Cheapo EMU's. Class 302-ish.........and any more?

[33C]

Thought i would start a new thread as i have finally finished painting the passengers! Two different liveries as i can only see one side at a time! Well used Triang Suburbans, an old Lima class 33 motor and trailing bogie, scratch-built pan arms and interiors and cheap, chinese passengers. Total cost = Coaches £10 the 4, Lima 33, £5, 2 plasticard sheets, £3.50, small block of balsa for undergear, free, unpainted passengers, £1. Paint i had. And time, lots of time.....

 

Edited April 30, 2022 by 33C
added detail

[33C]

And these are old, damaged Triang coaches with Merco litho's cut and stuck to the sanded smooth sides with damaged Triang "Hymek" chassis for power. Each set cost less than  a tenner a go. First pic. 4COR, 2nd pic. 6PUL , 3rd pic. shows the HUGAR models signalbox and last pic. 2 of the litho sheets i had.

Edited March 16, 2023 by 33C
added detail

[JDW]

Excellent! Very characterful models, unique, and inexpensive too. Do you have any others planned?

[33C]

Ta muchly, yes, a 308 and an Oerlikon set if i can find my coach stash......

[David_Belcher]

Ingenious! On this theme, Farish/Airfix LMS suburban stock could easily be hacked about to give MSJ&A or London District 3-car suburban sets?

 

David

[BernardTPM]

I did a Southern EMU using the cab from a Tri-ang R156* and a Farish Suburban. I was originally thinking 1925 Eastern Section 4-SUB but the compartment sizes would better suit a 4-LAV motor coach. I acquired, but subsequently lost, another 'junk' cab so whether this will ever become a complete unit I don't know.

 

 

*Fret not collectors, this was a broken body, no roof and painted silver, so cheap. The motor bogie is actually the DMU version with scratchbuilt pick-up beam.

 

Ironically the Farish coaches had originally been bought with a LMS 'Watford' unit in mind (and I did build one in N).

Edited February 26, 2021 by BernardTPM

[pete_mcfarlane]

There was a series of article by Alan Williams in the Model Railway Constructor in the late 190s, where he did stuff like this to build SR EMUs.  Might be worth tracking a few issues down for inspiration - a 5-Bel out of Triang Pullmans and a 2-Bil spring to mind. 

[Gibbo675]

51 minutes ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

There was a series of article by Alan Williams in the Model Railway Constructor in the late 190s, where he did stuff like this to build SR EMUs.  Might be worth tracking a few issues down for inspiration - a 5-Bel out of Triang Pullmans and a 2-Bil spring to mind. 

Hi Pete,

 

I built a 5-Bel from the later Hornby Pullmans, each car is about 8mm short but that would have been far too much like trouble as cut and shut goes. The advantage of the Triang Pullmans is that they have the angled body side from below the windows unlike the later Hornby ones.

 

Car 92, Gwen, Mona.

Car 93, Car 85, Mona.

 

Gibbo.

[pete_mcfarlane]

That looks really good. 

 

[33C]

4 hours ago, Gibbo675 said:

Hi Pete,

 

I built a 5-Bel from the later Hornby Pullmans, each car is about 8mm short but that would have been far too much like trouble as cut and shut goes. The advantage of the Triang Pullmans is that they have the angled body side from below the windows unlike the later Hornby ones.

 

Car 92, Gwen, Mona.

Car 93, Car 85, Mona.

 

Gibbo.

Blimey, i forgot i started one of these! Will have to find it..........

[Dagworth]

Class 304 is a fairly simple hack from Replica mk1 suburban coaches although the cabs are a little awkward as no-one makes a cab in that style so they need to be scratched 

 

Andi

[Clive Mortimore]

11 hours ago, David_Belcher said:

Ingenious! On this theme, Farish/Airfix LMS suburban stock could easily be hacked about to give MSJ&A or London District 3-car suburban sets?

 

David

 

Hi David

 

I have started a North London GEC set, seen here departing with a Eastleigh set.

35 minutes ago, Dagworth said:

Class 304 is a fairly simple hack from Replica mk1 suburban coaches although the cabs are a little awkward as no-one makes a cab in that style so they need to be scratched 

 

Andi

 

Hi Andi

 

Wot like you have done. Now if I was to finish mine and you were to do yours in a real livery then we could have them running in multiple.

[David_Belcher]

10 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

Hi David

 

I have started a North London GEC set, seen here departing with a Eastleigh set.

 

Hi Andi

 

Wot like you have done. Now if I was to finish mine and you were to do yours in a real livery then we could have them running in multiple.

Great work there. The Mk1 suburbans lend themselves to a few non-SR MU designs IIRC - 504, 305, 307 (with flat cab ends) & 308 also?

 

David

[David_Belcher]

12 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

Hi David

 

I have started a North London GEC set, seen here departing with a Eastleigh set.

 

Hi Andi

 

Wot like you have done. Now if I was to finish mine and you were to do yours in a real livery then we could have them running in multiple.

(I'd also forgotten that very similar units to the London District sets worked on Merseyside until the mid-60s, so that's another possibility).

 

David

[BernardTPM]

There was the DC overhead variant too.

[David_Belcher]

1 minute ago, BernardTPM said:

There was the DC overhead variant too.

Weirdly these used a 58ft underframe, not the standard LMS 57ft. IIRC they also had a pretty unique livery when they first appeared, being lined out in the usual LMS black/straw way...but painted green not maroon!

 

David

[David_Belcher]

On 27/02/2021 at 01:02, Clive Mortimore said:

 

Hi David

 

I have started a North London GEC set, seen here departing with a Eastleigh set.

 

Hi Andi

 

Wot like you have done. Now if I was to finish mine and you were to do yours in a real livery then we could have them running in multiple.

I see you've remembered the Gresley bogies, which I think all of the 1st-gen 25kV suburban EMUs* had...except for the ones (306) which were actually an LNER design!!

 

David

 

*Clactons don't count. BR had bigger plans for that design at one time, such as Euston-Birmingham-Wolverhampton/Walsall semi-fasts.

 

[bradfordbuffer]

On 27/02/2021 at 00:17, Dagworth said:

Class 304 is a fairly simple hack from Replica mk1 suburban coaches although the cabs are a little awkward as no-one makes a cab in that style so they need to be scratched 

 

Andi

3d print from shapeways...expensive ish...but both ends of train going to look same.. 

[bradfordbuffer]

On 23/02/2021 at 22:36, 33C said:

Thought i would start a new thread as i have finally finished painting the passengers! Two different liveries as i can only see one side at a time! Well used Triang Suburbans, an old Lima class 33 motor and trailing bogie, scratch-built pan arms and interiors and cheap, chinese passengers. Total cost = Coaches £10 the 4, Lima 33, £5, 2 plasticard sheets, £3.50, small block of balsa for undergear, free, unpainted passengers, £1. Paint i had. And time, lots of time.....

Brill modelling with upcycling bits!...did you have current covid 19 restrictions in mind when setting out your seating plans!...once again brill modeling

[33C]

Yes and no! Just wanted to give a feel of the interior as you can't really see inside but the colours are as near as dammit....... 

[Artless Bodger]

Great inspiration! A few years back I bodged two old Farish N gauge generic suburbans into a 2H demu on my Roco ET90 chassis, over time it has looked less and less satisfying, so having collected some Farish generic corridor stock I have begun a 4COR bodge to re-use the chassis. It's a reprise of something I did in the 80s using the same coach types and a Farish 101 chassis - long departed.

Being a lazy modeller I wonder how long it will take me to complete? It will be in BR blue, how I remember them from the Ore - Brighton services in the early 70s.

 

Unhappy 2H, Chassis and opened out carriage body, composite photo of driving motor brake conversion in progress.

 

[David_Belcher]

On 23/02/2021 at 22:44, 33C said:

And these are old, damaged Triang coaches with Merco litho's cut and stuck to the sanded smooth sides with damaged Triang "Hymek" chassis for power. Each set cost less than  a tenner a go. First pic. 4COR, 2nd pic. 6PUL , 3rd pic. shows the HUGAR models signalbox and last pic. 2 of the litho sheets i had.

Where'd the Merco sheets come from? They still pop up on eBay sometimes. For fans of see-through windows, Alex Bowie did a good article on using litho coach sides as part of more detailed stock in his New Approach articles (MRC 1959-60...I have a tatty copy somewhere).

[33C]

3 hours ago, David_Belcher said:

Where'd the Merco sheets come from? They still pop up on eBay sometimes. For fans of see-through windows, Alex Bowie did a good article on using litho coach sides as part of more detailed stock in his New Approach articles (MRC 1959-60...I have a tatty copy somewhere).

I got mine from ebay a few years ago for 1 bid! Too old fashioned for most i reckon....yes, if i do them again, i will cut the windows out and stick the sides to some nice sheets of acetate i've acquired...... 

[33C]

On 27/02/2021 at 00:12, 33C said:

Blimey, i forgot i started one of these! Will have to find it..........

Found it and finished it! Powered by an old Triang, 2BIL bogie with the flanges filed down. Not to scale of course as life's too short but, looks good running around the oval!  

 

Edited April 30, 2022 by 33C
added detail

[Artless Bodger]

On 03/03/2021 at 19:51, Artless Bodger said:

Being a lazy modeller I wonder how long it will take me to complete?

Appropos the 4COR - a - like, 4 months. Finally finished it as far as I intend to go. I think it's a bit more convincing than the 2H so I'm happy with that.