Tavistock Junction Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot

[The Fatadder]

Paint has arrived (GWT ivory and buff) meaning in theory I can crack on with the HST.   So yesterday evening I stripped down the airbrush and soaked in IPA before throughly cleaning and reassembling.  Alas testing with the compressor hardly any air came out.   Further checks with just an open airline showed the issue is definitely the compressor, with the pressure control valve jammed closed. 
 

I’ve managed to remove it from the compressor (a Draper 25/186) but I can’t work out what size output I need on a replacement part.   The plan is to head over to Machinemart on Saturday taking the broken part, and try and find something that will fit.   I do still plan to get a replacement airbrush as the Badger 175 i

am using is getting on for 20 years old and showing it’s age.  But it should do the job for the outstanding jobs (HST, MEAs, 159)…

[The Fatadder]

I now have the missing part required to repair the compressor, just need to remove the safety cut off switch in order to get it fitted.  All being well it will be sorted this evening so I can get on with spraying the Hst powercar and the 47. 
 

in the meantime I have been using a Cavelex  HAA to build one of the prototype Coalfish.

At least two conversions were made circa 1994, one appears to be a pseudo Dog Fish which kept the hoppers and unloaded through the existing shoots.    The other (to the design I’ve modelled) had the bottom of the hopper cut out and a flat floor fitted.  The triangular gaps between the hopers were infilled, along with adding reinforcement across them.    The ends were fitted with a safety cage (although I can’t work out why).   In total 4 wagons were converted, which obviously were not successful given the production series wagons were completely different.

 

I think it makes for an interesting wagon, feels like it would be at home used in a similar way to the Gunnel that had the unloading  shoots welded up.   

 

 

so far the Cavelex model has been cut down to the new height and modified with the start of the lower section.   
 

The next job will be adding the frame around the top edge (including a triangular top section), and filling the joints around the side ribs.  I think I’ve got a suitable brass mesh to do the end cages, while

a lot of Archer’s rivet transfers will be needed to finish off the sides. 

[The Fatadder]

 

the next step was a start on the upper part of the wagon.  The top edge was fitted with a sheet of 10thou cut to approximately the shape of the wagon, this is intended to model the infills to the corners of the wagon.  Once fully dry it will be 

cut back to match the inner edge of the hopper moulding.   
 

this is further reinforced with a length of ten thou along the top side edge of the hopper, followed by a triangular section length along the top edge.  Finally the small infill plate at the top of the end framing was glued in place.

 

it’s now all left to dry, once fully hardened these can also be cut to size.

 

I am waiting on a delivery of a new tube of filler, which will allow the finishing of the ribs (blending into the framing).   Once that’s tidied up the end supports can be refitted.  
it will eventually end up with a ballast load to hide the interior (seeing as I’ve not converted the floor).

[The Fatadder]

I don’t have the right size spanner to undo the pressure valve on the compressor, so a   little more work on the coal fish instead.  Starting work tidying up the top edges.   

[The Fatadder]

A little project for the evening, making the first open end for one of my detailed Lima HST powercars.   I’d really like to find a way to be able to have the end open or closed, but the coupling gets in the way.  Maybe a scale bar coupling might be the answer….

 

 

eventually for the layout I need to be able to move non powered models.  As mentioned previously I will have one 08 with Dinghams and the other with buckeyes in order that everything can be shunted into the works.  At least 2 of the 3 Lima powercars will all have the open nose.  I do still need to work out a solution to the headlight lenses though, it needs a replacement part as the Lima ones look like the later style thanks to the light guides 

[The Fatadder]

I have a series of photos of "interesting" HST movements to Laira.  

• Nose door open
• Massive oil marks down the side
• Cab covered with a tarp
• Roof panels removed 
• no cab

So far I have the pair with the nose door open (one of which will eventually end up with the oil marks down the side), another will probably be finished no roof (better still if West Hill could eventually do a HST engine.....)  

The next conversion is based on a photo of an unidentified FGW powercar in blue, the cab has been cut off (intended for refinish as a spare part on a pallet).  A new bulkhead has been scratch built from plasticard, to get the body to a state at which it can be painted.  Having finally repaired my compressor this and 43008 can both be painted silver white this evening (followed by green later in the week.)

 

There is still a fair bit of work in order to finish this one, with the chassis needing a full rebuild (both to remove the moulded detail and to extend the floor / add the buffer beam.   The body will also be needing a roof rebuild with my 3d printed roof grills.  However the priority was getting it in a position where the white/green/buff can be sprayed meaning I can paint at the same time as  43008 and 47811.

Edited August 30, 2023 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

A bit more work (along with a first coat of GWT white).   I don’t have particularly good photos showing the end of the chassis frame, just 3/4 angles and blurry black and white photos from a book.  It shows the small internal buffers (presumably for protection of the chassis frames in a collision).

I’ve estimated the middle parts with the mounting plates for eth and brake pipes, along with a crude approximation of the coupling.  The latter will always be wrong given it will be fitted with a Dingham coupling rather than the prototypes bar.

 

last nights work on 43042 now fitted with couplings.  These  powercars along with the third finished Lima shell will be fitted with handrails over the next few days.

[The Fatadder]

And now for a rebuild....

I was sent another photo of the prototype on Facebook which highlighted the final quarter of the cab floor tapers inward to the buffer beam.  So the end detail was all removed before cutting the taper off and rebuilding.    For once I am not too disappointed as I was half expecting more photos to appear half way through the build.      The brackets for the air pipes are also going to need a little more work (along with a few additional pipes to add.)

 

If the rain stops I will get the second coat of white applied at lunch, the airbrush is working significantly better than it has in a very long time now that I have fixed the compressor.  The regulator must have been faulty for a long time before it fully failed.   

 

 

[The Fatadder]

Chassis rebuild is coming together, the new end just needs painting now, while the inside of the clean air compartment needs some equipment cases adding.  The underframe has been rebuilt with separate components.

 

the second coat of white has been sprayed so it should be getting GWT green either tomorrow night or over the weekend.  

 

 

The final job will be sorting out the bogies, the Lima wheels are 11.5mm rather than 13.  So it will need lowering on its bogies as well as rewheeling (as will the other 3 Lima based models).   Hopefully will be able to source some Hornby wheels to finish it off

[The Fatadder]

Some more minor work on the powercars last night, minor paint repairs to bits where the masking has failed along with fitting a new roof grill to the cab-less powercar.  
 

47811 is proving one of those projects where something always goes wrong.  With the paint running in a couple of places on one side.  This has now been sanded back and needs a quick dusting of green paint to blend in the repairs.   The plan had been to spray this (along with the buff lower stripe on the HSTs.  But instead I’ve caught Covid (not exactly unexpected seeing as the family have all had it over the past week).  Which has naturally put something of a blocker on doing any painting today.   So far it just feels like bad flu, but enough that you wouldn’t want to be wearing the face mask and spraying! 
 

this was taken before doing the paint repairs, showing off the finished cab end 

[The Fatadder]

For the next step I’ve just sourced enough new Hornby 13mm wheels with disk brake inserts from Hornby spares.  It will need some work to get them to fit (no doubt needing to be sleeved as I’m sure Lima use an odd axle diameter.)

 

the bogies will need lowering as well seeing as the current wheels are far too small.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

The curse of 47811 strikes again, this regulator was fitted to my compressor 2weeks ago.  Today was the forth time using it, I stepped out of the line of fire about 30s before it failed.  Every time I work on this model something goes wrong.  What’s the odds it ends up taking a nose dive off the fiddleyard at its next show.  No more painting until I can get another regulator sorted (any suggestions other than Machine Mart?)

[The Fatadder]

While work on 47811 (and tomorrows planed correction of the missing silver grey paint on my SWT 159) is now on hold until I can get a new regulator for the compressor.  Most of the remaining work on the HST pair uses aerosols.   So the roofs have now been sprayed grey.
 

All of my existing GWT hsts have the buff stripe hand painted, I was only really planning to spray it on these as the airbrush would already be in use repairing the green on 47811.  So once the grey was dry (nice and quick with automotive paints) the lower side was hand painted buff (having masked both at the same time.)

 

the cab less powercar just needs some touch ups to the dirty end, while 43008 needs the yellow / black end spraying over the next couple of days.  By the weekend they should both be fully transferred up…

 

I will also be ordering the baseboards for the layout tomorrow (even off construction won’t start for a long time still).

[The Fatadder]

As mentioned previously the Lima wheels are far too small in their HST powercars.   Thankfully Hornby sell their super detail HST powercar wheels for a bargain £1 an axle for the powered bogie wheels.   Once the gear is removed they are perfect for my needs.   Of course the bogie needs lowering as a result to maintain the ride height (which will come later).

 

All of these are unpowered so no need to worry about pancake motor rewheeling.

Lima vs Hornby wheels

 

the two wip powercars have now been given a coat of Klear in advance of starting the transfers.

 

the next step will be lowering the bogies

[The Fatadder]

Finally feeling well enough for some modelling after two days really struggling with Covid.

 

 

43008 has now been fully fitted with transfers, as has the powercar without a cab (now numbered as 43031).  Both have been varnished and are ready for reassembly.   43031 has also been fitted with its Hornby wheels.

[Neal Ball]

43 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Finally feeling well enough for some modelling after two days really struggling with Covid.

 

 

43008 has now been fully fitted with transfers, as has the powercar without a cab (now numbered as 43031).  Both have been varnished and are ready for reassembly.   43031 has also been fitted with its Hornby wheels.

They’ve come on really well Rich - sorry to hear about Covid, I didn’t realise it was still around in the UK.

 

Today as well as studying the Henley signal diagram, I’ve also been reading the Haynes HST manual - the intricacies of the differing cooler groups! I’m onto the front end arrangements at the moment…. Fascinating but very dull stuff!

 

Hope you get rid of the Covid stuff soon,

Neal.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

Now glazed and almost finished, need to rewire the replacement lighting unit (Hornby spares were wired the wrong way round for the chassis).  It will also need the exhaust deflector refitting (a part for which I’ve never been happy with Hornby’s effort.)
The rear doors have the wrong glazing (no frame detail) pending me getting on with finishing a replacement etched frame…

[The Fatadder]

 

the cab-less powercar still needs lowering, looking very high next to a 47

[The Fatadder]

Lowering was the next job, the Lima wheels were something like 11mm while the Hornby ones are to scale at 13mm.  So it needs 1mm removing.   Fortunately it has a circa 1mm thick boss on the top surface of the bogie which can be easily cut off bringing it down to the right height.  So the first 3 powercars are all now converted.  I’m still undecided what’s happening with the 4th Lima model, it may just end up fitted to jacks in the works having a bogie swap.

 

 

[The Fatadder]

One for @James Makin based on that 1998 Rail photo:

 

Not sure how it ended up on the Newquay branch on a working from Bristol to Laira though…

[The Fatadder]

Class 47s on the workbench this evening, with 47846 finally getting fitted with handrails and 47830 getting the Shawplan bufferbeam side upgrade painted black.

 

I’ve also finally fitted the (second) new regulator to the air compressor so I should get the final coat of green on 47815 later in the week.   Must resist doing another to compete the set…..     It does remind me that I need to order another set of Shawplan boiler port plate etches to finish it off.

[The Fatadder]

A little more progress on a couple of projects late last night, 47846 is now fully painted and can rejoin its sisters on the shelf awaiting construction progress on the new layout (at which point it will be finished off with DCC, couplings and buffer beam detailing).

 

With that out the way the plan had been to get a decoder wired into 37262, but as I couldnt find a suitable chip instead I dug out the Cavelex prototype Coalfish conversion that had been sprayed yellow last week.  There were a few bits of rework (I had not spotted the end supports had been cut down as as part of the conversion), before painting the body grey (and touching up the black chassis )  It now needs a decision as to how I will tackle the end platforms, and transfers to finish off.  Given the prototype's lack of usefulness I am in no rush to finish this.  It will end up spending its life either on my display shelves or on the DEMU stand at shows...

Edited September 25, 2023 by The Fatadder

[The Fatadder]

A little more work on my forth GWT 47 over lunch today, adding the majority of the transfers.

 

it does need a small sticker between the number and tops panel (I think a dragon) per the below cropped from Flickr.  It will also still need the cantrail adding to the cab roof and the boiler port plates adding once I get some more Shawplan parts.

 

 

one set of transfers left in the pack now, do I need to do number 5……..

 

[The Fatadder]

47815 was varnished at lunch today and then fitted with its glazing. I’m now trying to work out if the base model was always missing its cab interiors as well as it’s lights or have I just miss placed them.   Everything else was put in a project bag so I can’t understand why I wouldn’t have put the interiors in there as well…

 

handrails will be the next job, with one exception (a broken long cab front handrail) these can at least just re use the Bachmann ones. 
 

I can then join the long list of stock needing rewiring (and in this case new lighting boards) as the base model I’ve used was newer than the chassis and the lights are not interchangeable between them.

Edited September 29, 2023 by The Fatadder

[Neal Ball]

Another productive lunch hour Rich. Your GWT fleet is certainly coming on - even if you’ve misplaced a desk… it’ll turn up, probably when you’ve just bought the replacement.

 

Ive finally heard back from the guy on eBay about the lights for my HST, so will finally be able to get that sorted out.