Atlas Plymouth to Hibberd Planet conversion

[hartleymartin]

I will eventually get around to fitting some crew figurines. I would like to figure out a way to get it DCC fitted and put in new LED lighting, but all in good time.

[hartleymartin]

A year later, and it seems that I've not had the "good time" just yet. Once a few other things are sorted out, I'll just have to put some track on a couple of boards and do up a little shunting layout for myself. But at the moment, I am only just making the basic living expenses.

Edited December 8, 2018 by hartleymartin

[hartleymartin]

A bit of threat necromancy: I've finally got my own conversion under way. More information is in my own O gauge thread: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/88300-my-o-scale-stuff/page/12/&tab=comments#comment-3606238

 

My Hudswell Clarke and Manning Wardle look on, doubtful of the usefulness of the newcomer, specially since it has not yet been fully-assembled!

 

Edited July 7, 2019 by hartleymartin

[hartleymartin]

It seems I am in the habit of bringing back threads from the beyond! Such a shame the photos went missing from the original posts. I still have the loco. I fixed up a balance problem by adding some lead under the hood section - otherwise it had a bit of a tendency to do wheelies!

[hartleymartin]

I acquired four Plymouth shunters. There will be shunter bashes!

[F-UnitMad]

The old Atlas/Roco switcher must be one of the most modified/kitbashed/converted/abused model locos in history!! I wonder how many were made, & how many are still as new? 🤔🙄😆

[hartleymartin]

Planot No.5 with extra hand-rails, brass door handles and "Dolly Parton" buffers. She is that powerful, I am sure she would demolish buffer-stops. I don't think it needs DCC sound. The huge motor growls as it crawls along.

 

[F-UnitMad]

I added a fourth Plymouth to my roster recently, which has been undergoing modifications to an 0-4-0, albeit staying as a Plymouth...

 

 

Still very much work in progress, but last weekend the chassis got it's first test run in basic 12v DC form, hence it was on 'foreign rails' on my British O layout.

[Barclay]

I think it was John Alison (?) who wrote an article on Anglicising the Plymouth diesel in either Model Trains or maybe MRC back around 1981.

[Moxy]

7 minutes ago, Barclay said:

I think it was John Alison (?) who wrote an article on Anglicising the Plymouth diesel in either Model Trains or maybe MRC back around 1981.

 

It was John Allison. The Feb/March 1982 issue of Model Trains, just before the magazine changed into Scale Trains for the April 1982 issue.

[F-UnitMad]

8 hours ago, Barclay said:

I think it was John Alison (?) who wrote an article on Anglicising the Plymouth diesel in either Model Trains or maybe MRC back around 1981.

I saw it on one of his layouts, around that time. 👍

 

I actually own the Plymouth Chris Ellis featured in the May 1981 Model Trains, which was a bit of an 'O gauge Special' issue. 🤩

[Dava]

16 hours ago, hartleymartin said:

Planot No.5 with extra hand-rails, brass door handles and "Dolly Parton" buffers. She is that powerful, I am sure she would demolish buffer-stops. I don't think it needs DCC sound. The huge motor growls as it crawls along.

 

Unbelievably its almost 10 years since this loco was exported to Aus! Always good to see it and to hear from Harleymartin. I haven’t acquired or molested an Atlas Plymouth since! They are becoming quite rare but at last I am working on a shortline project which could employ a hacked version.

[F-UnitMad]

19 hours ago, Dava said:

I haven’t acquired or molested an Atlas Plymouth since! They are becoming quite rare

I don't know as they're all that rare, to be honest. The bigger issue in my eyes is that they're becoming over-priced. These days £50 seems to be a ball-park figure for even tatty examples.

There are 4 on ebay.co.uk at the moment, including the "silly money" one for £130, that's been on for ages, latest two are from Rails of Sheffield, £59.50 each....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196050738659?hash=item2da588dde3:g:bKMAAOSwzdhlOj4k&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwOJ39v6XdxF3HvL8PmT7YoL5i2dqyUlnGyBO4Agiuec0HWY9CxU5mSsay8ndC7T9HmzcD4ErO8rxrk8lOEMRY4tM5AMcTv7%2FRqeaaK2e5FQXtUcAud6Y4VviSQrP2TPxzap03XEw0gS1%2BwoNVtPMmFEC44mm0cGS7tRV813fJeQqSuSiHqSDfCaa5K4VvXBTm9QxWvDLjucEW5dS3N1Vncpn%2FZhiQgp20A5hI7fHJIuULDai%2Fn1Vt1rC%2FB8QY4xFNg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5DSuqbuYg

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204517953847?hash=item2f9e385137:g:ggwAAOSw5xNlO3Ag&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwEnqw59Kgl68NgzfMEifHE7H8c9%2BXaDIWs97XUcs%2FVEgqcHtbhF%2FFNU16Ak9%2FDBaqaqNf%2B8on43fvDdNte0bPCJePeBhEX4q4gXPneMoKjUvgSpbz%2FDGHVamib2KkAzgeLDVq5wM5x2u50PuXeDRcLddFw520bKLjfxIyHaJ2F3q0NzX8JLYG2JWq0VxcIntEwIH45AjDxH98%2FgR5z7TfBgCErcPdvhB7Asm%2F4UZIWINtfcN9PHuX%2FLiRJeJm8XLKQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR4zH1KbuYg

 

To be fair they are also open to Best Offers, and in my experience Rails can be quite good at accepting lower offers.

I was still very pleased to get my latest one via the 'USA O in UK' Farcebook page for £25 inc postage. Ask & Ye Shall Find..... 😁👍

[hartleymartin]

On 27/10/2023 at 10:03, Dava said:

Unbelievably its almost 10 years since this loco was exported to Aus! Always good to see it and to hear from Harleymartin. I haven’t acquired or molested an Atlas Plymouth since! They are becoming quite rare but at last I am working on a shortline project which could employ a hacked version.

 

I now own six of them. Four of them were obtained from the USA cheaply as a job lot because they all had missing/broken handrails and couplers. Two more were recently acquired new in original box! I had another one years back which I started converting to an 0-4-0, but whilst disassembled the drive train components were damaged which stalled the project.

[Dava]

So as my Grand Lake Railroad project required a Yard Goat quickly, an Atlas Plymouth conversion was the obvious ‘short cut’ as it were. One was acquired at reasonable cost, tested and dismantled. Then marked up for cutting. I should have taken more care as a slip with a junior hacksaw hacked my forefinger, but there is a First Aid kit in the workshop for these mishaps. A full-size hacksaw was mainly used after that as I don’t have an angle grinder or similar. I do have a razor saw which was very useful on the plastic frame & body. 
 

I also have a book on Critters and Swithchers which reveals that only the narrow gauge Plymouths of this kind had outside frames, the SG ones having their wheels exposed. So millions of such locos in N, Ho & O scales are all wrong! But they do look better with outside frames, so they were shortened too and replaced.

 

The first one I hacked at the start of this thread dated back to 2012 and I didn’t intend making another but it meets a need for the time being at least. It just needs a repaint (not too smart), couplings and details to complete. I can see now why Jordan added etched chequer plate and will do the same.