Bachmann Class 37 detailing

[37 011]

I am new to the hobby but have finally got round to building a layout based on the GE mainline 1978-81 ish. This requires a good stock of class 37s (as well as 31s and 47s) to cover a working timetable based on contemporary mandatory and discretionary timetables, which I have been lucky enough to track down. I have seen a number of excellent threads from a few years ago on improving the already impressive Bachmann offer, including a rather inconclusive debate on whether to lower the body, raise the bogie frames or both. My first loco which was originally 37 003, I have renumbered as 37 116 (SF), one of the last GE machines to retain its four digit headcode and I have represented the headcode based on two photographs dated February 1979. I am not a total rivet counter (just as well as I have just discovered that from 37 114 onwards roof panels were welded and not riveted) and am reasonably pleased with the results thus far (although I have not yet finished the ‘plumbing’), but the one thing which I think would really improve the model is the fitting of Laserglaze windscreens and surrounds. These seemed to be readily available in the early 2010s but I can’t track them down anywhere on the web. Does anyone know whether the kits are still available? And I will ask the inevitable ...question[...what do you think of it so far? attachment=931672:663AE785-08C9-4A6E-A558-E097F53B6DD9.jpeg]

[cal.n]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Your 37 looks amazing and I would love to see more of your layout. 

 

Shawplan still produce windscreen surrounds and the laser-glaze to go with it here:

 

http://www.shawplan.com/extreme_loco4mm.html

 

Product code EEDP37-12(b).

[sb67]

Nice photo's, like to know how you detailed and weathered the loco, it looks great. I'd also love to see more of your layout as living in Essex a GE mainline is right up my street.

Steve.

Edited November 27, 2017 by sb67

[rob D2]

Nice looking tractor.

 

I like to mess with them a bit. I’m just contemplating sandpipes from wire and I’m trying to install shawplan brake levers.

 

Interested to hear what you think about lowering the ride height

[37114]

Welcome to the forum. Re the welded roof's, they were from 37096 onwards. Class 37's are a minefield for details to be honest. Off the top of my head other watch out's for split box machines are:

- D6700 - 6705 (37119,  37001 - 37005) and D6769 to D6795 (37069 to 37095) had extra cantrail dividing bars, the first 6 were to a slightly different design

- 37073, 37074 and 37091 were converted to centre boxes in the lat 60's/early 70's after accidents

-37006, 019, 065, 075, 100 and 112 had the headcode boxes replaced with marker lights at one end, all to varying designs.

- 37072 had a centre headcode box and cab mounted horns at one end after an accident. 

 

Re the Bachmann 37, you can do loads to them, I have spent more on mine in detailing bits than they originally cost:

- PHD steps for the bogies - Not convinced on the merits of this to be honest, especially as my locos get a battering in the stock boxes and the steps are fragile.

- Raising the bogie side frames, makes a big difference and worth the effort

- Laserglaze and window surrounds- As above

- Fan Grilles - Worth the effort and my number one change

- Remove the raised lip around the front of the headcode box face, it is too prominent

- Recess the corners of the underframe tanks, open out the gap between them and build the brackets that hold the tans in place.

 

Good luck with your projects..

[cal.n]

Never seen anyone raising the bogie frames on the Bachy 37, it is a popular mod for Lima and Farish 37s. Any links to a thread showing the process?

[37114]

Never seen anyone raising the bogie frames on the Bachy 37, it is a popular mod for Lima and Farish 37s. Any links to a thread showing the process?

 

See post 113 in the below link

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/1730-pallet-lane-1977-br-blue-urban-branch-line/page-5

 

Some more photos of other mods:

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63169-Bachmann-class-37-improvements/

[Mad McCann]

The Shawplan windscreen replacement etch is an excellent thing BUT do proceed very slowly and carefully with this stage! I have done two so far and I proceeded as above with the first. It looks excellent. The second one I undertook at a time when my head was full of learning a new craft so I paid a bit less attention to the job and this was reflected in the result.

So yes, go ahead and do this replacement because done right it really lifts the model. 'Slowly' and 'Carefully' are the critical buzzwords though!

 

D4.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Mad McCann

[37 011]

Thanks for the info, tips and comments. This is my first go, so was aiming for the right feel without necessarily getting all the detail right. Will practise some of the trickier detailing on a second hand model! I will try the fan grilles, raising and narrowing the bogie frames (ever so slightly, the brake levers and the windscreens. I am not convinced by the PHD steps. The detail on them is great but the gap between the top and middle step is too wide and from any distance above six inches I think they look worse than the original! Not worth the effort I suspect.

 

For the renumbering I used the widely suggested method of cocktail stick, T-Cut and cotton bud to remove the original number and data panel. I used the Railtec bespoke service to get transfers for 37 116, which as a novice I thought would be easier than putting the number together from a generic sheet. The Railtec sheet also incuded data panels, shed code, coupling symbols and electrification flashes. My original model only had one set of electrification flashes on the body side whereas the prototype had two as did most. I have just noticed from the photos of the prototype that the Blue Star coupling symbols were the fatter variety used at Crewe rather than the sharper Doncaster version, but I haven’t got round to that yet!

 

The headcode boxes I tackled with some trepidation but they were really straightforward. With a modelling knife I gently prised out the headcode shutter frames and then teased out the original glazing. My first thought was to erase the printed headcode on the back of the glazing with T-Cut but this turned opaque in the process. Instead I used Precision Labes film cutting out the individual headcode numbers..in this case 00 00 at one end and 00 0* at the other. The numbers are set out on vertical strips which allows you to show part numbers or numbers slightly out of horizontal alignment as on many prototypes. Each character was carefully placed onto the self adhesive frames provided. These were cut to size and inserted into the headcode boxes. For the glazing I used squares carefully cut from the clear plastic outer sleeve of the Bachmann packaging, trimming them exactly to size before placing them on top of the rebate in the headcode boxes. I then glued the shutters back into place. In retrospect the film containing the headcodes looks a bit too far recessed in the boxes, but the shutters are delicate and I am reluctant to remove them again. So I will live with that for now. The film is designed to be backlit and works perfectly in that regard.

 

 

 

For the weathering I took the line that less is more. Stratford looked after its locos very well and grubby examples were very much the exception. I employed a dry brush using the excellent Lifecolor acrylic Rail Weathering set, which is very forgiving for a beginner. For the bodysides I started with a light coating of a very dilute weathered black to take off the plasticky look of the pristine model. In places I used a cotton bud and some T-cut to create small shiny areas. This sounds a bit odd but it breaks up the uniformity of the finish and gives the impression of bumps and dents in the bodysides. In one or two places I used tiny dabs of Lifecolour rust effect acrylics and pigments, being careful not to overdo it. For the roof and top of the nose I used weathered black and other blacks in the Lifecolor Blacks set to build up exhaust deposits. I did this too on the windscreen surrounds and the centre windscreen. I paid particular attention to the bogies. My impression is that uniformly weathered bogies don’t look quite right. Going back to the prototype, the pattern was for lighter ‘brake dust’ shades to be in evidence at either end of the bogie frames and on the bottom sections of the frames. I mixed various shades of ‘sleeper grime’ and frame dirt for the rest of the frames with some darker areas of weathered black to represent exposire to oil spillages and leaks which had then been covered by road dirt. Around the springs and bearing covers I used the Lifecolor ‘Spillages and Leaks’ set to give the impression of grease, and finally added a few dabs of rust. For the tanks, I mixed frame dirt and brake dust and then added darker areas to represent fuel spills finished with ‘spillages and leaks’ to give a still-wet effect.

 

My layout is at a very early stage. The permanent baseboard was built for me by a professional carpenter friend, I have achieved a design which I am happy with and am in the process of refining my skills before I start in earnest! The track in the photo is C&L Bullhead which I will use for the sidings, whilst using C&L flat bottomed for the running lines. I have been experimenting with ballast as you can probably tell in the photos. The best effect I have achieved so far is with a 1/3 to 2/3 blend of Woodland scenices medium and fine grey. Medium on its own looks way too coarse and fine on its own looks too sand-like. I have experimented with blends of Lifecolor rail weathering shades for the ballast, looking carefully at photos to get the right distribution of colouring to avoid it looking too uniform. For the rails themselves I played around with sleeper grime, frame dirt and soupçons of brake dust and track dirt. It is pretty painstaking doing this with a brush but again it gives you the opportunity to vary things a bit as in the original. Oddly. I found the track dirt colour itself to be too red and rust like on it's own.

 

The section I am modelling is between Colchester and Manningtree using a bit of poetic licence to recreate the sidings at Ardleigh which were lifted in the 1960s, using the 1964 signal frame diagram for the Ardleigh box as a guide. Again anachronistically, I will represent Ardleigh station which was closed in 1968 just showing the disused platforms. I am toying with the idea of modelling the point at which colour lights replaced semaphores on this stretch with the new lights in place but not yet operable and the cable ducting ready for installation by the line-side.

 

Thanks again for your help ans comments

Edited November 28, 2017 by 37 011

[rob D2]

Good info there.

From the ancient photo books I have, I agree that Stratford really did a good job . A time when pride was taken.

 

I did 37116 in its later transrail “ sister Dora “ guise.

[gobbler]

In 1981 I was in the first year at Bramston school in Witham in the art block which was on the 3rd floor watching 31's, 37's & 47's hauling passenger and freight up and down the lines. Some double headed.

 

There was also a steel footbridge down a track from Hatfield Peverel station, where I stood waiting for the diesels to thunder past underneath me, the sound, smell and the vibration they caused are still vivid memories.

 

Ah.........the heady days of part of my youth..........

 

The only diesels I see these days are very rare. A year ago or so there was a nuclear flask being pulled by a 20 and a 37 through Marks Tey.

 

P.S. nice 37 btw. 31's & 37's are my favourite diesels

Edited November 29, 2017 by gobbler

[37 011]

Have now started on 37 number 2, the eponymous 37 011 (MR). I have renumbered this from 37 034 purchased from Teral Trains last year. The loco runs beautifully but in its bought condition was lightly weathered with light grey which makes it look like it spent its days on clayliners. I have just worked on one side so far gently removing some of the grey but keeping most of it as a base for dry brushing for more East Anglian weathering effects (I have not finished the tanks). The more eagle eyed will notice that the cab side numbers are rather high but this is true to the prototype in the late 70s. Whilst not quite up to Stratford standards, March locos were kept pretty clean.

 

I have now ordered laser glaze windows, grilles and brake levers from Shawplan and will let you know how I get on adding them to 37 no 3!

Edited November 29, 2017 by 37 011

[sb67]

Thanks for the info 37 011. I'll look forward to seeing your updates.

Steve.

[crazynitwit]

Try springside models vacuum brakes and steam heating pipes.