Bachmann Class 24
Entry posted by Trevor H
682 views
4mm Bits from Old RMweb
Bachmann Class 24
by d7093
__________________________________________
??? posted on Sun Jun 29, 2008 5:48 pm
Over the past couple of weeks i've been working on some class 24s, hopefully for my layout Morfa Mawr.
Basically these are something i started work on quite a few years ago for other projects but never got completed, so i had acouple of Hornby shells and two Silver Fox resin bodies, one which i picked up recently from a good friend Villier Street. The plan is to plant them onto Bachmann chassis's for their superb running qualities.
Work is still progressing on these because even though the proportions of the body is quite near too what i'm after, the more i did on them the more i was getting disconcerted with them. I kept going back to the Bachmann body thinking something could be done with it, so decided to graft a Hornby cl 25 cab on, but i still didn't feel happy with the outcome.
So the past few days i been playing about with another Bachmann body. First of all i needed to fit a couple of panels onto the roof but realised they were way to short, on closer inspection i realised the Bachmann roof panel was too narrow and the water filler hatches too close together.
So with a bit of work i turned this:
Into this:
Excellent i thought a start had been made, but the critical part to my eye is the face of the loco which looks totally wrong.
This is certainly not a critisim at Bachmann and hopefully at sometime they will do some more work, on both the class 24 & 25 locos and refine what people consider a well needed model.
Anyhow what i needed was how can i make this:
Look more like this:
Basically work involved reprofiling the window to a more acceptable shape and although they may not be dimensionally accurate they are more pleasing to my eye, other work involved redoing the roof profile which i may still do some more work on since seeing what it looks like in a photo, raising the top of the connecting doors as these are too low and probably still are, replacing the cantrail so it had more curvature and replacing the front handrail with 0.4mm brass wire which i have also raised up about 1mm.
I'm still out with the jury on this and it certainly is not the definate answer, but i feel it's better than what i had before and at the end of the day it worked out a lot less work than i thought it would be, Infact it was simpler than the work involved in redoing the cab on the skirted class 37s!
The Hornby and Silver Fox bodies will get completed for Morfa Mawr, but i may well take the Bachy route again as i need quite a few for my scottish stable in the future.
Cheers
__________________________________________
Comment posted by Pennine MC on Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:22 pm
Didnt take long after getting the 'right' answer did it 
Now that's interesting - shows that proportions are more important than precise dimensions, I think... It'll be interesting to see these in paint in due course
__________________________________________
??? posted on Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:35 pm
Well you can't beat a couple of Bo-Bo's running alongside B-B's and Co-Co's can you
The painting of the Bachy model will show the proportions a lot easier, hopefully for the better 
will keep you posted.
Cheers 
__________________________________________
Comment posted by Pete Piszczek on Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:53 pm
You are certainly kinder than I when it comes to Bachmann! 
Nice photoshop on the prototype photo of the Class 24 face. Sometimes it takes fooling around with prototype photos like you've done to convince yourself, and others, that things are amiss.
The work you've done thus far in the Class 24 brow is impressive. 
__________________________________________
Comment posted by Pennine MC on Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:29 pm
And in turn Pete, there are those less kind than yourself
__________________________________________
??? posted on Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:55 pm
Thanks Pete,
I find it is better nowadays to try and be constructive more than destructive with my words when putting things across, well when in public anyway
The photoshop was just something i was playing about with for my own benefit, but when i put the two prototypes shots together the differences really came across to me, a lot more than even i had even realised, so i thought it only fair that i should share it
No wiser words said
__________________________________________
Comment posted by onslaught832 on Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:11 pm
Very neat work on the 24 body Trevor , sorry to ask a silly question but is the rain-strip on the cab front just Mek-Pak' ed on 
Cheers Phill
__________________________________________
??? posted on Sun Jun 29, 2008 10:43 pm
Hi Phill,
Yes the rainstrip is just 10thou plasticard fixed with Mek.
I found that because it was so flimsy that it wouldn't follow the smooth curvature i wanted whilst applying the Mek, so i stuck a thin strip of masking tape along where i wanted it just above, this made it a lot easier to butt the plasic strip up against the masking tape when gluing. 
Cheers
Trevor.
__________________________________________
Comment posted by Phil on Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:16 am
Hi Trevor
This has instantly become one of the most absorbing threads on RMweb as I have a pile of Sulzer type 2s to "sort out" in my round tuit box.
I guess that you need to remove the curved rainstrip from the roof dome first, as that is what is instrumental in creating Bachmann's illusion.
As others have commented, it'll be good to see some paint em, as that'll be the proof of your convictions.
Looking really good 
and I'll be calling by my LHS later for some more microstrip.
__________________________________________
??? posted on Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:15 am
Hi Phill,
Hopefully if the idea works the only repainting needed will be the yellow fronts and a bit of patch painting around the roof although this will be covered in grime
__________________________________________
Comment posted by F-UnitMad on Sat Jul 05, 2008 1:49 am
As for the Class 24, I'd say the Bachy nose doors are a tad too narrow, as well as low- they just don't fill the space under the centre window properly at all. Unfortunately, rectifying them width-wise looks like an incredibly hard job- probably easier to cut them out and replace entirely with new panels...
__________________________________________
??? posted on Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:08 pm
Quite agree about the nose doors and if i was doing one with the doors welded up i probably would of took the option of cutting it all out, but sadly i need the doors and i'm not up for trying to replicate them 
, also measuring the front of the cab it is 0.6mm wider than the Hornby model which doesn't help for comparison's, but it is starting to grow on me.
I had hoped to update with some pics of progress but due to work and other commitments nothing got done at all last week ,
I have managed to make some valances out of plasticard as the prototype still had them fitted along it's length except directly under the tanks, as did most the LMR ones until late 1972. Which is a shame as i was hoping to be able to use the same chassis's under my ScR ones but most of them seem to of lost their valances a lot earlier, and i've already nabbed several chassis's for my class 29's
Cheers
Trevor
__________________________________________
??? posted on Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:06 pm
Further update to the class 24, i've now painted the yellow front ends so it now gives an idea of what it will look like once weathered and numbered.
Other work carried out since my last report was to remove some of the plastic around the tanks and fitting the gauges to the other side as on this particular prototype, also to fit some of the valances back on as many of the Stoke division locos seemed to retain at this time.
I also fitted some blanking plates on the bodyside footsteps but these will need to be redone as i seem to of got them a bit wonky.
__________________________________________
Comment posted by onslaught832 on Sat Jul 26, 2008 6:31 pm
Looking more 24 like already nice work Trevor
Phill
__________________________________________
Comment posted by Pete Piszczek on Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:47 am
Yes excellent work! That must have been a bear to carve... 
__________________________________________
Comment posted by mines a pint on Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:08 am
My ears pricked up once you got to the 24's - not that I dont like hydraulics, just dont think I'll be getting round to modelling any soon?
Will listen with interest as I still wish to create some 'far north' 24's, I was hanging out for the kits/castings
still seems like the windows would be wrong, I like 'neils' 24s based on the old Hornby shell , I have aqcuire a couple of Hornby bodies and will be loking to mount hte Hornby cabs onto the Bachmann loco body/chasssis
__________________________________________
??? posted on Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:13 pm
Cheers Phill,
Hopefully when its numbered and has recieved some weathering it'll tone it down, it is looking rather garish at the moment.
__________________________________________
??? posted on Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:15 pm
Cheers Pete,
The work wasn't too bad really, main jobs were to angle the tops of windows to give a better curvature, reprofile the skinhead roof slightly with some Milliput and replace the cantrail. The work involved was probably less than converting the Hornby model and although i admit the proportions are probably not exact, it does look more like a class 24 in my eyes anyway.
__________________________________________
??? posted on Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:17 pm
Cheers MaP,
I know what you mean about the class 24's, i need about five for my ScR stock and now i've got this bug for the Cambrian i suddenly need another three or four Crewe ones.
I had always hoped Bachmann would of improved on the original, while i also hoped that Brassmaster's or Silver Fox could of done replacements cabs, which i think at the right price would of sold by the bucket load along with one's for the class 25 variants.
Before i started on this model i actually returned to two Hornby and two Silver Fox models which had been started many years ago and while working on them i kept thinking their must be a better alternative, so i went the route of sticking the Hornby cabs on the Bach body but their was still the need to fit flush cab doors and alter the cab roof along with a few other mods.
Hence the reason this project was born as i always felt something could be done with it. I'm still unsure if it is any better but it does seem an easier route, although i still have some Hornby versions to finish off and Neils 24's do look good. I can see me ending up with one version for my ScR and the other for my LMR stock.
Trouble is with all this experimenting, i am running out of class 24 parts.
__________________________________________
1 Comment
Recommended Comments
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now