Playing with Hornby Dublo 3 rail again

[MikeCW]

Like Andy,i recycle tatty SD coaches,this is one of Andys SR EMU cab fronts fitted to a SD coach

 

              20171223_092603.jpg

 

That coach & end was made into an EMU trailer with my own photoshopped overlays printed on my A3 printer

 

              20171229_162729.jpg

 

Useful items Photoshop,printers & scanners,you can make them any shade you like.This is my Nevawassa Hornby Dublo 3 car maroon set with SD MK1 coaches as a base.

 

 

             20171120_165749.jpg

 

Heavily modified SD coach to accept an EMU chassis.

 

             20171101_162830 HRCA.jpg

 

                  Ray.

Hi Ray.  I've admired your EMU creations on earlier posts.  My question to Andy was prompted in part by the blue/grey coach side I could see. It looked from the photo as if the windows may have been transparent (but that may have been an optical illusion of course). I wondered whether, if they were transparent, had they been laboriously cut out or were they printed on a clear plastic like those screen printed coach sides that Peter Chatham marketed in the 1970s? Now then, modern versions of the PC type overlays; for Dublo coaches.  That would be something. 

 

I've understood that your photo-shopped sides have"solid" windows  like a modern equivalent of the first Dublo coaches, the LNER "Gresleys" and BR suburbans which had silver printed windows.  (My first ever coaches were a pair of such suburbans)   The window effect you've achieved is very convincing - at least it certainly is in the photos..  Can you tell me what the sides are they printed out on?

 

Mike 

[Golden Fleece 30]

Hi Ray. I've admired your EMU creations on earlier posts. My question to Andy was prompted in part by the blue/grey coach side I could see. It looked from the photo as if the windows may have been transparent (but that may have been an optical illusion of course). I wondered whether, if they were transparent, had they been laboriously cut out or were they printed on a clear plastic like those screen printed coach sides that Peter Chatham marketed in the 1970s? Now then, modern versions of the PC type overlays; for Dublo coaches. That would be something.

 

I've understood that your photo-shopped sides have"solid" windows like a modern equivalent of the first Dublo coaches, the LNER "Gresleys" and BR suburbans which had silver printed windows. (My first ever coaches were a pair of such suburbans) The window effect you've achieved is very convincing - at least it certainly is in the photos.. Can you tell me what the sides are they printed out on?

 

Mike

Mike, you can buy what is called a silhouette cutter which will cut out all the windows for you on your printed sides. As well as Andy some people in the 3mm society have them as well. It can be used for buildings etc as well as coaches.

 

If you overlay an old Dublo coach with a similar window layout then it will match but if overlaying one with a different style of window then you need to leave the windows solid.

 

Garry

Edited September 27, 2018 by Golden Fleece 30

[sagaguy]

Hi Mike,i print them out on Canon photo paper plus glossy 275 gm,this is because my Canon A3 printer uses a dye based ink,on cheaper papers,the edges of the colours can bleed into each other causing blurry edges...Having said that,the prints look perfectly fine on cheaper paper when used in my much cheaper Canon printer.It all started when i scanned a Dublo coach into photoshop & the rest as they say took on a life of its own.The sides are stuck onto the coaches using 3m photo mount spray.

 

                             Ray.

[sagaguy]

The start of my Xmas project courtesy of my wife.Having taken advice from a Facebook Trix forum,this loco should be relativly easy to convert to Dublo 3rail.It`s a loco drive,the tender drive models are difficult to convert.It`s good value at £50 on Ebay so as i`ve said before,there are bargains to be had.I can get the conversion parts from the TTRCA.

 

                 

 

 

                 Ray.

[Golden Fleece 30]

The start of my Xmas project courtesy of my wife.Having taken advice from a Facebook Trix forum,this loco should be relativly easy to convert to Dublo 3rail.It`s a loco drive,the tender drive models are difficult to convert.It`s good value at £50 on Ebay so as i`ve said before,there are bargains to be had.I can get the conversion parts from the TTRCA.

 

                  s-l1600.jpg

 

 

                 Ray.

The A3 and A2 were nice models but I could never understand why Trix lined them in Black, maybe to be opposite to Tri-ang who did theirs in white.  The valve gear while still being a little on the large size, as was Dublo, it still looked the part as opposed to Tri-ang's non realistic attempts, and, it stood up to handling. 

 

To me the A2 was their best model and the A3 bodies I have used on Dublo chassis's.  I did not need the A2 as I had a Bachmann one.

 

Garry

[Il Grifone]

Hi Garry,

 

The lining should be white-black-white so neither is correct, though simplifying to white makes more sense than black IMHO.

 

The silhouette cutter sounds interesting (I always make a B***s up of cutting out windows and I also find it extremely tedious!), but I suspect SWMBO will veto it on cost grounds....

 

David

Edited September 29, 2018 by Il Grifone

[Golden Fleece 30]

Hi Garry,

 

The lining should be white-black-white so neither is correct, though simplifying to white makes more sense than black IMHO.

 

The silhouette cutter sounds interesting (I always make a B***s up of cutting out windows and Ialso find it extremely tedious!), but I suspect SWMBO will veto it on cost grounds....

 

David

Hi David,

 

I was referring to Tri-ang's policy of using a single colour like orange for BR green locos instead of the O/B/O style.  In the early 00 Britannia days they did do a double orange line on the tender, possibly the cab too but never on a boiler band and never with a black between.  I know why as when I went around the factory in the late 70's early 80's the loco body was put on a frame then the operator held a pen with paint loaded at the start of a band and turned a handle revolving the body so the hand was supported and never moved, hence usually neat lines which I could never do.

 

I think I only tried cutting windows out once and gave up before doing one.  I could not justify a silhouette cutter as I would need a better printer on top of everything else, inks are too dear, heads keep clogging etc so any photos now I take to Tesco or prints for trains to a professional printers. I certainly would not be buying A3 printers like Ray has.

 

Garry

[sagaguy]

The A3 printer was bought when i was the leader of a local photography club for many years.The advantage of these large printers is that the printer heads are in the cartridge so no clogging of printer heads.

 

                             Ray.

[Golden Fleece 30]

Not just A3 Ray, I had an Epson A4 like that 20 years ago, £400 which was a lot in those days, but the cartridges kept clogging up like print heads and they cost a fortune so went to standard ones which are just as bad.

 

No printer is perfect just some more than others.

 

Garry

Edited September 27, 2018 by Golden Fleece 30

[sagaguy]

I think Epson use pigment inks which are prone to drying in the nozzles. Canon OEM inks are expensive but they give me true colours along with my calibrated screen.

 

Ray

[Golden Fleece 30]

I think Epson use pigment inks which are prone to drying in the nozzles. Canon OEM inks are expensive but they give me true colours along with my calibrated screen.

 

Ray

The Epsom inks were OEM too, are the Canon ones not pigment then Ray?  If so what are they?  One day I may get a new colour printer and would like to know the difference.

 

Garry

[andy2308]

Hi all,

 

My coaches are recycled (upcycled) SD coaches which have had the windows filled in. The prints are done onto self-adhesive vinyl, much thinner than paper and easier to work with. I have blacked in the windows on this version, I tried with a window effect similar to Ray's but it just didn't look right against the smaller window apertures, it works far better on the SR EMU version like Ray's. I have sent off some sketches to have some coach bodies made in brass etch for a 4CIG project but decided to continue with the TC & REP using old bodies as I have a few kicking about.

 

They are cut using a Silhouette Portrait machine, I've programmed it to cut the entire graphic so fitting is just a matter of lining up the vinyl with the holes in the top of the body then smoothing into place - not a single cut has been made by hand to fit those graphics!

 

The TC obviously doesn't need a motor but the REP will and for this my plan is to recycle a Bo-Bo chassis, if I can make it fit of course!

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

 

Here's the first class coach being prepared:

[sagaguy]

The Epsom inks were OEM too, are the Canon ones not pigment then Ray? If so what are they? One day I may get a new colour printer and would like to know the difference.

 

Garry

[sagaguy]

Canon ink in my Pro9000 printer is dye based, not too prone to drying in the nozzles.

 

Ray

[sagaguy]

Canon ink in my Pro9000 printer is dye based, not too prone to drying in the nozzles.

 

Ray

If you search around a bit on Ebay,you can find genuine Canon cli8 inks for as little as £6.45 insread of an average price of £12+These are sealed but out of package cartridges,after all,who wants the box or sometimes the box is damaged.

                    Ray.

[MikeCW]

Thanks for the explanation and photos on Post 737 Andy.  I particularly like the idea of the self-adhesive vinyl, though if it's a "one shot only" chance of getting it to stick in the right place - like the impact adhesive typically used for attaching Comet and other etched sides to donor coaches - tension would be running high if I were doing the sticking!  I suppose the beauty of home printed sides is that another one can always be printed out.

 

Mike

[andy2308]

Actually, by using vinyl you can remove and refit if it's not lining up properly, within reason. By cutting these as a whole body overlay all I had to do was line up the graphic with the holes in the roof and start smoothing down each side, if it wasn't completely lined up then it pulls away without ripping or leaving a residue.

 

I now have 3/4 of a TC done, now need to add some numbers on the cab ends...

 

[sagaguy]

I like this,as Andy probably knows,i have a soft spot for EMUs,a very nice model.If i may make one observation,i would lengthen the roof with layers of Plastikard or similar & file back until it was flush with the cab front.Have you got a 33 to push/pull it.A Portsmouth 4CIG i think,a Nelson, would also go down very nicely.

 

                                  Ray.

[andy2308]

There will be a 4REP to pull it around, possibly a 33/1 in future.

 

Andy.

[Wolseley]

St Paddy arrived today, and is even in better condition than I was expecting.  There are a few very small paint chips along the bottom of the body, but everything else (transfers included) is just as good as when it left the factory, albeit slightly grubby.  The biggest surprise was when I turned it upside down to check the state of the chassis - there is not a single mark on either the third rail pick-ups or the wheels (the traction tyres even look like new, but are probably perished after more than five decades).  It looks as if it has either never been used, or maybe just run once or twice.

 

Also arrived today, a rather tired looking Duchess of Montrose, bought off eBay as a non-runner for ‎£17.50 and, surprisingly, a fairly minimal postal charge.  After I removed the body, I saw that the wire from the pick up had become detached from the brush holder plug.  I reconnected it and the chassis took off down the track.  This one will need a bit of restoration, so it's a project for some time in the future.....

[Fat Controller]

Hi all,

 

My coaches are recycled (upcycled) SD coaches which have had the windows filled in. The prints are done onto self-adhesive vinyl, much thinner than paper and easier to work with. I have blacked in the windows on this version, I tried with a window effect similar to Ray's but it just didn't look right against the smaller window apertures, it works far better on the SR EMU version like Ray's. I have sent off some sketches to have some coach bodies made in brass etch for a 4CIG project but decided to continue with the TC & REP using old bodies as I have a few kicking about.

 

They are cut using a Silhouette Portrait machine, I've programmed it to cut the entire graphic so fitting is just a matter of lining up the vinyl with the holes in the top of the body then smoothing into place - not a single cut has been made by hand to fit those graphics!

 

The TC obviously doesn't need a motor but the REP will and for this my plan is to recycle a Bo-Bo chassis, if I can make it fit of course!

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

 

Here's the first class coach being prepared:

IMG_0314.JPGIMG_0315.JPGIMG_0316.JPGIMG_0317.JPGIMG_0319.JPG

Reminds me of an article in a mid-1960s Model Railway Constructor, where Alan Williams made a 4-TC set using Hornby- Dublo coaches, and an electro-diesel with a large part of a Hornby-Dublo AC Electric. Nice work.

[sagaguy]

I seem to recall that Garry built a parcels unit using a modified Bo Bo chassis,i think the bogie wheelbase is similar but needs the connecting bar lengthened.

 

                      Ray.

[Golden Fleece 30]

I seem to recall that Garry built a parcels unit using a modified Bo Bo chassis,i think the bogie wheelbase is similar but needs the connecting bar lengthened.

 

Ray.

Nearly Ray,

 

I built the parcels units using the Bo-Bo bogies but in a standard length shell that had the holes in the correct places. If I remember the mounting bar lifted the body too much. I will try to find a shell to show later.

 

Garry

[andy2308]

Nearly Ray,

I built the parcels units using the Bo-Bo bogies but in a standard length shell that had the holes in the correct places. If I remember the mounting bar lifted the body too much. I will try to find a shell to show later.

Garry

That would be handy!

[Golden Fleece 30]

Here are a set of etches for the motorised GUV models. The chassis frame is different to the EMU and the underframe is made to suit as the power bogie has a larger swing than the trailing one.

 

Garry