Drouefstein - from French loco to English Industrial

[SteveyDee68]

Over on the Pugbash thread, I started writing about my latest project to “Anglicise” a Jouef diesel loco that I got off eBay for the princely sum of £22. I decided to replicate that topic in a separate thread mainly so I can easily refer back to it in future (but also to avoid filling up that thread with a “blow by blow” account).

 

The seller described it as being painted in a “blue livery” which was odd as it is most definitely green!!

 

Side on, it’s pretty obvious that this is an HO model of a European prototype, but what caught my fancy was the jackshaft driven wheels.

 

 

Long bonnet - seller’s photos, taken on a windowsill!

 

Short bonnet end - the metal tension lock loops were (I think) of Triang Hornby parentage, glued onto the buffer beam which itself was part of the chassis. End on, it is clear that the buffers are to HO scale as they are too narrow for OO.!

 

 

From underneath, the coarse flanges on the wheels suggested an older model, and there is a lot of play between the wheels and motion!! @Moxy identified the model as being of a DB V60 (or 260/261 class), and that it actually dates from 1978 (so I was right about it being an older model!) For anyone interested, he also provided the following link - http://www.joueftrains.com/diesel locomotives.htm)

 

What appealed to me about the model was that it has the hunkered down look of an industrial shunter, and so that is the intention of this project.

 

A replacement cab based upon that of the Drewery 04 (which when held against the model is almost exactly the same size as the current cab) should go a long way to Anglicising this European diesel into something suitable to potter around an industrial themed layout!

 

HOURS OF FUN!

Edited May 26, 2023 by SteveyDee68

[SteveyDee68]

I’m tempted to say “It lives … it lives!!” in keeping with the nickname Jouefstein, but really all that happened was that I have got some bits of the Dapol kit for the Drewery 04 shunter and placed them on the running plate to see what I might see…

 

Quite by coincidence, the cab is exactly the right width over the plastic moulding that joins front and rear bonnets together! Of course, the bonnets themselves are far wider and taller than on the 04, so a new cab front and rear will need to be fashioned from scratch, with appropriately sized/shaped windows to clear the bonnets.

 

I shall have to have a think about whether to cut out the “joining block” in the cab so it is below cab window level - it does provide a lot of strength along the body moulding, so maybe I would be better to paint it matt black and hope the glazing covers it?

 

Steps from the Drewery kit will be fitted below the doors on each side. I am wondering about whether the bonnet end from the kit might be replicated or even grafted onto/into the base model… hmmmm 🤔

 

HOURS OF FUN!

[SteveyDee68]

@41516 made the following comment …

 

“Might I suggest turning the cab the other way round to give space for the control desk at the engine end and the doors at the fuel tank end?”

Now, I had placed the cab sides on in that orientation because there were interior mouldings on the sides which propped up against the inner block (which narrows partway down between the two bonnets) - the other way around they wouldn’t stand upright to take the photo!

 

Of course, now I know they need to be on the other way, it makes sense to do so!

 

Edited May 28, 2023 by SteveyDee68

[SteveyDee68]

Progress … of sorts…

 

I used the Dapol kit cab front to cut a card template to work out how much more to cut away to clear the larger bonnets and, by doing so, have discovered that the cab sides are, in fact, slightly longer than the gap provided in the original Jouef moulding!
 

My mis-measuring I shall put down to the Dougal Effect*

 

Therefore, to  enable an 04 Drewery size cab to fit, the chunk of plastic covering the motor and joining the two bonnets will have to go. So far, the shorter bonnet has been detached, and the excess plastic (where the original cab slotted on and seated itself) has been laboriously whittled away.

 

I now have a short bonnet which can move along towards the buffer beam by approx 1mm to allow the new cab to fit. I could say “job done” and concentrate upon fettling up some cab fronts, but I am now of a mind to remove the rest of the “motor cover”, as by so doing it will give far more surface area to glue the new cab ends to the existing bonnets than if left in place.

 

UPDATE

 

Both bonnets separated … and showing the motor which will be in the cab (hopefully just below window level!)

 

 

Bit removed sitting to left.

 

Next job is to make some suitable cab fronts to fit between the Dapol Drewery cab sides!

 

HOURS OF BODGERY FUN!

 

* This cow is small, those cows are far away… you see, Dougal?

[SteveyDee68]

That brings this thread up to date, as I have been busy rearranging the loft (again) in order to put the baseboard for DRS Engineering above my modelling desk. 
 

That has meant some shelves moving and an opportunity taken to rethink my desk area, too. Meanwhile, pressure from the Household Authorities has seen me working on the garden shed these past few days, completing the storage shelving etc started last summer!

 

So little progress on the loco, except that a selection of industrial buffers has arrived to fit in due course.

HOURS OF FUN!

 

PS

Hoping to pop out this afternoon to the local model shop and pick up a UDV to mess about with, apropos my other currently active thread! 
 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by SteveyDee68
Added link to Improving the Hornby LWB Van thread