'New Colletts from Old'

[lofty1966]

BTW if some North Korean peeps knock on your door with a tissue in hand, don't be alarmed <cough>

[kandc_au]

Hopefully Taz, you've seen the helpful replies, putting me right.  I had a look at your blog and I see the offset of the bogies themselves must have been apparent to you, as you fitted the bogies the right way around!  I never spotted it but that's me I am afraid.  :-(

 

I too have reached a view on these RTR mods, but I am not so disheartened by what has been revealed.  Looking at the Comet parts, my view is that one has to do a lot of fettling with these too, so  at the end, one has to wonder whether scratch building in some cases might not have been as easy.  The underframe parts do shorten the time taken, it;s true, but they do need attention, such as the struts, depending on one's accuracy requirements.  It is good that Comet adopted the parts method of sales, as one can pick and choose according to choices.  If we consider Lofty1966's very brave and admired cut and shut projects, he has at least the benefit of those 70 foot items, should he choose to use those.  Also my described mods are plainly not considered needed by others, so each person has to make a choice about what they consider should be done.  I am enjoying my fiddling anyway.   

 

At the end of the day Howard, it depends on how much you want to finish the coaches and how accurately detailed you want them.

Some are quite happy with them straight out of the box, and others want them as highly detailed as possible.

At the end of the day it's a hobby to enjoy oneself with. If you get enjoyment out of cutting and shutting that's great.

If you get enjoyment out of building coaches from Brass and/or whitemetal that is great to!

Just enjoy it!

 

Khris

[Taz]

Indeed, and as has been shown here some excellent results are being achieved. It is not the quality of the end result that I was critical of, but rather the enjoyment factor. Obviously this is going to be a personal thing which varies from one to another but I just get more satisfaction from building a complete brass coach.

I've recently completed a couple of rtf conversions for the Balcombe project (Bachmann Mk1 & bulleid resides) and again although the end result is as good as I could manage with a full brass kit it just wasn't quite as much fun.

But there is no denying that this is a cheaper option and with these particular coaches there are lots of options with cut & shuts.

[Re6/6]

Agreed Brian. It's cutt'n'shutting, modifying and all the rest of it that makes it so satisfying. Triang clerestories are my thing. Building a lovely Mallard brass kit is also satisfying but not as much fun as cutting about the old Triangs or re-siding proprietary stuff! It's the flush glazing that really sets it off. Not the 'spectacle' look of SEF flush glazing.

 

"I've recently completed a couple of rtf conversions for the Balcombe project"

 

[Re6/6]

Apologies if this has already been covered before on the thread but did the 57 ft bow-enders run in mixed consists with the 70 footers?

 

Thanks.

[The Fatadder]

Apologies if this has already been covered before on the thread but did the 57 ft bow-enders run in mixed consists with the 70 footers?

 

Thanks.

I'm fairly sure I've seen photos of that (post war at least)

[chrisf]

Apologies if this has already been covered before on the thread but did the 57 ft bow-enders run in mixed consists with the 70 footers?

 

Thanks.

 

The summer 1948 cwp specifies a 70 ft First in the formation of the 7.0 am Weston-super-mare to Paddington and 1.15 pm back without laying down a similar rubric for the rest of the train.  Another example is the 8.30 am Plymouth to Paddington and 5.0 pm back which was required to have one 70 ft Van Third, no such obligation affecting the rest of the train.

 

Other candidates were the 11.55 am Paddington to Milford Haven in which four of the 13 vehicles were laid down to be 70 footers and the 2.15 pm Paddington to Chletenham which was supposed to have two 70 ft Firsts on Saturdays only.  Why not the rest of the week or why at all is something that I wish I knew but I suspect that providing the right number of seats for the expected number of posteriors would have had something to do with it.

 

Chris 

Edited March 6, 2017 by chrisf

[Re6/6]

Many thanks Chris. That answers it nicely. I do have a few 70 footers to build.

[81C]

Thanks for the info Chris looks like 2x70 footers will be the order of the day gauging has been checked as seems OK  the sides will be purchased from the next local show Wizard are attending meanwhile a large order for end & roof  

parts has been sent off mail order for the current vehicles undergoing refurb'.

 

 

 

 

Edit;- full marks to Wizard Models for their prompt service the parts arrived am today 09/03/17.

Edited March 9, 2017 by 81C

[HowardGWR]

D95 interior

I had planned to just get on with the pretty bits until the completed model could be reported.  However there are interesting new discoveries along the way, so here's an interim report.

 

I used a mix of the paints I had available (GWR Brown and Cream) to produce a light brown for the walls.  I used the Bill Bedford download for the third class furnishings.  I added plasticard walls for the toilet at the end.  I went round and touched up and mended after this photo appeared on my screen!

 

Very crude and cruel exposure in that sunlight.  Here's what it looks like in the gloom.  I may grey out the compartment photos, as they were never colour.  Incidentally, Bills download is no good for the first class of this era, as these were dark brown with thin gold beading.  I may just paint the first in the E127, GWR brown, perhaps just first sticking in two plasticard seat rests on each bank.

 

 

Now I considered the guards compartment and van space.  Hornby Railroad 'modelled' this as a first class compartment (!) but I have consulted colleagues on GWSG list and I now know that although the width is OK, it should not have a corridor compartment side but the left hand side of the corridor door, as the guard sees it when seated, should be solid.  That is not shewn on the Russell diagram, but GWR Drawing 81990 Dec 1926 does shew this apparently.  The right hand window is a window. 

 

I took the new Hornby D95 apart and they have, if my info is correct, got it wrong, too.  Otherwise the guards compartment is modelled very nicely. See this photo next.  I think the brake standard should be vertical, not as Hornby have fixed it in. .

 

I made some interesting discoveries with the new model taken apart but I think i will report those on the Hornby thread about these models.  The bogies are very naughty, the way they are made,  for "non-narrow gauge" modellers, ( I know, silly joke, forgive me :-) )..  

Edited March 17, 2017 by HowardGWR

[lofty1966]

Digital close up pix do no favours.

I am horrified how bad these look.

In the flesh from about a foot away they look fine (honest)

A18

D94 Left and Right

D84

[Re6/6]

Impressive work there!

 

As I don't have any of these, l do have some new Hby ones that l might think of '70 foot' cut'n'shut. A bold move if l did at £40 each! 

 

I have done it with the Hby Maunsells and Brighton Belle Pullman trailer cars which were a little less dear in order to create some EMU trailer coaches!

 

 

Edit: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82037-emus-locos-and-coaching-stock-for-balcombe/

Edited March 21, 2017 by Re6/6

[HowardGWR]

Impressive work there!

 

As I don't have any of these, l do have some new Hby ones that l might think of '70 foot' cut'n'shut. A bold move if l did at £40 each! 

 

I have done it with the Hby Maunsells and Brighton Belle Pullman trailer cars which were a little less dear in order to create some EMU trailer coaches!

 

 

Edit: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82037-emus-locos-and-coaching-stock-for-balcombe/

I wonder if you have looked at the differences between the Hornby Maunsells and the Ironclads.  If you have some ideas, I would love  to hear what you think, on a separate thread (if there is one available).  Hopefully not too OT, as these coaches, both sorts, ran frequently on the GWR in north south east west services, during the thirties and in BR days too..

 

Would it be possible to 'retro-fit' Hornby Maunsells to Ironclads do you think, and how much work involved  ?   

[Clive Mortimore]

Digital close up pix do no favours.

I am horrified how bad these look.

In the flesh from about a foot away they look fine (honest)

A18

D94 Left and Right

D84

Hi Lofty

 

I think they look OK, in fact if you lived just round the corner to me I would get you to paint my stuff........I hate painting cos I am rubbish at it.

[Re6/6]

I wonder if you have looked at the differences between the Hornby Maunsells and the Ironclads.  If you have some ideas, I would love  to hear what you think, on a separate thread (if there is one available).  Hopefully not too OT, as these coaches, both sorts, ran frequently on the GWR in north south east west services, during the thirties and in BR days too..

 

Would it be possible to 'retro-fit' Hornby Maunsells to Ironclads do you think, and how much work involved  ?   

Looking through King's Southern Coaches book they do look very similar to the early 'later' Maunsells . The only problem that l would see Howard is that the Ironclads were all of the low window variety and IIRC Hby don't do many of those that you could modify. 

 

Nothing is impossible but l always make the first cut with much trepidation on such relatively 'expensive' items!

[Prometheus]

Progress with this conversion has been fearfully slow - poor health and bad weather - but we are now getting there...

 

 

Tony

[HowardGWR]

I just thought I'd mention I did my piece on the new Hornby Colletts (took one apart) over on the Hornby  manufacturer thread, but as the material is related to our discussions here, I thought I'd mention it, if you are interested.

 

Here's the link.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/99267-collett-bow-ended-standard-57-corridor-stock-coaches-for-2016/page-41&do=findComment&comment=2660032

[lofty1966]

Uncle Lofty surges ever onward into unknown territories ! Pioneering or Guinea Pig (delete as applicable)?

If anyone wants to "glaze" K's E116 kits I can now tell you that it takes three different packs of SE Finecast Flushglazing to do it.

For the quarterlights use Hornby Long Clerestory pack SE 67

For Passenger droplights use SE 58 (Hornby Railroad Colletts)and finally for the Guard and Luggage compartment droplights use SE71 (Mainline/Replica Colletts)

The droplights may need a little fettling to go in (some do , some don't)

Edited March 23, 2017 by lofty1966

[chrisf]

One little thing:  E116s were not flush glazed.

 

Chris

[The Fatadder]

One little thing: E116s were not flush glazed.

 

Chris

From memory the sides are about the thickness of your average battleships armour, which prevents gluing glazing onto the inside of the sides. I guess for optimal realism you could cut each window form thin plastic and glue into the hole flush with then interior edge leaving - circa0.6mm step. (I think I'm right in thinking that the glazing recess on non flush coaches is around the 2 inch mark?)

[lofty1966]

One little thing: E116s were not flush glazed.

 

Chris

Then it's a good job the sides are so thick that the "Flushglaze" is set back in slightly. Edited March 23, 2017 by lofty1966

[HowardGWR]

Then it's a good job the sides are so thick that the "Flushglaze" is set back in slightly.

Indeed and a helpful person advised this on an earlier post, when I posed a question.  They look great on your photo and I am coming to the conclusion that the SE stuff looks better that way anyway, as the SE 'flush' - just isn't quite flush, IMO.  All in the eye of the beholder I suppose and it is a better result on Railroad very-thick stock than the original Railroad plastic glaze unit (again IMO).

 

Update -oh, and I am so envious of your painting job -very nice indeed.  

Edited March 23, 2017 by HowardGWR

[Prometheus]

It's hard to believe that I have been at this since November. Anyway, sides attached to carcass today and glazing etc. to follow tomorrow. It's getting there at last.

 

 

I so hate impact adhesive. It sets faster than super-glue and makes fitting the overlays a strictly one-shot exercise. All went to plan though. It's quite a while since I've had to cope with the sun creating a slight overexposure, too !

 

Tony

[lofty1966]

The D94 twins are finished.

One of the useless pressfix no's moved while being varnished (only spotted it when 'touching in a handrail' so I guess thats the way its gonna stay

[The Fatadder]

It's hard to believe that I have been at this since November. Anyway, sides attached to carcass today and glazing etc. to follow tomorrow. It's getting there at last.

 

 

I so hate impact adhesive. It sets faster than super-glue and makes fitting the overlays a strictly one-shot exercise. All went to plan though. It's quite a while since I've had to cope with the sun creating a slight overexposure, too !

 

Tony

Have you tried the 1 minute time delay stuff? It give a little longer for alignment