Shipmodeler builds his first rail: Dapol Railbus

[Timmy C]

Hi all,

 

Thought I'd share my just-completed build of the venerable Airfix/Dapol HO scale Park Royal Railbus. I usually build ships in 1/700 scale, but as a transit fan couldn't resist picking this bag kit up from a local model rail show.

 

I've seen a few threads on this forum of others' attempts at building this old kit, and owe much to them and Railcar.co.uk as references for mine.

 

Since I have no layout, I built it strictly for static display, though the wheels are kept free for future contingencies.

 

I decided to stick with the kit windows, which, despite all their flaws, do have the benefit of reducing the precision and accuracy needed for the interior, which is built mostly out of paper, with the poles from styrene. I couldn't find the Branchlines photoetched interior anywhere, sadly. The windshield wipers are from 1/700 scale photoetched ship ladders and railings.

 

I tried to find the moquette pattern shown on Railcar.co.uk, but failed to come up with anything so went with a generic blue checker pattern for the printed paper seats. All paints are handbrushed. The interior colours were PolyScale 5-N Navy Blue up to the waist, and Tamiya Sky Blue above. Flooring was PolyScale 20B Deck Blue. Exterior was Tamiya's Dark Green. Chassis was LifeColor Black with PolyScale NATO Brown for weathering. Roof was Lifecolor Dunkelgrau. The yellow lining was Lifecolor Teak (a bit of it was also drybrushed onto the whiskers to reduce the intensity of the yellow), and silver frames were Tamiya's Aluminium.

 

Hope you guys enjoy!

 

Tim

A ship guy in Calgary, Canada.

[cctransuk]

4 minutes ago, Timmy C said:

Hi all,

 

Thought I'd share my just-completed build of the venerable Airfix/Dapol HO scale Park Royal Railbus. I usually build ships in 1/700 scale, but as a transit fan couldn't resist picking this bag kit up from a local model rail show.

 

I've seen a few threads on this forum of others' attempts at building this old kit, and owe much to them and Railcar.co.uk as references for mine.

 

Since I have no layout, I built it strictly for static display, though the wheels are kept free for future contingencies.

 

I decided to stick with the kit windows, which, despite all their flaws, do have the benefit of reducing the precision and accuracy needed for the interior, which is built mostly out of paper, with the poles from styrene. I couldn't find the Branchlines photoetched interior anywhere, sadly. The windshield wipers are from 1/700 scale photoetched ship ladders and railings.

 

I tried to find the moquette pattern shown on Railcar.co.uk, but failed to come up with anything so went with a generic blue checker pattern for the printed paper seats. All paints are handbrushed. The interior colours were PolyScale 5-N Navy Blue up to the waist, and Tamiya Sky Blue above. Flooring was PolyScale 20B Deck Blue. Exterior was Tamiya's Dark Green. Chassis was LifeColor Black with PolyScale NATO Brown for weathering. Roof was Lifecolor Dunkelgrau. The yellow lining was Lifecolor Teak (a bit of it was also drybrushed onto the whiskers to reduce the intensity of the yellow), and silver frames were Tamiya's Aluminium.

 

Hope you guys enjoy!

 

Tim

A ship guy in Calgary, Canada.

 

Very nicely done indeed !

 

Just one point - we (nearly all of us) model in OO (4mm. / 1ft.) scale in the UK; not HO (3.5mm. / 1ft.).

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Ian Major]

Tim,

 

That is nicely done. I was very interested in the way you have done the interior. I have just been given one of these kits to do with my grandson and am looking forward to it (I normally model in 0 gauge). 

 

Were you (are you) a member of modelshipworld.com?  I have been known to put the odd item on there.

 

Ian.

[Timmy C]

51 minutes ago, Ian Major said:

Tim,

 

That is nicely done. I was very interested in the way you have done the interior. I have just been given one of these kits to do with my grandson and am looking forward to it (I normally model in 0 gauge). 

 

Were you (are you) a member of modelshipworld.com?  I have been known to put the odd item on there.

 

Ian.

Thanks! I'm not on Modelshipworld, but I am on Modelwarships - I tend to build post-Age of Sail.

 

53 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

Very nicely done indeed !

 

Just one point - we (nearly all of us) model in OO (4mm. / 1ft.) scale in the UK; not HO (3.5mm. / 1ft.).

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Thanks John - ah, that would explain why the wheels were just a little bit loose on the tracks. The package labelled it as OO/HO. 

[PatB]

Very nice. I actually don't mind the windows as that blurry, smeary look is very reminiscent of how bus and train windows appear on a chilly, damp English autumn morning.

 

As for the wheels being loose on the track, that's probably a result of Dapol's ancient moulds, producing wheelsets that weren't that good when Airfix (or was the Railbus Kitmaster?) tooled them more than 50 years ago. As a non-railway chap, you may be unfamiliar with the history of H0 and 00 gauges. However, the short version is that 00, as used by the majority of modellers of UK prototypes in this sort of size range, uses 1:76 scale but runs on 1:87 scale (ie H0) track. The reasons for this and history behind it are lengthy and complex, and would fill a book by themselves.  A good summary can be found here. The practical result, though, is that the vast majority of 00 models run quite happily on H0 scale track and, indeed, the major "00" track systems from UK manufacturers are actually H0 scale, insofar as the word "scale" can be applied to them.

[BernardTPM]

This (and the Drewry shunter) were both Airfix kits from new and not Kitmaster, though Dapol are now calling the whole assembly kit range Kitmaster which will, no doubt, cause confusion in the future. The wheels in the Dapol version are not the old Airfix moulded ones though, but the same as they use in their r-t-r wagons, those that largely have Hornby Dublo originated bodies on the Airfix R-T-R originated chassis.

 

Tim, you've done a very fine job on that kit, one of the best builds I've seen in ages.