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P4 CONVERSION PACK FOR Dapol WESTERN, BEATTIE WELL TANK AND Hornby WEST COUNTRY PACIFIC


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Evenin' all,

 

As previously stated the batting order for wheel projects at Ultrascale is: a Britannia conversion, the Hornby West Country pacific conversion pack then our Dapol Beattie well tank conversion pack. A backlog of orders is keeping David continually busy with his 'bread & butter' work and progress with the 3 above  projects has been slow. Whilst this workload is good news for David, it means that at the current rate of progress we are realistically looking at 2015/16 before we can expect our Dapol Beattie well tank conversion to be tackled. I've chatted to David about a 'plan B' where part or all of our pack is done elsewhere but I currently can't match the anticipated Ultrascale standards. I'm in the fortunate position of having so much modelling work to do on Tor Giffard that I can take a relaxed view on the delay and simply work on other stock/layout construction tasks, content in the knowledge that our project is in the best place standards wise, even if it means waiting until David can tackle it.

 

As the point of contact/organiser for this project I have a duty to keep you informed of any changes, timescales or otherwise, as I learn of them.

 

Dave

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At times like this, it must be a challenge wondering, as time flies, whether that project will finally come, or whether there's an outside chance that we'll snuff it before ever seeing the prize....

You could always take a set of wheels to Brian Harrap at Scaleforum in a couple of weekends... ;)

 

Cheers,

 

David

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At times like this, it must be a challenge wondering, as time flies, whether that project will finally come, or whether there's an outside chance that we'll snuff it before ever seeing the prize....

 

...sounds like you're volunteering to come up with a better solution H. What experience do you have in such matters?

 

Dave

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You could always take a set of wheels to Brian Harrap at Scaleforum in a couple of weekends... ;)

 

Cheers,

 

David

 

Hi David,

 

I'm considering asking the Scalefour Society to advertise for a potential solution...the challenge is to finish up with a high quality result, which works reliably. 

 

Latest update...October 2013

 

There will be some good news about this project shortly.

 

Dave  

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  • 3 weeks later...

Evenin' all,

 

Following on from the news that the availability date of an Ultrascale P4 conversion pack for the Dapol Beattie well tank could slide back to 2016 or beyond, I asked David Rogers whether we might yet have a plan 'B'. He reviewed the project before 'turning' a set of the Dapol wheels, to facilitate the fitting of nickel-silver tyres. The result was the working chassis seen in the picture below

 

post-7795-0-32430200-1381252283.jpg

 

David posted the chassis to me, in order for the modelling work required to fit the body back onto the revised chassis, to be evaluated. 

 

I am currently in the process of filming the various stages that the model has gone through so far in its rebuilding. The model is currently working well in its P4 guise and I will be posting several camcorder clips of the ongoing progress. The principle work involved has been to remove the sides of the splashers over the main driving wheels with a razorsaw and to thin the front suspension moulding/cylinder slide motion from the inside. 

 

This change of direction for the project carries a total price tag of £230 per conversion, due to David spending the whole of one day turning one set of wheels/fitting nickel silver tyres. Those wishing to join this route to a P4 well tank will need to dismantle their Dapol model and only send the wheels/axles to Ultrascale for conversion. 

 

There is a risk involved in this route, in that an air bubble in a Dapol wheel could cause it to fail as it is turned. If this happened then the owner of the wheels would need to source replacements from DCC supplies.  

 

More to follow

 

Dave      

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Evenin' all, 

 

The scenes on this clip

 

 

demonstrate the viability of this conversion. The model is at its lowest ebb...with cut away splashers and missing parts, however, as the fettling of the bodywork to accommodate the new dimensions of the chassis results in a working P4 well tank, suddenly the prospect of fashioning new splasher sides from thin brass/nickel silver sheet (I asked Eileen's for the thinnest flat NS sheet that they do) doesn't seem so daunting.

 

The reworking of the body has weakened it structurally allowing 'flexing' of unsupported areas...look at the line of the frame. The body will be mounted flush to a flat, square surface whilst the brass/nickel silver splasher sides are fitted. this should restore some of the rigidity. A brass mount fore and aft beneath the chassis should complete the task.

 

More to follow

 

Dave  

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Evenin' all,

 

This clip

 

 

shows the individual parts which have been altered during the conversion (the missing part of the suspension will be superglued back on once I'm happy that no more fettling is required). 

 

I'm waiting for the 2nd body (unaltered) to arrive from Ultrascale at the moment...once I have it then I'll use the external dimensions of this to provide the measurements for the parts which need to be fabricated for the P4 converted loco. I'll post these dimensions on this site.

 

The second set of wheels will now be sent to David for turning and tyre fitting.

 

As several modellers have e-mailed to ask how to remove the wheelsets...I'll add a guide here too. It may be as well to remove the connecting rods before starting this stage as they are easily bent. The retaining screw on the underside immediately in front of the front axle holds the footplate to the chassis and the baseplate...removing it releases the front of the footplate but the wheelsets can now drop out, so beware. The rear of the footplate is held to the chassis by locating beneath 2 lugs. Use a thin bladed screwdriver to ease the footplate over the lugs. The footplate should now separate easily from the chassis. 

 

Dave

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Evenin' all,

 

One technique for removing/remodelling the front splashers is seen here....this method also reuses a thin outer portion of the original 'face' of the splasher. More importantly the P4 wheelsets then fit comfortably within. The razor saw seen in one of the scenes below was used to saw off the 'face' of the splasher and a mixture of blades and files used to remove the remaining part of the splasher from the body. The rear of the splasher 'face' was then sanded across fine grade wet and dry to a uniform 0.6mm thickness (overall). The untouched splasher on the other side was measured with a vernier caliper to make sure that the dimensions were absolutely correct as the modified side was rebuilt. A 4.5mm strip of 0.25mm thickness plasticard was superglued to the underside of the wheelarch (flush with the inside edge of the wheelarch) and the 0.6mm 'original face' superglued to the outer edge of the plasticard.     

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmYQgEbGIc&feature=youtu.be

 

The outline of the splasher 'face' has been traced several times onto 0.35mm plasticard so that I have a stock of 'faces' for reproducing the result on the first well tank.

 

Frustratingly one of the inductors on top of the motor decided to fracture/break in two. DCC Supplies asked me to check the resistance value of the one on the 2nd well tank and quote this over the phone. They would then send several in the post. A trip to Maplins electronics in Stoke later and I have a multimeter (Maplins don't sell inductors of such low resistance). I'm now waiting for the replacements. 

 

More to follow

 

Dave

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  • 8 months later...

Hi Nick,

 

The prototype has been recently photographed working on the Rhuddall Heath layout belonging to one of the Scalefour Society Crewe area group and should appear in the CAG thread of their site soon. The haulage capability of the loco was quite surprising and its smooth, reliable performance pleasing. I have a second well tank at Ultrascale at the moment for the same conversion. The price tag is £230, payable direct to Ultrascale...David Rodgers will welcome any orders. 

 

Yes the price tag is high but the view of the Scalefour Society Notts area group is that I got a bargain...in view of the work involved.

 

Best regards

 

Dave

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Dave,

 

That is good to know. I must admit I am tempted with this option. Although, I managed to purchase a couple of motor less Well Tanks a two years ago. And I'm wondering if Alan Gibson frames might be the way forward and work on a complete chassis rebuild.

 

Out of interest what did the little thing manage to haul?

Kind regards,

 

Nick.

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Hi Nick,

 

17ish weighty 2 axle wagons all the way around Rhuddall Heath (several circuits without hitch forwards) and only slipped in reverse on tightish curves due to binding of the wagons there...full train visible to the right in the larger picture on the latest post(s) on the Crewe Area Group thread .

 

The conversion is a pig...I'd have a chat with David Rodgers before you discount the Ultrascale route.

 

Note the front connecting rods are intentionally missing at the moment whilst a few track miles are accumulated/P4 conversion run in.

 

Rgds

 

Dave

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  • 2 months later...

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