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Wright writes.....


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1 hour ago, Tony Teague said:

 

I pondered the same question in relation to the white roofs of Pullman cars - and when I looked for reference images I found almost none, excepting from the modern / preservation era; most were at the very least pale grey if not as dark as any other coaches. I concluded that they must have got fairly dirty very quickly and I can't see why these railcars would have been much diffferent.

Tony

Good morning Tony,

 

I've found the same situation when modelling ECML Pullman cars. 'Official' photographs often show brand new cars with a white or silver roof. Yet, apart from a few isolated examples, any shots of these cars in service in rakes show them to have roofs which are soot-stained; anything from dark grey to black. 

 

Makes sense, I suppose, especially if steam-hauled. That said, Pullman rakes behind Deltics also have very dark roofs in the main.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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Hi Tony and Everyone,

    Thanks for the early view of your photographs, the new Heljan GW railcars are impressive beasts, and no doubt are exquisite runners, but i'm rather put off by the "fish-tank" effect windows, did you identify this problem in your review? The way around the problem, could be for manufacturers to make thicker slab moulded windows, thus eliminating the inside rim to the glazing, or would thicker glazing be less transparent? We keep seeing this recurring problem on various other models.

     As an example, Shawplan/Extreme Etchings sell thick-moulded window replacements for BR Mk2 and Mk3 air-con vehicles, when inserted, the thickness of two or three millimetres disappears to the human eye, and the aperture appears as a thin flush-glazed window. Thanks Heljan, but i'll stick to re-glazing my old Lima units.

                                                                                                     Cheers, Brian. (That wasn't too strong was it?:unsure:)

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42 minutes ago, Kirby Uncoupler said:

Thanks Heljan, but i'll stick to re-glazing my old Lima units.

 

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one of that opinion.

 

I can see that these latest Heljan models are superior in some ways to the old Lima version, but not to the extent that that I'll be disposing of my stache of the latter.

 

I did a little work on a Lima model not too long ago; fitting a High Level motor bogie and applying a modest level of extra detailing; the principal change was to the windows.

 

823559368_W22WWINDOWMODIFICATIONS.JPG.4994f39ab739155f269f724f0453e895.JPG

 

 

With a repaint and reletter the finished model is vastly improved, and the cost is very modest given the price of S/H Lima models - the principal failing is the recessed windows; a 'layout model' in Tony's parlance!

 

IMG_5815.JPG.fb6c83b1919daead569949d666aaff86.JPG

 

IMG_5810.JPG.672b237529837bf6f99c427878202ceb.JPG

 

I have several more Lima ones, (and a Bachmann Collet coach), scheduled for conversion into a three car unit; plus cast metal kits for several of the earlier GWR railcars.

 

John Isherwood.

 

PS. Tony - I was only being flippant concerning the illumination of the Heljan model photo; no criticism was intended as I fully understood the reason for the exaggerated lighting effect. I have already completed one hundred lines of "I must not make silly comments that may be taken as criticism".

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23 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one of that opinion.

 

I can see that these latest Heljan models are superior in some ways to the old Lima version, but not to the extent that that I'll be disposing of my stache of the latter.

 

I did a little work on a Lima model not too long ago; fitting a High Level motor bogie and applying a modest level of extra detailing; the principal change was to the windows.

 

823559368_W22WWINDOWMODIFICATIONS.JPG.4994f39ab739155f269f724f0453e895.JPG

 

 

With a repaint and reletter the finished model is vastly improved, and the cost is very modest given the price of S/H Lima models - the principal failing is the recessed windows; a 'layout model' in Tony's parlance!

 

IMG_5815.JPG.fb6c83b1919daead569949d666aaff86.JPG

 

IMG_5810.JPG.672b237529837bf6f99c427878202ceb.JPG

 

I have several more Lima ones, (and a Bachmann Collet coach), scheduled for conversion into a three car unit; plus cast metal kits for several of the earlier GWR railcars.

 

John Isherwood.

 

PS. Tony - I was only being flippant concerning the illumination of the Heljan model photo; no criticism was intended as I fully understood the reason for the exaggerated lighting effect. I have already completed one hundred lines of "I must not make silly comments that may be taken as criticism".

On other models people have gotten rid if the prismatic effect of the glazing by simply applying a coat of klear or similar, to great effect. I think it could potentially transform the glazing of these lovely model. A great pity they are too late for my GW modelling period, otherwise I'd be trying the method out for myself.

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1 minute ago, Denbridge said:

On other models people have gotten rid if the prismatic effect of the glazing by simply applying a coat of klear or similar, to great effect. I think it could potentially transform the glazing of these lovely model. A great pity they are too late for my GW modelling period, otherwise I'd be trying the method out for myself.

 

My Lima conversion has had Klear applied to the old glazing - which certainly helps clarity, if not the recessing.

 

John Isherwood.

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Just now, cctransuk said:

 

My Lima conversion has had Klear applied to the old glazing - which certainly helps clarity, if not the recessing.

 

John Isherwood.

On models with the horrid edges around the glazing, as seen on the new railcar, Klear, or similar does a great job of 'hiding' those edges. though in my case, like you, I have a small stash of the old Lima model. So, should I feel the urge to model a later GW period, I'm more likely to turn to those for upgrading and detailing. Certainly one of Limas better offerings at source.

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1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Tony,

 

I've found the same situation when modelling ECML Pullman cars. 'Official' photographs often show brand new cars with a white or silver roof. Yet, apart from a few isolated examples, any shots of these cars in service in rakes show them to have roofs which are soot-stained; anything from dark grey to black. 

 

Makes sense, I suppose, especially if steam-hauled. That said, Pullman rakes behind Deltics also have very dark roofs in the main.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Hi Tony

 

As I understand it, the white roofs were painted with white lead and this covering reacted with the atmosphere. It turned grey over time and, hence, the roofs acquired an overall grey colour.

 

On top of this chemical reaction, there were also soot deposits to contend with.

 

On the pictures of LNER trains it is common to see roofs that vary from very dark grey to light grey- with an occasional white roof. 

Jon

 

PS I’m not a chemist - so the above is what I have read about- happy to be corrected if wrong

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26 minutes ago, Jon4470 said:

Hi Tony

 

As I understand it, the white roofs were painted with white lead and this covering reacted with the atmosphere. It turned grey over time and, hence, the roofs acquired an overall grey colour.

 

On top of this chemical reaction, there were also soot deposits to contend with.

 

On the pictures of LNER trains it is common to see roofs that vary from very dark grey to light grey- with an occasional white roof. 

Jon

 

PS I’m not a chemist - so the above is what I have read about- happy to be corrected if wrong

When I was travelling almost daily into Central London, I noticed how quickly the off white roof panels on some electric units became grey and even black. this despite regular washing, modern paint and the lack of 'dirty' steam engine emissions and the cleaner modern environment.

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1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

 

I'm glad that I'm not the only one of that opinion.

 

I can see that these latest Heljan models are superior in some ways to the old Lima version, but not to the extent that that I'll be disposing of my stache of the latter.

 

I did a little work on a Lima model not too long ago; fitting a High Level motor bogie and applying a modest level of extra detailing; the principal change was to the windows.

 

823559368_W22WWINDOWMODIFICATIONS.JPG.4994f39ab739155f269f724f0453e895.JPG

 

 

With a repaint and reletter the finished model is vastly improved, and the cost is very modest given the price of S/H Lima models - the principal failing is the recessed windows; a 'layout model' in Tony's parlance!

 

IMG_5815.JPG.fb6c83b1919daead569949d666aaff86.JPG

 

IMG_5810.JPG.672b237529837bf6f99c427878202ceb.JPG

 

I have several more Lima ones, (and a Bachmann Collet coach), scheduled for conversion into a three car unit; plus cast metal kits for several of the earlier GWR railcars.

 

John Isherwood.

 

PS. Tony - I was only being flippant concerning the illumination of the Heljan model photo; no criticism was intended as I fully understood the reason for the exaggerated lighting effect. I have already completed one hundred lines of "I must not make silly comments that may be taken as criticism".

I didn't take it as criticism at all, John, 

 

I rather enjoy 'silly comments'. If we are dissuaded from making them, Wright writes would be a dull old thread!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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2 hours ago, Kirby Uncoupler said:

Hi Tony and Everyone,

    Thanks for the early view of your photographs, the new Heljan GW railcars are impressive beasts, and no doubt are exquisite runners, but i'm rather put off by the "fish-tank" effect windows, did you identify this problem in your review? The way around the problem, could be for manufacturers to make thicker slab moulded windows, thus eliminating the inside rim to the glazing, or would thicker glazing be less transparent? We keep seeing this recurring problem on various other models.

     As an example, Shawplan/Extreme Etchings sell thick-moulded window replacements for BR Mk2 and Mk3 air-con vehicles, when inserted, the thickness of two or three millimetres disappears to the human eye, and the aperture appears as a thin flush-glazed window. Thanks Heljan, but i'll stick to re-glazing my old Lima units.

                                                                                                     Cheers, Brian. (That wasn't too strong was it?:unsure:)

Good afternoon Brian,

 

I don't think your comments are 'too strong' at all. Constructive criticism/observation is to be encouraged.

 

I won't be me who'll write the review of the Heljan GWR railcar. I'm only the happy snapper on this occasion.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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1 hour ago, 313201 said:

Hi Tony

 

Can I ask please if you or anybody you know have ever fitted a metal kit body to an rtr chassis ?

 

I tried this a few years ago with some success, I created a V2 loco from parts for the fowler 2-6-4 tank loco with the rear bogie removed and by adding various pieces of 40 thou plasticard which was superglued down the length of the pieces to give good rigidity, I was able to bridge the gap between the chassis behind the 3rd driving axle and the cab of the loco body, although the driving wheels are most likely the wrong size it gives a good representation of a V2 loco which J numbered as 60854.

 

Because I used the Hornby X4026 motor in the body, I had to cut off a fair amount of the running plate and the boiler also had to be cut a fair amount too so that the motor would fit with in the body without catching everytime the loco is serviced.

 

I have also done this using a Hornby A3 chassis with the Gresley A1/3 body, it was originally built as a right hand drive loco before I purchased it for about £30 from a model fair some years ago at the Northgate Arena in Chester, the valve gear was all tight and snapped when I attempted to test run it at slow speed.

 

After that I dismantled to loco as much as possible and salvaged whatever I could reuse which has up to now been limited to the loco body & chassis minus connecting rods, cylinders and valve gear and the tender body and the regulator housing was moved from the right to the left hand side, this being based on the loco being a new build and numbered 60168 as I have a Hornby peppercorn A1 which I numbered as 60164 ( another new build for my railway, just got to create locos 60165/60166 & 60167 to fill the number gap ).

 

In respect of the loco body, like my V2 loco I had to do a fair amount of cutting to get the motor from the rtr A1/3 chassis to fit but I managed it eventually.

 

After connecting wires through under the loco and tender to the motor to give as much power pickup as possible aswell as painting into dark green which while not the actual shade used for BR Green is close enough for me, the loco was coupled go 11 Bachmann mk1 coaches of mixed liveries and started up slowly to see how she performed and I must admit I was blown away by how much better the loco performed with a metal kit body than with a plastic body, the V2 has also managed 11 coaches up to now ( same rake used as for the A3 test ).

 

I am following your latest A3 build with great interest and hope some day to do a loco kit build myself but having never built oo gauge valve gear I am not confident on being able to do it without messing it up, I was wondering if valve gear for kit build locos is or could 1 day be available readily assembled which would make loco building much simpler but then I imagine that takes the skills away that would be needed if that was the case.

 

Any information you have will be gratefully received and welcomed.

I have fitted metal loco bodies to RTR chassis, but it was donkey's years ago.

 

If memory serves (it was a long time ago), I made and fitted a BEC J11 to a Tri-ang Jinty chassis, followed by a J39, then a K's J50 to a Hornby-Dublo R1 chassis. I even fitted Romford wheels as well, bushing the Tri-ang frames, becoming, instantly, a 'scale' modeller. Where these abominations are now, I have no idea, but I hope they never resurface!

 

I still do have one kit-built body/RTR chassis loco from those 'learning curve' times of over 50 years ago now...............

 

Here it is.

 

197536506_vans10fittedfreight60532.jpg.159869c85f2a0ea5f0c007301423f191.jpg

 

It's an old Wills body-only A2 kit, running on a modified Tri-ang Britannia chassis (the recommended combination). 

 

It doesn't really stand comparison with more-recent A2s I've made.

 

3326_6053260526.jpg.377e78871d1e402814d6ededce8456b8.jpg

 

I built the one beyond from a modified DJH kit, and Geoff Haynes painted it. 

 

BLUE PETER is not quite how I built her (though the dynamo is still in the wrong place). The kit was originally designed from the Roche drawing, which meant an inappropriate tender (inappropriate for any LNER Pacific!) and a banjo dome being supplied. I built a DJH tender for it eventually, and fitted proper Cartazzi frames at the same time as substituting a correct, streamlined dome. Odd details (the multiple valve regulator) were scratch-built from bits and pieces.

 

The painting is all my work - Humbrol enamels applied using artists' sables, then transfer lining. 

 

Much to my shame, the loco body is glued together (I deserve a hearty thrashing!), but at least the tender is soldered together. 

 

375728109_60532chassis01.jpg.28bb459dadaefab92e387abd7f0ba554.jpg

 

Here's its Tri-ang chassis, still with its original Tri-ang motor (which runs superbly!). I bushed this (and the gear wheel) to take Romford axles and Romford drivers. The cylinders and valve gear are from Jamieson, and that's it really. 

 

Regarding making valve gear, I can only recommend having a go. You'll mess your first set up (and your second, as I did), but you'll eventually get there. There are several manufacturers out there. Or, if you PM me with your address, I'll send you a fret or two to practise on. 

 

Can RTR valve gear sets be purchased as spare parts?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Can RTR valve gear sets be purchased as spare parts?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes. Spares supplies of any components for RTR models is quite patchy. Peter’s Spares for Hornby are good, and interestingly some Hornby spares have appeared on H’s Facebook feed. Bachmann spares department is quite good if they have availability. Dapol’s spares are held by DCC Supplies, and Heljan by Gaugemaster. 

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5 hours ago, Denbridge said:

On models with the horrid edges around the glazing, as seen on the new railcar, Klear, or similar does a great job of 'hiding' those edges. 

That’s a new one for me, how is it applied to hide the reflections?

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7 minutes ago, PMP said:

That’s a new one for me, how is it applied to hide the reflections?

as i mentioned previously it isn't something I've done personally, but the ones I've seen, people brush it on & the Klear being a liquid self levels and fills the gaps around the edges of the glazing. I first saw it on some HO American coaching stock and the transformation was dramatic. Another application I've seen using it to great effect is on SEF flushglazed windows.

 

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^^ I’ll give it a try on a 105 I’ve got apart.

 

EE3D9116-B8CC-411E-BAEF-DCCE0BC7741E.jpeg.16f83f53709b2ec85b9a6c00f23f9640.jpeg

I use clear and other varnishes as adhesive where it’s effective, but not seen it used to reduce reflection.

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On 25/07/2021 at 19:45, uax6 said:

When I was a kid I was allowed all sorts of freedoms and dangerous tools to hurt myself with. At 10 I used to get on the bus on my own and go to a secondhand book shop 20 miles away... 

That takes me back to different world over 60 years ago. A group of six or more of us used to set off from Birmingham on a Sunday morning about once a month for a spotting trip. I was the youngest of the party at about 12 years old. I remember going to Manchester just after the electrics started working to Crewe. We travelled round the city by bus, that day managing to get round Trafford Park,  Patricroft, Newton Heath, Gorton shed and works, Reddish, Longsight and Edgeley before catching the last train back. Other occasions we visited Liverpool, Cardiff and London before expanding our scope when the neighbour of one of the lads started a one man coach hire business. He was persuaded to take us round the country at times of the year when business was slack.

Elfin Safety and security these days we probably wouldn't have got through the gates.

 

Eric

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I haven't seen the Heljan railcar in the flesh yet so will reserve judgement on the glazing. I did have one on pre-order from the original announcement but cancelled when the price shot up. The originals did appear on the area where my modelling is based. There was a rapid shift across my time window from Flying Bananas through AEC railcars to Gloucester single cars. 

I had bought a Hornby version of the Lima model as potential donor so that may be upgraded for layout use. It came cheap as it was a poor runner in one direction. When I took it apart I found that the gears to one pair of wheels wouldn't mesh correctly so I took out a cog amd gound it worked perfectly on just one powered axle.

 

1 hour ago, Denbridge said:

Another application I've seen using it to great effect is on SEF flushglazed windows.

Klear or similar will act as a self levelling coat. I've also used thinned cockpit glue run in round the edges of flushglazed windows with a fine brush to improve the look.

 

1 hour ago, PMP said:

Spares supplies of any components for RTR models is quite patchy.

Shops like Lendons of Cardiff sometimes have spare rtr valve gear sets.

 

Eric 

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1 hour ago, PMP said:

^^ I’ll give it a try on a 105 I’ve got apart.

 

EE3D9116-B8CC-411E-BAEF-DCCE0BC7741E.jpeg.16f83f53709b2ec85b9a6c00f23f9640.jpeg

I use clear and other varnishes as adhesive where it’s effective, but not seen it used to reduce reflection.

I didn't say it reduces reflection. what it does do is get rid of the obvious bevelling appearance of the clear plastic moulding, particularly around the edges around the windows as seen on the GWR railcar Tony photographed.

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1 hour ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

That takes me back to different world….

 

…..Elfin Safety and security these days we probably wouldn't have got through the gates.

 

Eric


On holiday in the West Country at the moment and as Storm Evert brews outside, your post has reminded me of the day back in 1976 when two young lads rolled up at Falmouth dock gate in a beaten up Cortina estate. 
 

“We’ve come to see the steam engines.” I said nervously to the policeman on the gate. “No problem lads! Round there on the right. Mind how you go!”

 

Wonderful days, even if we were camping in the rain! (No, I’m not camping now but the weather is similar.).

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59 minutes ago, Denbridge said:

I didn't say it reduces reflection. what it does do is get rid of the obvious bevelling appearance of the clear plastic moulding, particularly around the edges around the windows as seen on the GWR railcar Tony photographed.

I’ve  misunderstood your post here 

I took it to mean that the inner reflections of the glasing pieces from the thickness were removed rather than being an edge filler between body and glass. I’ve painted the reveals of glazing black or body interior colors which does significantly minimise the prism effect.

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10 hours ago, Denbridge said:

When I was travelling almost daily into Central London, I noticed how quickly the off white roof panels on some electric units became grey and even black. this despite regular washing, modern paint and the lack of 'dirty' steam engine emissions and the cleaner modern environment.

On the bodysides, of course, you had the reverse. Where the Exmover (oxalic acid) from the wash plants hadn't been rinsed off properly it left a white deposit.

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10 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I didn't take it as criticism at all, John, 

 

I rather enjoy 'silly comments'. If we are dissuaded from making them, Wright writes would be a dull old thread!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

It would certainly be a lot shorter.

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15 hours ago, 313201 said:

Can I ask please if you or anybody you know have ever fitted a metal kit body to an rtr chassis ?

I've done a few over the years (starting half-a-century ago with a Wills 2251 on a Jinty chassis - I still have it but it's now retired to the "heritage" fleet). Once I built a K's Grange round a Bachmann Manor chassis. Only once, though...

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