The Fatadder

That was pretty much my intention originally, all be it that I was planning to keep it running on the cheaper decoder while a couple of other locos that were further ahead in the list got sound. Now I am planning to get the sound upgrade kit once it comes out to get the loco running. Of course if I do somewhat regret not just buying a sound loco in the first place given that would no doubt have been a cheaper way to have done it, but by the time I ordered there were none left of the loco I needed with sound. Will learn from my mistake with the 60!

Not to mention there is still the possibility once it has finished its time in Japan the loco will be repatriated back to the UK in (cosmetically at least) a decent condition, whereas if it had stayed here it would likely have completely rusted away by then.

Next step on the 37 looks like a case of dismantle everything (for a third time) and try lubrication (worm bearing and drive draft ends being the key areas I think). For now I will live with it, probably until the run up to its next show. this evening instead I’ve moved into my 158. Which has sat awaiting wiring for far too long. This unit was previously rebuilt with wipac clusters behind the window as per the prototype rather than Bachmanns twin led. But they’ve never been wired up (not helped by a lack of fine wire.) the plan is to use the Bachmann 2 pin connectors between the coaches to give a wire for the headlight/marker (day), rail lights and cdl lights. I can’t recall if the cdl lights on both sides light up on a 158 on the prototype, but from a model perspective I think it’s useful to have both sides lit at once as the public will only see the live side and I can see the other side to show I’ve got them on!) For the CDL lights I’ve used the Hurst lenses glued over a hole drilled in the side. I have no idea as to the source of the small LED (they are from a 20 year old loco lighting kit I’ve never used), soldered to a resistor and wires. now to repeat the process on the other coach before wiring it all up! Initially it will get one of my old Lenz golds, although in time it needs something with 6 functions in order to give independent control of tail lights in the event that working couplings are fitted. It won’t be a regular performer on the layout. given the success of this trial, I will now need to source more of the small LED and perform the same upgrade on my 150/153. Annoyingly I don’t think Bachmann included a spare pin on the electric coupling so will need to find a way of getting power across to the second coach on the 150.

An off the shelf decoder will give you head light, marker lights and roof fans (with a 6 fct chip), with the chips I have to hand I’ve not managed to get more than this to work. i haven’t got a lokpilot so not sure what you get if you use a lokpilot without the Cavalex settings, hopefully someone can advise. because of the extra functionality Cavalex have incorporated, presumably in part by outsourcing the electronics design to ESU it requires a bespoke set up to get the full functionality (in the same way Accurascale locos do)

More testing this evening and after 5 or 6 runs back and forth running silently the noise has already returned Wish I knew what the actual cause was almost as much as I regret not sending the damed thing back to Bachmann to fix!

Yesterday I was shuttling 37668 up and down the layout for a final test and the squeaking from the motor had returned. Previously (before starting the respray) I had dismantled the chassis and tracked the noise down to pressure on the motor from a poorly made chassis block / keeper plate resulting in the keeper plate not fitting correctly (and instead putting pressure on the motor when the chassis frame is fitted. I thought I had fixed it removing the flash and reassembling, but upon testing the noise had returned. Remembering the chassis was a pain in the backside to work on thanks to the bogie chains, I initially tried to loosen the keeper plate from underneath the loco after removing the fuel tanks. (these needed refitting with a better alignment anyway.) This didn't solve it, so again the model was dismantled (keeping the bogies in situ), the keeper was removed and the location lugs on the damaged side removed completely. after screwing back onto the chassis the noise had gone, however once the bogies were refitted the noise came back slightly quieter than before. So this time it was completely taken apart with the bogies fully removed (including removing the chains), before stripping them down and reassembling one at a time. This time the noise has fully gone, I think the second noise was originating from a cardan shaft that had been fitted the wrong way round in the factory. Which would explain why bench testing of the motor with no bogies attached the noise was gone, only to reappear the second it went onto the layout. The loco now needs to be reassembled (including the fuel tank modifications outlined here and the loco will finally be done. (At least until I do something about the sound quality). A few repairs are needed after all of this handling, (a bit of lifted reflective stripe transfer and a missing nose aerial) plus regluing those dammed brake chains!) While the fuel tanks are off the model I am going to have a quick look I am going to have a quick look over the mouldings in comparison with my 3d pint to see if there are any worth while improvements before I print new tanks for 710 and 065 which I think are the only 37s I have left that dont have the upgraded underframe Finally a new arrival, with a reasonably priced Bachmann Polybulk arriving from ebay this morning. This needs to be updated with CAIB logos and channel tunnel branding before weathering along with the grey CAIB wagon once I have some data panels for the latter.

A useful photo for me, seeing as my two remaining 60s have full end detail and the complete lower part (and I dont have the original kinematics / slotted part). Modified like that I can get them all listed on ebay over the next few months in preparation for the arrival of the Cavalex replacements (and not loose out massively due to having them fitted with scale couplings)

Is that the final body tooling of 66001? I thought it was going to have the almost flush horn grill?

There were of course a number of 56 (and 60s) which ran without any sector branding in service for a prolonged period post privatisation, so there is something of a halfway house available. the question is whether it would sell as many as a ‘normal’ release with xyz branding. That said having finished my 56 as an unbranded loco it really wasn’t too difficult to do, if a 60 appeared in unbranded grey it would be my first choice, but again I’m more likely to buy one of the sector ones and rebrand to loadhaul triple grey

Fixed salary cap, take all the academies into RFU control and an annual entry draft based in reverse order teams finished the league (with no bloody draft lottery!) would be my way forward. Alongside a minimum of say 10 out of 15 in a starting 15 must be English qualified. maybe with a fixed period I’d say 3 seasons in which a quota of overseas based players can be selected while the new system beds in

A couple of weeks ago I watched the England U20s play the Welsh, the stand out player on the day for me was Junior Kpoku who is learning his trade in Paris At its introduction I was a big fan of the salary cap concept, the problem comes when the cap is different in different leagues. Giving a rival league an inherent advantage. Other than raising the cap (which is just not going to be feasible in the current financial climet). it’s hard to see how the RFU can overcome this development issue, without allowing overseas selection at least in the short term. Significantly increasing the requirement for home grown players in the starting 15 for premiership sides would be the logical way to go (isn’t that how the French solved the similar problem in the top14). With England you can see the potential is there, undermined by the continuous handling errors. In today’s game it felt for so long England was dominating play only to make a stupid mistake. Scotland took their chances and put them to bed. Scotland also showed what’s needed from an international fly half, it’s been far too long since we’ve had someone kicking for England who can be relied on to consistently slot the kicks. Failing to get the conversion put more pressure on England toward the end when chasing two scores

I lied when I said I was done with Class 37s for now. I spotted earlier that both EWS locos were missing their nose aerials, so both were drilled and fitted with nickel silver wire painted black. While I was at it the missing lamp irons on one end of 668 were also fitted (using some Vitrains parts I had to hand). with that done I also noticed there were no jumper cables on 025. I picked up a pack of West Hill Wagon Works printed end details at Showcase, so the multi working sockets have been painted and fitted. Not confident about their strength, but if the wire brakes I will try drilling out and replacing with wire (which gives me an idea for a bit of cad work). Visually they are an improvement over the crude original Bachman parts, but not quite up there with the latest model

Another wagon that is complete awaiting transfers is this EWS liveried Rudd (with Grampus sides). looks a little odd with the livery painted the wrong way round. I think the lower strip is a little narrow in the Parkside tooling vs the prototype.

Mine is 3335 (or at least it will be once the number plates arrive, seeing as it would have often been passing through Brent it would be rude not to!

While it has yet to be fitted with number plates, and until I can buy some handrail knobs I cant fit the boiler handrails, I am really pleased with it after a coat of paint. I have reused the buffer heads and smokebox bits off the Dukedog body. Tender is also not properly attached while I wait on the boiler handrails. Highly recomended!

an update on the Bulldog, the cab handrails have all been painted, buffers / smokebox details all fitted (all scavenged from the Dukedog body). I’m lacking handrail knobs so I can’t add the boiler handrails until I get some (which won’t be until Ally Pally).

Is that green or black under the muck?

I’ve been contemplating putting together a railtour set of mk1s (98/99) as the set used on the Falmouth Packet tour (with a King) mostly as a justification for my Cavalex 56. Will have a look through those links, hopefully it will have more info than the small number of photos I’ve found so far

I am assuming gold members can post directly in here while the main classifieds board is down? I have for sale a pair of Bachmann Class 150/1 bodies in central trains livery. good condition (unboxed) looking for £40 including postage

After weathering the chassis 37668 is now in service

The penultimate post on 37668, after work this evening I’ve been testing the loco under power for the first time since I ‘fixed’ the squealing motor. Annoyingly it’s returned so the whole thing will need taking apart again. This time I will be more drastic and completely replace the motor mount (and remove and modify the fuel tanks to improve the fit at the same time). The noise isn’t so bad as it was, just annoying that it’s there! of course with the body hard wired to the chassis it’s going to be a lot harder this time! I’m tempted to see if I can remove the fuel tanks and then enter from below, rather than removing the body, then the bogies in order to remove the chassis moulding… one other thing on the hit list, I need to reprogramme the tail lights to be off by default. I don’t like the Bachmann default of having to turn off the lights at one end to disable them. just spotted this end still needs lamp irons as well… With the resting done it’s onto the weathering, first up some streaking added to the sides around the grills before getting stuck in to the roof. Once this is dry it will be onto the bogies to get it to an intermediate state where it’s layout ready. As sound loco no3 I’m sure it’s going to get a lot of use! Makes me think I really ought to switch the sound out of 670 into something in the top list. So I can have a transrail with sound….

finished another respray (this started as 401). Somewhat more involved than this which also started as 401) Just 3 more locos left to upgrade now, though I think 8 is plenty enough to run a Wheal Imogen for a weekend with spares for failures)

After varnishing the loco this morning, this evenings task was to finish off the model fitting the glazing and hard wiring the lights at one end to replace the damaged lighting socket. I’ve yet to test it as the work was finished too late to be setting off a sound chip, it will also still need weathering and the handrails painting seems a good time to show off the rest of the 37 fleet, starting with the 2022 Bachmann bodies on old chassis 37674 37510 37521 37025 37262, the only one of my 2022 37s that retains Bachmann’s livery (all be it with some modifications to the roof and the names removed) Next up the locos using the last gen shell but with the Extreme Etchings upgrades to windows and roof grill 37671 37065 with its odd ends 37670 fitted with a full set of reinforced windscreens, loco still needs its headcode boxes replacing once I print some more Finally there are the locos that are the last gen Bachmann model with Extreme Etchings roof grill and a hybrid overlay/reglaze cab. Earmarked for future upgrades 37057 37710 37403, one of the Railtec plates seems to have fallen off. I’m still pleased with the hand repainted BR crests to get the faded look.

I just reused the Bachmann wheels.

I was impressed with the representation of the printed inside motion. ive shown this previously on my Brent, but here’s a slightly better photo of my almost finished curved frame Bulldog will have the bufferbeam painted red this evening, and drill bits have arrived so no excuse not to do the handrails now