Emily laid bare: A Stirling effort

[MikeTrice]

This is not something new, others have gone before me, but having admired their work I fancied having a go myself.

 

You cannot but help notice the similarity between a Bachmann HO Emily from their US Thomas the Tank Engine range and the GNR Stirling Singles. This is hardly surprising as Emily herself was based on that prototype. Unfortunately the Hornby equivalent is a modification of their Lord Of The Isles and as such bares minimum comparison.

 

So having hummed and harred I gave in and ordered a Bachmann Emily on t'internet and gave it to my wife, to give to me as a Christmas present.

 

Before starting the conversion here are some photos of Emily as bought. I found surprisingly little in the way of photos other than the normal Bachmann illustration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chassis is interesting as it is actually a 2-4-2 as the rear bogie wheels and main drivers are geared together to improve traction. The front and rear wheels are sprung and can move from side to side:

 

 

Edited December 30, 2014 by MikeTrice

[MikeTrice]

I spent a long time comparing Emily to various photographs including the preserved No 1. I also spent time doing a rough drawing based on the GA published in Patrick Stirling's Locomotives by L.T.C.Rolt.

 

Although Emily is supposed to be to HO scale her vital statistics were pretty good against my drawing however scale she ain't but I reckoned I could bring her closer to the prototype than those previous articles I mentioned in my first post.

 

On that basis I got my screwdrivers and started to dismantle her. There are three screws, one in a recess immediately behind the front axle and two either side in her firebox. This is her chassis.

 

 

The driving wheels should be 8'1" on the prototype, but Emily's are massive 35mm however the wheelbase is pretty good:

 

There is a mechanism mounted to the top of the chassis that operates the moving eyes. This can be unscrewed and discarded:

 

Due to the large driving wheels the whole body has been distorted to include a large splasher. The shape of the footplate by the splasher is not a nice flowing curve, the footplate is too thick, chimney, dome and cab too high. The biggest fault in my view is that the footplate is all on the same level, on the prototype the footplate in front of the splasher should be higher.

 

For some additional reason the underside of the boiler which should be visiblein front of the driving wheels has been filled in with an unprototypical box:

 

The centre line of the pistons in the cylinders is too low but fortunately these are attached by a screw to the chassis and I hope can be raised to a more prototypical height:

 

 

[Skinnylinny]

I've also been considering a similar conversion, using the Bachmann chassis (or bits of it) underneath a Kitmaster bodyshell, but my main concern is whether the wheels are actually the correct size? Would it be possible for you to measure for me the wheel diameters and the horizontal distances between wheel centres please?

I'll be watching this with great interest!

[MikeTrice]

I've also been considering a similar conversion, using the Bachmann chassis (or bits of it) underneath a Kitmaster bodyshell, but my main concern is whether the wheels are actually the correct size? Would it be possible for you to measure for me the wheel diameters and the horizontal distances between wheel centres please?

 

I'll be watching this with great interest!

I suspect I was putting up the next installment while you were asking your question. Emily's drivers are 35mm a scale 8'9" and probably far too large for using in a Kitmaster body.

 

The axles are all 3mm so I did consider replacing the driver with a Gibson one but that would have affected the gearing between the rear driven bogie wheel and the main driver. On that basis I decided to stick with the Bachy chassis rather than mess around with it.

 

Front bogies are 16mm dia, rear trailing 17mm dia. Wheelbase (front to back): 26.5mm, 34.5mm, 32mm

[MikeTrice]

The point of no return, or where I start performing plastic surgery on Emily's body!

 

Having pointed out the major faults I set about surgically removing them with various razor saws and knives.

 

 

The dome was removed by countersinking from beneath and cutting through:

 

Some styrene was wrapped round a piece of copper pipe and run under boiling water to form an underside to the boiler and to be used to extend the boiler sides down where the splashers were.

 

Joints were started to be made good with Squadron white putty. I decided to do away with the moulded on boiler bands and used emery boards as sold in Chemists for smoothing down.

 

And here is Emily featuring in shades of grey. I did this to see the imperfections in progress to date and there were a few:

 

I had intended to cut back the moving eye mechanism of the chassis to allow me to have the full underside of the boiler modelled, but in the end decided to just cut away the underside of the boiler instead:

 

Last but not least the remains of the rear cover were reduced in height:

[MikeTrice]

Last installment for the moment.

 

The body was carefully carved away to clear the wheels. Being HO the flanges of the wheels are actually inside the boiler sides. I should add that Emily's boiler is overscale by around 2mm:

 

Using Inkscape I mocked up some templates using trial and error for the new splashers and extension boxes. When happy two sheets of styrene were taped together and the paper template stuck on with a glue stick. The whole lot were then cut out.

 

The new sides were stuck in place with end pieces as shown here:

 

And here:

 

An initial layer of 20thou was then curved and fixed in place to form a new running board:

 

A second layer was fixed to complete the running board and the tops of the splashers and tanks filled in:

 

Although the gap between the tops and the boiler are prototypical I not totally sold on leaving them like this. If I was starting again I would complete the side pieces first, then sand them down before finally fitting them on the body. Oh yes, another blast with the primer:

 

So this is how she is now looking, far more like a Stirling Single than when I first started out:

 

 

[Skinnylinny]

I suspect I was putting up the next installment while you were asking your question. Emily's drivers are 35mm a scale 8'9" and probably far too large for using in a Kitmaster body.

 

The axles are all 3mm so I did consider replacing the driver with a Gibson one but that would have affected the gearing between the rear driven bogie wheel and the main driver. On that basis I decided to stick with the Bachy chassis rather than mess around with it.

 

Front bogies are 16mm dia, rear trailing 17mm dia. Wheelbase (front to back): 26.5mm, 34.5mm, 32mm

That's very helpful, thank you. Looks like I'll be looking into Gibson wheels then, and trying to find a suitable gearbox. My No.1 will have to be a true "single" after all! 

[MikeTrice]

That's very helpful, thank you. Looks like I'll be looking into Gibson wheels then, and trying to find a suitable gearbox. My No.1 will have to be a true "single" after all! 

Try High Level Kits for a small gearbox/motor unit.

[uax6]

Mike,

 

What a beauty she is begining to look. And so quickly too! In the time it's taken you to put these posts up I have just managed to fettle a roof for my secret coach!

 

Although not of much use to me, I'm watching with interest!

 

Andy G

[Enterprisingwestern]

Think we need a "brave" icon!

A bit of a "Triggers broom" job.

Well done in attempting this.

 

Mike.

[MikeTrice]

After some use of the razor saw the rear stepboards have been sliced off and the footplate filed thinner:

 

Made a start with the cab. The rear 3mm of the roof has been trimmed back and pieces of styrene cemented to the remaining cutouts. The beading has also been removed:

 

After a lot of thought I decided that the cab roof could do with lowering so sliced it off. The whistle had to go as well. It was while cutting this that I discovered that the spectacle plates are removable. Had I known that I would have removed them and reused them. Damn!

 

Reduced by 1mm and cemented back in position and the rear of the specatacles blanked off:

 

Filing and filling started:

Edited December 30, 2014 by MikeTrice

[James Harrison]

I'm enjoying watching this; I had a go at an Emily a few years ago but didn't attempt such a comprehensive rebuild. 

[MikeTrice]

BTW I am using the following photograph as a guideline: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:4-2-2_GNR_1001.jpg

[JCL]

Hi Mike

 

I've Emily sitting in a box upstairs - the used to get at least as far as Boston. I'm not sure if it helps, but I've a plan I can scan and pm to you if you'd like one.

 

Cheers

 

Jason.

[MikeTrice]

Thanks Jason.

 

Of course you can always 3D print a body. I suspect it could be popular ;-)

[gr.king]

I've been accused (fairly) of taking RTR surgery to insane extremes, so I'm really enjoying watching this transformation!

 

Have a happy new year folks.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

That driving wheel offers the possibility of the GWR 'Hurricane' which had a 9' wheel. Just a thought.

 

Am I the only one who finds it a touch weird that in tooling up for a fake, Bachmann didn't go the extra half mile of designing the drive be useable as the basis of a scale model also? Ho Hum, at least they have a proven drive layout ready for the Stirling single, whenever the NRM decide that's the thing to offer - hopefully next. Until then my Kitmaster can be pushed around by the powered BG.

[Jim Martin]

Think we need a "brave" icon!

A bit of a "Triggers broom" job.

Well done in attempting this.

 

Mike.

Yes, "point of no return" is putting it mildly!

 

Jim

[buffalo]

That driving wheel offers the possibility of the GWR 'Hurricane' which had a 9' wheel. Just a thought....

 

Afraid not, the first Hurricane in 1838 had 10' drivers and the second in 1895 had 7'8". The third was a renamed Castle. Mind you, an 1838 Hurricane would be an entertaining project.

 

Nick

[Londontram]

That driving wheel offers the possibility of the GWR 'Hurricane' which had a 9' wheel. Just a thought.

 

Am I the only one who finds it a touch weird that in tooling up for a fake, Bachmann didn't go the extra half mile of designing the drive be useable as the basis of a scale model also? Ho Hum, at least they have a proven drive layout ready for the Stirling single, whenever the NRM decide that's the thing to offer - hopefully next. Until then my Kitmaster can be pushed around by the powered BG.

I've often thought the same with the Bachmann 0-6-0 Donald/Douglas model which is loosely based on a Caledonian 812 class 0-6-0. How many of them could they have sold if they had done that as a scale model as well as for the Thomas range

[TheWeatheringMan]

I've often thought the same with the Bachmann 0-6-0 Donald/Douglas model which is loosely based on a Caledonian 812 class 0-6-0. How many of them could they have sold if they had done that as a scale model as well as for the Thomas range

Hi,

I do of course fully agree with the sentiments expressed but could there perhaps be a simple explanation as to why this hasn't been done.

 

The Bachmann 'Thomas' items have been produced by the USA arm of Bachmann who hold the licence for the 'Thomas' range in the USA so probably dont have any thoughts re the British marketplace where Hornby hold the licence.

Yes i'm aware that the Bachmann can be purchased here from certain dealers and indeed have done so for our Thomas' layout.

Agreed its such a shame that the oportunity was missed but perhaps it was inevitable.

Regards

[MikeTrice]

Although Bachmann's Emily is quoted as HO it is more like OO in general dimensions.

[MikeTrice]

Chimney reduced in height by 2mm just below the top lip then aligned with a needle file handle and reglued:

 

The slight lopsided look is (I hope) an optical illusion:

 

The valve casing has also been shortened by around 1mm and been glued to a curved piece of styrene and the styrene trimmed. The curved end of the coffee stiring stick will be used to apply and smooth the filler around the base:

 

Like this. Some shape changes by careful filling and filing:

 

Sprayed with Plastikote Brass. Not 100% happy at the moment so more remedial work needed:

 

I quite like the brass finish though.

Edited January 1, 2015 by MikeTrice

[PenrithBeacon]

I am amazed, utterly amazed, by the transformation, but I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been better to start from scratch!

 

Regards

[MikeTrice]

I am amazed, utterly amazed, by the transformation, but I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't have been better to start from scratch!

 

Regards

You could well be right, however by accepting the overlarge main driving wheel I have a ready made chassis. What is more important is that I have quite enjoyed doing this.