Improving a Triang-Hornby Mk1

[westernviscount]

On 09/05/2020 at 22:13, rodent279 said:

Dug my Coopercraft MK1 out of the loft this evening, bogie centres are spot on 186mm. Must find the windows-I saw them in a pile a while ago.

 I fancy a go at one of these kits. Any pics you have would be most welcome Rodent. 

[rodent279]

31 minutes ago, westernviscount said:

 I fancy a go at one of these kits. Any pics you have would be most welcome Rodent. 

Ok, but don't set your expectations too high, my kit building skills are not exactly black belt level! I'll upload some later this evening.

[westernviscount]

27 minutes ago, rodent279 said:

Ok, but don't set your expectations too high, my kit building skills are not exactly black belt level! I'll upload some later this evening.

 Ha ha, no pressure rodent!! Cheers!

[rodent279]

 

On 11/05/2020 at 15:56, westernviscount said:

 I fancy a go at one of these kits. Any pics you have would be most welcome Rodent. 

OK, I did warn you not to set your expectation high. Here goes. Despite starting this in 1997, yes you read that correctly, 1997, it is still unfinished. I have yet to add the roof ventilators and the footboards that go under the doors. Being stored in a box in the loft for some years hasn't done it any favours, it's missing a couple of buffers and one or two other details. I do have all the windows, just can't put my hands on them at this time. They fit well into the apertures in the sides, but you do have to be careful not to get glue on them, otherwise they frost up. However, that's not totally unrealistic, it wasn't uncommon to see Mk1's with condensation on the inside of the windows. The BR1 bogies come with the kit, and a nice set of wheels with steel tyres, which roll very smoothly. The pivot pins are missing, (I have got them safe) which is why the bogies don't look centred. The bogie centres on the underframe are as near to 186mm as makes no difference. All in all it's nice kit that went together well. It certainly kept me out of mischief for a while.

My painting skills do leave something to be desired. I managed the single colour maroon ok, but the blue and grey, with the fine white divider, was a real challenge, and I've never tried finishing it properly. The raw plastic is a sort of off white, not quite the same shade as the grey, which is a shame. I think I might have got a better result if I'd just painted the whole of that side in blue, then done the grey centre section separately. I'm tempted to overpaint it in maroon on both sides.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by rodent279

[westernviscount]

Cheers @rodent279. The kit looks like it captures the character of the coach well. I have never actually seen one. The profile of the roof looks spot on and lacks the ribs that detracts from the Bachmann ones. 

 

Admittedly, the maroon one does look better but judge ye not, i have never attempted painting blue and grey!!! 

 

Trouble with over painting is you will see the ridge of the grey area. Save stripping it, a light sanding might help? 

 

Thanks for sharing rodent. It has certainly made me want to have a go.

 

I am currently detailing some mainline mk1s with comet bits and bobs. 

 

 

If you finish yours by 2022 you will only have taken a quarter of a century!! Not too bad ;-)

 

Cheers for now.

Dave

[rodent279]

32 minutes ago, westernviscount said:

Cheers @rodent279. The kit looks like it captures the character of the coach well. I have never actually seen one. The profile of the roof looks spot on and lacks the ribs that detracts from the Bachmann ones. 

 

Admittedly, the maroon one does look better but judge ye not, i have never attempted painting blue and grey!!! 

 

Trouble with over painting is you will see the ridge of the grey area. Save stripping it, a light sanding might help? 

 

Thanks for sharing rodent. It has certainly made me want to have a go.

 

I am currently detailing some mainline mk1s with comet bits and bobs. 

 

 

If you finish yours by 2022 you will only have taken a quarter of a century!! Not too bad ;-)

 

Cheers for now.

Dave

Those Comet bits look the dog's dangles, I'll have to get some. I think the buffers certainly look better than the plastic ones.

I don't think there is much of a ridge in the grey area, I might get away with over painting it. Best of it all is that for some reason, there were two sets of underframe bits with the kit. I have a Replica MK1 body shell, so I can spend the next 25 years doing that!

[westernviscount]

Cheers @rodent279. I realise thay the buckeye is dart castings. The end gangway plate and buffers are comet. They are well worth doing. 

 

I am sure the lining for the maroon livery would cover a ridge if there was one anyway. 

 

The replica model is a damn fine example of a mk1. I had a couple of intercity ones i fooloshly gave away as a teen when trains weren't cool!! Silly boy!

 

Ha ha, see you here in 25 years! 

[rodent279]

9 hours ago, westernviscount said:

Cheers @rodent279. I realise thay the buckeye is dart castings. The end gangway plate and buffers are comet. They are well worth doing. 

 

I am sure the lining for the maroon livery would cover a ridge if there was one anyway. 

 

The replica model is a damn fine example of a mk1. I had a couple of intercity ones i fooloshly gave away as a teen when trains weren't cool!! Silly boy!

 

Ha ha, see you here in 25 years! 

Buckeye couplings, hoses, gangways, buffers etc ordered from MJT & Comet. Might as well make a start if it's going to take me 25 years!

[westernviscount]

@rodent279 ha ha, no messin' about!! 

[turbos]

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement from everyone on here, chopping up now underway.

 

Brian.

[turbos]

Finished my Triang Mk1 BFK this afternoon.

 

Brian.

[Signaller69]

On 08/11/2020 at 20:57, turbos said:

Finished my Triang Mk1 BFK this afternoon.

 

Brian.

Very nice work Brian.

Martyn. 

[LNERGE]

On 08/11/2020 at 20:57, turbos said:

Finished my Triang Mk1 BFK this afternoon.

 

Brian.

Super job. Puts my attempt to shame

[Darius43]

RTC Laboratory 3 cut and shut.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[muddy water]

https://www.departmentals.com/photo/pc3-pc4-lab-3-lab-10-1#comment-6450
 

 

Geat conversion!

Was it a RSO restaurant second open before it went for conversion?

Were you copying this formation?

[muddy water]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35502189@N03/46797477985/in/photolist-2k3CNoD-2eikiNH-fumNzw-6urL9X-eUfs3b-gaKzGA-6sFZnC-hmt4Kh-ejWcZc-2i7rKm9-chJzeC-mW4BQx-exG7Wm-u98bLs-JGUbYM-XjFQYB-Ud1zVu-2i5zm3M

Just found this!

 

Lab 3 in between two CEP emu driving units, class 931 081 tractor unit in Jaffa cake livery so it could be used on the 3rd rail lines! 
This is later in its life, when it was in intercity executive livery. 

 

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by muddy water
More information

[Darius43]

Not a coach but an FXA Bullion Flat with a Triang Mk1 coach underframe as the basis for the conversion.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Darius43

[Signaller69]

This Triang CK has been in my "almost finished" box for a while now.

It has had the bogie centres corrected, etched gangway end plates, Replica vac cylinders and dynamo, plasticard footsteps and Hornby "scale" wheels added etc, along with a repaint (including interior) to late 60s condition with maroon ends and yellow first class stripe added. Lining and lettering from the respective HMRS sheets and SEF flushglaze fitted. I have just fitted the corridor internal handrails and replaced the Lavatory windows as I wasn't happy with the overly white look of the first attempt. I use a single layer of thin tissue paper applied onto wet Matt varnish inside the glazing to get the frosted effect, which can give some random variations as it dries.

As a loose coach, this one has NEM Kadees at both ends, but screwed to remnants of the Triang bogie coupling mounts, which are the correct height for such shenanigans. 

 

Yet to be added are the doors inside the corridor connection (to hide the Triang circular hole and roof slot) and water pipes to the roof toilet water fillers. The roof will be "grotified" at some point too.

 

[Darius43]

Pictures restored - well, mine anyway.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[rodent279]

2 hours ago, Darius43 said:

Pictures restored - well, mine anyway.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Ditto.

[SteveyDee68]

Recently re-invigorated my best mate’s interest in modelling; he has half built a “watching the trains go by” layout in the loft for American outline stock, but has had a change of heart and is resurrecting his BR Western Region stock.

 

As a surprise, I have picked up a Warship class 42/43 in green from eBay, to be renumbered and named “Benbow” (three guesses why!) together with a selection of Triang Mk1s in chocolate and cream finish (2 x BSKs, 3 x composites and a restaurant car) so he can have a six coach “passing through” train to supplement the branch line formations he has planned.

 

This thread was the first that appeared when searching how to improve Triang Mk1s and is inspiring (would be even better if all the contributors reposted their missing images - curse the RMWeb outage!) and informative - straight away I can see roofs should be grey (I have a mixture of grey, white and black!)

 

It is mentioned about altering the bogie ride height to get the buffers to the right height, but nobody says how - any advice? (I plan to upgrade the coaches before presenting them to him - also an excuse to finally make use of the airbrush I bought about four years ago!)

 

Steve S

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Re-ride height. If I recall, the old Tri-ang/Hornby Mk1s bogies were riveted to the underframe. Remove said rivet and file the raised "dimple" that the bogie rests on. This'll lower it to a better height.
Must be 40 years since I did that, so hopefully I've remembered correctly...

[cctransuk]

5 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Re-ride height. If I recall, the old Tri-ang/Hornby Mk1s bogies were riveted to the underframe. Remove said rivet and file the raised "dimple" that the bogie rests on. This'll lower it to a better height.
Must be 40 years since I did that, so hopefully I've remembered correctly...

 

Check the bogie pivot centre dimension, too. Most of my Mk.1s are upscaled Tri-ang Hornby and Lima; I recall that one make had the bogies too far apart.

 

The solution was to cut an offset rectangle around the bogie pivot and turn it through 180 degrees, thus bringing the bogies closer together.

 

CJI.

[SteveyDee68]

On 02/09/2021 at 19:50, Darius43 said:

Not a coach but an FXA Bullion Flat with a Triang Mk1 coach underframe as the basis for the conversion.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

Okay, time for a really stupid question (or three) for @Darius43

 

(1) Is a Bullion Flat wagon for the transportation of gold bullion?

 

(2) Are the containers shown on said flat wagon effectively “portable vaults” for said gold bullion?

 

(3) Is it me, or wouldn’t the use of said containers on such wagons be as conspicuous as, say, a nuclear flask wagon? In which case (a) where are the photos and (b) doesn’t that make them obvious targets for the criminally inclined?

 

I mean, absolutely fascinating and totally perplexing at the same time!

 

Steve S

[Darius43]

This thread may help answer your questions.

 

Cheers

 

Darius