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BR 2-Hap from a DC-Kits kit


Geep7
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  • RMweb Gold

I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread to document my DC Kits 2 Hap build, that I am currently part way through, in case it is of some interest to those out there that might still have a stash of these increasingly rare kits.

 

I have currently got as far as having both chassis's for each coach done, and the body-shell of the DMBS put together.

 

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The motor bogie is a spare intended for a Hornby 2-Bil / Hal, and I have used the motor mount cut from a spare Hornby 4-Vep chassis.

 

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  • RMweb Gold

As I am wanting to have directional lighting for the headcode panels in each coach, I spent quite a while trying to find a way of carrying the power between each coach to allow this. I almost was about to give up when I discovered that the inter-coach couplings for the Hornby 4-Vep were available as spares, so I purchased a couple of sets, and set about adapting the chassis to accept them.

 

2085512236_2019-10-1913_26_17.jpg.24ed9bbe61b6750956203bc3e6f1263e.jpg477982563_2019-10-1913_26_53.jpg.dd61528d22b53af44fd1d44b704baf92.jpg

 

The first thing I had to was create the cut out in the chassis to allow the close-coupling action to work.

 

65132368_2019-10-1912_46_19.jpg.7ce0fd91d419715730817dc68a75c999.jpg

 

Then a mount had to be made to allow the coupling arm to be attached to the chassis, and to retain the spring which returns the coupling to the centre. (i've just realised I don't have a photo of this, so will upload some later).

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  • RMweb Gold
3 hours ago, Erixtar1992 said:

Love the idea of the couplings, are you able to post any more pics/info? How much are they?

 

Ok, so you have a male half and a female half to the coupling, unhelpfully they don't come in a pack of matched pairs, but as a pack of 3 males (Hornby X6319) and a pack of 2 females (Hornby X6317) and are about £5 for each pack (at time of writing). I'm guessing the X6319's come as a pack of 3 so you have a spare should the pins get bent. I sourced mine from an outlet on eBay (I can't remember which one), but they are easily searchable by their X number.

 

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The first picture shows the male coupling mounted on the underframe of the DTC coach. The outermost slot is the guide for the pin to extend the coupling, and the inner straight slot is for the wires to go through and move with the coupling. The second photo shows the coupling mount and retainer for the spring.

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  • RMweb Gold

Work has now started on the body for the DTS. Firstly a photo to show how the sides and end come to start with.

 

877267921_2019-10-1912_49_16.jpg.e47bdac95a219133cd5c165280da13bb.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sides are sort of like a jigsaw, so you need to make sure they are in the right order before you glue them. I'm lining them up on a steel rule to make sure that the side is straight when I glue the parts together.

 

1535609538_2019-10-1912_50_13.jpg.c81adad8ffbb104ff652a08ad0a12527.jpgThen some prep of the sides and ends before gluing the body together,

 

This kit came with etches for the cab side windows in the same size for both sides of the cab, which for an MLV I previously made I had to cut down in length for the second-man's window. This time I stumbled over the NNK etches for the cab windows at EM Gauge South, which enabled me to glue on the etches, and then fill in the resulting gap, as shown in the photograph.

 

As you can see in the first photo, I have pre-drilled the cab front for the handrails and multiple unit jumper cables. The Jumper cables will be from the Replica MLV detailing kit.

 

I have also fitted the etched details for the inner end of the coach, which would be a lot more fiddly once the body is glued together.

 

I'm currently debating what to use for the door hinges. I have in stock the MJT etched ones, however, I am debating the possibility of using some brass door handles instead, as I have seen these suggested elsewhere.

 

Next up, i'll start putting the body together.

Edited by Geep7
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

Progress has slowed down slightly, with a trip to the in-laws over the weekend to drop off no.1 son for the half-term week wiping out most of Sunday. Saturday I spent a lively day playing trains on West Sands.

 

However, progress has been made, and the DTS bodyshell is now together. No photos as yet, but here is a picture of the modification that needs to be done to the roof to get the cab ends to fit nicely.

818500469_2019-10-1912_51_02.jpg.49cee42a17be7972061c610b3ebc0ce2.jpg

So, there is a strip running along the underside of the rainstrip, which used to position the side against. If it is left to go all the way to the end, then the cab front ends up being about 1mm too low compared to the sides.

 

Simple fix, just file back the strip far enough that it clears the cab end moulding, then all that's needed is to file down the inside of the roof so that it's a bit thinner at the ends.

 

I'll try and take some photos of the completed bodyshell later. 

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OK, here are some views of the DTC bodyshell. Still a lot of work to do on both coaches. Just made a start on detailing up the bodies with whitemetal and brass parts. The cab end buffers have been the first things added, as this will allow me to fit the kadees to the underframe. 

 

On to the pictures.... 

20191102_151351.jpg.7b2c0d4f508fe13059d68492c1fd81ce.jpg

 

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There's still a lot of fettling to be done, especially at the end's where they join the sides.

 

Next job will be to mark out and drill the positions for the roof vents and toilet fillers. I haven't been able to find any plans, so i'll have to base it on the 2 Epb plans from MJT and photos, unless I can find my 3H plans somewhere.....

Edited by Geep7
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I'm enjoying your build here, Chris.

I have been building a 4 EPB from DC Kits but it keeps getting put on the back-burner, although the shells are built and it has couplings and a Replica Railways motorised chassis, so can, and has, run on my layout.

Can I make one small suggestion, something I have done with mine: before you finally glue the roof on, taper the underside slightly to make the visible front edge slightly thinner. I always think the roof appears slightly too thick as it stands. If you have glued the roofs on already, it would still be possible to scrape the underside of the leading edge above the cab just a little. The thickness at the trailing ends doesn't matter as it matches up to the coach ends.

The thought of doing all those door hinges and grab handles does my head in, which is one of the reasons I keep putting the EPB set back in its drawer! :D

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Thanks for the suggestion, thinning out the roof ends was on the list of things to do.... then I glued the roofs on. I see what I can do about thinning them out, as they definitely need it. I did it on my DC Kits MLV, so why I forgot this time I don't know.

 

On a separate note, those Replica chassis are great. I have one waiting for my 4-Cig project.

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  • 2 years later...
  • RMweb Gold

So, it's been an extremely long time since I updated this thread. Essentially, I got so far, and then I lost my mojo with it. I just couldn't figure out a way to attach the bodies to the chassis. That was until a couple of months ago when I decided to retrieve the 2-Hap from the box of part-built projects and make an effort to finish it.

 

First things first, I had to complete adding the door hinges, I'd done the DTC already, so just had the DMBS to complete. Yes, the one with all the doors. The hinges are the etched brass from MJT, and individually placed with super-glue. Photo's of these will be in the next post.

 

Then I had a bit of a light-bulb moment, and figured I could glue some strips of plasticard across the inside of the body, just above the lip of the floor level. I could then screw through from the bottom of the chassis to attach them together securely.

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However, for the DMBS I had to do something slightly different, and had to add a central post to screw into, due to the amount of equipment in this coach as the following photo shows.

 

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This photo shows the chassis and interior of the DMBS with the motor bogie on the left. I needed to add an above ceiling height tray to carry all the electronics and DCC equipment. The motor bogie feeds & pickups, and the pickups from the unpowered bogie are connected using micro-connectors to allow them to be easily detached for painting and maintenance.

The DCC decoder is one from NCE, but i've forgotten what model number it is.....

 

20220830_123635.jpg.26af7e930a3d86e6530ffb561da64308.jpg

The DTC interior has also been completed. The cab (and the cab in the DMBS) utilise the Replica Railways MLV cab kit. Seating is a mixture of DC Kits (2nd class seating) and Southern Pride (1st class seating). All the partitions are from 30 thou plasticard.

 

Next post will show the exterior detailing of both coaches.

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7 minutes ago, Kim Durose said:

Congratulations on finding an item actually in stock.

Not sure which parts you're referring too, but most of them I've had in my parts box since before Covid hit.

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Continuing on....

 

I've made significant progress with the detailing of the bodies, so much so, that i've applied a primer coat. However, the photo's below are pre-primer coat.

 

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DTC above with the roof vents and toilet filler pipes fitted. The toilet filler vent itself is made from 2mm dia plastic rod, and the pipes are attached with Markits conduit holders. Roof vents are ridged-dome from MJT (although I think should really be shell vents) and the horns are from the same source.

20220829_151426.jpg.0ddc6475bbe133bf5c0b09d4721230ec.jpg 

 

20220829_151345.jpg.02098b110eb42d75a32c816204551cf7.jpg       20220829_151455.jpg.154c5e10e4200f4bd5cac8ecff644e19.jpg

 

The two inner ends of both coaches. All very much guess work, as i've not been able to find any decent photos of them, but based on the etchings that came with the kit. The white boxes are for the 27-way control jumpers between coaches....

 

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Front ends complete with handrails made from 0.5mm brass wire. White metal buffing plates (which came with the kit) added, along with the previously applied MJT retracted buffers.

 

Next job is to complete the underframe detailing, and add the handrails on the brake van doors. I'm debating about adding the door grab handles as well as they are so fiddly, but will probably be worth it.

 

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Hi Chris,

 

This really an excellent build, good to see one of Charlie’s kits on here again. I have built quite a few, including the 2Hap, and found them an excellent way to increase my SR stock. I used Replica flush glazing for my suburban stock, it works really well. I look forward to seeing yours completed. 
 

Cheers for now, Ian

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Great tip on the Replica flush glazing. I have a couple of packs around, so I'll have to fish those out and give them a go..... I'll obviously have to make my own glazing for the toilet window though, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

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Hi Chris,

 

For my Replica 2Hap conversion I used a cut down Replica toilet window. I shaved off the window frame and rubbed the window smooth with Micromesh. Depending on which batch you are modelling you could leave the frame on. I’m pretty sure that’s what I did when I built my DC kits 2Hap. 
 

Cheers for now, Ian18D5A463-940A-4930-B040-023D8F223072.jpeg.f10b732ca4454c01e13a0cc807bb7819.jpeg

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Hi Great modelling shown here.  FWIW checking the Replica website the  flush glaze units for suburban sets and the emu cab windows are  both out of stock , I have noted a likely order for a 304 I have to hand, plus have several 3H / Hastings vehicles that would benefit.   Hopefully a  positive response on timescale for restocking will be advised.

 

Robert   

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On 01/09/2022 at 07:44, Robert Shrives said:

Hi Great modelling shown here.  FWIW checking the Replica website the  flush glaze units for suburban sets and the emu cab windows are  both out of stock , I have noted a likely order for a 304 I have to hand, plus have several 3H / Hastings vehicles that would benefit.   Hopefully a  positive response on timescale for restocking will be advised.

 

Robert   

 

Not wishing to rain on anyone's party, but the Replica flush glazing has been unavailable for some years now. There apparently is a production problem of some kind, although they are trying to find a solution.

 

John.

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1 hour ago, John Tomlinson said:

 

Not wishing to rain on anyone's party, but the Replica flush glazing has been unavailable for some years now. There apparently is a production problem of some kind, although they are trying to find a solution.

 

John.

Sadly I think it's a similar story with a few of their products. I think the MU jumper cables are still out of production, but thankfully I found an alternative source.....

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So a small update this time, so no photos...

 

After giving the bodies a coat of primer, I noticed a couple of areas that needed some extra filler and rubbing down. This has been done and after another light coat of primer, all seems good now.

 

I've done the underframe detailing of both vehicles, using some of the Replica MLV underframe components. I've tried following the few different diagrams I've got, and I think I'm about 95% accurate for a Phase 1, second batch 2-Hap. I've just checked and I need to remove the sections of stepboard under the lavatory section on the DTC.

 

So really, apart from painting and glazing, the only real major job left is the directional headcode lighting. I have some red/white leds, so all I need to do is devise some form of sealed box to place the led in and attach to the centre window, but allow me to take apart should the led stop working (which Murphy's law states will happen the minute you glue everything shut).

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 30/08/2022 at 14:14, Geep7 said:

Continuing on....

 

I've made significant progress with the detailing of the bodies, so much so, that i've applied a primer coat. However, the photo's below are pre-primer coat.

 

20220829_151308.jpg.70ea999846b431fce52e093ec5dc0d12.jpg

DTC above with the roof vents and toilet filler pipes fitted. The toilet filler vent itself is made from 2mm dia plastic rod, and the pipes are attached with Markits conduit holders. Roof vents are ridged-dome from MJT (although I think should really be shell vents) and the horns are from the same source.

20220829_151426.jpg.0ddc6475bbe133bf5c0b09d4721230ec.jpg 

 

20220829_151345.jpg.02098b110eb42d75a32c816204551cf7.jpg       20220829_151455.jpg.154c5e10e4200f4bd5cac8ecff644e19.jpg

 

The two inner ends of both coaches. All very much guess work, as i've not been able to find any decent photos of them, but based on the etchings that came with the kit. The white boxes are for the 27-way control jumpers between coaches....

 

20220829_151531.jpg.f72b242692822e228a57325b44b04b5f.jpg

Front ends complete with handrails made from 0.5mm brass wire. White metal buffing plates (which came with the kit) added, along with the previously applied MJT retracted buffers.

 

Next job is to complete the underframe detailing, and add the handrails on the brake van doors. I'm debating about adding the door grab handles as well as they are so fiddly, but will probably be worth it.

 

 

I hope you don't mind if I say two things.

 

The line of the roof vents have their centrelines 40/41" apart so 20" each side of the roof centreline.

 

I cannot recollect any SR (BR) EMU having boxes on the inner ends and steps opposite one another. However happy to be proved wrong.

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8 minutes ago, dasatcopthorne said:

 

I hope you don't mind if I say two things.

 

The line of the roof vents have their centrelines 40/41" apart so 20" each side of the roof centreline.

 

I cannot recollect any SR (BR) EMU having boxes on the inner ends and steps opposite one another. However happy to be proved wrong.

I'll hold my hands up here and say that, in lieu of having anything else, I followed the diagrams on the DC Kits instructions. I guess not the best idea in the world, but when you have nothing else to hand.

 

I did think the roof vents were a little too close together, but i'd already drilled all the holes, and glued most of the vents in, when I realised, so I thought I would live with it.

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