EMU workbench

by pete_mcfarlane

original page on Old RMweb

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??? posted on Mon Feb 02, 2009 1:25 pm

No progress on the EPB I'm afraid. Far too many projects on the go at once

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Comment posted by ferries2008 on Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:22 am

Morning, So what are your other projects,are they all 3rd.rail?

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??? posted on Tue Mar 10, 2009 11:20 am

Wagons mainly at the moment - I'm trying to clear down my backlog of unbuilt/half-built kits: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30428&start=25. I've got a bad habit of starting stuff and not finishing it for ages

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Comment posted by Ian Fisher on Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:03 pm

That is some nice work there well finnished too.

Have you thought about sending an image to Charlie?

Ian

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Comment posted by ferries2008 on Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:48 am

http://www.therailwaycentre.com/EMU%20p ... 9_railblue

Morning, Pete, This is only photo i;managed to find mlv. in overall blue.......maybe for your epb

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??? posted on Fri Mar 27, 2009 6:46 pm

I managed to find this one after I'd painted mine blue/grey! http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevs_trains/1793866880/ One day I'll do another in blue.

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Comment posted by edmac on Tue May 05, 2009 4:39 am

Have you finished the EPB yet Pete ?

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??? posted on Tue May 05, 2009 12:30 pm

'fraid not. It is slowly working it's way up to the top of the pile of half finished models. I will get it done before Bachman bring their one out in 2015.....

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Comment posted by ferries2008 on Fri May 08, 2009 4:47 pm

Hello,Sorry Pete....you got the date wrong...its 2115.....regards...dt...

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??? posted on Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:17 pm

The MLV is now finished - not the best set of pictures as I'm still getting the hang of my new digital camera.

Hopefully I should have an update on the EPB in a week of so. In the meantime, here's some detail photos of a real one that I took at the East Kent last year.

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Comment posted by divibandit on Thu Jun 11, 2009 1:53 pm

ferries2008 wrote:

Morning, So what are your other projects,are they all 3rd.rail?

Wagons mainly at the moment - I'm trying to clear down my backlog of unbuilt/half-built kits: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=30428&start=25. I've got a bad habit of starting stuff and not finishing it for ages

Yes I know that feeling! I have an MLV half-built as well, not to mention a 205 DEMU. Started to convert the over-length Lima BG into a GLV using the Mikes Models EMU ends, way before DC came on the scene.

Steve

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Comment posted by ferries2008 on Thu Jun 11, 2009 4:09 pm

The MLV is now finished - not the best set of pictures as I'm still getting the hang of my new digital camera.

 

Hello' date=' [img']http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/icon_thumbsup2.gif[/img] For the MLV.

 

Could have saved you the trip for the EPB photos,only 2.stops up the line from me,also a member.

Unless it was hols.........regards...dt......

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??? posted on Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:39 pm

 

ferries2008 wrote:

Could have saved you the trip for the EPB photos,only 2.stops up the line from me,also a member.

Unless it was hols.........regards...dt......

I went to the EMU day last year. It was well worth going.

 

I've dug the EPB out with the aim of actually inishing it. As suggested I've now replaced the wonky brass lighting conduits with steel guitar string, and it looks a lot better with no signs of distortion or wonkiness.

 

Next job is to add the other cables on the roof.

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??? posted on Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:16 pm

 

The EPB is now 99.9% done and ready for painting. The remaining 0.1% of work is to find the etched headcode frame that has dropped off one end, or buy another one from NNK

 

 

 

 

It appears that there are at least 2 major roof variations on the Mk1 2-EPB motor coaches (3 if you count the Tyneside units). Mine is based on the earlier units which don't have a cable running across the roof between the periscopes. Since the roof is painted white and most of the cabling is white plastic rod it's hard to see in this shot!

 

There are also differences between the inner ends of the preserved unit 5759 and this photo of 5706 on the SEMG site http://www.semgonline.com/gallery/class415_3.html. I'm not sure if this is a difference between the early and later units, or due to refurbishment of the preserved one. These differences, and the 1951 type control gear, make these units are real minefield to model. I weighed up buying a 2-EPB or 4-EPB, and went for the shorter unit as I thought it would be easier. I suspect a 4-EPB would be much easier as it has no roof cabling and you can use the Southern Pride underframe kit. Anyone feeling especially masochistic should try the first batch of BR 2-HAPs - the roof of the DTC looks like an explosion in a spagetti factory!

 

There is a fair bit of guesswork with the end detail as a result, but it shouldn't matter when the unit is coupled up. I've fixed the loose footboard and the strange mottled effect is overspray from when I primed the roof/sides to show up any imperfections.

 

Next up is a Kirk 2-Bil.

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Comment posted by Miss Prism on Wed Jul 15, 2009 3:42 pm

 

Excellent work, Pete. All that pipework and stuff on the ends and roofs captures the EPB extremely well, and I like the subtle cantrail. Please post a pic when you've painted the roof so that we can see your particular version of the pipework. The variations you are discovering should make interesting reading for Bachmann.

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Comment posted by Pugsley on Wed Jul 15, 2009 5:31 pm

 

Yes, very good indeed.

 

Thanks for the tip-off about the early HAPs - I'll make sure I don't do one of them when I get round to building mine

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??? posted on Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:11 pm

 

Miss Prism wrote:

The variations you are discovering should make interesting reading for Bachmann.

It will be interesting to see what they do. I suspect that their model will be based on 5759, which is the only one of this type of 2-EPB to be preserved.

 

Since it's "only" an EMU they'll be able to get away with ignoring detail differences in a way that would generate lots oof frothing if they did the same thing with a mainline diesel loco

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Comment posted by Miss Prism on Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:59 pm

 

Miaow!! (Or do I detect a gauntlet being thrown down at the reviewers?)

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Comment posted by BernardTPM on Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:09 pm

 

The EPB 'family' (i.e. including HAPs, etc.) are complicated by having two basic bodyshells: the Bullied bodied ones and the Mk.1 bodied ones; and because old underframes were re-used towards the end of the '50s some of the Bullied bodies are newer than some of the Mk.1 bodies! Add in two types of electrical gear (1951 and 1957) and the stage by stage tidying up of the Mk.1 roofs (removing the external conduits and the next batches removing the water pipes) and throwing in rainstrip changes and the later Mk.1 types having firstly smaller headcodes windows then the very late ones having sloped outer sides to the cab windows and there's much to wrong foot the modeller. Then there's the ex-Tyneside units, reformations, whistles, air horns and reliveries!

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??? posted on Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:10 pm

 

Miss Prism wrote:

Miaow!! (Or do I detect a gauntlet being thrown down at the reviewers?)

I'm just hoping that they don't pick up on (and exaggerate) real or imaginary minor errors with the various planned RTR EMUs and put people off buying them.

 

Just spotted this book of EMU drawings - no sign of the release date though: http://www.kevinrobertsonbooks.co.uk/product/view/1766. Hopefully it should show me what I've got wrong with my EPB. Having said that, I looked at the Tadpole ex-EPB driving trailer drawing in same author's DMU book and it shows none of the roof and end detail.

 

Speaking about EMU information, I'm surprised by how much is available for the 2-Bil I've just started. Branchlines do a set of drawings and instructions to go with their detailing parts, there's a Mike King drawing (with notes on detail variations) and a fantastic article by Nick Campling with drawings and detail photos in the April 1970 MRC. This is one of the best prototype articles I've seen in a modelling magazine.

 

Plus there are a lot more published photos than previous units I've done, and a real one at Shildon to photograph. Hopefully it should be an easier build - with the EPB I think I spent longer looking at photos than actual modelling.

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??? posted on Sat Jul 18, 2009 12:28 pm

 

Some progress on the 2-Bil. I bought this kit at an exhibition in Hatfield in 1996 (when I was a student) and have slowly collected the bits to detail it ever since, so I'm using a hotchpotch of detailing parts.

 

This is the trailer collector bogie - a very nice product from NNK. It went together very well, although it's perhaps a bit too wide for normal 26mm axles, and it was a bit fiddly adding the etched steps as I soldered them for strength (I suspect they are intended to be glued). Black Beetle wheels, which are only insulated on one side. This means that you have to make sure they are both the same way around, as the bogie frame becomes live.

 

 

The ends are a bit strange. They are supplied flat and have to be folded and glued to a former (which also has the buffer beam attached).

 

 

This one has had the moulded detail carefully removed, and has been glued to the former with MekPak and held in place with clamps. The holes are part of the moulding and may need filling later on.

 

 

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Comment posted by ferries2008 on Sat Jul 18, 2009 9:46 pm

 

Evening Pete, Excelent work there, with info. Maybe we all should have our EMU 's on the board index.

No cheek intended MODs.

Just had a chat with a chap who hopes to produce resin kits of Electrostar 37;s at the end of this year.

The book you mentioned prev. i am sure will be a winner for those with interest..

back to topic...sorry Mods....keep them coming Pete....

...dt.....

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Comment posted by dasatcopthorne on Sun Jul 19, 2009 10:00 am

 

Pete.

 

Nice work and photos.

 

Here are a couple of pics od the roofs and inner ends of my "Hap and Ex-Tyneside 2Epb.

 

I've used calculations (using the roof weld lines), pictures and my own measurements to get the pipes more or less right.

 

When I built these I didn't have the time to invest in the raised lighting conduit as you have.

 

Wish I had now.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

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??? posted on Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:56 pm

 

ferries2008 wrote:

Just had a chat with a chap who hopes to produce resin kits of Electrostar 37;s at the end of this year

Bit modern for me, but bound to be a winner if done well.

dasatcopthorne wrote:

Here are a couple of pics od the roofs and inner ends of my "Hap and Ex-Tyneside 2Epb.

They look really nice - I've never seen a model of one of the Tyneside EPBs before. Any chance of some more photos?

 

I had to do out of hours cover for work this weekend, so was stuck at home and got plenty done. I'd have got more done if somebody hadn't knocked an ethernet cable out of one of the NAS servers...

 

These are the assembled 2-Bil ends with the start of adding some of the strips covering the panel joins, using 5 thou plastic strip.

 

 

The lost wax castings are from Branchlines and are OK but not brilliant, as they need a fair bit of cleaning up once you've cut them from the sprue. Underneath is the drawing that comes with them - this shows the correct arrangement of the cables on the flat central section of the ends. The first 10 2-Bils had a mirror image of this when built, and the Mike King and MRC drawings show this instead of the more common later arrangement. Usual comments about using photos as well as drawings!

 

These are the Branchlines motor bogie parts - designed for their MB35 bogie, but they can be fitted to a Black Beetle with a bit of filing. They came wrapped in the paper towel - brownie points for Branchlines doing this rather than letting them bang around loose in a plastic bag and get damaged.

 

 

Not quite as nice as the NNK trailing bogie, but they make up in to a pretty good end result. Again they come with steps - if only all kit bogies did.

 

 

Lastly, the sides as they came. These are pretty free from flash (unlike the more recent example I've got in my pile of kits) but the tool making around the bottom of the doors is a bit iffy. They aren't as smooth as they could be.

 

 

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Comment posted by dasatcopthorne on Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:35 pm

 

Hi Pete.

 

Must admit, I gave up on the Kirk 2Bil.

 

I was prepared to live with the lopsided roof (dome end) but when I fitted two sides to the floor and they bowed in at the top, I'd had enough.

 

I'll take a couple more shots of the Tyneside later. Poss Tuesday eve. Measured most of the BR type in Selhurst many years ago.

 

The nearest I have to a Bil is a 2Hal. The roof was a ###### on that, as well.

 

Dave

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