RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 21, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 What a lifeline these hobbies are in lockdown times, as noted in a whimsical 'Times' third leader today (triggered by Hornby's recent sales figures). But my poor wife's hobby has just suffered from water ingress more than mine - they've had to open the sluice gates on the Mersey and flood her allotment, just as she retires. Might even have to buy some vegetables this year. 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 On 10/01/2021 at 15:54, checkrail said: so I've just ordered Comet brass sides for a rebuilt H33 restaurant car from Wizard Models Here’s one I prepared earlier (sat on the shelf awaiting couplings) if I was doing it again now I would use one of the latest Hornby bow ends as a basis rather than the old H33. Well worth it for the better bogies, roof profile and underframe. 11 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 21, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) I agree. Mine already goes part way with that idea - it's the original body & roof with Keen Systems ends & gangways and underframe & bogies from a new, i.e. 2016> Hornby Collett, plus some Comet gas cylinders and new, discontnuous footboards. It's almost a shame to change it, and I know my lettering & insignia won't be anything like as good as Hornby's! On the other hand I'll only have single waist lining to do. Your photo reminds me how little there is below the cantrail for the new sides to adhere to. It's those big windows. John C. Edited January 21, 2021 by checkrail 12 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 21, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 1 hour ago, checkrail said: Your photo reminds me how little there is below the cantrail for the new sides to adhere to. It's those big windows. I've come to the conclusion that the best option now is to have Comet sides and ends soldered together, with the long parts of the fret soldered at 90 degrees to the top of the side. then glue the original roof in place & fit on the RTR chassis. If a coach could be sourced for around £20 (as the new collets could a couple of years ago), its not much different in price to the full kit. But it gets you much nicer components! Where on earth did you manage to source Hornby Collett bogies? Would much rather be using those than the Comet ones I am currently putting together for my TPO! One thing that I would say makes a big difference to the roof on the Hornby H33 is to open up the ends on the rectangular cowling above the kitchen. Makes a big difference against the solid plastic lump that comes as supplied. (and when you've finished you can join the club awaiting Hornby to announce one next year...) 5 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 21, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2021 1 hour ago, The Fatadder said: Where on earth did you manage to source Hornby Collett bogies? Useful info Rich. Thanks. Actually I used a whole Collett coach underframe, bogies and all, after the body had suffered some minor damage. As I was slowly replacing many of my wall-to-wall Colletts with other diagrams to create some GW variety I thought I could afford to sacrifice one! 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach bogie Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) I have been having fun with a Slater's toplight. I was asked to rescue it by a friend. He had paid a large sum of money to have it pro painted and could not find a way to finish it. Neither the builder or painter drilled out the commode and door handles before painting, The roof sits to high and the interior is too wide AGHHHH! I have had to make a false ceiling to keep the sides parallel. This gets over the roof fitting. The top eave will be slightly deeper, but I have no intention of trying to get the sides off to move them up a bit. I have drilled out all the holes and will have to touch up the expensive paint job - luckily it is in the black areas so should not show up. I broke up the interior to original parts, cut them down to fit under the false ceiling and glued it all back together again. Commode handles lost, so I will be making up from wire. I did say this was a friends didn't I? Mike Wiltshire Edited January 23, 2021 by Coach bogie 3 2 1 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted January 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 23, 2021 Hi Mike, Several years ago, I phoned David White at Slaters and I got a load of brass castings from him including the commode handles, I think it might be worth giving him a ring, unless you like making commode handles. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 24, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 23/01/2021 at 15:25, Coach bogie said: I have been having fun with a Slater's toplight. I was asked to rescue it by a friend. Good work there Mike. Sounds familiar. I had to smile - you're rescuing one for a friend, while I'm normally trying desperately to correct errors of my own making. But the principles are the same. Funnily enough I took some pics of new toplights earlier this evening. Hope to process them and post tomorrow. John C. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 25, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Here's the fruit of my recent and rather lengthy labours, a trio of Slater's toplights, two C28 thirds and a D47 van 3rd.. Well, I say 'Slater's' but as usual they're a hybrid using some parts cannibalised from old PC kits, whitemetal bogies, Keen Systems gangways, sprung buffers from Hubert Carr at Model Railway Developments, and sundry bits and bobs from Comet etc. I mentioned a few posts back that I'd had trouble fitting the door furniture without damaging the coach sides. I've since found the cause - blunt side cutters which left an almost invisible burr on the cut end of the fixing prongs. I dug out some old Xuron track cutters which improved things, but not before I'd lost a few of the exquisite Slater's grab handles by holding them in tweezers while trying to file off the burrs! So a couple of these vehicles have Comet door furniture on one side. I know that @Anglianof this parish wanted his toplight kits to find a good home and hope he thinks I've done them some justice. Thanks again Alastair for giving me first refusal on them! (The E88 compo kit i acquired from him was built some time ago and now does service in the local M set.) Some more pics and details to follow. John C. Edited January 25, 2021 by checkrail M set, not E set! (That's for later.) 28 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 25, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Here are individual shots of the three coaches. (Have no idea what that little mark is just to the right of the shirtbutton. A bit of static-attached fluff? Anyway, I've just checked and it's not there now.) John C. Edited January 25, 2021 by checkrail 20 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglian Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 John, They look superb but they weren't from me! 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 25, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2021 Some detail shots of the D47. I'd run out of useable 1914 type bogies but @Coach bogie very kindly supplied me with some nice castings which just needed Plastikard footboards and tie-rods from brass wire. Thanks Mike! Luggage window grilles were items I had in stock from Brassmasters, though I now notice that Martin Finney's name is on the fret. Roofboard brackets, which the Slater's kit neither includes nor mentions were from Slater's Microstrip. John C. 14 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 25, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 25, 2021 14 minutes ago, Anglian said: but they weren't from me! Apologies - can't tell my As from my elbow. It was @A MurphyI meant to type. Apologies to him too! 2 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted January 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 25, 2021 9 minutes ago, checkrail said: Apologies - can't tell my As from my elbow. It was @A MurphyI meant to type. Apologies to him too! Did he now then, well when you've finished with them you know where to shout. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold A Murphy Posted January 25, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) They look cracking John. So good to see them built and running. Alastair Edited January 25, 2021 by A Murphy 2 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neal Ball Posted January 25, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 25, 2021 Those Toplights look great John. 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 25, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Now tweaking hook & bar couplings and gangways to get them installed in coach rakes. In the meantime some more details, this time of the C28s.. The C28s have American bogies which I think came from some of my old PC bits. The bogie footsteps are from MJT. I ran out of them before completing the other sides but will order more. I think they make a difference and I intend to add them to the American type bogies on siphons etc. On the corridor side I utilised the glazing sections from old PC printed sides (some of which were in the early 1920s fully lined out panels scheme). The only bits I wanted, to save work and time, were the printed representations of the horizontal internal handrails, but the toplight glazing fitted ok as well. Another bit of PC cannibalism was the truss rods on a couple of sides, where I failed to get the Slater's queen posts to adhere in any acceptable posture. Bodging is us! John C. Edited January 25, 2021 by checkrail 15 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I've said it before I'm sure, but nothing looks "bodged" about them. Fantastic. I wish I could finish the coaches I dabbled with half as well (or indeed a quarter) as you manage. 1 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 26, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 26, 2021 (edited) The 'other side' of the two C28s. And now over to the dark side, because there's always something that goes wrong. I only realised after detailing and painting the D47 roof that it was a bit warped, and though my attempts to cure it by the use of weights, tape, heat etc. sorted the original warp they also made a worse one, as you can see over the van end in the pic below. I do have a spare Slater's C28 roof (a 'body only' kit, bought a year or two ago on eBay, arrived with two roofs), and I could file off one of the water tanks and start from there. So I have a fallback position. But as this side can't be seen from most viewing angles I'll live with it for now. BTW, another lazy bit of cannibalisation on this D47 was to use the interior seating & partitions from an old Hornby clerestory brake 3rd. They were a perfect fit. John C. Edited January 26, 2021 by checkrail typo 12 1 4 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 27, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 27, 2021 The D47 and one of the C28s have now found a home in a Paddington-Plymouth formation, seen here heading west behind 5000 Launceston Castle. In the panoramic view below the C28 is the fourth vehicle along. John C. 27 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Gough Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Perfect, just perfect! 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 27, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 27, 2021 A couple more of 5000 and train as it meets a mogul on an eastbound freight. John C. 31 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post checkrail Posted January 27, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 27, 2021 The C28 passing through the platform. John C. 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlfaZagato Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 Are the variations on the chocolate intentional & prototypical? I have a Dapol N-gauge Collett BG in full-chocolate which doesn't match shade to the other Dapol Colletts, nor their Fruit D. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold checkrail Posted January 27, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 27, 2021 45 minutes ago, AlfaZagato said: Are the variations on the chocolate intentional & prototypical? No, they're not intentional. I started out using Halford's 'Peugot Cafe Noir' but found it a bit darker than the colour Hornby use, which in turn is a bit darker than Bachmann use. So I've been using Railmatch GWR coach brown. But I wish now I hadn't, as it's much lighter than the lot of them and the contrast bugs me a bit. Should have stuck with the Peugot. But short of the purgatorial task of repainting all the lower sides (think of all the transfers and door furniture!) I don't think there's much I can do about it now. As for 'prototypical', well, colour & b & w photos show a lot of variation on the cream (it seems to have got sooty and dirty pretty quickly), but not so much, if at all, on the brown. As for the 'brown vehicles' I think you can get away with anything as long as it's matt and dirty! 3 1 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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