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Improving the Hornby APT (1980s version)


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So far I have concentrated on the intermediate trailers and, ultimately, the only parts that wont be brass are the bogie sides and corridor connections. One trailer has been test built and it works well.

 

cheers

 

Shane

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The etches are dimensionally similar to the Hornby model and the profile is almost identical. However it's all academic once its painted as the Hornby colours are totally different.

 

Cheers

 

Shane

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The etches are dimensionally similar to the Hornby model and the profile is almost identical. However it's all academic once its painted as the Hornby colours are totally different.

 

Cheers

 

Shane

 

I will be repainting the lot at some stage anyway so thats not going to be a problem cheers.

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The etches are dimensionally similar to the Hornby model and the profile is almost identical. However it's all academic once its painted as the Hornby colours are totally different.

If the set ever comes out as a kit, it'll either turn out to be a surprise hit, or people will be too scared to have a go!

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No, not really. That would complicate matters. It's brass all the way on this one, the test build proves the concept works, I will see if I can get a pic up this weekend. Resin is good for some of the details but for a complete vehicle it's fraught with potential problems, I found out the hard way when I built the full set of the prototype HST, which was mainly resin.

 

Cheers

 

Shane

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just a quickie.

 

I've got a four car APT-P set that needs finishing (it will run with a prototype HST power car and Test car 9).

 

Was the APT-P in actual executive light and dark grey (the exec light grey was nearer fawn) or was it painted in another set of light and dark grey shades? Seeing as it was made from 1977 to 1979 I feel the latter may be the case. If so does anyone know the equivalent Railmatch colours?

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Was the APT-P in actual executive light and dark grey (the exec light grey was nearer fawn) or was it painted in another set of light and dark grey shades? Seeing as it was made from 1977 to 1979 I feel the latter may be the case. If so does anyone know the equivalent Railmatch colours?

 

Executive Dark grey appears to be a good match for the dark grey colour around the windows. I don't think Executive Light Grey is right for the underframes and roof - it's too brown. I've been thinking that "Silver Grey" (Railmatch 244, Precision P180) is a better match.

 

I believe the colours should be:

Light Grey BR Spec 71 Item 37A

Dark Grey BR Spec 71 Item 37B

Rail Res BR Spec 71 Item 33

Whire BR Spec 71 Item 28 (BS4800 00E55)

Black BR Spec 71Item 50

Orange BR Spec 71Item 90

There are also at least two shades of yellow - Item 31 & Item 96 and a green for inter-car connectors.

 

Unfortunately I've not been able to track down a copy of BR Specification 71. If anyone knows of a copy online I'd be greatfull for a link to it....

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Hi all, 

 

I'm wanting to get 2 new pantographs for my APT power cars, where can you get a prototypical or closely resembling one from?

 

Thanks Connor   :)

APT carried two different types of pan during its lifespan, Stone Faively and later the Brecknell Willis "highspeed" pan, which one are you after?

 

Andi

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APT carried two different types of pan during its lifespan, Stone Faively and later the Brecknell Willis "highspeed" pan, which one are you after?

 

Andi

Hi Andi,

 

I'm looking to do one running around 1985?

 

Thanks Connor

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Re ARC's post of 13th March 2013 about the wheel diameter on the trailer bogies, as I was the engineer who supervised the preparation of the manufacturing drawings I can tell him that the wheel diameter was 783.5mm. The reason for this peculiar dimension was that it was originally intended that they should be 785mm but, and here memory is slightly hazy as it was 38 years ago, we needed to put an insulating packing under the primary springs, so to avoid raising the height of the train and more importantly, to avoid the work involved in changing a number of drawings, it was easier to change the wheel diameter and sort the problems out at the series production stage (which never came).

 

BTW the power bogie wheel diameter was 864 mm .

 

Hope this is of interest.

 

 

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Hello 4474,

 

The wheel diameter info is useful and interesting. I do have a question though, why was it so important to maintain the ride height?- particularly as the differece in wheel size was so minor..,

 

Thanks and best wishes,

Chris.

Hello Chris,

 

There were no engineering problems in increasing the ride height, it was simply a case of avoiding the work involved in changing the drawings. It was the practice in the APT project group to put what were called reference dimensions on the assembly drawings, for example the height of the top of the airsprings above rail level which was 1150mm. These dimensions were fundamental to the design but not to the manufacture which is why on the working drawings they were shown in brackets thus (1150). Putting it another way, the various components that influenced the ride height had to be designed and manufactured so that if they were all made to their nominal dimensions the actual ride height would be equal to the height denoted by the reference dimension.

 

There were no compromises on this. The reference dimensions were so important that they had to be the same on every drawing where they appeared and they appeared on a good many drawings. The drawing office was always under pressure to produce the manufacturing drawings so any work that could be postponed or avoided was always postponed or avoided.

 

Hope this helps

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