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Improving a Triang-Hornby Mk1


Darius43
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Chiselled off paint demarcation lines (still learning how to do this). Primed and repainted coach sides with Phoenix maroon enamel. Repainted roof. Lining and number decals from Modelmaster. Snipped off old tension lock couplings and added new slimline ones. Replaced plastic wheels with new Hornby metal wheels. Re-glazed with acetate strips from an old report cover. Cleaned up and painted the interior.

 

Great fun!!! I have a few more to restore.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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The coach in the 'before' picture appears to have the interior the wrong way round.

 

Looks great, but is this not an upgrade as it has not been brought back to original condition?

Original condition would be self-coloured plastic, not paint, and very simpified lining so repainting is definitley an upgrade.

 

Another simple improvement it to replaced the small round buffer heads with oval ones; they just pull out, so it's easy to do. After that you could cut strips of black styrene to add footboards under the doors.

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The coach in the 'before' picture appears to have the interior the wrong way round.

 

Original condition would be self-coloured plastic, not paint, and very simpified lining so repainting is definitley an upgrade.

 

Another simple improvement it to replaced the small round buffer heads with oval ones; they just pull out, so it's easy to do. After that you could cut strips of black styrene to add footboards under the doors.

 

It did indeed - one of the easier "improvements".   An awful lot of flash had to be removed from the interior molding.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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Hi Darius,

 

The one modification that will easily improve a Triang-Hornby Mk1 is to set the bogies to the correct centres and at the same time lower the running height especially if using the correct diameter 14mm wheels. It makes a huge difference for the sake of 3mm as does the correct height of 12' 41/2" to the top of the roof which scales at 49.3mm.

 

The bogie centres need to be set at 46' 6" which works out at 186mm rather than the 189mm of the Triang coach, buffer height needs to be 14mm. The easy way to set the centres is 34mm from the outer end of the head stock.

 

I have 39 Mk1's in my to do box, all the body sides along with various cut and shuts have been done along with about half of the bogie mounts. I eventually got so bored with them all I went on to build 15 Freightliner flats, 16 Presflos and designed a laser cut Cartic-4 instead,  when I've had enough of trucks I shall get on with them.

 

Looking good so far,

 

Gibbo.

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Hi Darius,

 

The one modification that will easily improve a Triang-Hornby Mk1 is to set the bogies to the correct centres and at the same time lower the running height especially if using the correct diameter 14mm wheels. It makes a huge difference for the sake of 3mm as does the correct height of 12' 41/2" to the top of the roof which scales at 49.3mm.

 

The bogie centres need to be set at 46' 6" which works out at 186mm rather than the 189mm of the Triang coach, buffer height needs to be 14mm. The easy way to set the centres is 34mm from the outer end of the head stock.

 

I have 39 Mk1's in my to do box, all the body sides along with various cut and shuts have been done along with about half of the bogie mounts. I eventually got so bored with them all I went on to build 15 Freightliner flats, 16 Presflos and designed a laser cut Cartic-4 instead,  when I've had enough of trucks I shall get on with them.

 

Looking good so far,

 

Gibbo.

Thanks Gibbo. I wasn’t aware of the bogie centre discrepancy, however as the bogies are riveted in place and these are a friend’s coaches (from his childhood train set) I will leave the improvements to the cosmetic ones that I have done so far.

 

Looking at the interweb it seems that’s there were only four Triang Mk1 coach types: brake, composite, buffet and full brake. Is that correct?

 

Presumably that’s the reason for the cut and shunts on your coaches?

 

Cheers

 

Darius

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Thanks Gibbo. I wasn’t aware of the bogie centre discrepancy, however as the bogies are riveted in place and these are a friend’s coaches (from his childhood train set) I will leave the improvements to the cosmetic ones that I have done so far.

 

Looking at the interweb it seems that’s there were only four Triang Mk1 coach types: brake, composite, buffet and full brake. Is that correct?

 

Presumably that’s the reason for the cut and shunts on your coaches?

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Hi Darius,

 

Triang made models of the CK, BSK, RMB and SLEP, the BG is 63' 6" instead of 57' but is useful as a provider of bogie, roofs, under frames and for bits to cut and shut into other stuff.

 

There are photos and quick descriptions of the cut and shuts I have done on this thread;

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/136762-bashing-Bachmann-mk1s/page-1

 

Gibbo.

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Yes, four Mk.1s, but there were also two types of Caledonian 'Grampian' (CK & BCK) and two 'Thompson' (TK & BTK) coaches that used the same floor/bogies/roof.

 

It is possible to make SK/TSO and scale BG sides out of two sets of BSK sides (invisible joins along door lines), though that will require an underframe and roof to be shortened for the BG.

Edited by BernardTPM
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4C9217C8-C803-494E-96E0-3BD899558F8B.jpeg.f7d068c68e0044ca0ad61f039b635033.jpeg

 

9DD8F302-583B-4284-B44D-C1482507BB48.jpeg.9c2cc2bde2f714604f2b108f4bc55c96.jpeg

 

Got a few more to do and have some spare sides somewhere from the Indian Railways EMU project from a couple of years ago. Inspired by Gibbo’s examples, I may try a few cut and shuts.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited by Darius43
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attachicon.gifFD4D58AF-AE97-4545-8413-F635BE3E5C68.jpeg

 

attachicon.gif553A3990-8555-4029-8E6C-A7B390EDE99A.jpeg

 

Got a few more to do and have some spare sides somewhere from the Indian Railways EMU project from a couple of years ago. Inspired by Gibbo’s examples, I may try a few cut and shuts.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

My Mk.1 coaching stock has a very large proportion of Tri-ang-Hornby, (and Lima), upgrades in it's make-up.

 

Given that these coaches can be obtained for very little money - especially from secondhand boxes at exhibitions, etc. - a little work resetting bogie centre, fitting larger metal wheels, correcting running height and fitting correct buffers and roof vents is time well spent.

 

Cast underframe detail - from ABS at the time that I upgraded mine some twenty years ago - greatly improved accuracy and replaced the steel weight strips fitted by Tri-ang-Hornby.

 

The glazing is recessed - I can live with that - but investigating Replica flush glazing may be productive; or recessing the (detachable) sides to take flusher glazing strips is worth considering.

 

The annoying thing is that the Tri-ang coaches were originally designed to have flush glazing as per Kitmaster, but this was dropped in favour of acetate glazing strips to keep the coaches as cheap as possible. Close examination of the interior of the side mouldings will reveal features associated with moulded flush glazing.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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attachicon.gifFD4D58AF-AE97-4545-8413-F635BE3E5C68.jpeg

 

attachicon.gif553A3990-8555-4029-8E6C-A7B390EDE99A.jpeg

 

Got a few more to do and have some spare sides somewhere from the Indian Railways EMU project from a couple of years ago. Inspired by Gibbo’s examples, I may try a few cut and shuts.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Hi Darius,

 

Any questions just ask, as BernardTPM mentions you can get a BG and a SK/TSO from two BSK's without too much trouble as I did.

 

Gibbo.

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Cut and shuts are good fun!

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/136762-bashing-Bachmann-mk1s/

 

Would it bother you that the running numbers are wrong on the repaints? Sorry for asking!

 

Phil

Edited by Phil Bullock
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The flush glazing was mentioned in the 1962 Tri-ang Railways catalogue but the stated reason for not using it was the prismatic effect round the windows. Of course, cheaper might be an additonal reason... Having said that, because the sides are separate the windows are not as deeply recessed as either Lima or early Mainline Mk.1s.

 

The flush glazing did finally appear when the coaches made a return in 1996. The raised moulding lines were also removed at that time.

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I have 39 Mk1's in my to do box, all the body sides along with various cut and shuts have been done along with about half of the bogie mounts. I eventually got so bored with them all I went on to build 15 Freightliner flats, 16 Presflos and designed a laser cut Cartic-4 instead,  when I've had enough of trucks I shall get on with them.

 

Got any pics of these, especially the cartic 4?

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Would it bother you that the running numbers are wrong on the repaints? Sorry for asking!

 

Phil

Hi Phil,

 

I know the numbers aren’t right (they were on a Modelmaster sheet I had in the stash) but on the layout this train may be running in company with a Shinkansen and a Dutch double deck unit so I don’t think it will be too much of an issue :)

 

Cheers

 

Darius

Edited by Darius43
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Hi Phil,

 

I know the numbers aren’t right (they were on a Modelmaster sheet I had in the stash) but on the layout this train may be running in company with a Shinkansen and a Dutch double deck unit so I don’t think it will be too much of an issue :)

 

Cheers

 

Darius

 

The rule for normal viewing distances can apply here: if you cannot read the numbers at normal viewing distance then does it really matter if they are 'wrong' or even duplicated on different coaches? 

 

i have some coaches converted using brass sides that have been running for decades with no numbers at all. I may get around to it (a round tuit? :D ) eventually, but no one has ever commented or even noticed this at all.

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