5Bel- Gatwick Express

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

After the complete summer off modelling due to the cricket season, I got this out of the loft yesterday. I started it a couple of years ago then lost interest in it. The body shell is from the MJT sides over a DC kits 2Epb DMBSO. Very simple to do, not too many hinges either which is nice! Underframe details are from Southern Pride and the bogies use A1 subframes. Here are some pics.

 

As it came out of the loft.

 

Underframe details.

Bogie using A1 subframe.

 

Ready for painting.

 

It will be finished in the first Gatwick livery with wrapround yellow end. I have some FMR stripes for the red and white parts of the livery and Replica lettering. For the rest of the train I have a Lima 73 which is going to be finished as 73 123 Gatwick Express in its unique livery. I also have two Mainline Mk2d TSO's and an Airfix FO that will be repainted. The TSO's seem to be particularly hard to come by. Comments welcome as always.

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[PaulCheffus]

Hi All,

 

After the complete summer off modelling due to the cricket season, I got this out of the loft yesterday. I started it a couple of years ago then lost interest in it. The body shell is from the MJT sides over a DC kits 2Epb DMBSO. Very simple to do, not too many hinges either which is nice! Underframe details are from Southern Pride and the bogies use A1 subframes. Here are some pics.

 

As it came out of the loft.

 

Underframe details.

Bogie using A1 subframe.

 

Ready for painting.

 

It will be finished in the first Gatwick livery with wrapround yellow end. I have some FMR stripes for the red and white parts of the livery and Replica lettering. For the rest of the train I have a Lima 73 which is going to be finished as 73 123 Gatwick Express in its unique livery. I also have two Mainline Mk2d TSO's and an Airfix FO that will be repainted. The TSO's seem to be particularly hard to come by. Comments welcome as always.

 

Cheers for now, Ian

 

Hi

 

I am in the process of building a Gatwick Express rake but mine is in N. I also decided to do 73123 in the unique livery.

 

73123 - Partially repainted Dapol Large Logo

 

GLV - Worsley Works etched brass sides on a Farish Mk1 coach with Taylor Precision model ends (the underframe details are scratchbuilt)

 

The underframe of the GLV has since been painted. I am still searching for two IC livery MK2 TSO coaches before I can make a start on the rake of coaches.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Here is a quick update on the progress of the Gatwick Express. The GLV has had its paintwork finished, red/white stripe and numbers from the FMR range added. Just needs a coat of varnish then I can glaze it and put on the final details. This is also my first attempt at a multicoloured livery with my airbrush.

 

 

 

 

 

I have also started the motive power for the train. It is a Lima body repainted to represent 73 123 in it's unique livery. Power is from a Bachmann 20 chassis grafted into the original Lima one. It has been rewheeled with Hornby 3 hole disc wagon wheels with a plastikard insert. To my great surprise it runs really well.

 

Lima chassis with Bachmann bit grafted in.

 

 

Drive shaft extended with a cotton bud shaft. Exactly the right diameter!!

 

 

Next job is the underframe.

 

 

Plates from Fox. Numbers are pressfix from SMS.

 

 

I am halfway through repainting the Airfix FO, hopefully some pics next week.

 

Cheers for now, Ian.

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Paul, your N gauge version is great. I tried N gauge in the past but found it was not for me. I have decided not to use the Airfix/Mainline 2d's to represent the class 488's for the train. I am going to hunt down some Lima 2f coaches instead. Once repainted and rebogied with Replica B4 bogies I think they will be OK. As for flush glazing, hopefully Shawplan will do a set for them. If not, I have flush glazed a Kirk 2Bil so 20ish even sized windows per coach really isn't a problem!

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Here is a quick update on the Gatwick Express. With the GLV ready for glazing I have turned my attention to the 73 underframe. I cut the tanks off the Lima underfame having removed the tank detail, which like its Hornby successor simply clips out. I then used some of the detail to form 3D modules to fit back into the empty space. I have also used some Southern Pride components to complete it.

 

 

 

I have a Craftsman detailing kit for the ends and will use that. I am in the process of putting pipework on the bogies to relieve the plain look of the mouldings. I will post more images as I complete them.

 

Cheers for now, Ian.

[Colin parks]

Hi All,

 

Here is a quick update on the Gatwick Express. With the GLV ready for glazing I have turned my attention to the 73 underframe. I cut the tanks off the Lima underfame having removed the tank detail, which like its Hornby successor simply clips out. I then used some of the detail to form 3D modules to fit back into the empty space. I have also used some Southern Pride components to complete it.

 

 

 

I have a Craftsman detailing kit for the ends and will use that. I am in the process of putting pipework on the bogies to relieve the plain look of the mouldings. I will post more images as I complete them.

 

Cheers for now, Ian.

 

 

Hi Ian,

 

I like the work you have done on the 73. It looks so much better to have the detail between the bogies as separate items. I did a similar job on my 73, although I retained the Hornby motor bogie/Lima chassis. There are dimensional inaccuracies in the Lima body, which I think were once specified on Nigel Burkin's web site, but it's not a bad model even by today's standards.

 

The one thing that really improves a Hornby 73 is the fitting of Ultrascale 13mm dia. wheels (the real 73 ones are 40" dia. - as you probably know). Its likely to be a bit late to say that to you now,as the increase in wheel diameter means dropping the body down to close the gap between it and the bogie frames to maintain the correct height of the buffers etc.

 

By the look of your motor unit/fywheels and gear-train housings you won't be short of traction!

 

Keep up the good work,

 

Colin

[Taigatrommel]

I've been promising myself I'll do a decent job on a Lima 20 at some point, I had done some initial work with various diameters of plastic rod and tubing, but the Southern Pride parts you've used look the business. I shall probably follow your lead when I next get the urge to do some loco detailing!

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for the comments. Colin, I have used the Ultrascale conversion pack on my Hornby 73/0 and you are right it does make a big difference. The Hornby wheels that I have used on 73 123 are 12.6mm so they are quite close and really cheap and easy to do in the Bachmann chassis. Thanks again for the comments.

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Update on the progress of the Gatwick Express. The GLV is still awaiting glazing and final detailing but 73123 is complete and looks quite good (to my eye!!). Here are a few pics.

 

 

 

 

I have given it a little bit of dirt around the grilles,but nothing to prominent. Looking at the photos, the air horns seem huge. I will replace them with DC Kits versions which are much finer.

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[Colin parks]

Hi Ian,

 

The 73 looks very good now. I especially like the extra wiring on the bogies.

Colin

[pete_mcfarlane]

I have given it a little bit of dirt around the grilles,but nothing to prominent. Looking at the photos, the air horns seem huge. I will replace them with DC Kits versions which are much finer.

I think the Lima ones come the wrong way around with the long and short horns transposed - brass ones look a lot better anyway.

 

That's a very good looking class 73 - yet another RMwebber replaces his class 73 underframe.... (you'd think somebody would make a set of resin/whitemetal replacement bits the number of times this conversion gets done!)

 

 

 

 

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for the comments Colin and Pete. I too would like to see resin/cast underframe parts. I have another two to do. You never know Hornby might upgrade theirs. The conversion using the 20 underframe was quite straightforward in the end and I have another one in the loft!

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[Colin parks]

Hi All,

 

Thanks for the comments Colin and Pete. I too would like to see resin/cast underframe parts. I have another two to do. You never know Hornby might upgrade theirs. The conversion using the 20 underframe was quite straightforward in the end and I have another one in the loft!

 

Cheers for now, Ian

 

Hi Ian,

 

I agree with your comment about the lack of an underframe detailing/conversion kit for the 73. I did once mention the subject to Charlie at DC Kits. He wasn't interested, he said, because the model is dimensionally inaccurate. It is a great pity someone doesn't take up the challenge though.

 

You have shown with your excellent model what a great difference it makes to the loco's appearance to have all the parts in the right places!

 

Regards,

 

Colin Parks

[5Bel]

Hi Again Colin,

 

Thanks for the comments on the ED. I wasn't aware it was dimensionally innacurate. Looks OK to me!!

 

Cheers again, Ian

[Colin parks]

Hi Again Colin,

 

Thanks for the comments on the ED. I wasn't aware it was dimensionally innacurate. Looks OK to me!!

 

Cheers again, Ian

 

 

Hi Ian,

 

The 73 Looks OK to me too!

 

I bet it runs really well with the Bachmann motor and those flywheels, have you tried it out on a test track yet?

 

Colin

[5Bel]

Hi Colin,

 

It runs really well on my 4ft of Peco code 75. One day I will have a layout to run it on!

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[Adam]

Inaccurate dimensions? The model has been available for, what is it now, twenty years or more? This is the first such suggestion I've heard. I remember when I did mine that I compared it to the Monty Wells drawing in MRJ, the leading dimensions quoted in various sources, the drawing that appeared in Model Railway Constructor contemporaneously with the appearance of E6001 and Marsden and Fenn. The comparison showed no obvious discrepancies in terms of dimensions that I could see... The use of a Bachmann chassis is a really worthwhile improvement though, well worth the effort. Nicely done Ian.

[Colin parks]

Hi Ian,

 

Oh Dear! I didn't want to cause controversy re. dimensions of the Ex. Lima class 73. I am only quoting what I was told by DC Kits when I suggested that a '3-D' conversion kit for the Hornby 73 underframe would be useful. The Nigel Burkin website did have measurements that seemed to show the odd millimetre or so discrepancy between the model and prototype here and there.

 

What you have done to your model addresses all the real concerns with the model i.e. motor, wheels and ride height. As I said, it looks good to me!

 

Colin

 

 

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

At last the GLV is complete. I only had the handrails and glazing to do but couldn't muster the enthusiasm. I am better now!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I just have the coaches to do. Hornby are bringing out Executive liveried Mk2d's this year. I will see if I can use these after removing the inetrcity branding and replacing it with Rail-Air and Gatwick Express ones. Now this is finished I can get back to the 4Cig, 71, 2Bil, 2Epb, etc, etc.

 

Cheers for now, Ian

[Colin parks]

Hi 5Bel,

 

The 73 and MLV have turned out very well indeed. Nice paint jobs and not the simplest of liveries to apply either.

 

You mention the 4 CIG etc. Will these have a separate topic for each unit ?! I'm especially interested in the CIG, as I am contemplating building one myself.

 

~ Still regretting not having had a chance to have spoken to you at Nottingham last weekend.

 

Regards,

 

Colin

[5Bel]

Hi Colin,

 

The 4Cig does have it's own thread, which I will be updating shortly. It is not far off being finished, just the hinges to do then it will be ready for the paintshop. It will be in blue/grey with lovely orange curtains. Thanks for the coupling info, they are definately an easier option than the sprat and winkle type I was going to use.

 

Cheers for now, Ian