Entry posted by Jon020
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Some of you may be familiar with my previous postings associated with detailing and weathering Bachmann Class 55 Deltics. Much of the detailing used scratch-built components with a couple of Brian Hanson’s parts thrown in when some of his development extreme-etches were kindly provided. The Shawplan range of extreme etches has recently been expanded to include a wide variety of class 55 items to improve on the Bachmann offering and it is with a number of these items that I recently acquired at Scaleforum, that the next stage of locomotive “improvement†commenced. I’d like to add my thanks to Mike from Shawplan for the good long chat we had as I slowly browsed the items on offer.
Before I start, I will also mention that in a bid to improve on the model’s looks, I’m also considering conversion to P4 with finescale wheels. However, I’ve yet to find out more about this and determine whether this can be accommodated within the bogies… so the decision’s yet to be finalised. Chris Pendleton’s article in MRJ has left me in no doubt that a new fully compensated bogie may be the best way to go, but this is well beyond my current skill set.
So, for now, I will concentrate on the planned conversion. Please note that Brian’s extreme etches include a number of items that I haven’t felt brave enough to tackle at this stage; including replacement roof sections and louvers and grills; there’s also a new resin nose section… maybe one day I’ll give these a go too.
The picture above shows the next-in-line Deltic for conversion, another model of Nimbus in BR Blue, but with the all-important full side cab screens, and in blue. I’ve split the work into two areas, namely the body and the chassis. The following is a brief list of the work to be tackled, but it is as yet in no particular work package order.
Body:
1. Re-profile bonnet tops;
2. Fit new bonnet top access hatch (extreme etch);
3. Fit new headcode panel frames (extreme etch);
4. Fit lifting point covers (extreme etch);
5. Fit brake exhausters access hatch cover at No. 1 end (extreme etch);
6. Fit data plates below cab windows – etch if found, scratch from plasticard if not;
7. Move No. 1 end fire pull surround
8. Fit ETH bracket to nose ends (extreme etch);
9. Scratch build ETH connection units to fit to bracket, and sockets to under-nose area;
10. Fit upper headcode brackets (extreme etch);
11. Fit lower headcode brackets (extreme etch)… retain lower lamp brackets;
12. Cut out and re-profile nose-end foot step
13. Fit nose end (bufferbeam) steps (extreme etch)
14. Cut out/hollow out body to accept sand filler access ports and water filling ports (extreme etch);
15. Buffer housing access plates and step plates (extreme etch);
16. Buffer re-profile and stroke shorten, or replace;
17. Fit handbrake levers and chains once complete (extreme etch);
18. Add cab bulkhead behind driver and secondman seats (plasticard);
19. Remove existing BR Arrows (too large), renumber, rename;
20. Detail horns, or replace.
Chassis:
1. Reduce bogie ride height;
2. Fit bogie steps (extreme etch), including one with speedo cable protector plate (plasticard);
3. Fit speedo pickup and cable through to body (scratch wire and plastic rod);
4. Fit mileage recorder to rear axle of No. 1 end bogie (plasticard);
5. Fit new catch-bars (cow catchers – what are these called?) after removing existing ones off bogie fronts. (Still in development may try plasticard or some form of metal… not yet sure);
6. New bufferbeam (extreme etch);
7. New supplementary pipework and airbrake pipes (brass wire);
8. New screwlink coupling (cosmetic Hornby – and/or working Smiths?);
9. Brake exhauster exhaust pipes to No. 1 end (brass wire);
10. Sanding pipes between chassis and bogies (I still need to fully research this. There are photos of the bogie attachment, which I’d imagine to be identical to the CL37, but the hopper outlets behind the nose are difficult to see in any references. Research continues). May use USB wire or elastic (TBD).
11. Fit EE cast bogie towing brackets;
12. Etch out lower seam to fuel tanks;
13. Fuel tank and water tank pipe work at ends and above tanks (brass wire).
14. Re-wheel.
15. Once completed, attach brake chains and determine possibility of fitting bogie sway-brace cables to body – hooks under lifting point covers (TBD).
Then, repaint, renumber, re-badge… and weather.
I’ll continue to post updates as this project develops. I expect to hit some “now-what?†stages, but hopefully there wont be too many.
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