Hornby MK3 - removing First Class stripe

[James90012]

Hello all

 

I’m in the murky world of Virgin HST trailers, and am interested in removing the first class stripe and ‘1’ marking from the latest Hornby MK3 TRFB (R4855) to create a better representation of a typical Virgin Cross Country TRSB rather than use the 3 window version I have already. I have researched a fair bit, and I believe I need the following:

 

To remove the ‘1’ and vehicle numbers

-T-Cut/Brasso to remove existing transfers, e.g. ‘1’ symbol and numbers

-Replacement number transfers

-A Matt spray – e.g. Halford Car Lacquer to dull the affected area

 

For the Yellow stripe, I believe I would need the following:

-Virgin Black paint – Rail Match RM261

 

My main question I suppose is what is the best way of removing the stripe – am I best just to paint it over or should I do some preparation? Would T-cut remove the yellow and leave me with the black that sits behind?

 

I’ve not made these kind of amendments previously so have also got an old Virgin MK2 I will use to trial in the first instance but would appreciate guidance so I get the right tools.

 

[Bob Reid]

More than likely 'T' cut would take off rather more than the yellow stripe if you tried to remove it entirely.  I'd gently feather the edge of the yellow stripe where it meets the black with some fine (1000 grade +) wet & dry paper bit only if necessary leaving it in place , mask it off (leaving the yellow stripe and the roof up to the first rib), then spray with Halfords Matt Black, if you don't already have the paint and an airbrush - I Say Matt because it isn't! it turns out almost satin and is a good match for the model...

[The Fatadder]

I use Microsol to remove Hornby printing, so would use that for getting rid of the 1, coach number and coach letter.

 

For the first stripe I would gently sand the joint betwen yellow and grey then respray I have used the Phoenix Virgin grey for mine

 

Is the Hornby model the ex Lima tooling or a tooling to match hornbys mk3s? I know when I did mine there was no TRSB available so I converted the Hornby buffet with Hurst Models windows and did a full respray. I made the mistake of masking off the yellow when I did the respray, so had to respray it as above.

 

Don’t use matt varnish unless you are spraying the whole rake, the coaches are finished in satin RTR.

It’s easier to remove all glazing before varnishing as the varnish will damage the glazing.

Edited November 7, 2018 by The Fatadder

[James90012]

Sorry to dig this up - thanks for the previous comments, I've finally got some time coming up to look at this properly. I think I know what to do, except for finishing the renumbering. If I use Microsol to remove the existing numbers and apply the new replacement transfers, am I likely to need to do any finishing to the new transfers?

[James90012]

Hi all

 

Just to update I've finally started this project and the microsol has worked, there is a slightly shiny finish- just wondered if that was normal and if I will need to disguise it?

 

Hopefully I've done this right!

 

Made a bit of a mess on the silver windows on the TGS though would appreciate any tips on tidying this up other than weathering which I will do eventually!

 

Cheers

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

Ye olde thread revival.

 

firstly, does anyone recommend a source of the Virgin red paint, I have two old Railmatch pots but they have gone off, the red is coming out too light and fully matt

 

and in case the original poster is watching- take off the CDL lights at the buffet counter end, along with the associated release handle on the kitchen side. Also slice off the external door handles on both doors at the buffet counter end.

 

I've gone a fair bit further and swapped the roof out for a modified Lima roof, starting with a passenger saloon roof allows addition of the four roof vents in the right place. I've done a hack-about with the windows on the kitchen side, the corridor side is "good enough" although a perfectionist would make a tweak. On the kitchen side I've copped out and left the bunk room window (the white window nearest the passenger) where Hornby, and perversely Hurst on their etch overlay, wrongly placed it as the effort in moving it outweighs the benefit.

 

This is quite a good source photo I'm using which may help (not mine, usual disclaimers apply)...

 

 

[The Fatadder]

I used Phoenix Virgin red on mine. 
photos were taken before final fettling so

there are still a couple of errors not rectified

 

 

[Les Bird]

For the window surrounds I would recommend a silver marker pen. It's much easier to control than a brush.

 

 

 

 

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

16 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

I used Phoenix Virgin red on mine. 
photos were taken before final fettling so

there are still a couple of errors not rectified

 

 

Thanks, have e-mailed my Phoneix supplier to see if they have stock, its cheaper for me to physically travel to Chelmsford than pay £5.75 for P&P on mail order.

 

I feel better now having seen your TRSB that is isn't only me that cheated with the bunk room window! But I'm planning an even bigger cheat on the two lozenge shaped non-windows on the kitchen side by applying those as transfers,when it's done will post a pic to show how it comes out unless its too embarrassing!

 

[The Fatadder]

1 hour ago, fiftyfour fiftyfour said:

Thanks, have e-mailed my Phoneix supplier to see if they have stock, its cheaper for me to physically travel to Chelmsford than pay £5.75 for P&P on mail order.

 

I feel better now having seen your TRSB that is isn't only me that cheated with the bunk room window! But I'm planning an even bigger cheat on the two lozenge shaped non-windows on the kitchen side by applying those as transfers,when it's done will post a pic to show how it comes out unless its too embarrassing!

 

 

Most annoyingly on mine the error was unintentional down to lack of knowledge / lack of attention when looking at photos.  My conversion used the window frames from Hurst cut away from the etched replacement side.  However from memory I think I used the Hurst etch as a guide for the location of the new windows….

 

Too late now to do anything about it now (and as part of a full HST rake it wont look too out of place).

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

27 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

 

Most annoyingly on mine the error was unintentional down to lack of knowledge / lack of attention when looking at photos.  My conversion used the window frames from Hurst cut away from the etched replacement side.  However from memory I think I used the Hurst etch as a guide for the location of the new windows….

 

Too late now to do anything about it now (and as part of a full HST rake it wont look too out of place).

That wasn't the only error on the Hurst, but you didn't replicate the other Hurst error by trying to fit a toilet type window between the passenger saloon and the passenger door on the kitchen side of the vehicle! I blanked my Hurst one over on the old Hurst conversions I did but those Hurst kits were a bit beyond my capability, specifically the need to shape a 10" long piece of thin metal evenly along the solebar line. I came up with a "work around" which involved slicing the Hurst etching across the middle at exactly the point where the red and white lines would meet on the InterCity livery but even then I'm not happy with the outcome.

 

Once I've done the Virgin one based on the Limby RFM I will have a go at a cut-and-shut using a Lima caterer and a Lima passenger coach- what could possibly go right?!

 

[fiftyfour fiftyfour]

My Limby Virgin TRSB is ready to enter traffic now!

 

The roof is from a Lima standard coach which has been modified with the vent at the buffet end removed and the correct roof 'pods' placed in position making the biggest visual departure from the Limby RFM with whatever is going on with the roof on that!

 

Bodyside, filled the windows on the kitchen side and remade the smaller white window and used a cut down bit of the recovered glazing. Cheat alert- I wasn't going to cut out and remake the long thin non-windows as they have not been windows since dinosaurs roamed the earth so I drew them on with the silver pen used for the window surrounds. Was considering a part-paint but ended up using Phoenix to redo all the red on the kitchen side and then replaced the white stripes using Fox, which incidentally have gone off in the 20 years since they were made and break up more than you'd like over that length. If you look closely you will see where the grey doesn't exactly 100% perfectly match, its only apparent with very good light (ie a photo flash!) and I'm going to live with that- needed to obscure the "1" and yellow first class stripe and where wrong CDL was put on the buffet end of the coach. Renewed the seating area with 2+2 standard class seat layout (hard to see through Limby heavy tint) but its in there and grey/green seat colours. Cantrail stripe replaced with orange transfer as Hornby used pretty much the same red as the body which looked wrong. Step boards, bogie springs (come on Hornby, these were NEVER red!) and other fettling before gloss spray over upto the first ridge of the roofline to match the rest of my rake. Now to find a cheap RFM as source for the INTERCITY rake, this is far superior to the Hurst etch overlay effort I knocked together 20 years ago.