ECC Wheal Imogen / Rosevean Station: the expansion

[The Fatadder]

The next job was to ad an enclosure for the high intensity headlights, this has about a half mm clearance between it and the light board allowing space for a pair of wires (thus avoiding having to solder on a surface mount led).

 

This was followed by gluing the ends to the body.  Once dry I checked the fit of the light board, it’s tricky to get in but does work.  

the idea is that a 10 thou lid will be glued in place after fitting the led (which I’m awaiting delivery from eBay).

 

Next up the doors, in the late 90s the doors on 37025 were really tatty.  I can’t tell if they failed differently to the rest or if a depot did some repairs with the wrong blue.  Either way it looks a bit odd seeing as the body sides are in pretty good condition for a 37/0 in 1999.

 

I’m not too worried about the mat finish of the blue on the cantrail where the paint was repaired.  Varnish should help, else it’s a dirty area so weathering will hide.

 

the final job was to fit NRN radio pods to the cab roof.  Annoyingly I could only find one Hornby 50 part and one of my own etches/plasticard, so each end is slightly different.  

In the end I managed to remove the glazing, again destroying one piece in the process.  As one part from 37510 was also broken at least it means I have enough cab glazing for one loco (with the other getting a set of laserglaze)

 

Next on the list will be filling the gap between nose and body, before giving all the yellow areas a coat of primer (once it warms up!) and spraying yellow.  After which it’s just a wait for the transfers.   I will be waiting until Railtec have the intercity ones available in order to save on postage (ordering for 510, 668 and 025 in one go).

 

[The Fatadder]

A bit of spraying yesterday evening and over lunch today, with the Class 37 ends, 37025 and the barbell all getting sprayed yellow (while the motorail van was primed).   The yellow ends mostly need another coat of yellow tomorrow (assuming the rain holds off), those for 668 / 674 both needed a slightly different shade to better match the Bachmann colour on the other end, so a thin coat of 70% signal yellow, 30% GBRF yellow was brushed on.  They will need varnishing before they can be fitted.

The rest includes the ends for 510 (all be it the old version that will be sold rather than the new one), 902 and a spare set which should have been converted to the new headcode boxes for 670 but now will likely return to the scrap box.  The plan had been to only prime them (to ensure the removal of the ETH bits was acceptable) but I forgot to remove before applying the top coat. 

 

The plan is to get the 37 roof sprayed next (probably on sunday if the weather holds to forecast), with the plan being spraying the motorail van at the same time.  In advance of this I’ve sanded back the yellow overspray and touched in with Vallejo grey black in order to get a consistent base layer. 
 

i really need to build a lot more of these, they make for interesting little projects 

 

 

Edited January 24 by The Fatadder

[St Enodoc]

4 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

 

Reminds me of the old Tri-ang Battle Space Turbocar!

[The Fatadder]

After adding some transfers last night (actually lifted off the incorrect end) and a quick dusting of varnish this morning, I have reattached the modified end to 37674.  Annoyingly when refitting the light lenses I managed to crack the headcode box so it will all need removing and refitting once I print a replacement.  However will do the job for now.   Lesson learned, if a part wont fit into a 3d print, dont just apply more force.....

 

 

when putting it back together the no2 bogie frame fell off, so it gained the screw modification I’ve used already on the no1 end.  Much better than the rubbish clips Bachmann used (thankfully they switched to screws on the 2022 model)

Edited January 25 by The Fatadder

[Daddyman]

2 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

(thankfully they switched to screws on the 2022 model)

But as @Porcy Mane has pointed out on the S4 forum recently, they've kept the clips too, which are useless once you have the screws - all they do is increase the risk of breaking the plastic bogie-frame unit; Porcy's suggestion was to file the clips off the metal inner bogie, and I think it's a good idea. 

[The Fatadder]

25 minutes ago, Daddyman said:

But as @Porcy Mane has pointed out on the S4 forum recently, they've kept the clips too, which are useless once you have the screws - all they do is increase the risk of breaking the plastic bogie-frame unit; Porcy's suggestion was to file the clips off the metal inner bogie, and I think it's a good idea. 

Thats annoying, I'd be inclined to go down the same route.  Certainly I find with the clips at the outer end and a single screw at the inner end its plenty to hold the sideframe in place. 

 

A very productive lunch brake today, taking advantage of the milder temperatures to spray the roof on 37025.  Phoenix Rail Grey is always a joy to spray.

 

Just the black left to spray tomorrow and it will be ready for transfers, so I guess I had better get some ordered from Railtec.  

 

Based on todays success, I’m hopeful to get the blue sprayed on the NVA as well tomorrow…

Edited January 25 by The Fatadder

[Daddyman]

I see what you mean about the doors: 

 

 

Looks like you'll need a white filter coat over the whole thing too, masking this near cab side and the IS stag.  

 

[The Fatadder]

The final step for the moment, with the black bits added before work this morning.

 

Next step will have to wait until I get the transfers ordered from Railtec before I can get stuck into the rest of the weathering 

[The Fatadder]

On the workbench today 5 Cavalex CDA finally getting weathered.   So far the 5 have been fitted with air pipes and instanter chains.  The first has also been given the first coat of white.

 

my process essentially consists of an application of white over the whole wagon

Then a second coat dry brushing with different shades (a mix of white and a couple of creams)

Add the signature streaks

Finally a dusting of weathering powders (and clay dust) 

 

given just the basic coat of white on one wagon took about 40 mins, it will take a while!  But once done will mean I have 13 completed wagons, even though the layout can only take 7…

[The Fatadder]

All five of the Cavalex CDAs have now been given the white paint treatment, along with a second coat with a random off white mix.  The hoods will still need more attention to blend in, but from memory on the first batch it was the powder stage that really bought this area together.  

 

I have also got out the yellow paint and picked out the brake leavers / lamp irons.  The usual white paint to identify the brake leavers doesnt really work when the wagon is coated in china clay so presumably at some point during the wagons life it was changed.

Edited January 27 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

The next batch of Cavalex CDAs are now complete, todays work included adding the streaks below the slots on the sides and the rusty marks on the other side.  Once dry this was followed by another wash of white/cream, before finally finishing off with white weathering powders. 
 

This means I can now have two CDA sets in service at once.

 

[The Fatadder]

Minor work on a couple of class 37s yesterday,

in the rush to be ready for Showcase 37671 was not fitted with bufferbeam details so these have now been added (along with a couple of missing lamp irons).   

 

Next up bodies were removed from 37230 and the original 510 in advance of prepping the chassis for their new bodies.  The chassis for what will become 37025 will need new fuel tanks fitting (which will need printing), mostly so that the redundant bodies can end up on Ebay this evening.  The chassis for both 510 and 025 were then modified to allow the new bodies to fit. The body that will become 37668 had a bath in IPA and is now ready for the conversion work on the nose grills to commence (with all 4 grills requiring changing), I need to remember where I have put the printed grills to properly get stuck into it.   

Finally more work on the hybrid mk2d, which has now been fitted with its new bufferbeams, along with converting one of the door windows to the deeper type. All that remains now is to add some transfers.

 

As an aside, I have been doing a little more research on interesting CDA variants and found another one to model with a 1997 photo of 375075 showing it with rectangular European style buffers, so looks like another pack of CDAs is needed...

Edited January 30 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

Deliveries today from both Shawplan and @railtec-models.
 

first up some transfer fitting, with both 37510 and 37025 now ready for varnishing 
This included the Intercity logos and numbers on 510, and all the transfers on 025 (including the OHLE cantrail stripe.)

This also included fitting a set of Extreme Etchings nameplates.   The final part of the transfers order is the numbers for 37668 which will not be needed for a while.

 

Continuing on the nameplate theme, finally have names fitted to 37674.

 

So that’s now a complete set of St Blazey named 37s.   (I also have 207 in Cornish Railways to model the missing name)

 

Finally nameplates added to 47799, still need to sort out a chassis for this.  The block I bought from Bachmann spares doesn’t fit the body properly.   So it’s going to take a bit more thinking as to how I will actually power it.

[James Makin]

Awesome stuff as ever Rich! I’m curious as to the Bachmann chassis block not fitting the body, I’ve never encountered this yet (with the old gen model) and thought that as far as I can see they are all interchangeable (mins the cutaway/original bufferbeam versions) - do you know where it has trouble?

 

The bit I get occasionally is a mismatch in the cab moulding/under screw not always aligning properly and needing fettling, and the odd loco where one or more screws just spin in the holes, so I’m most intrigued! 

[The Fatadder]

10 minutes ago, James Makin said:

Awesome stuff as ever Rich! I’m curious as to the Bachmann chassis block not fitting the body, I’ve never encountered this yet (with the old gen model) and thought that as far as I can see they are all interchangeable (mins the cutaway/original bufferbeam versions) - do you know where it has trouble?

 

The bit I get occasionally is a mismatch in the cab moulding/under screw not always aligning properly and needing fettling, and the odd loco where one or more screws just spin in the holes, so I’m most intrigued! 

I need to take another apart and have a closer look vs a RFD chassis.  The bits I purchased from spares were in an odd condition, the fuel tanks were unpainted silver and the block itself is a different colour to normal.  
 

I want to check EKM at a show and see if they still have £10 47 bogies as I quite fancy buying a pair to finish the chassis properly rather than my original plan for a bit of a bodge fitting Heljan bogies.

[The Fatadder]

@James Makin

managed to work out the difference, the ‘new’ block has these wire guide clips glued to the front of the extension under the cab.  The block on my RFD loco doesn’t have this feature extension piece so the body fitted fine.  Remove the parts and the royal train body fits fine on its chassis.  Just need to buy some bogies and sort out some lighting for it (and for the other two Bachmann 47s all of which are missing their lights due to the bodies being newer releases than the chassis)

[James Makin]

That is most interesting, I’ll have to keep an eye out for anything like that on mine, I must admit doing the same as you as fixing together random spares to make a few dummy locos, it is good fun!
 

EKM are normally at Ally Pally and still appeared to still have a giant selection of Bachmann 47/57 bogies back at Warley so one would hope they still have some good pickings in due course! 

[The Fatadder]

36 minutes ago, James Makin said:

That is most interesting, I’ll have to keep an eye out for anything like that on mine, I must admit doing the same as you as fixing together random spares to make a few dummy locos, it is good fun!
 

EKM are normally at Ally Pally and still appeared to still have a giant selection of Bachmann 47/57 bogies back at Warley so one would hope they still have some good pickings in due course! 

Going to ask friends at Model Rail Scotland to have a look for me, as I’m pretty sure they are up there.  Seeing as I have everything bar the bogies it just feels sensible to make it a complete working loco.   Even if the original logic was that I need an unpowered 47 for top and tail work.   That said an almost complete loco missing its worms/driveshaft/motor retains the possibility of re powering in the future (it’s what I’ve done with one of my DRS 20/3s…)

 

 

Back to modelling, this is the chassis for 37025, as it’s a 37/0 I’ve added the sand pipes to my 3d printed fuel tanks.  Also needed to add a bracket that snapped off when removing the supports.  
 

looking at the photo one of the actuator cylinders has fallen off so that will need replacing before painting.   
 

Enough procrastinating, time to start cutting holes in a new 37….

[The Fatadder]

Finally time to stop procrastinating and get cracking on 37668

 

I don’t particularly enjoy changing the nose grills on 37s, but thanks to Bachmann’s lack of imagination in their releases it’s the only way to get a refurbished 37 that’s not a 37/4.

 

Much like 521, 37668 had one piece grills all round making it the worst possible type to model.  (I did consider doing 668 when I did 674 but rejected it for this reason).

 

 

The first step is to drill out the bulk of the grills on one side only. This time I used the Dremmel in a pillar drill fitting with the stop set to protect the body fixing posts.  (This being a complete 2022 37 it makes sense to actually keep the fittings…)

 

this was then opened up with a scalpel and files until it accepts the 3d printed one piece nose grill. 
 

The process was repeated at the other side before gluing the first two grills into place.  I will now leave the body until lunchtime before repeating the process with the other side.  Small amounts of filler will then be needed to blend the grills into the body.

 

I have also removed the centre windscreen frame for replacement with the Shawplan reinforced windscreen etch.  The no1 end has this painted while the no2 end is in silver.  So one will be glued in place once I’ve finished cutting up the body

[Daddyman]

It looks like you have the same crappy files as me, Rich! They don't half make jobs harder as they're not particularly sharp, and their cutting faces tend not to be flat (convex or concave), which means you're always filing to correct damage that the file has done. I'm too tight-fisted to have many good files, but it is very liberating to use the ones I do have. 

 

Another thing that might help in a job like this is having a file with one side ground off - you can do it with one of the attachments in your Dremmel. When filing a corner, the ground-off face protects the part of the model that you don't want to file. I had some kindly given to me by @micknich2003 and they make modelling so much easier in so many situations. Can't imagine doing square corners without them - a small triangular one with a ground-off face is particularly useful for that. 

[The Fatadder]

My one good file was just out of camera shot (which does have a smooth side), but completely agree about the crappy files making life difficult.  I keep meaning to go and buy a new set of diamond files, but never quite get round to pulling the trigger as theres always something more interesting to spend on...

 

Its done the job for now, with all 4 grills fitted to 37668's body, and at an initial inspection it doesnt look like too much filler will be required.  I will try and get a coat of primer on it before heading to the gym this evening so I can properly gauge it.  Replacement parts for the compressor are due any day, so will be good to get started on the respray.  All being well with only two colours to spray and reasonable weather forecast for the next week it shouldnt take too long to get finished.

 

Speaking of spraying, one job that could still be done was spraying varnish.  So at lunch today the bodies for 37025 and 37510 were both given a dusting of semi satin varnish and are now drying pending reassembly this evening.

Edited January 31 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

37510 and 37025 have now both been refitted with their glazing, windscreens were damaged on removal on all 3 locos, fortunately there were enough good bus to cobble together two locos worth from the remains.  (668 is getting Laserglaze )

 

For 510 all that remains is to solder the light wires in place and get the body to fit properly 

 

025 needs slightly more work, requiring the headlights glazing, and new LEDs for the high intensity lights (ordered from eBay and lost in the post).   The main lighting boards can’t be refitted until this is done.

 

finally it will need ploughs fitting

[St Enodoc]

7 hours ago, Daddyman said:

the ground-off face

 

6 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

a smooth side

Known as a "safe edge".

[The Fatadder]

Parts arrived for the compressor this morning to replace the failed regulator, this time my plan was to replace the failed part (a male - male connector to the inlet of the regulator) with a higher quality part.  It was only when I tried to fit it at lunch today I found that while it has a BSP fitting on the outer (broken) part, it has a different thread on inner side so my plan wont work.   Leaving me with a choice between returning to Machine Mart for another replacement which will no doubt fail in the same way, or find an alternative pressure regulator .   Most of the alternative parts I have seen have a female inlet / outlet and no valve on the outlet, further complicating things.  Or there is the other alternative of just buying a new compressor...

 

Im not too worried as its bloody freezing out there today so at least I am not missing out on lunch time spraying.  

[The Fatadder]

After the failure to do any spraying earlier today I have switched to a bit of DCC testing, the first task being a check that the new 37510 works properly on its predecessor's chassis.  Thankfully it did, though I still need to try and find a way to get the Loksound 3.5 to sound better.  My hope is using blacktac to better enclose the OEM speaker will help as I have no hope of fitting a better 100ohm speaker in there.  The fuel tanks being designed to take sugar cube type speakers and the chassis block preventing anything deeper being fitted without major machining work.

 

Next up were 37674 and 025, the latter I knew was on 37230's old chassis while the former I had no idea.  It was at this point that I remembered how much I hate programming with the Lenz setup and how I really need to get a new baseplate / wire for my Powercab so I can switch the Lenz to the garage (where it was purchased for) and move the NEC set up indoors.  I can never work out how to change an address with POM on Lenz (while I can on the NEC), cue a search for the programming track wires before eventually reprograming both locos to their new identities

 

Continuing on the Class 37 theme 37668 has been primed and if it wasnt for the compressor issues would have been sprayed in EWS gold tomorrow...   Looks like I could get a regulator from screwfix, but it has a female inlet and outlet.  I have one suitable connector for between it and the compressor but nothing between the regulator and the airbrush.  So that wont be ready until next week at best...

 

Instead I have been working on trying to get my Hornby Sentinel.  While I rebuilt the body and repainted it quite a while ago, its never actually worked.  So this evening the model was stripped down and tested.  Motor was fine, and with the Hornby DCC decoder removed it powered up ok.  Eventually I got fed up with it and ripped off the pickups, rebuilding with nickle silver wire which seems to have done the job.  I think the decoder could only have been getting power from 2 or 3 wheels and it didnt like it!   Eventually I do intend to replace the chip with a better one (with a stay alive) but at least it means it can shunt some CDAs around the yard now...

Edited February 2 by The Fatadder