Aesthetic differences between the Class 221 Voyager and the Class 222 Meridian

[GarrettTheThief]

I'll need two Class 222s (MML Blue and EMT) to convert from Class 221s.  I'm okay using vinyls since repaints and transfers are fiddly and with the work I'll have to put into everything else, it's also more convenient.  I'll stick to five-car units for both.

 

But I need to know the external and internal differences and how to go about these changes, especially with the bogies and cab ends (which I think differ in shape too!).  Can anyone help me, or point me in the direction of such a project?

 

Thanks,

James.

 

EDIT: as of the replies, I'm going to convert Bachmann 4-car Class 220 voyagers instead.  The MML unit will be a 4-car unit as it was prototypically and I'll get hold of an additional centre car for the EMT unit.

 

Once I can get to work on either, I'll bump and rename this thread.

[Edwin_m]

The 222 bogie is totally different from the 221 but the same as that on the 220. 

 

The 220 and 221 bodyshells are identical but the 222 is different.  In particular the non-driving cars have smaller toilets and therefore longer saloons, so some at least of the 222 centre cars (I can't swear to all of them) have an extra small window.  The cab end is also quite different, notably around the lamp clusters, but is best understood by searching for photos rather than trying to describe it. 

[GarrettTheThief]

Thanks for the reply Edwin.  Unfortunately, when it comes to comparing two similar things, I can have issues differentiating between them besides the obvious.  This applies when comparing models to the prototype too.  I wouldn't have caught into the extra window and bodyshell shape so those are something to look out for when I do check images of the prototype.  So thank you!

 

It seems the main work is with the headlights, which may mean completely reshaping the clusters.  As for the cab ends and bodyshell, a lot depends on how much they differ and how easily the work can be done.  Adding extra windows can't be hugely difficult.  Thehard part - the bogies - are a non-issue if I use Bachmann's Class 220 unit and an extra centre car as hosts for the vinyls.

 

When I get round to converting two sets, I'll bump this thread and change its title.

[45125]

The 222 bodyshell is a lot wider as it was built to a non tilt profile. The 220/221 both have tilt profile bodyshells. The cab is also a totally different beast, trying looking head on at a 222.

[newbryford]

The 222 bodyshell is a lot wider as it was built to a non tilt profile. The 220/221 both have tilt profile bodyshells. The cab is also a totally different beast, trying looking head on at a 222.

 

?? - my bold highlighting

 

All data tables list the 220/221/222 as the same width. I believe the ends had to be styled differently as Virgin weren't keen on having anyone copy "their" trains.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[GarrettTheThief]

So I've double checked the images and even came across a blog here.  As it happens, the cabs are pretty much the same shape but the designs are different.  At least I won't have to do all that sculpting.  There aren't many other major differences which means less work for me.

 

I'm gonna digress and say I don't like the shiny finish too much so I might spray matt varnish on any vinyls I apply.

[davep101]

Don't forget the spatterings of oil down the side where the oil breathers leak a bit

Generally I don't think the body shells are that different ( having worked on 222s since there introduction) but that said I don't think I've ever sat and compared pictures of each vehicle at the side of its it Virgin/ XC counterpart.

 

Dave

[GarrettTheThief]

An update now I have a 3-Car 220 unit and spare centre coach.

 

I'll use vinyls. There isn't a huge amount of raised detail but I can always recreate the main parts (like door steps) through scratch building.  Since I'm modifying the centre car bodies, I'll have to modify the vinyls too.  Not a huge deal.

 

No need to worry about interiors thanks to tinted windows.

 

I've compared the driving cars of both the Class 220 and 222, and they are strongly similar.  There's one less window on the first class car and at the non driving end, the oval window's position on the door is flipped.  I can do this with no issues.

 

The centre cars won't be a problem.  I need to extend the square window and make it the same shape as the rest, then drill the small toilet window.  I'll have to vary this for the buffet car, of course (all others are the same on the outside shape-wise, regardless of class).  Now, the window panes will be a different issue.  I might need to dual-layer thick see-through plastic for those.  Whatever the solution, I'll need to spray a brown tint on them too.

 

The roofs are practically the same and I don't have to worry about decals.  It's pretty much all black on the Class 222 (or dark grey in MML livery, and that livery looks nice).

 

The main problem will be the cabs.  They are in fact quite different.  I know that the nose is different.  The front window is a different shape.  There are indents and raised areas which will be difficult to model (I don't want to take a file to the cabs in case I damage them or make an irreversible mistake).  I might leave them.  Maybe I'll change the shape of the side windows and do a crude job on the light clusters.  But it's likely it will look like a regular Voyager from the front.  Which I'd be okay with if there were no easy and less risky alternatives.

 

Finally, when I get round to modelling MML/EMT services, I want to keep things simple.  I'm using the short 4/5-car DEMUs for semi-fast services and HSTs for fast services, but I won't be modelling 8-car multiple units.  It would be awesome, but very expensive (though prices are the same as Mk3 coaches in ehattons, maybe less) and too much work.  For the time being, that's the plan (who knows, I might change my mind!).

 

And my units will tilt too!