Tri-ang Dock Shunter Makeover

[RosiesBoss]

Introduction

Who doesn’t need a makeover from time to time?

 

I have a substantial collection of models, some dating back to the 1950s. Such models, when used regularly, start to show their age. In some cases, early customising efforts now seem crude. In others, wear and tear needs to be corrected.

 

Readers of Post #2 of Ref. 1 will note that I possess a very old and battered Tri-ang dock shunter. It had a hard life before I was given it as “beyond repair” around 1965. It was my first successful restoration to running condition and I still have a soft spot for it.

 

Its mechanism is similar to several others which I have worked on over the years and seems to be almost unbreakable. These models include ancient Tri-ang Transcontinental diesel locos which have been altered to resemble early NSWGR engines as well as a rebuilt Tri-ang Blue Pullman set. Here are some images:

 

 

 

All of these, including the dock shunter, have been fitted with finer-flanged Airfix wheels, sold as spares for diesel locos. As modified, the undersides of all of them look like this:

 

In the case of the dock shunter, while it ran well, it looked awful!

 

 

 

Faults included:

• All steps missing/broken
• Major crack on front right corner, from the top of the hood to the buffer beam
• Chipped front buffer beam
• Obsolete, large tension-lock couplings
• Unsuitable buffers
• Very worn paintwork
• Moulded handrails

Aims

1. Replace missing steps
2. Replace damaged front buffer beam
3. Repair crack in body
4. Fit new buffers, scale couplings and slim tension-lock couplings
5. Replace moulded handrails with separate handrails with turned brass knobs
6. Repaint the model in a fresh industrial style livery

Parts List

• Thin copper sheet
• Etched scale couplings
• Markits round coach buffers
• Bachmann slim tension-lock couplings
• Brass handrail knobs
• 0.4mm dia phosphor-bronze wire
• Humbrol enamels
• Gold water-slide transfers

Actions

The body was removed from the chassis and set aside.

 

The chassis was thoroughly serviced and test run to ensure there were no issues.

 

The body was then checked over to confirm the scope of repairs needed.

 

Remaining traces of the old steps were removed, then new steps were soldered up from thin copper and attached with epoxy cement. Epoxy was also used to fill cracks and restore a broken window frame.

 

Old Tri-ang buffers and couplings were removed, together with crude scale couplings. Oversized holes were filled with epoxy. The front buffer beam was ground back and a new one fabricated from thin copper sheet and attached with epoxy cement. New holes were drilled for buffers and scale couplings.

 

Moulded handrails were carved off and replaced with wire ones mounted in brass knobs.

 

Prior to painting, the model looked like this:

 

The body was spray primed grey, then brush painted with Humbrol enamels. The cab windows were then glazed with clear plastic recovered from packaging. A crew was fitted, transfers applied and then the body was lacquered with Humbrol satin clear.

 

Results

It’s no longer an ugly duckling:

 

 

Seen shunting at Carmarthen Junction:

 

Reflections

“Tich” no longer looks like the poor relation when seen near other models in my collection. She’s still just a freelance Tri-ang dock shunter, but operates smoothly through all speed ranges and can move a respectable load. Importantly, she is easily controlled down to a crawl – an important function for a shunter. She will look fine in a future model factory setting. I’m happy with the result.

 

Oh yes! I almost forgot! The little boy (my son) who learned how (not!) to burn out this model’s first armature in 1987 has grown up to become an aerospace engineer working for SpaceX in California, helping to design space vehicles to go to Mars. He’s still interested in technical things………..

 

References

1. Posts #2 & #11 here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70550-carmarthen-junction-miscellena/
2. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67038-blue-pullman-cheap-and-cheerful/
3. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110243-earl-cawdor-makeover/

 

[DanInHisDen]

How did you add NEM couplings?

[RosiesBoss]

G'day, Daniel,

 

Thank you for your question - taking me by surprise after all this time.

 

The simple answer is that there is only one: at the front end of the chassis where an X171 had been mounted. To do this, I ground away the original mounting, milled out a slot for the NEM pocket and then glued the pocket into place.  This meant that the replacement brass  buffer beam could be much neater. At the other end, I reused the mounts for the X171 coupling and attached a Bachmann long coupling.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Rob

 

Ps; I plan to restore the bent pickup (which I just noticed in the image) later today.

R.

[DanInHisDen]

8 hours ago, RosiesBoss said:

G'day, Daniel,

 

Thank you for your question - taking me by surprise after all this time.

 

The simple answer is that there is only one: at the front end of the chassis where an X171 had been mounted. To do this, I ground away the original mounting, milled out a slot for the NEM pocket and then glued the pocket into place.  This meant that the replacement brass  buffer beam could be much neater. At the other end, I reused the mounts for the X171 coupling and attached a Bachmann long coupling.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Rob

 

Ps; I plan to restore the bent pickup (which I just noticed in the image) later today.

R.

Thank you, most of my stock is fitted with nem couplings. I am thinking of getting a tri ang dock shunter.

Dan

[TomCrewe]

I had on of these in Red when I was about 11, My step son has started a Railway for himself and Grandson and his Dad has given him his old Red Dock Shunter. We were chatting and I was reminiscing, then somehow I was on eBay and one thing lead to another, oops.

 

Now waiting eagerly for the delivery of my Black number 3 Dock Shunter. From pictures it looks in good condition with box and already has Smooth wheel sets (were they factory fitted to Later models?). I want to try to pin down year of manufacture.

 

PLAN

• Full strip down clean and check over.
• Detailing, hand rails, glazing. 
• Possible change to livery.
• DCC. (maybe sound and lights)
• Kadee couplers.

 

 

 

 

 

[cypherman]

Hi all,

I always wanted one of these, But never got round to buying one. Think I might just get one or two. Does any one know if you can still get finer wheels for this little engine.

[kernowtim]

Ultrascale made drop in replacement wheelsets at one time, I considered getting a set for a tri-ang blue pullman but they were fairly expensive in comparison with what the model cost, and that was probably over 30 years ago 🙄

I think models produced from the mid 70s had the smooth wheels.

[kernowtim]

I remember seeing these in the 70s Hornby catalogues but never had one, I did once use the motor from my bought new £5 zodiac toys triang switcher in a battered red shunter body, then promptly took it apart to 'improve' it...

Oddly enough was looking at one on fb marketplace yesterday!

Must resist! (Got enough tat)

Edited May 27 by kernowtim

[Halvarras]

A nice example went up on Howes Models website a few days ago - looking at the box and the plastic buffer stocks and heads this would have been from the final production run so smooth wheels too:

 

https://howesmodels.co.uk/product/Hornby-r253-dock-shunter-dock-authority-black-boxed/

 

For anyone who's interested......😉!

[The Johnster]

Dokafority. Mine has been worked up a bit to include a (recent) inside framed Dowlais chassis, which gives the model a bit more credibility to my mind.  It seems to have been based on an inside-framed New Zealand Bagnall DH, and is, despite it's H0 boxticks, a bulky beast for a 4mm industrial.  Real Bagnalls are pretty bulky though, he says thinking of the Port Talbot steelworks beasties.

 

It's got a lot of 1950s character to it.  There are some photos on my layout subject, 'South Wales Valleys in the 1950s' (Cwmdimbath), painted in a royal blue NCB livery and named Cyclops.  I've replaced the buffers with something a bit more big and industrial, reworked the cab front windows, added a 3D print cab interior, and generally 'distressed' it including deliberate damage to the radiator grille, and it is a pretty credible colliery loco.  I have further intentions for it including jackshaft drive.

 

I couldn't live with those cab front windows, though.  Loco thinks it's a Deltic...  I've filled them in with Milliput (wasn't he something to do with the Labour party?) so that they are small upside-down L shapes around the shoulder of the bonnet, which look much more like something a UK diesel manufacturer would have put on a loco like this in the 1950s or early 60s.  The New Zealand Bagnalls did not have psuedo-Deltic windows.

 

In a project box (that once held an Airfix mineral wagon plastic kit) is another H0 1950s-looking shunting engine, a Playcraft/Jouef NB D2705.  I intend similar alterations to this, but have so far been stumped with finding a mech narrow enough to fit inside it's bonnet leaving the cab free; my original attempt was with a re-wheeled Polly mech.  The Polly bodyshell has had it's bunker amputated and a new rear cab sheet fitted, and both these flights of my fevered imagination may yet appear in this thread or over on Pugbashes &c.

 

Incidentally, I was impressed with the filament bulb headlight on my Dokafority, 55 years old and still worked!

[Halvarras]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

 

I couldn't live with those cab front windows, though.  Loco thinks it's a Deltic...  I've filled them in with Milliput (wasn't he something to do with the Labour party?) so that they are small upside-down L shapes around the shoulder of the bonnet, which look much more like something a UK diesel manufacturer would have put on a loco like this in the 1950s or early 60s.  The New Zealand Bagnalls did not have psuedo-Deltic windows.

 

 

I gave serious thought to amending those impractical cab front windows on my bright blue 'Neville' too. The problem of course is caused by shaping it around a motor bogie which was intended for use inside a Bo-Bo diesel body, making it both too tall and wide to be ideal for this purpose. I did consider creating deeper windows by flattening the top of the bonnet in front of the windscreen in a similar manner to some US switchers (and the SE 'Flushglaze' kit I used would still have worked as the supplied front glazing  is very deep) but the housing on top of the magnet assembly was too close to the cab, even if I gave it some heavy-duty filing, and I decided that it would have just looked a different kind of awkward, so it retains that 'classic' if flawed appearance!

[The Johnster]

I sort of accept that it’s a Bagnall and real life Bagnalls are lumpy pieces of kit. 

[Barclay]

22 hours ago, cypherman said:

Hi all,

I always wanted one of these, But never got round to buying one. Think I might just get one or two. Does any one know if you can still get finer wheels for this little engine.

I bought a set of Ultrascales for mine a few years ago. I did hear that they were downsizing the business and stopping the manufacture of metal gears, which are supplied as part of this wheelset, but it's worth asking if they still have any. They do make a difference!

 

Edited May 28 by Barclay

[andyman7]

On 27/05/2024 at 09:41, TomCrewe said:

I had on of these in Red when I was about 11, My step son has started a Railway for himself and Grandson and his Dad has given him his old Red Dock Shunter. We were chatting and I was reminiscing, then somehow I was on eBay and one thing lead to another, oops.

 

Now waiting eagerly for the delivery of my Black number 3 Dock Shunter. From pictures it looks in good condition with box and already has Smooth wheel sets (were they factory fitted to Later models?). I want to try to pin down year of manufacture.

 

PLAN

• Full strip down clean and check over.
• Detailing, hand rails, glazing. 
• Possible change to livery.
• DCC. (maybe sound and lights)
• Kadee couplers.

 

 

 

 

 

That would have come out of the factory in around 1972 - from 1 Jan 1972 they were branded Hornby Railways but quite a few things emerged in 1972 still in the open tray style Triang Hornby boxes. Smooth wheels were fitted from around 1971 onwards to all the 4 wheel motor bogies, I remember when they could still be bought as spares but unsurprisingly they ran out eventually as people swapped out the older wheelsets.

The only other change of note before production stopped in 1977 was the modification of the bufferbeam to include buffer stocks, presumably as the brass round buffers with stocks had ceased to be used on any other model by that time and it allowed the standard plastic buffer to be used instead.

[Halvarras]

'Dock Shunter Fest' at Elaine's Trains this morning - SIX up for grabs! 

 

https://elaines-trains.co.uk/index.php?pg=new

 

Anyone up for a fleet of 'em?!

[Dagworth]

3 minutes ago, Halvarras said:

Anyone up for a fleet of 'em?!

Been there, done that....

 

 

Sorry about the poor quality of the image, it's the only one I have of the fleet.

 

(If anyone comes across any dock shunters in that livery please let me know, thanks)

 

Andi

 

 

[TomCrewe]

On 27/05/2024 at 11:07, kernowtim said:

Ultrascale made drop in replacement wheelsets at one time, I considered getting a set for a tri-ang blue pullman but they were fairly expensive in comparison with what the model cost, and that was probably over 30 years ago 🙄

 

Ultrascale is still going but has a 10 month waiting time, any alternatives?