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14xx upgrade


Barry Ten

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My wife was unwell yesterday, so rather than retire to the railway room, I did the chivalrous thing and brought a modelling project down to the living room. While she watched tennis, I busied myself with files and drills. Several hours later, I was the happy owner of a spruced up Hornby 14xx, courtesy of a Mainly Trains detailing kit and some bits and bobs from the scrap/detailing box.

 

The main alterations to the model concern the boiler fittings; the smokebox door is replaced, as is the chimney and safety valve. There are a number of other useful lost-wax and white metal castings in the MT kit, including cab parts, but they can't all be fitted if you retain the Hornby chassis. I added those that I could, as well as wire handrails, lamp irons and some hoops for the shunters' pole.

 

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My intention is to repaint into BR black, but I thought I'd show these in-progress shots beforehand. Also in the works is an Airfix auto-coach which will run with this loco in semi-permanent fashion.

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Al.

 

Those detail parts originated with Iain Riceover twenty years ago, and they still are the best available.

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They featured in an old MRJ article about detailing and finescaling the 14XX, which included the construction of a P4 chassis.

 

A very good article, over two issues IIRC by Messrs Rice and Neep.

 

Will it be a replica of a Llantrisant - Penygraig shuttle ?

 

Or closer to the metropolis, the Cathays 14XX that plied up to North Rd and Maindy halts ?

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Good work, as Western as you can get, keep it up.

 

Brian

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  • RMweb Gold

Thats a cracking job you've done there its ashame you are painting it black though. ;)

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  • RMweb Premium

Thats a cracking job you've done there its ashame you are painting it black though. ;)

 

 

I quite agree, although my interest in Black livery is slowing growing on me :blink:

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Jamez - I've got one with a Dapol chassis (although an old Airfix body) lurking somewhere as well. I bought the chassis when Dapol were selling them off for a tenner.

 

Brian - in my spares box I have 1440 as a number - was that a Welsh engine by any slight chance?

 

Gwrrob - I'm open to persuasion; don't mind a bit of green but my auto-coach is currently in crimson so I reckoned black would be more appropriate for the motive power. Personally I think black locos show off weathering the best, but that's a personal thing.

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Great job and more than a bit of inspiration there. I've got a Dapol/Airfix 14xx in green/shirtbutton and been wondering what to do with it. Do you know if the cab bits etc from the detailing kit fit with that motor (for some reason I thought Hornby had just bought the Dapol tooling) or is it a bigger job involving fitting new chassis (Comet?).

Completely agree on the black/weathering thing.

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Lovely detail Al, and very neatly done. The bunker detailing makes a huge difference.

 

Although too late for my period I actually find that the 14xxs look best in black.

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Bad Rabbit - I don't have the Dapol mechanism to hand, but with the Hornby one, the motor intrudes into the cab quite a lot. I reckon you could saw the white metal backhead in half and fix it to the top of the motor, which might look convincing from most angles, especially with a crew in there. The MT instructions do say that you'll need an etched chassis otherwise - Comet do indeed do one, as do MT themselves (according to the kit instructions) and I think there's another one out there as well. I find the Hornby mechanism to be a big improvement on the old one though.

 

As Brian points out, the kit is an Iain Rice design, with the instructions bearing his characteristic drawing style.

 

Mikkel: I think you've swung the jury in favour of black!

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Al,

 

Excellent work!;)

 

Have just received one of these kits from MT to enhance my 14xx.

 

Out of curiosity-are those dreadful traction tyres still on it? I'm tempted to try an etched chassis or have you added pick-ups to the Autocoach to improve the running quallities?

 

I saw the real thing at the GCR today. Looked superb in GWR green with a Choc/Cream Autocoach!:)

 

Mines going to be Newton Abbot's 1427 in post war GWR livery!;)

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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Nice work - and inspirational as I have the same job to do at some stage - plus fitting a 'High Level' chassis. However, mine will have to represent the early 48XX series so I'm going to have to remove the top feed... Just about to do this to the 57xx from Bachman as well...

 

Nice work!

 

REgs

 

Ian

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Very nice - I did one a few years ago, the only thing I didn't do were the hoops on the bunker. Mine looks a little bare now!

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Cheers, all - it's a fun little project. Mark: yes, it does retain the traction tyres, for now. I may look at swapping out that wheelset from a spare chassis, using (as you say) the auto-coach for pickup, or (rather more likely) just live with it. The main thing is that the pickup arrangement is much better than the old chassis.

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Great little project that has inspired me to purchase a Dapol 14xx sitting in the display cabinet of my local model shop.:rolleyes:

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Hi Barry, the bunker hoops, did you make them or did you buy them, if so can you recall from where? Also am I right in thinking the lamp irons were from Mainly Trains?. Thanks, Jon

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Hi Jon - I made the bunker hoops from bits of scrap etch, curved around a screwdriver. The lamp irons are indeed from the Mainly Trains etch.

 

cheers!

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