Modelling Spam Cans (Bulleid Pacifics)

[Combe Martin]

Which make of matt varnish do you use, it seems to me that some are more matt than others. And do you use a spray can, or thin down the varnish and then spray with an airbrush ?

[Graham_Muz]

I tend to find that Railmatch satin varnish from a rattle can matches the original Hornby finish pretty OK. I have used this to just spray over a cabside when renumbering without having to spray the whole loco.

[roundhouse]

I tend to use testors Dullcote these days but have hand brushed Humbrol matt varnish over the whole body prior to weathering them.

[brightspark]

"Combe Martin was one of the locos that had the 'West Country Class' scrolls mounted higher up the body side than where Hornby have placed them, and being a bit fussy, I want to correct this. I've managed to remove the Hornby scrolls cleanly without any body damage and I've got some LFC etched brass ones to replace them, but they are tiny and difficult to handle and manipulate with fingers or tweezers.

 

Can anyone suggest how to best fix them to the body side without making a mess ! My thoughts are either super glue or gloss varnish, but there's bound to be a smear of it left on the body side when positioning them. Will it 'chip' off when dry ?"

 

 

Now I am sure that I looked at the height of the scrolls at the time, and had "one of the experts" look at it but they look quite low down. I just left the Wilton ones in place. Err are these wrong?

 

 

For glue how about araldite? Not fashionable and often misunderstood. However these go off without any gases and are not so brittle which Cyno does.

To apply mix up glue and using a cocktail stick apply a thin layer onto the back of the plate.

I use a low tack masking tape to mark the position of the plate so you know where you are going to put it.

 

 

edit; for spelling

Edited July 11, 2012 by brightspark

[brightspark]

I just compares the pictures of my CM against the photo on the link I set up.

It is a bit low.

[Combe Martin]

Now I am sure that I looked at the height of the scrolls at the time, and had "one of the experts" look at it but they look quite low down. I just left the Wilton ones in place. Err are these wrong?

 

I'm afraid they are and you'll have to modify yours. Combe Martin is on Albert Goodalls list of those with high scrolls, and besides, there's dozens of photos of it in the Somerset & Dorset picture books.

 

 

 

"For glue how about Araldite? Not fashionable and often misunderstood. However these go off without any gases and are not so brittle which Cyno does. To apply mix up glue and using a cocktail stick apply a thin layer onto the back of the plate. I use a low tack masking tape to mark the position of the plate so you know where you are going to put it."

 

Now I do like the idea of using masking tape. If I put the glued scroll onto the tape first, then just slide it up off the tape into position immediately above the tape, will that work without leaving a visible smear of glue on the body side ?, or will all the glue end up on the tape ?

Edited July 11, 2012 by Combe Martin

[brightspark]

The glue may well end up on the tape. Plus look out for glue creeping under the tape.

I would be tempted to drop the preglued plate into position and remove tape pdq to prevent that. If there is any spillage it can be cleaned off.

 

"I'm afraid they are and you'll have to modify yours"

I hate you now CM

 

I think I disposed of my etched scrolls. I wonder if I can remove the Hornby ones so that I can reuse them?

How much paint damage is there when the scrolls have been removed?

[Jon020]

Not sure if it will be of too much interest, but I finally uploaded a selection of my detail-photos of a few of the preserved locos that we still have today. I know this thread is about spam cans, but there are some shots of Air Archie and Eddistone in there... and they don't count as spam cans in my opinion... far too pretty. The photos are all (I think) of Light Pacifics and include 34007, 34081 and 21C123.

Jon

[roundhouse]

Rebuilds were spam cans so any info on them is good!

[Jon020]

Rebuilds were spam cans so any info on them is good!

It's always best to occasionally agree to disagree. SpanCans - because the air-smoothed casings had a certain "Can of Spam" look to it (coincidentally arriving from the US at the time)... I'll accept. But the rebuilds.... spam cans??? Never. Best looking locos ever in my opinion.... but I accept that that's only my opinion [Yes even nicer looking than a Deltic] ... and it's biased as I had 35028 forced upon me from a young age... what with Dad and Grandad helping buy her from BR ... and initially work on her at Longmoor and Ashford (some of those trips I just about remember).

Jon

Edited July 12, 2012 by Jon020

[Combe Martin]

I think I disposed of my etched scrolls. I wonder if I can remove the Hornby ones so that I can reuse them?

How much paint damage is there when the scrolls have been removed?

 

There's no chance of reusing the Hornby ones, they're not transfers but printed on.

 

I removed them by gently scraping them away, by dragging the tip of a non too sharp curved blade across them, gradually reducing the pressure as the paint/ink comes off. If you do it lightly and carefully you can do it without damage. I finished off by polishing just the area of the scroll with a little bit of T-Cut on a cotton bud, but just very lightly to remove any scroll residue. You may not need to do this bit !

[brightspark]

Thanks CM. My Coombe Martin is currently hiding in it's box, so I have not had a close look at it.

I knew that I had looked at the position of the scroll and have found where I went wrong.

I was given a copy of a photo (I think it is copyright so I am reluctant to post) of Coombe Martin taken with the tender raves still in place. Pre June 1952.

The scroll is in the lower position!

 

You have to love these locos. The changes are often and subtle.

 

CM I have sent you a PM

[Combe Martin]

I've managed to fix a scroll to one side of my Combe Martin now, and it's height up the body side is about correct, but when compared against photos of the real loco it looks a bit high. On a photo of the real loco (1962), if you draw an imaginary line from the base of the cabside numbers across to the base of the smoke deflector, then the top of the scroll sits about 3-4 inches below this. On my loco the scroll is immediately below this line with no gap. I think the problem is that Hornby have placed the cabside numbers too low and the bottom edge of the smoke deflector also looks too low as well. Certainly the shape of the bottom edge of the smoke deflector is wrong for Combe Martin. Hornby have also mounted the nameplates too low as well.

 

I get the impression that no two unrebuilt Bullieds are the same. They might have started out that way, but by the '60s they were all different.

[Adam]

My contribution - 34108, Wincanton, as rebuilt and running c. 1966. An EM conversion of the Hornby model, I'm probably one of the few people on this earth who prefers the rebuilt versions to the originals. I'm quite pleased with this one since I don't normally do 'big engines' (er, apart from the incomplete Q1 and Standard 4 4-6-0 I have hanging around in boxes...).

 

 

Note that the Hornby green scrubs up ok with a bit of gloss and a polish (Klear and T-Cut respectively).

 

Adam

Edited July 15, 2012 by Adam

[PhilH]

Rebuilds were spam cans so any info on them is good!

 

I and others posted quite a few prototype detail shots in this thread

Edited July 15, 2012 by PhilH

[Bob306]

Some superb looking locos here!  I'm about to creat a "Bude & Biggin Hill" duo from the Farewell S&D Railtour so your tips have been very useful.  Can I ask if anyone has any suggestions for repairing missing tender side steps as I see these are missing from the Albert Goodall range???

[geoffers]

"....I'm probably one of the few people on this earth who prefers the rebuilt versions to the originals....*

 

You and me both, Adam. So there's at le

[geoffers]

To continue............ So there's at least two of us. Probably all those rebuilds spotted at B'mth Central 1964-1967.

Prefer light pacific rebuilds to Merchant rebuilds as well - strange but true.

[Jon020]

To continue............ So there's at least two of us. Probably all those rebuilds spotted at B'mth Central 1964-1967.

Prefer light pacific rebuilds to Merchant rebuilds as well - strange but true.

I can relate to that... they're just more ... er ... dainty! Is that right... the MN is purposeful looking and whilst the BoB and WC pacifics are only slightly smaller, their "look" is somewhat slimmer and this somehow affects their whole poise. I think that given a choice, I'd prefer a model of a MN... but the Hornby MN is not as good as their BoB/WC... which is a shame.

Now, if you really wan to blubber, then how about this one. My Dad reckons that the real one only cost them £2200 in 1967, so a model of it should be quite cheap today... Ha! if only eh!

http://www.modernoutline.co.uk/modern_outline_044.htm

 

Jon

[geoffers]

Dainty?  I suppose so.  I fancy the Merchant is too long!!! To me the light pacific seems

to hold much more potential energy in its shorter frame - almost as if it it trying to burst out.

Hard to explain really - just that it strokes the right places for me. My favourite steam loco I think.

[roundhouse]

Give me the unrebuilts with the cut down tender raves in a very weathered states but I still do like the rebuilt ones

 

Ian

[PhilH]

Phew! As part of my 5" gauge MN project I am currently wading through 2,828 recently acquired Southern Railway and BR drawings relating to various kinds of Bulleid Pacifics (in electronic form, not physical thank goodness)

 

It's hard work!

Edited December 30, 2012 by PhilH

[robmcg]

Mod 4 shifted my pic from Hornby to here, except it didn't appear here, nor could I edit my locked post,  so here goes again;

 

 

 

Always a soft spot for unrebuilt Bulleids, especially starting 14-total in summer 1957 , an express from the West Country, not sure when BR SR green Mk1s appeared.  Hornby 34061 '73 Squadron in c1957 for, with PSP6 editing.

 

..coal trimmed, full head of steam, sanders on, Salisbury, Basingstoke, Waterloo here we come.

 

 

Rob

Edited February 3, 2013 by robmcg

[roundhouse]

Rob

 

That's a superb photo.

 

Ian

[robmcg]

Rob

 

That's a superb photo.

 

Ian

 

Thankyou.

 

While my model of 34061 was out, I took another photo, and it being an Exeter engine, mostly, (although I notice it had a 71G Bath shedplate... I have changed it to 72A Exeter) , I took this photo of perhaps the same train between Exeter and Salisbury.  Or perhaps even further east.

 

Did Exeter, engines normally work all the way to Waterloo and back, I wonder? Or were they more often used west of Exeter?

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2013 by robmcg