Tavistock Junction Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot

[The Fatadder]

Back home after Christmas and a little work on a couple more Hornby Rudd.  One of those things where I didn’t really plan on doing more, saw a couple on eBay with a low start price and put a minimum bid on it just in case which ended up winning.

 

both were annoyingly the same Mainline branded example to which I had already renumbered my first Rudd.  After some research I’ve found another with the large Mainline logo on Ginge’s smugmug that it can be changed to, while the second has lost its mainline logos and ended up as a wagon with 3 large grey squares on the side (Tim Horn photo).   
 

I actually found two more I’d like to do (one with a small transrail logo, the other tlf-w branding). So looks like eventually it will need more…..

 

 

both wagons have had the usual modifications sliming the tops of the sides and replacing the moulded handrails on the ends, along with repairs to the second hand models (adding a missing step from a scrap Parkside kit and drawing up a replacement buffer to print)

[The Fatadder]

Finishing touches on the mk1 rmb, adding a 3d printed vent to the near side.

 

I’ve also tested a replacement part to make use of the magnets from a pair of broken hunt couplings which has worked perfectly 

[The Fatadder]

I’ve always been fascinated with the Motorail services offered by GWT/FGW in the late 90s /early 2000s. 
 

As I’ve said before I always thought they were a 2000s thing until seeing footage of the prototype van in a June 1999 service.

 

Thanks to @LMSfan72 for making some adjustments to his 3d print of the production series NVA to allow for the slight changes.  I’ve drawn up my own transfers for it, and I think FGW blue looks a reasonable match to the body and a white band for the logos.

[The Fatadder]

While I was spraying yesterday I could hear an air leak from the joint between the regulator and the compressor, something of a concern given the previous Machine Mart part's spectacular failure when the thread sheered clean off at full pressure and fired it across the garage.

 

So with the plan being that I would spray the white on the NVA over lunch today in order that I could complete it over the weekend, the first job was checking the regulator was tightly attached (it was) then angling to compressor away from where I'd be standing.

 

Im glad I did because as soon as the tank was up to pressure the regulator blasted off into the wall!   So once again I am now without a compressor.  This time I cant be bothered to go back to Machine Mart and get another replacement, I think I have two options, either replace it with a new one or replace the broken fitting with a better quality part.  I have unbolted the remains from the regulator and I am now looking for approx a 40mm BSP extension adaptor that is male to male  (alternatively the pneumatics supply company I bought the last two extenders from sell a male to male nipple which would do the job (in Stainless rather than Brass).  Though of course I need to buy yet another extender as the end of the thread is still jammed in there...

 

Given the current paint queue consists of the NVA, a bunch of 37 ends and the NSE 159 (plus a bunch of weathering jobs) its pretty gutting for the compressor to fail during a period of ok spraying weather...

 

 

So instead this evening ive converted another Bachmann mk2f into a mk2d TSO

Window has been filled on one side / cut out on the other, logos removed, I have reused the original glazing for the new toilet window.  On the roof I have removed one roof vent (while the two missing ones will eventually be added with a print.)  

 

A few other jobs included adding an orange cantrail stripe, and fitting a set of Hurst Models CDL lights

It still needs a respray of the grey band, Intercity transfers, the aforementioned roof vents and the new bufferbeams adding.  Ive yet to print the buffers so that wont get finished until later in the year.

 

i also finished painting the Barbel, though I think the grey could do with

fading a fair bit 

Edited January 26 by The Fatadder

[21A Desperado]

Hi Rich, Ive really enjoyed reading your thread and your modelling is inspirational. Looking forward to more updates  :)

[The Fatadder]

It’s funny how things come around sometimes. 
 

Back when the Hornby class 50 was released I had a large fleet of 1980s machines, along with 50031 in preserved 1998/9 condition.

 

Over time most of these were redundant, and slowly sold off over time leaving me with 4 locos remaining.  50001 in revised early NSE (currently for sale), 007 in GWR 150 which I’m undecided on its date, 149 in Railfreight as a shelf queen / occasional photo on Wheal Imogen and 50002 in large logo with black roof.  Of the sales the first to go was 50031.

 

The latter was a prototype for an upgrade programme that never happened, with replacement bodyside grills and lots of extreme etchings bits.   It was also never finished, the Replica cantrail line kept falling off (and was never added to the other side) it’s missing some handrails and a door window and the underframe still has the hideous Hornby sand weathering.   In other words it’s not in a sellable state, but is highly detailed and has some sentimental value.

 

The solution logically is to get the paints out and renumber it to 031 along with respraying the roof once the compressor is fixed.

 

While the body is off the glazing can be soaked in ipa to lift Hornby’s sand, and the chassis repainted.

 

I’ve managed to remove the 02 ready for replacement with a 31, along with removing the replica cantrail transfer to be replaced with the excellent Railtec product. 
 

naturally I placed a order with Shawplan about 4 hours before I came up with this idea, so the plates will have to wait until later in the year (unless someone has a set of Hood plates but would prefer to have Superb) 

 

So approximately ten years after I sold my Hornby 50031 it looks like I’m about to make another.

 

Now I just need to decide what I’m doing with 007…..

[rob D2]

I used an orange paint pen for one cantrail, very slightly over thick , but better staying power than decals 

[The Fatadder]

Thanks to @Southwich I have got rid of the majority of my remaining P4 wagon/coach wheels, meaning this evening I have set to work getting my mk3s back to OO.  So far having completed a full set of GWT and a full set of Virgin.  The former is complete with couplings so it will be good to give it a proper test on Brent sometime soon (though I will need to sort out some decoders for the powercars first).

 

I do still have quite a few wheels left that I am looking to swap:  Maygibs are solid steel, Branchlines are solid nickel silver.  There may be some surface rust on axles / overspray that needs cleaning up.

Bachmann 158 (old model) > Maygib wheels with Bachmann gears / sleeved axles 

2* Bachmann 159 > Ultrascales (nickel silver) 

Maygib 10.5mm *8

Maygib / Colin Craig 10.5mm *8 (these are fitted with Colin Craig brake disks on the inside and outside of the wheels)

Branchlines 14mm * 11

Exactoscale 14mm * 10 (assembled)

Branchlines 14mm *6 no pin points

Maygib 14,5mm * 7 no pinpoints

Gibson 14mm disk brakes *7

Gibson 14mm Maunsell *1

Gibson 14mm disk *4

Gibson GWR tender *3

Gibson 3hole disk 12mm * 3

Gibson split spoke 12mm *3

Ultrascale 2 axle Lima 

Ultrascale 14mm *3

Gibson Hornby Class 50

 

No doubt I still have a few more kicking around that I have missed (particularly those with odd quantities), but I think this is pretty much it 

 

[saxokid]

18 hours ago, The Fatadder said:

Thanks to @Southwich I have got rid of the majority of my remaining P4 wagon/coach wheels, meaning this evening I have set to work getting my mk3s back to OO.  So far having completed a full set of GWT and a full set of Virgin.  The former is complete with couplings so it will be good to give it a proper test on Brent sometime soon (though I will need to sort out some decoders for the powercars first).

 

I do still have quite a few wheels left that I am looking to swap:  Maygibs are solid steel, Branchlines are solid nickel silver.  There may be some surface rust on axles / overspray that needs cleaning up.

Bachmann 158 (old model) > Maygib wheels with Bachmann gears / sleeved axles 

2* Bachmann 159 > Ultrascales (nickel silver) 

Maygib 10.5mm *8

Maygib / Colin Craig 10.5mm *8 (these are fitted with Colin Craig brake disks on the inside and outside of the wheels)

Branchlines 14mm * 11

Exactoscale 14mm * 10 (assembled)

Branchlines 14mm *6 no pin points

Maygib 14,5mm * 7 no pinpoints

Gibson 14mm disk brakes *7

Gibson 14mm Maunsell *1

Gibson 14mm disk *4

Gibson GWR tender *3

Gibson 3hole disk 12mm * 3

Gibson split spoke 12mm *3

Ultrascale 2 axle Lima 

Ultrascale 14mm *3

Gibson Hornby Class 50

 

No doubt I still have a few more kicking around that I have missed (particularly those with odd quantities), but I think this is pretty much it 

 

Keep up top modelling work Rich,many thanks neil..

[The Fatadder]

Having finished rewheeling my mk3s back to OO last night, this evening I wanted to sort some powercars to go with them 

 

So 43191 finally had its lights wires up, before swapping bodies with my Intercity 172 (which will end up on a Lima chassis) and a new Hornby body that will probably get an identity change to a partial white front.

 

I think I’ve mentioned before the the roofs on my GWT powercars are all wrong, I thought they were falcon grey but apparently it was black.  I wi probably repaint them all with a weathered black mix (but no doubt all the cantrail linking will need redoing 

[The Fatadder]

One thing I did have an issue was refitting the cab into the FGW Hst.   Hornby have a different light bar in the new model (presumably it has more lighting functions and the ability to have all 4 lights lit like the prototype GW powercars.
So I’ve swapped it out with the body that was providing the chassis (172 in intercity) which in turn will get a rebuilt Lima chassis eventually.  As with most locos I hate spring contacts for the lights so as a matter of course hard wire them to the pcb instead.
 

longer term the intention is to replace all the Hornby lighting with new boards that give full control.  Ideally I want a surface mount board along the lines of the kit I bought for the 158, that can be glued behind the Hornby without the existing light guides. 

 

Of course refitting the cab interiors is a real pain, and always seems to result in a seat braking off.  (Not to mention some of the spares I’ve bought over the years don’t have seats in the first place.)
 

I have a plan to resolve this, 3d printing two seats on a base plate that can be stuck in place inside the cab interior while it is fitted to the model (once the lights are tested)

[97406]

On 23/12/2023 at 22:31, The Fatadder said:

A start on a project for 2024…
I’ve had a last gen EWS 37/4 body in the scrap box for a while (formally it was 521 with the wrong grills before I replaced the body with the 2022 Bachmann).  The plan is to use it as a test bed for the windscreen modifications, to see if I can change them without a full respray.  At which point it will be stripped and converted to 37902 with the Shawplan kit.   So far one windscreen has been prepared (and test fitted with a scrap etch) but I’m still thinking there’s no chance of avoiding the respray.

 

 

I still have 37403 and 37710 in the core Wheal Imogen fleet without the full windscreen mod and keep debating retrofits, given lack of body availability for the latter and the complexity of the repainted BR logos for the former.

 

for 510, 230 and 057 I’m much more likely to either do a whole upgrade or a body swap / respray.   At the end to the day the 10£ or so in etches plus the £100 or so  for selling the old loco and the price differential for a new one is too close to resist.    
 

 

edit: I should add the rationale behind choosing 37902 (other than the desire to tackle it from a modelling perspective.) Of all the 37/9 it was one of the few to appear in the south west in 1998/9 having been seen on the Laira fuel tanks (unclear if it also powered them on to Cornwall) plus on dogfish.  Not a useful loco per say, but at least one with a valid purpose (unlike 56049 which most likely will be appearing in the classifieds in the new year to go toward a Cavalex 56 of a prototype that actually made it to Cornwall 

 

I’ve got 9 Class 40s and a backdated Accurascale 37 with Shawplan screens and many of these have been patch painted. The key to doing this was to solder the screens and backplates, then nibble away the lower edge with a Dremel, cooling the assembly in a water bath to help prevent melting the solder. The advantage is you don’t need the cut on the bonnet tops for the screen assembly to fit into.

I documented what I did, and the learning process on my thread starting from around here:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/174625-nifkins-bridge-part-deux-the-lengthening/?do=findComment&comment=5262137

 

Note that I found a better Dremel implement for removing the bottom of the screens later on in the process. It adds a little air cooling to the job of grinding away the bases.

 

I was so pleased with the process and the results that I redid all my existing 40 screens and a number of new ones. I also have 3 old Bachmann 37s that will get done at some point.

 

Anyhow, I’m enjoying browsing through your thread.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

That makes for an interesting solution that I will have to have a go at. While I now only have 3 finished old 37s remaining (plus the one thats earmarked for 902 conversion), at least two of them are models I am less likely to upgrade to the later body (due to painting the logos on 403 and the lack of a heavyweight shell on the Loadhaul one).

 

Will attempt it when I convert the other end of 902s body which should make for a good test piece. 

[The Fatadder]

I’ve been looking for a Parsksire Grampus/Rudd kit for a while now after finding a photo of rebuilt db984788 in EWS livery.

 

 

 

[The Fatadder]

 

a little rework on the car carrier this evening, cutting in the corners of the white band along with minor repairs where I was unhappy with the masking.  It’s now ready for masking up and spraying the black roof / ends.

[The Fatadder]

roof/ends sprayed last night, will sort out the underframe painting later and reattach the bogies and buffers at which point it can go back in the stock box until the transfers are ready 

[The Fatadder]

with some buffers fitted and some more black paint on the underframe, there’s not a lot more to do on the car carrier until the transfers are ready.

 

makes a bit of a contrast between a green 47 and intercity mk2s 

[saxokid]

On 03/04/2024 at 16:07, The Fatadder said:

with some buffers fitted and some more black paint on the underframe, there’s not a lot more to do on the car carrier until the transfers are ready.

 

makes a bit of a contrast between a green 47 and intercity mk2s 

More top modelling rich🔧👌

[The Fatadder]

I started work on 47799 last year, but it has been sat waiting on a solution for the bogies.   I have gone about this project through a bit of a chaotic approach.  

It originally started with the purchase of a very reasonably priced NRM edition body from Bachmann Spares, I hadnt realised that 799 differed from 798 in that it still had the buffer beam cowling which put an end to my original plan of fitting the body to my existing chassis under a surplus RFD loco.   At this point the body was modified to correct Bachmann's mistake where they hadnt modelled the RES tail lights.

 

With the realisation I needed a new bufferbeam moulding, it was back to Bachmann Spares to source one.  For a couple of pounds more you could get a complete  unit of plastic chassis moulding, metal chassis block and fuel tanks (although the latter oddly turned out to be the Class 57 design).  Just meaning that bogies were needed, my initial though was a long planned modification fitting a scrap set of Heljan bogies.  However before doing anything drastic I had a recollection of seeing Bachmann 47 bogies on EKM's stand at Warley so decided to hold fire until seeing them at Ally Pally.  There was nothing on the stand, but looking at the website a couple of weeks later I managed to find them on their website which arrived this morning.  

I dont really have any need for a second working Royal Train 47, should I ever get round to modelling the Royal Train it will only need one working engine (likewise for the use on test trains that I intend to use them on in the mean time).   So I am not too worried that my chassis is missing a motor and the new bogies are without drive shafts.   The bogies were taken apart and had the worms removed and put aside in case one day it needs revisiting to add power.

 

And with that 47799 is ready for service, I had better crack on with fitting some handrails to my resprayed ViTrains 47798 so that it can join it.  I wish Hurst Models were still trading as I rather fancy doing a short Royal Train formation to run with it...

Edited April 10 by The Fatadder