details.

Not sure what I will do with the doors yet, though etched bits certainly makes a lot of sense.

So far I have got the first coach striped down, though how long it will take until I actually start making real progress I dont know, the 59 conversions are looking rather tempting to go back to, and I suspect once my wheel order arrives from Gibson with 13mm wheels for the 73s (and more kettle wheels) work on the 73s and kettles might jump up the list again.