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Scratchbuilding a MSJ&AR 3 car EMU


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A first time coach build in plasticard/styrene for my Manchester Central layout

 

Background -

 

The MSJ&AR introduced the 1500v DC EMUs in 1931. The units were built by Metropolitan-Cammell to LMS designs. The three car sets were formed from three different types of coach, all with the same dimensions. The coaches were all non-corridor compartment style, with metal clad timber framed bodies

 

Motor coach - Weighing 57 tons, seating 72 third class passengers, with a guard's compartment, and a driving compartment. It had a pantograph on the roof and the motor bogies

Trailer - Weighing 30 tons, seating 40 first class and 48 third class (later modified to 24 first-class and 72 third-class)

Driving Trailer - Weighing 31 tons seating 108 third class, with a driving compartment, and also contained a 'ladies only' compartment

 

At peak times, six–coach trains were formed from two units with a motor coach at each end

 

The livery was mid dark green with gold/yellow lettering

 

They were provisionally classified as Class 505 by British Railways

 

The trains ran between Manchester London Road (later Piccadilly) and Altrincham

 

The last 1500v DC train was the 23.35 from Oxford Road on Friday 30 April 1971

 

The coaches were –

 

58’ 1” overall length - body

 

61’ 8”  length over buffers

 

8’ 113/4” overall width – body

 

12’ 43/4” height rail/roof

 

38’ 6”   bogies centres

 

8’ 9”   motor bogie wheel base

 

9’ 0”   trailer bogie wheel base

 

-

 

Taking details from a number of pictures (published and off the internet). A basic drawing was made of the Trailer Composite Coach body -

 

post-10633-0-56063100-1397903126_thumb.png

 

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Section - with allowances for plasticard/glazing layers

 

From this drawings, outline drawings were produced for the Cameo cutter -

 

post-10633-0-42295100-1397903128_thumb.png

Part typical outer body detail

 

The results from the cutter in 20 thou styrene -

 

post-10633-0-26967600-1397903444_thumb.jpg

Two outer sides, two inner sides, four glazing location strips, 2 ends and 10 compartment dividers, of which two will back the end pieces

 

post-10633-0-46004300-1397903476_thumb.jpg

 

Floor, solebars and buffer bar next

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I was considering creating on these units, by cut and shut, of the Dapol suburban coach kits.

I think your approach is more likely to produce an result!

I will follow this with interest.

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I was considering creating on these units, by cut and shut, of the Dapol suburban coach kits.

I think your approach is more likely to produce an result!

I will follow this with interest.

Hi Andy

 

I had also looked into using either the Airfix/Dapol or the old Graham Farish LMS suburbans for these and the LMS Southport and North London 3rd rail trains.

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Hi Ron

 

The LMS diagrams for these coaches are in the Jenkinson and Essery, "The Illustrated History of LMS Standard Coaching Stock" Vol 3. Would they be of help?

Hi, Clive

 

Thanks for the info. Will try and get a copy

 

Some of the detail just isn't visible in the many pictures of the units

 

Cheers

 

Ron

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Channel solebars made up from 20 thou x 100 thou web and 20 thou x 60 thou flanges fixed to 60 thou x 140 thou buffer beams

 

The solebars carried continuous stepboards fixed via L shaped brackets

 

post-10633-0-29816300-1398021395_thumb.jpg

Stepboard 20 thou x 120 thou strip - Brackets 10thou x 20 thou strip

 

Two pipes ran along the offside solebar sat on the lower flange below the stepboard - the inboard pipe bends upwards and into the body close to the ends. The outboard pipe bends downwards and then under the solebar (need to find out what the pipes' functions were)

 

All these items will need painting before assembly

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Can I clarify something with you please? The inner side is 20thou and is curved for the turnunder. You have two strips of 20thou to act as window spacers then intend to have a 20thou outer side, also curved? Don't you need a third strip of 20thou along the bottom of the side?

 

Out of interest, what solvent are you using?

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Can I clarify something with you please? The inner side is 20thou and is curved for the turnunder. You have two strips of 20thou to act as window spacers then intend to have a 20thou outer side, also curved? Don't you need a third strip of 20thou along the bottom of the side?

 

Out of interest, what solvent are you using?

 

Hi, Mike

 

Yes, I have used a 20 thou x 40 thou strip for the bottom spacer

 

Solvent is MEK, used with a size 00 brush

 

Cheers

 

Ron

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Yes you can use it for "half etching". The blade depth is adjustable so you can set it for a shallower cut e.g. less than the thickness of the styrene. In practice it takes several passes to heavily cut 20thou styrene so it is enough to do a couple of passes at full depth.

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What sort of price do they go for? They appear to be a really useful idea.....

Hi, Sean

 

The Silhouette Cameo which comes with a 305mm x 305mm cutting mat is approx £270 on Amazon. The slightly smaller version the Silhouette Portrait is approx £140 with a cutting mat 216mm x 280mm (A4)

 

You might find this thread useful http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79025-a-guide-to-using-the-silhouette-cameo-cutter/

 

Cheers

 

Ron

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Fixed the solebars and bufferbeam/headstocks complete with twin runs of pipework (20 thou styrene rod). Also fitted another layer of 40 thou x 28.5mm x 75mm styrene under the floor at each end between the solebars as a strengthening for the bogie attachment points. Constructed the angle truss work from 20 thou x 40 thou and 20 thou x 20 thou strip -

 

post-10633-0-73224800-1398178720_thumb.jpg

 

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In a bit of a fix now trying to obtain the appropriate colour paint - model shops which number about a dozen in the whole of Spain don't stock the paint - importing from the UK is nigh impossible except by road/ferry

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