Western Region Blue Pullman

[Barry Ten]

I thought I'd report on my long-running project to complete a Western Region Blue Pullman formation, using the Tri-ang models as a basis.

 

 

I started the model more than ten years ago, long before the announcement of Bachmann's 6-car rake. Would I have started had I known? Probably

not! But once I'd scoured ebay for the parlour cars, and obtained the various castings and etches needed to carry on, I was determined to finish

it anyway.

 

The basis of the conversion lies in Southern Pride window etches, and Chris Leigh bogie castings. Here;s a snap from early in the

work, taken in 2011. It shows one of the motor cars, with a pair of newly installed black beetle bogies. The end castings are from

Genesis, as although the Chris Leigh ones were good, I felt I could get slightly crisper results with these alternatives. In the end

my Leigh ends were donated to someone else's Blue Pullman project so hopefully they won't have gone to waste.

 

 

With some modest weighting, two black beetles are more than sufficient to propel the 8-car rake. Here's some further test-running.

when most of the carriages had been converted, and the Leigh bogies completed, including the cosmetic frames for the beetles.

 

 

At this point the intention was to finish the model in Nanking blue but I then decided to go for the later reversed blue-grey livery as it struck me that you didn't see many models of the BP in

this livery, and it would make a good contrast with the Bachmann model.

 

An extremely tedious process of priming and sanding then followed, as I tried to get a smooth, consistent finish across all the vehicles:

 

 

I found it a real swine to get the window inserts to sit flush with the sides - they were either too proud, or too recessed, leading to endless revision. Just when I'd got them right, they'd flex and

crack the primer/filler! Lesson learned. If I were doing it again, I'd fix them in place with araldite rather than the brittle superglue I initially used.

 

However, after much persistence (over a year of swearing and masking, painting, swearing, masking etc) I got the basic blue and grey on:

 

 

Although there was still a lot to be done, one thing I think it did show was how crisp the Tri-ang mouldings were for their day. The Genesis ends fit like a treat.

 

I then added the yellow ends, and there matters rested for a year as I'd run into a wall in trying to idenfity a source for the relevant decals:

 

 

Having found some decals, though (intended for repairing/refurbishing Tri-ang cars) it was time to crack on!

 

Over the last week I've finished some of the outstanding chores, such as completing the majority of the glazing

and adding interiors to most of the cars. I've also been able to test-run the complete rake as at last I finished

the trailing car.

 

 

Once I've completed a strenuous period of test running under DC, I plan to fit a sound decoder. A Warship one seems like a good bet, since I gather they used the same prime mover. Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

 

Still to be completed, besides sound:

 

underframe detail revision (the Tri-ang models all used a common underframe, so the parlour and kitchen cars need revision)

 

roof details on the kitchen cars

 

decals

 

windscreen wipers

 

possible interior and nose lighting

 

and then we'll be done!

 

Hope this is of interest.

[timbowilts]

As a fan of these units I will be following this thread.

 

More power to your elbow

 

Tim T

[Coppercap]

 

Once I've completed a strenuous period of test running under DC, I plan to fit a sound decoder. A Warship one seems like a good bet, since I gather they used the same prime mover. Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

Even if the BP may have had a similar engine, when running I would think it may have sounded rather different to the Warship's, as the BP had electric transmission, the Warship hydraulic, and I suspect the Warship had a higher revving engine too. They would sound rather different when starting the train from rest and building up speed.

[Sandhole]

This brings back memories of 70's holidays spent at The Great Western Royal hotel Paddington.

A different time, I was 13 or 14 years old and my parents were quite happy to let me loose for hours on the end of Paddington platforms!

I had my first cassette recorder and, naturally, was recording all those Hymecs, Warships and Westerns a well as the more mundane Type4s and DMUs. The Blue Pullman sets were an obvious subject!

They were an absolute beggar to record!!! They were not as loud as the mainline diesels, indeed, the loudest sound was the auxillary diesel engines powering the air conditioning units on the intermediate cars.

The main power plant was a NBL/ MAN unit, the same unit as the class 43 Warship. 

[Gibbo675]

I thought I'd report on my long-running project to complete a Western Region Blue Pullman formation, using the Tri-ang models as a basis.

 

bp1.jpg

 

I started the model more than ten years ago, long before the announcement of Bachmann's 6-car rake. Would I have started had I known? Probably

not! But once I'd scoured ebay for the parlour cars, and obtained the various castings and etches needed to carry on, I was determined to finish

it anyway.

 

The basis of the conversion lies in Southern Pride window etches, and Chris Leigh bogie castings. Here;s a snap from early in the

work, taken in 2011. It shows one of the motor cars, with a pair of newly installed black beetle bogies. The end castings are from

Genesis, as although the Chris Leigh ones were good, I felt I could get slightly crisper results with these alternatives. In the end

my Leigh ends were donated to someone else's Blue Pullman project so hopefully they won't have gone to waste.

 

 

With some modest weighting, two black beetles are more than sufficient to propel the 8-car rake. Here's some further test-running.

when most of the carriages had been converted, and the Leigh bogies completed, including the cosmetic frames for the beetles.

 

 

At this point the intention was to finish the model in Nanking blue but I then decided to go for the later reversed blue-grey livery as it struck me that you didn't see many models of the BP in

this livery, and it would make a good contrast with the Bachmann model.

 

An extremely tedious process of priming and sanding then followed, as I tried to get a smooth, consistent finish across all the vehicles:

 

 

I found it a real swine to get the window inserts to sit flush with the sides - they were either too proud, or too recessed, leading to endless revision. Just when I'd got them right, they'd flex and

crack the primer/filler! Lesson learned. If I were doing it again, I'd fix them in place with araldite rather than the brittle superglue I initially used.

 

However, after much persistence (over a year of swearing and masking, painting, swearing, masking etc) I got the basic blue and grey on:

 

 

Although there was still a lot to be done, one thing I think it did show was how crisp the Tri-ang mouldings were for their day. The Genesis ends fit like a treat.

 

I then added the yellow ends, and there matters rested for a year as I'd run into a wall in trying to idenfity a source for the relevant decals:

 

 

Having found some decals, though (intended for repairing/refurbishing Tri-ang cars) it was time to crack on!

 

Over the last week I've finished some of the outstanding chores, such as completing the majority of the glazing

and adding interiors to most of the cars. I've also been able to test-run the complete rake as at last I finished

the trailing car.

 

 

Once I've completed a strenuous period of test running under DC, I plan to fit a sound decoder. A Warship one seems like a good bet, since I gather they used the same prime mover. Or does anyone have a better suggestion?

 

Still to be completed, besides sound:

 

underframe detail revision (the Tri-ang models all used a common underframe, so the parlour and kitchen cars need revision)

 

roof details on the kitchen cars

 

decals

 

windscreen wipers

 

possible interior and nose lighting

 

and then we'll be done!

 

Hope this is of interest.

Hi Barry,

 

Nice work with the Pullman.

 

The engine and traction equipment was the same as the NBL class 22's which being diesel electrics may sound right and were rather unfortunately also unreliable junk!

 

I cut and shut a Triang Pullman into a Midland Pullman using Lima class 73 bogies and modified MK2 bogies it is painted up in the original livery without the white around the windows over the kitchen areas. I didn't go to the  trouble of replacing the cabs though.

 

Gibbo

[47164]

Hi, looks good , did you at all look at the Genesis bogies ? , I am working on an old kitmaster power unit having painted it now in reverse blue grey, it has a correct trailing bogie, and adding Hornby type jumper cables on the front from a class 50 pack. I might look at your Lima route it makes good sense vs the existing triang type option.

I have also flush glazed a triang unit and coaches a very easy transformation, but mulling over the catering vechicle with a sticker overlay off eBay where the grey is a bit darker and a need a find a further carriage to rearrange the windows.