Blog- The Fatadder's Workbench - Vi Trains 47 to P4

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So I have finally given in and brought a Vi Trains class 47:

 

Going to need a fair bit of work still (need to carefully sand down the intercity logo & stripes then prime and spray the sides/ends GWT Green. I think it also needs to have the marker lights at one end changing to match my chosen prototype. 47813 SS Great Britain in Great Western Trains green. What I am planning to do is mask off the roof/yellow to spray the green (hopefully at the weekend weather permitting), then respray the yellow (after filling in the random hole to the right of the High Intensity headlight.

 

I've spent some time today fitting all of the details (which I probably shouldnt have done), my original intention was just to fit the details and then sell on the model to fund buying one with the buffer beam cowling (ie something thats actually needed) but instead I am thinking that I will sell my Heljan 47830 in GWT and replace it with this model of 813...

 

Other than the lamp irons on the buffers (which just refused to stick) everything came together pretty well. Unfortunately the break gear was broken on arrival so going to need to contact Vi Trains to try and get a replacement....

 

Once all the body stuff (bar the painting of course) had been finished I moved onto the chassis, Given Vi Trains pickup design P4 conversion looked like it would be a little tricky, but after some careful bending of the pickup wires I think its ok. Had a problem originally where the pickups were both touching the axle...

It was rewheeled with Keen Maygib 14.5mm coach wheels and the Vi Trains gears using the usual method, the gears were a little loose on the axle so were secured with locktight. For a bit of added safety the axle was wrapped in electrical tape near to the pickups to prevent shorts.

Very Very impressed with the chassis design, had not realised that it had a sprung centre axle!

 

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