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DMU conversions for Sheffield Exchange


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I have been working on my DMUs.

 

The 125 Derby unit has a new scale length center car, I followed Brian Kirby's idea of taking a small amount off each seating bay to reduce the over length. The "long" one will be striped down and made into a center car for a 116. Just need a pair of 117 driving cars.

 

The 114 has had its destination display added, so has the 125.

 

A pair of Lima Met-Cams have had their fronts altered, both were refurbished Reggie Rail ones, one has four lights and the other a 2 figure headcode panel. The DMC has had its engines removed, I have just got to do the undergubbins for a DTC as I have too many power twins. 

 

Another 110 has become a 104, this time a two car unit.

 

On the EMU front, the 309s have been out the box and back in again. I dropped the 307 and that needs some repairs before finishing. Last week at teh Nottingham show I came home with three Replica suburban coach bodies, one brake and two seconds. Two "long" Eastleigh cabs. I had a spare Bachmann second suburban so with a bit of cutting and shutting I knocked up a MBS for a 305 3 car set and a DMBS for a 501. Using the Replica brake cut at the guard door and then glue on a Eastleigh cab. That gives you the 501 DMBS, there a window to fill in what remains of the brake. Cut off one compartment from the Bachmann second and glue on the brake end from the long underframe BS and you have the body for a 25 Kv EMU MBS. In my case I needed to cut away the dividers between each seating bay (bar one) for the large windows that the AM5 3 car sets had. The two seconds also have their windows altered. I still have their cabs to make.

 

Yesterday in my local shop they had a huge amount of secondhand coaches. I came home with 5 Bachmann seconds/composites (they are the same body) and a brake second. So since then I have added two cabs to two of the seconds to make the DTS and DTSO(L) for a 302 unit. The cabs have sides, doors and roof sections left over from the 309 project with scratchbuilt fronts. The AM2s had larger windows than the 307s and a slightly different angled front. The MBS second was made from a second with a compartment cut off and the end of the brake form the brake second, some how I made an error with my measurements and I have had to splice in some plastic card to make the coach long enough. The TC(L) was made from another second and a cut off compartment, this one came from the 307 conversion.

 

The remainder of the Bachmann brake was used to make  the DTBS of the 501 unit, the other Eastleigh long cab was added at the brake end and the compartment from the 302 MBS conversion to the other end. And finally I took the last Bachmann second out of its box as this is the TS  for the 501. All these new conversions have only been the body so far all need power units, the right bogies and in the case of the 302 underframes.

 

None of the electrics are for Sheffield exchange but my Gresley twin articulated set converted from old Hornby shortie LNER coaches will be.

 

Hopefully photos later this week.  

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I am following this thread with great interest-heroic Cut and Shuts are fascinating.

There was an article in the old MRC in the sixties that basically went take Kitmaster Mark 1s, Airfix Railbuses and voila-Clacton Electrics.  Did not look bad, either.

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I am following this thread with great interest-heroic Cut and Shuts are fascinating.

There was an article in the old MRC in the sixties that basically went take Kitmaster Mark 1s, Airfix Railbuses and voila-Clacton Electrics.  Did not look bad, either.

 

Oh heck, I remember that!  Oh for the days of good old-fashioned modelling ...

 

Chris

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I am following this thread with great interest-heroic Cut and Shuts are fascinating.

There was an article in the old MRC in the sixties that basically went take Kitmaster Mark 1s, Airfix Railbuses and voila-Clacton Electrics.  Did not look bad, either.

 

Oh heck, I remember that!  Oh for the days of good old-fashioned modelling ...

 

Chris

Hi jrg and Chris

 

I still have a copy of the article, the drawings are simple modellers drawings. Too many drawings these days appear to fussy and not aimed at the likes of me. As a diesel modeller I found Monty Wells drawings excellent modellers drawings, I wish there was someone out there who could do drawings similar to his.

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to motorisation of emus, look for the Hornby motor bogie as spares for whatever 3rd rail emu they are making at the moment. they have the correct 8ft9in wheelbase and 3ft6in wheels. and they will fit inside the guards compartment. IIRC there is some cheap one if you look around.

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to motorisation of emus, look for the Hornby motor bogie as spares for whatever 3rd rail emu they are making at the moment. they have the correct 8ft9in wheelbase and 3ft6in wheels. and they will fit inside the guards compartment. IIRC there is some cheap one if you look around.

Hi Cheesy

 

Thanks I will check Peter's Spares site if my intended power source is not available. I am planning on using the Replica long underframe powered chassis. When I was at Nottingham Godfrey mentioned that they should be in the UK by Alley Pally. I am going to give them a ring later this week.

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Hi Cheesy

 

Thanks I will check Peter's Spares site if my intended power source is not available. I am planning on using the Replica long underframe powered chassis. When I was at Nottingham Godfrey mentioned that they should be in the UK by Alley Pally. I am going to give them a ring later this week.

 

The long Replica under frames are available, they were on the stand at Ally Pally.

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The long Replica under frames are available, they were on the stand at Ally Pally.

Hopefully four of the long frames are on their way to Essex.

 

Last night I ran the 501 on our club's test track/layout and to start with one of the motors in the Replica underframe wasn't working. It appeared to start then jam up. The motor turned when I spun it by hand and the wheels turned. One of our club members (Jim) suggested could it be too much grease on the gears, as he had experience of this with other makes of models. I took the keeper plate off the bottom of the bogie and the gears to one wheel set looked a wee bit over loaded on one side. I flipped the wheels set over and put back the keeper plate and ZOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM off went the chassis. Body back on and as the train circled the track so the normal abuse about the lack of glazing started.

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Hi jrg and Chris

 

I still have a copy of the article, the drawings are simple modellers drawings. Too many drawings these days appear to fussy and not aimed at the likes of me. As a diesel modeller I found Monty Wells drawings excellent modellers drawings, I wish there was someone out there who could do drawings similar to his.

There was a similar article where a Hornby-Dublo 25kV electric was converted into an electro-diesel, and a combination of Hornby-Dublo coaches with Airfix Railbus ends became a 4TC. It was in the days when part of MRC was printed on a selection of biliously-coloured coarse papers. The author was Alan Williams, later Modern Railway's 'Sage of Effingham Junction', IIRC, with photos by Chris Leigh (Dibber 25)

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There was a similar article where a Hornby-Dublo 25kV electric was converted into an electro-diesel, and a combination of Hornby-Dublo coaches with Airfix Railbus ends became a 4TC. It was in the days when part of MRC was printed on a selection of biliously-coloured coarse papers. The author was Alan Williams, later Modern Railway's 'Sage of Effingham Junction', IIRC, with photos by Chris Leigh (Dibber 25)

I can remember seeing Triang AL1s converted to 33s in a layout article in the Modeller in the mid-70s, but I cant remember the name of the layout or who built it. I seem to remember it was quite a well known figure.

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Here is the 501 as it is so far

 

post-16423-0-18114500-1492201501_thumb.jpg

Driver Trailer Brake Second. The cab is a Replica MLV van end. I used a Replica long underframe non corridor second brake for the main part of the body. It has the required 7 compartments, and if cut along the guards door it is the correct length for this coach.

 

post-16423-0-90723000-1492201719_thumb.jpg

Same coach, it is mounted on a Bachmann short underframe non corridor chassis. The bogies need to be modified to represent BR2 with roller bearings and most the fitting underneath require removing.

 

post-16423-0-50291800-1492201847_thumb.jpg

Driving Motor Brake Second. Logic says use another Replica coach, Now I would have done but my local shop John Dutfield Model Railways had a large number of second hand Bachmann suburbans. I used one of the brake seconds, with again the Replica cab. The short Mk1 non corridors only have 6 compartments The end one is a left over from a MBS coach in a class 302 unit.  It is powered by a Replica short underframe motor unit. Their 57 ft motor unit only comes with 12 mm wheels, where the model should have 14mm. The side frames are quite heavy and with pick up shoes I don't think anyone will notice.

 

post-16423-0-85988700-1492202143_thumb.jpg

The whole train. The Trailer Second is a standard Bachmann loco hauled second, like the DTBS it needs work done on the underframe.

 

I am not looking forward to adding the 138 bars on the door drop lights.

 

 

 

 

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Sticking with another 3 car EMU, this time it will have the pantograph in the right place, not on the bogies. Here is an AM5 Enfield and Chingford unit.

 

post-16423-0-77322500-1492203638_thumb.jpg

This is the Battery Driving Trailer Second. Converted from a Replica non-corridor second. These 3 car units were open saloons and had large windows not quarter lights as found on the 4 car GER units. I cut the dividing body panel and files the windows to shape. The cab is scratchbuilt. It has a Replica chassis with old Hornby Gresely bogies.

 

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post-16423-0-49043100-1492204080_thumb.jpg

Two photos of the Motor Brake Second. This is made from a Bachmann second suburban with one end compartment removed. The brake comes from the remains of the DTBS conversion of the 501. It runs on a Replica long motor chassis. Again it needed large windows.

 

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Following up behind is the Driver Trailer Second. The work so far has been identical to the BDTS but when finished the underframe equipment is far less on this coach. Next to is a AM8 DTS showing the difference in the side windows. 

 

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I mentioned in the post on the North London unit that my local shop (no second plug) had a collection of BR suburbans, well I came home with a few and this is what I have made from them, well started. It is a AM2 unit, they were mainly on the LTSR but there was always a small allocation on the GER lines and could be seen working in multiple with AM5s, AM8s and very rarely an AM7.

 

post-16423-0-87173100-1492205978_thumb.jpg

Driver Trailer Second. The main body is a Bachmann second. The cab is from left overs of Tri-ang Mk 1 bits from the 309 sides I have done, with scratch built ends. The AM2s had wider windscreens than the AM7s and a narrower center panel. I did think about using the Replica cabs but they are quite heavily moulded and I think might have bee hard work. It runs on a Replica chassis and "new" Hornby Gresely bogies. They do not have couplings as the modern Hornby coaches have their couplings on the chassis, so I am going to have to think of a coupling system.

 

post-16423-0-90654900-1492206455_thumb.jpg

The difference between the cabs of a 302 and a 307.

 

post-16423-0-61030100-1492206557_thumb.jpg

The Trailer Semi-open Composite (Lavatory). Again it is a Bachmann second, the green seating bay comes from the end of a Repilca coach used in the class 307 conversion. Like the 307 and 308 models I have not bothered to try and lengthen the 3 first class compartments, and shrink the loo. The end seating bay would have been better had it been a Bachmann one but the next photo will explain why it was not.

 

post-16423-0-70498400-1492206839_thumb.jpg

Motor Brake Second. The coach is again a Bachmann second, as with the 305 conversion I cut off the end compartment, and miss measured things, so when I went to fit the brake van (from the brake second cut off the MBS on the 501) it was too short. Hence the spliced in plastic card strip. Isn't filler wonderful, well I hope so. It too has a Replica motor chassis.

 

post-16423-0-93943400-1492207122_thumb.jpg

Lastly the Battery Driver Open Second (Lavatory). It is being built the same as the DTS.

 

I have been working on doing the drawings for the underframe equipment for the MBS. Luckily the 308 had very similar gear so I only have the 307 and 305 to do. :locomotive: :locomotive:

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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At today's Stowmarket exhibition I was able to make a start on the first of six AM9 cabs while demoing my modelling efforts.

 

post-16423-0-66263300-1492986207_thumb.jpg

 

post-16423-0-09937700-1492986221_thumb.jpg

 

post-16423-0-05054800-1492986232_thumb.jpg

 

These cabs are almost hemispherical the edges are curved, they curve from top to bottom and left to right.

 

 

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I find lendons of Cardiff significantly cheaper, even though you do have to wait for some parts to be supplied.

Going off topic a bit, on the strength of this I placed an order with Lendons last weekend for the elusive Hornby X9834 trailing pony truck for the Duchess. My order arrived today, excellent service at a great price of £2.63 each - I went for three!

 

John.

Edited by John Tomlinson
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I mentioned in the post on the North London unit that my local shop (no second plug) had a collection of BR suburbans, well I came home with a few and this is what I have made from them, well started. It is a AM2 unit, they were mainly on the LTSR but there was always a small allocation on the GER lines and could be seen working in multiple with AM5s, AM8s and very rarely an AM7.

 

attachicon.gif013a.jpg

Driver Trailer Second. The main body is a Bachmann second. The cab is from left overs of Tri-ang Mk 1 bits from the 309 sides I have done, with scratch built ends. The AM2s had wider windscreens than the AM7s and a narrower center panel. I did think about using the Replica cabs but they are quite heavily moulded and I think might have bee hard work. It runs on a Replica chassis and "new" Hornby Gresely bogies. They do not have couplings as the modern Hornby coaches have their couplings on the chassis, so I am going to have to think of a coupling system.

 

attachicon.gif012a.jpg

The difference between the cabs of a 302 and a 307.

 

attachicon.gif014a.jpg

The Trailer Semi-open Composite (Lavatory). Again it is a Bachmann second, the green seating bay comes from the end of a Repilca coach used in the class 307 conversion. Like the 307 and 308 models I have not bothered to try and lengthen the 3 first class compartments, and shrink the loo. The end seating bay would have been better had it been a Bachmann one but the next photo will explain why it was not.

 

attachicon.gif010a.jpg

Motor Brake Second. The coach is again a Bachmann second, as with the 305 conversion I cut off the end compartment, and miss measured things, so when I went to fit the brake van (from the brake second cut off the MBS on the 501) it was too short. Hence the spliced in plastic card strip. Isn't filler wonderful, well I hope so. It too has a Replica motor chassis.

 

attachicon.gif011a.jpg

Lastly the Battery Driver Open Second (Lavatory). It is being built the same as the DTS.

 

I have been working on doing the drawings for the underframe equipment for the MBS. Luckily the 308 had very similar gear so I only have the 307 and 305 to do. :locomotive: :locomotive:

AM2 underframe drawing done. I used Gimp to take out the perspective on some photos and then resized them in Paint. using MS Paint I drew the equipment in various bright colours on a few photos. Copied and paste to a 16 colour bit map file and took out everything that was not needed. Overlaid the drawings on each other and redrew an average shape. Hopefully this will be a close as I can get without BRs own drawings. I cannot go and measure one as they have all been scraped. This was then placed on a BR diagram for final positioning.

 

post-16423-0-32477300-1494190506_thumb.png

 

As noted on the drawing the AM8 was similarly equipped so this drawing will do for an AM8 as well.

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Hi All

I recently started yet another EMU, a LMS GEC North London set. The last few did receive yellow warning panels so just fit into my modelling period.
The coaches started life as Airfix non-corridor lavatory sets. I used 4 composite coaches as the third class compartments on these matched all the coaches in the set. The first class were about the smallest on the LMS and on the ex-composite meant shortening those from the coaches used. The brake and driving compartments were made from the remaining first class compartments. I have placed the Replica motor chassis under the ex composite not in the motor coach. The Driving Motor Brake Third was 59ft long not the standard LMS 57 ft. The Replica chassis is for a 57ft long coach.

 

post-16423-0-02331300-1494782332_thumb.jpg

Driving Trailer Third

 

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Trailer Third, ex composite

 

post-16423-0-23343900-1494782379_thumb.jpg

Driving Motor Brake Third

 

post-16423-0-43739000-1494782438_thumb.jpg

Driving Motor Brake Third

 

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Hi All

 

At this years DEMU Showcase I came away with a bag full of bits from the Replica models stand. Well I had a bit of a fiddle with them and this is what has happened. It seems like I am making a class AM4/2. These were LMR units so why is Ex-Essex man making one of them? Two reasons, first unlike many of the units it does not share a single coach body that is the same as the other four car units, the AM4/1 does. Second reason a small number were loaned to the ER while the Shenfield and Southend Stock were being rebuilt into AM 6 and AM 7 trains. And thridly they were lined instead of plain green like the GER units.

 

Also about a month ago PaternosterRow posted a request for some class 304 cabs. I said I will show how I made mine if that would help him.

 

The first thing I done was to make the big windows on the seating bays on each coach. This is simply cutting out the bit between the small windows of the Mk1 suburban units. This time I got the coaches the right way round regarding the emergency pull cord tell-tails. I am using Colin Craig's wonderful drawing he done for DEMU's magazine Update.

 

Once that was done then on to the cabs.

 

File off any details above the buffer beam on the cab end.

post-16423-0-36856200-1506808108_thumb.jpg

 

Mark the cab front slope, the pencil line did not show up too well in the photo so I have added a darker line.

post-16423-0-04551000-1506808325_thumb.jpg

Don't forget to do both sides. I also made a mark on the cab roof as that will need cutting back to the top of the slope.

 

After finding my razor saw I was able to make cuts both sides and through the roof.

post-16423-0-71420100-1506808565_thumb.jpg

post-16423-0-92484200-1506808635_thumb.jpg

 

With my trusty craft knife I then cut across the coach end joining the two lower ends of the slope. With a little bit of a waggle the coach fell off and I was left with a small triangular bit of waste. After picking up the coach this is what it looked like.

post-16423-0-78830900-1506808836_thumb.jpg

 

The trouble with multiple units they have another cab the other end. So I repeated the above.

post-16423-0-86212100-1506808954_thumb.jpg

Note I have cleaned up most of the burrs from cutting.

 

 

 

 

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After a cup of coffee I started to cut up some plastic card. For the cab front I used 20 thou (0.5mm).

 

The first parts were the lower cab supports. When cutting these out I remembered to take half a millimeter off the dimensions for the thickness for the cab panels.

post-16423-0-82111800-1506809216_thumb.jpg

 

The upper cab support was then fitted, this also supports the roof dome and headcode box so was made longer and sits at gutter level inside the coach roof.

post-16423-0-28819000-1506809405_thumb.jpg

post-16423-0-61942800-1506809483_thumb.jpg

 

Things start to warm up now as I add the two central panels of the cab. The upper one has the destination blind window cut out. 

post-16423-0-01464300-1506809660_thumb.jpg

 

If I have positioned the upper panel support in the right place then the slope of the top panel should be the same as the slope I cut earlier.

post-16423-0-01246200-1506809950_thumb.jpg

Edited by Clive Mortimore
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After a cup of coffee I started to cut up some plastic card. For the cab front I used 20 thou (0.5mm).

 

The first parts were the lower cab supports. When cutting these out I remembered to take half a millimeter of the dimensions where the thickness for the cab panels.

100_4584a.jpg

 

The upper cab support was then fitted, this also supports the roof dome and headcode box so was made longer and sits at gutter level inside the coach roof.

100_4586a.jpg

100_4587a.jpg

 

Things start to warm up now as I add the two central panels of the cab. The upper one has the destination blind window cut out.

100_4588a.jpg

 

If I have positioned the upper panel support in the right place then the slope of the top panel should be the same as the slope I cut earlier.

100_4589a.jpg

Hi Clive,

Nice work with those cab fronts being such a complex shape, they are really starting to capture the look nicely. Will you be using a Replica chassis in this one?

 

Martyn.

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A cup of coffee while I write this episode.

 

Next is the two outer lower panels, these have a cut out for the multiple unit jumper housings.  The backing for the cut out needs to be added before the panels are glued to the coaches.

post-16423-0-17650800-1506811374_thumb.jpg

post-16423-0-28729800-1506811477_thumb.jpg

 

I make the outer panels a little longer than need be, They over hang the sides a tad. This is so I can file them to fit the curvature of the sides.

post-16423-0-91208100-1506811673_thumb.jpg

 

It now gets a bit tricky, so far every thing has been square, the outer top panels are not and neither are the windows. To find out how much out of square they are I place a known right angled piece of plastic card as in the photo and measure the gap. this is how much out of square I need to mark the next sets of panels.

post-16423-0-15913000-1506811958_thumb.jpg

 

I mark and cut out the panels. When cutting out windows with rounded corners I make a diagonal cut across the corner, later I file the curve in the corner.

post-16423-0-22930500-1506812156_thumb.jpg

 

Again I make the longer than need be.

post-16423-0-50262100-1506812248_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

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