My almost correct chop shop, coaches, not even BR

[Clive Mortimore]

On 28/07/2021 at 23:40, cheesysmith said:

The top two have the roller shutter door in the wrong place. It needs to be four windows plus four doors from the front. Then the roller door would be next to a window aft of it. When I cut it, I put it next to the window with the door aft of it. So it is a door width too far forward.

 

Actually it should be easy to cut and glue back into the right place without even needing a repaint.

Now how was I supposed to know that. In my day a Derby/Rolls Royce suburban unit was a passenger carrying train.

 

"Dad, Dad can we sit behind the driver?" my brother and I would ask.

Before Dad could answer Mum would say " Where is the coach with the toilet? Just in case one of you need to go."

Even on a all stations to St Pancras from Bedford neither of us would use the loo.

 

My last ride on a 127 was while they were in their Indian summer, the crews were still blacking the new 317s. I was taking my last photos of a 127 in service at St Ps going home to see my olds in Bedford when the driver said, "Would you like the blinds up so you can see out the front?" Magic.

 

Another time when I was about 12 or so me and my mates turned up to do our normal Saturday trainspot and there were all these grown ups with tripods etc on our plot on the platform waiting for 4472 to come through. So were bought tickets to Flitwick to do our spotting. Again the driver was kind and pulled up the blinds. South of Bedford the track is straightish, we had a great view of the Scotsman as it and our train approached each other, better than the blokes on the platform at Bedford would have had. As we were about to get off the train the driver opened the internal door and asked "Was that alright lads?" "YES" answered four excited 12 year olds.

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Now how was I supposed to know that. In my day a Derby/Rolls Royce suburban unit was a passenger carrying train.

 

"Dad, Dad can we sit behind the driver?" my brother and I would ask.

Before Dad could answer Mum would say " Where is the coach with the toilet? Just in case one of you need to go."

Even on a all stations to St Pancras from Bedford neither of us would use the loo.

 

My last ride on a 127 was while they were in their Indian summer, the crews were still blacking the new 317s. I was taking my last photos of a 127 in service at St Ps going home to see my olds in Bedford when the driver said, "Would you like the blinds up so you can see out the front?" Magic.

 

Another time when I was about 12 or so me and my mates turned up to do our normal Saturday trainspot and there were all these grown ups with tripods etc on our plot on the platform waiting for 4472 to come through. So were bought tickets to Flitwick to do our spotting. Again the driver was kind and pulled up the blinds. South of Bedford the track is straightish, we had a great view of the Scotsman as it and our train approached each other, better than the blokes on the platform at Bedford would have had. As we were about to get off the train the driver opened the internal door and asked "Was that alright lads?" "YES" answered four excited 12 year olds.

 

That brings back many memories. Dad and I would travel from St Pancras to Bedford to visit his aunt a few times a year. At that time (late 60s / early 70s), drivers mostly left the blinds up.

 

 

[cheesysmith]

Well, having got a lack of mojo, I just got a early derby bubble DC kit off ebay, and decided to build it. Having been spurred on by  Clive cut`n`shut he did of both the derby bubbles using the old 110 bodies, I decided to do the same, but using a Lightweight DC kits 2 car I had.

 

 

Here you see the different sides , with the cut`n`shut on the bottom. Luckily I had a spare set of doors for the second cab as off cuts from my 114 conversion.

 

 

Here they both are, bodies assembled and glue drying (why do we say drying? Being MEK it is actually evaporating, after it has softened the plastic and welded it together). In the back ground you can see the other car of the two car set having been made into a TCL.

 

 

I did say I would show the bad as well. Here is where i cut the roof too short, so a small bit of roof has been inserted, and will vanish with the filler.

[cheesysmith]

 

Update, filler applied yesterday, left to harden then rubbed down this morning. The cab roof now all have a smooth join to the roof (or smooth enough lol). The primer is drying, but what colour do I paint them? Authentic green or blue to match the rest of my stock?

 

PS-I did say the error in the roof cutting would disappear under the filler `n` rub cycle.

[Gibbo675]

3 hours ago, cheesysmith said:

 

Update, filler applied yesterday, left to harden then rubbed down this morning. The cab roof now all have a smooth join to the roof (or smooth enough lol). The primer is drying, but what colour do I paint them? Authentic green or blue to match the rest of my stock?

 

PS-I did say the error in the roof cutting would disappear under the filler `n` rub cycle.

Hi Dave,

 

Railway Technical Centre red and blue, just being me !!!

 

Gibbo.

[cheesysmith]

I have decided the colours for my bubbles

 

 

The SYE needs work, but I like it. So rule 1 applies (and it is easier than trying to do green with the lining).

[cheesysmith]

This I blame on siggy69.

 

 

This is the first time I have tried using resin moulding, and got to say the result is better than I expected. Now I need to make the rear half of the mould, as the first try is a solid cab, bit useless really, but it was just a experiment. Then I can make moulds for each version of the 105 cab (4 markers, 3 markers plus 2 digit headcode, 2 marker plus headcode, refurbished 2 marker, and maybe the 113 four digit headcode as well). Also, need to make the cab for a 129 as well.

 

PS-My 12 year old son actually mixed and poured the resin for the cast, and even he was impressed.

[cheesysmith]

Quick update (other than why am I awake at this tim of night?). I said all this casting was a learning curve, well lesson learnt. I had mixed up too much for the next mould, so I quickly knocked up a box to use it to try doing a set of bogie side frames. I didn't seal them to the bottom of the box, so the moulding resin got under them. They ended up in the centre of the mould, so useless. But it did teach me a lesson. Also, quick cut of the mould and recovered the side frames.

[cheesysmith]

Further update, 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

 

I have made a better master of the cab front, and now making the mould for the rear plug.

 

Step back-I tried casting the under frame for a 105, but found out too much undercut parts. Will have to take the under frame bits, add them to a piece of plasticard, and cast them flat. This will work, as long as the flat bits are kept to the inside.

 

Photos will follow when I have something to show.

[cheesysmith]

Yes, I got board waiting for the mould to set, so just grabbed a hatchette mk1, and a bit of plasticard.

 

 

Quick bit of filler, rub down and file to round the half windows off and one RMB.

[cheesysmith]

In the words of the great homer simpson

 

 

D`OHHH

 

Guess who put the half window blanks inthe wrong windows?

[cheesysmith]

My RMB needs commonwealth bogies. The hatchette comes with BR1 bogies. This is how I changes them in case anybody else wants to change theirs.

 

 

 

The bogie is not that bad a model of a BR1, but the wheels, all are pitted or chipped. Also they look like split axle, which can have problems keeping gauge (and how cheap these were, I expect problems). A truck turner would open the axle boxes up enough to use normal coach wheels/axles, but I want to change the bogies.

 

One replica bogie kit.

 

Notice two things, 

 

1-I remove the moulded brakes off the ends, as they are too large and in the wrong place. Looks better without them.

 

2-The bogies are handed, the horizontal traction rod points to the outside end of the coach, and the vertical damper would be at the inside end of the coach.

 

 

Cut the centre and the end off the hatchette bogie, then cut the replica bogie centre spacer in a "U" shape as above. Glue them together with a bit of plasticard underneath, and voila

 

 

Because I kept the slot at the front of the bogie, the cam coupling system still works, and because I used the centre section, it just clips onto the original underframe.

 

 

Not bad for a few hours work. Need a replica SO interior cutting up to make what I need, and the gas box plus roof vent for the buffet adding.

[cheesysmith]

Update from my playing with resin.

 

 

The last one is a bit blurred, but shows where the corners of the roof have broke or not cast. Will try again, but if the same happens, it will be easy to cut away a little of the mould to thicken it up in this place. These are it fresh out of the mould with no cleaning or trimming.

 

One very happy camper here.

[Clive Mortimore]

3 hours ago, cheesysmith said:

My RMB needs commonwealth bogies. The hatchette comes with BR1 bogies. This is how I changes them in case anybody else wants to change theirs.

 

 

 

The bogie is not that bad a model of a BR1, but the wheels, all are pitted or chipped. Also they look like split axle, which can have problems keeping gauge (and how cheap these were, I expect problems). A truck turner would open the axle boxes up enough to use normal coach wheels/axles, but I want to change the bogies.

 

One replica bogie kit.

 

Notice two things, 

 

1-I remove the moulded brakes off the ends, as they are too large and in the wrong place. Looks better without them.

 

2-The bogies are handed, the horizontal traction rod points to the outside end of the coach, and the vertical damper would be at the inside end of the coach.

 

 

Cut the centre and the end off the hatchette bogie, then cut the replica bogie centre spacer in a "U" shape as above. Glue them together with a bit of plasticard underneath, and voila

 

 

Because I kept the slot at the front of the bogie, the cam coupling system still works, and because I used the centre section, it just clips onto the original underframe.

 

 

Not bad for a few hours work. Need a replica SO interior cutting up to make what I need, and the gas box plus roof vent for the buffet adding.

Hi Chessy

 

I am doing a similar conversion of a Hatchett into a RMB but the first batch with out the store cupboard and has the additional seating bay.

[cheesysmith]

28 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Chessy

 

I am doing a similar conversion of a Hatchett into a RMB but the first batch with out the store cupboard and has the additional seating bay.

 

I though about doing a dia97 myself, but the 98/99 with the extra window blanked off stood out more and was more common. Also some were altered later to the extra window blanked out. And Paul Bartlett has some excellent photos of one in the WCRC rake that looks to be almost as in built condition, so useful for reference purposes.

[Clive Mortimore]

9 minutes ago, cheesysmith said:

 

I though about doing a dia97 myself, but the 98/99 with the extra window blanked off stood out more and was more common. Also some were altered later to the extra window blanked out. And Paul Bartlett has some excellent photos of one in the WCRC rake that looks to be almost as in built condition, so useful for reference purposes.

I decided to make the dia 97 because I have loads of the 98/99 versions both Tri-ang/Hornby and Bachy.

[cheesysmith]

Thanks for that Clive. Whilst searching for a pair of Bachmann bogies to experiment with using the hatchette underframe I cam across a triang roof and interior for the RMB. Just need to decide do I use the triang roof, or cut the vents off to add to the hatchette?

[cheesysmith]

Well, quick update.

 

The RMB has had the sides rubbed down and primed.

 

Have been casting cabs, and getting a 50% failure/success rate.

[cheesysmith]

just cast these this morning for my 105. Came out better than I expected.  

 

[cheesysmith]

 

The equipment box off the DMU casting does a passable representation of the gas bottle box, what does anybody else think?

 

PS-This only stuck on with blue tack for the photo lol.

[cheesysmith]

This is what it looks like so far.

 

 

 

Need to get the files out for the twin small windows, sort the roof and then interior.

 

Not bad for a quick job to distract me whilst the moulds were curing.

[jessy1692]

13 minutes ago, cheesysmith said:

This is what it looks like so far.

 

 

 

Need to get the files out for the twin small windows, sort the roof and then interior.

 

Not bad for a quick job to distract me whilst the moulds were curing.

Nicely done, I'm trying to get my head around the various catering vehicles at the mo for my ER set I'm planning, watching with interest.

 

Cracking work on the mouldings too.

James

[MJI]

I cast some of those gas cabinets for my own use.

 

Got a pair under my Triang based one

[cheesysmith]

update, I decided to sort out the roof whilst waiting for the gorrila glue to set. Using a new sharpest blade, I carved off the vents I didn`t need, and repositioned them where I did.

 

 

Here is the roof with the vents, plus the cast catering vents in the new positions.

 

Just need to sort out the centre water tank filler pipes now. I can always use wire, but I don`t want it to look out of place in a rake. Because I don`t want to have to go and replace every filler on each coach.

[Grizz]

Proper modelling Cheesysmith....