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Supercar Travelcard promotional 'bus/tube/train'


jonhall
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Is it a bird? is it a plane? No you idiot, it looks nothing like either a bird, or a plane, its 'SUPERCAR' cobbled together from an out of service Daimler DMS to promote the change from Capital Cards to Travelcards in London c1991.

 

post-336-0-26554900-1395434110.jpg

 

Surprisingly this bus is still knocking about, in the care of the Epping Ongar Railway, and it turned up at Acton Town last weekend. I had an idea, and with the assistance of my tame bus-crank I had identified a £4 donor EFE DMS with enough of the features I needed to make it a candidate for some delicate adjustment with the scale gas axe.

 

post-336-0-15722500-1395434111.jpg

 

post-336-0-92957800-1395434111.jpg

 

I've been promised a metromodels scrap 1973 bodyshell to provide the tube bit, and I have enough bits of Dapol 150 to provide most of the bodyshell for the 321, but the nose end for the 321 I have is eluding me at the moment - I know I had an MTK end that I modified to cast 456 ends when I was heavily into 3rd rail, but I cannot remember if I bought the pair, or was given just the one by Alistair Rolfe to achieve what I wanted??? Otherwise I need to see if I can find someone with a Bratchell cab that they want to part with.

 

I know the version of bus I've chosen is a few destination panels short, but its only supposed to be a quickie...

 

Jon

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A further rummage around the boxes in my workshop revealed

 

An MTK 321 end - surprisingly good considering the parentage.

 

A pair of A1 models narrow window frames for mkIII based units

 

A set of A1 class 321 type door etches

 

One end of a Dapol 150 that had already been knobbled for my 455 project.

 

post-336-0-88774600-1395524743.jpg

 

I've filled most of the side window, and once that has set and been sanded back, i'll cut the bit of body I need out.

 

Jon

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Similar thing - ish - at Doncaster open day, 1984. Someone at WY Metro must have thought "great idea - let's do a bus up to look like one of our super new trains". If only they had known just how super they would turn out.

 

post-6971-0-44244000-1395574147.jpg

 

(I'm sure I've posted this before on the forum, but can't find it)

Edited by eastwestdivide
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A few bits about the interior. There is no staircase, the 'tube' section has no seats, it is a reproduction of the standing area between the doors, this leads via about 2 or 3 steps to the 'mainline' section which has 4 pairs of seats, 2 on either side facing each other with a replica of the access door to the drivers cab.

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That was a Seddon midi bus.

Looks rather like this Bristol to me:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21667585@N03/8263665297/

 

Note the side windows have been modified in the same way.

 

Edit: After doing some further research, I don't think that the bus in my linked photo is the exact same bus as Eastwestdivide's photo as it was sold by West Yorkshire PTE to Merseyside in 1980. It does appear to have had similar modifications to the windows in preservation. West Yorkshire had a total of 12 LHS delivered new in 1975/76, 5 went to Merseyside in 1980.

Edited by giz
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The train end has now reached primer stage, although I had to remove the MTK end and re-fit it because it looked distinctly wonky from head on. the A1 windows and doors have been fitted.

 

post-336-0-09304400-1396123535.jpg

 

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post-336-0-10092100-1396123537.jpg

 

Also a package from MetroModels arrived this morning :butcher:

 

Jon

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No more 'mind the gap' a slice of Metromodels '73 stock has taken care of that. Its the first time I've worked with a rapid prototyped print, and its really tough stuff to get smooth, I still haven't achived it to my satisfaction.

post-336-0-08475200-1396294793.jpg

 

post-336-0-96340700-1396294793.jpg

 

post-336-0-68351300-1396294794.jpg

 

post-336-0-53053100-1396294795.jpg

 

 

Jon

 

 

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Makes you wonder how they service/access the engine as it is right under the EMU cab?

The whole cab front hinges sideways and the top of the engine is accessible from inside via the cab bulkhead. Its a bit late to mention it now but the cab is actually reduced size so that the vehicle could legally be driven on the road.

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Splendid model. 

 

My own view is that Capital Card was a better brand-name than Travelcard, but after substantial discussion 55 Broadway triumphed over 24 Eversholt Street, where I sat next to the NSE Marketing Team, and that was that. 

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