Hi all,
I thought this would be a quick upgrade project!
I got a bargain diagram O33 Lima Siphon G at an exhibition last year. When I got home, I checked what GWR.org say on it - incorrect bogies - well that should be easy. Looking in the Siphon Bible by Jack Slinn, it could be one of four types with 9' Pressed Steel making up 75% of them. Many of them were converted to other types after WWII so watch out for that. O59 is easy - just add shell vents x11. M34 is shell vents + plated over Louvres.
The Lima body has wider planks than normal. There is a side on official photo of 2937 with this arrangement in Russell's Coaches Appendix volume 2. It also has a different brake arrangement (lever v Lima's DC brake) but has the Pressed steel bogies.
So my course of action is
Rebogie
Modify undergubbins
Repaint
I got some Bachmann 36-010 Collett bogies and first reduced the length of 16 footboards to be just footsteps.
Problem 1: I then realised that the mounting arrangement was different. So I removed the middle pivot of the old and new bogies. I added two small 40thou bits of plastic under where the pivot meets the side frame on the new ones and then glued the Lima pivot under that to get the height right.
Problem 2: Lima used 3' wheels whereas Bachmann have the correct 3'6" wheels - the new wheel flanges scrape on the floor of the Siphon. I cut out some serious chunks of floor out to give the wheels somewhere to swing - making sure the floor pivot wasn't affected. Problem solved
The bogie at one end now fouled the DC brake handles - it needs to go anyway. If you are modelling one of the earlier DC brakes versions, I would suggest using shorter bogies like the 7' wb heavy types on 2057-2070.
Remove the DC brake and move the dynamo to the other end. Add a V hanger from the spares box and add a couple of lever brakes - with shortened levers. I made the shorter still to prevent the bogies damaging them.
Repaint - as 2937 is a 1945 build, no white roof, and roof colour to gutter, not rain strip.
Square blob of plastic for the label clip right in the middle of the side. Transfers - this type have tare weight 26.11.0.
I thought it would take an evening and it probably took three - not perfect but a reasonable "layout coach" for about £20.
Shown here with the original Lima above.
Just noticed I need white brake handles and blue axlebox tops!
Thanks for reading
Will
Edited by WillCav
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