Bashing GCR 8K's and other stories...

[sem34090]

Good Evening All... 

 

Recently, thanks in no small part to the Trainz activities of Mr Lancaster622, I have had a growing interest in all things GCR. My long-dormant desire to model a bit of the Met/GC joint line has been reawakened! Add to that the LNWR and GWR lines in that area of Buckinghamshire...

 

I possess a Bachmann GCR 8K (LNER O4) in BR Early Crest livery, which I picked up for £35 at Warley last year. I bought it with no specific aim in mind, but the other day the prospect dawned on me that I could use it to model the earlier GCR Class 8A 0-8-0, a loco of which I have seen far fewer models:

(Image taken from: https://www.lner.info/locos/Q/q4.php)

As best as I can tell, though I'm probably very wrong, is that the main difference is the wheel arrangement. The boiler diameter is larger on the 8K, but only by a matter of inches. This would be a very simple conversion, I think, though I'm not entirely convinced. Does anyone have a drawing for the 8A that I can use to compare with the 8K?

 

[James Harrison]

See if you can find a copy of Robinson: The Harmonious Blacksmith. 

 

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780903881036/Harmonious-Blacksmith-Robinson-Biography-Anthony-0903881039/plp

 

Scale drawings of, I think, every locomotive class designed by J G Robinson.  

[sem34090]

Looks to be a cracking book then. I was, however, hoping this could be a zero-cost project (excepting the cost of the O4 last year). If I don't have any other joy though I'll invest. It looks like it's worth getting at some point anyway.

[webbcompound]

So you would be trying to do this?

 

 

Main difference is the shorter length of the smokebox, boiler and firebox. I cheated by just modifying the smokebox and firebox.My build is an early GCR one so I needed  an early chimney and dome. The wider part of the footplate is in slightly the wrong place, and a new front end and buffer beam needs fabricating. Mine has Alan Gibson P4 wheels, but in 00 there is no need to change these. I used a drawing from a Millholme kit, Johnson's Locomotives of the Great Central Railway Volume 1, and an edition of Locomotives Illustrated which I can't lay my hands on so don't know which number it is. .

 

 

I took 4mm off the firebox, 2mm off the smokebox, and the front footplate will be 7mm shorter.

Edited December 4, 2018 by webbcompound

[James Harrison]

I've got a whitemetal one somewhere awaiting it's turn through Hednesford No.1 Shop for a repaint.  Prior to finding it however my own idea was very much along WebbCompound's lines.  I know the boiler and running plate are not quite right (and I remember somebody on the LNER forums building an 8A around a modified 8K chassis which required more in the way of scratchbuilding than bashing of the Bachmann body), but in all honesty?- it looks the part in all the right places.  Interested to see what you come up with!

[gr.king]

I pondered such a conversion but decided against on account of the 8A / Q4 having slimmer boiler, shorter firebox and longer cab, plus of course the waisted-in lower firebox sides and "3 in 1" rear splashers found only on the last batch of 8A locos.

[Corbs]

Ahoy there Sem, you may be interested in this O4 to Q4 conversion:

https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8378&hilit=Bachmann+Q4

 

and this O4 to Q1 conversion:

https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6981&start=90