J15 conversion.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

There's been many calls for a RTR J15, but with a bit of work, you can have one from a Hornby loco, a J52 !!

 

I won't make this a long winded build, and a lot of it you'll probably work out before I finish this build, right, grab a J52, one with the more modern motor, take the body off, and remove everything above the running plate except the smokebox and splashers, (carefully), now remove the chimney, for the boiler I used a syringe, remove enough to fit it over the motor, build a J15 cab, ( I take it you have some plans) if not the boiler I made is 60mm long, then it's a case of gluing the boiler to the smokebox, (when dry) cab to running plate & boiler, see pics below.

 

When everything is drying,  you have to take off a chunk of the chassis, behind the rear wheelset, when you've done that, you can remove the excess of the running plate, and join the back of the running plate together with a new cab floor, a backhead can be fitted, as the cab will be clear of the motor.

 

For the tender I used a B12 tender cut down by 4mm.

 

Sandboxes have to be fitted to the leading splasher, and the boiler has to be deepened at the firebox.

 

You can choose what J15 you want as there were many variations, I went for a stovepipe and a westinghouse brake version.

 

manna

 

[farren]

That's a smashing little model you've ended up with, i am very tempted with Bachmann j15 but know i think i've got to have a go at  aJ11 to go with it, i just seem to have a soft spot for the J classes. 

[manna]

G'day Gents

 

Glad you like it, you'll have to excuse the dome, still waiting to get a new one.

 

manna

[hornbyandbf3fan]

Thats excellent, will you be replacing the couplings though? I'm still holding out for a rtr J15. The J11 and 4f will keep me happy until then though!

[Tiptonian]

An imaginative and superb conversion. The term "bashing" seems to have been coined to cover this type of RTR conversion. That word is nowhere near complimentary enough, but we may now be stuck with it!  Brilliant job! 

[Ben Alder]

A lovely piece of work- a reminder of what was more common in the sixties, but  something that should offer more possibilities with the plethora of prototypes now available. Don't know much about the GE, I'm afraid, but do recognize good modelling when I see it. It also has that satisfaction feeling of, "I made that",   that can't be obtained from opening a box.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

 Might change the couplings later, but there's no rush, I decided to wait for an Hornby Atlantic...............guess what, still waiting (over 40 years)

 

I think the 'bashing' came from kits, but we now use it for anything like this. Got a few more that I'll put up shortly.

 

manna

[Tiptonian]

I'll be looking in!

[uax6]

May I say what a lovely end result you have. I love the use of the syringe! (this must have made it easier to get the bolier down as low as you needed!)

I also note that you have left the gap under the boiler open to the motor and chassis bits. In the photos these don't look that noticable, are they so in the flesh? One of my latest Highland Bodges has this issue of you should be able to see under the boiler, but the chassis block is in the way, I'd not though of not covering it up, but it seems to work so well on this beasty!

 

Brillant work, Whats next? :-}

 

Andy G

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

As far as under the boiler, I just painted the bits visible mat black, here's a couple of more pics, but not quite so complete.

 

manna

 

PS, next loco........LNER G5, from a hotch potch of bits

[stewartingram]

Nice conversion, may well go down this route myself? (Though I do have both a brass kit and a whitemetal one in the wings.....).

Just one question if I may? What diameter syringe did you use (thinking of looking for a source, need to know what to liik for).

 

Stewart

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

The syringe is 19mm, the smallest I could get to fit over the motor, a still look about right.

 

Here's a taster, it's about 85% Hornby.

 

manna

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...a reminder of what was more common in the sixties, but  something that should offer more possibilities with the plethora of prototypes now available...

 I am still catching up with replacement of sixties chassis under my 'cobblings together' from the sixties and seventies! The advent of Bach's small wheeled six coupled chassis has been a particular boon.

[ady77014]

Do you know where a plan for a J15 might be? Is that going to be a F5 the lower one?

[ady77014]

Or a G5?

[Clive Mortimore]

G'Day Gents

 

The syringe is 19mm, the smallest I could get to fit over the motor, a still look about right.

 

 

 

manna

Hi Manna

 

Is that a 20ml syringe, it is easier to ask for a syringe by its volume than its diameter.

 

Thank you for sharing your modelling, it is not a route I would have thought of to get a J15. I have often considered modelling Buckden on the Kettering to

Huntington line and the stumbling block is the availability of a J15 and/or E4 for the daily ER train.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Do you know where a plan for a J15 might be? ...

http://www.isinglass-models.co.uk/

You can now spend your entire modelling budget obtaining these lovely drawings. They are lovely in their own right.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

Thanks for all the questions and info, I suppose a E4, might be possible through this J15, with even more adaption, I do know that a J21 is very close, just have to change the cab.

 

Not sure on the capacity of the syringe.

 

Yes it is a G5.

 

The first thing I did was, buy a cast 'Jinty' chassis, and rewheel the back half with 'Romfords' 'cos your going to cut the front bit off (again see pics) that'll give you an 0-4-0  the connecting rods are from Mainly Trains, I snipped the front bit off, you will also have to fit a smaller gearwheel, ( you cannot fit the XO4 motor in the boiler space, ) now you need one of those cheap little motors that Hornby use, like what you find in the 0-6-0, I soldered it to a bit of brass plate, to get it low enough, to fit in the boiler, (see pic) if you leave enough room on the end of the brass plate, it fits into the retaining lugs on the chassis, at the other end I drilled a hole and screwed it into hole, left vacant by not using the XO4. Fit pick ups and she's ready to go, a B12 bogie, with a bit of fiddling, completes the chassis. But with a long front overhang ! this will need cutting off, you can use the last pic as a guide, but you will notice the the worm gear is right at the front of the loco, almost in the smokebox !

 

The body, is mostly scratchbuilt, but I did use bits from other locos, 'Thomas' supplied the tanks, but could almost supply the the whole front half of the loco (forward of the cab),I used 20mm pipe for the boiler, a J72 supplied the chimney, dome,  safety valve, all the handrails, and both bufferbeams, the smokebox door came from a Airfix J94, here's some pics.

 

manna

 

I'll put some more pics up in the next post.

[Ben Alder]

Oh, I love this sort of stuff- real old fashioned modelling/cobbling- keep it coming

[Horsetan]

http://www.isinglass-models.co.uk/

You can now spend your entire modelling budget obtaining these lovely drawings. They are lovely in their own right.

 

 

...and don't forget picture frames so that you can hang them on your walls.

[RANGERS]

When I read the first line of this I thought you were barmy; then I saw mention of using a syringe and concluded you must be making use of the contents of it before you tried recycling the packaging; and then I saw the pictures and I have to admit my initial impressions could not be further from the truth. Both these are exceptional examples of how to produce something from practically nothing. I've no idea how these compare to the Isinglass drawings but I've always worked to the old adage that if it looks right, it usually is - and these do.

[Gilwell Park]

Hi   Here is my version of a J15.  This one is based on a very old Triang jinty chassis.  Now fitted with Romford wheels and a smaller motor so the cab is clear. The body is based on a Triang 3f running plate and the boiler is a bit of electric conduit.  It also ran with a cut down B12 tender for several years until I picked up a second hand Stephen Poole tender of correct design from Wheels of Steel in London.  Now fitted with tender pick up it runs very well and shares local passenger duties with a Stephen Pool E4. A much requested engine but one that is relatively easy to produce on a RTR chassis.  Keep up the good work.

 

Roger.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

Hey, Thanks for all the replies, I like to see and hear, your comments and show and tell's, helps to bind everything together.

 

Ranger, I did have some brass tube handy for the boiler, but there was no way I was going to make it fit, I used the syringe the clean out the insides of locos (you can get a bit of air pressure out of a syringe), and seeing that it was on my work bench, thought I'd try it. My drawing came off the net

 

Good looking loco Gilwell Pk. So handy 0-6-0's

 

Ben Alder, got a few more yet.

 

With the G5, because I'm using Romfords, I found that chassis is a bit narrow, so the wheels and axles moved about a bit, so I added some plasic card shims.

The wheels don't 'slop' about so much, and it'll make it a little easier to glue bits onto the chassis later.

 

I have kept all the weight a the front of the loco, there is no weight at all in the cab or rear bunker, she will pull 4 Kirk coaches (smokebox leading) and 5 Kirks (bunker leading) there's room for more lead if I want to. I've nearly finished the G5, but made a pigs ear out of the painting, and  I'll have to straighten up that chimney, new transfers have now arrived.

 

manna

[uax6]

Looking great.

 

I'm not sure if you have pick-up problems with just the two driving wheels being live, but I use the current Hornby T9 or M7 bogie under most of my locos, so that you get all wheel pickup, which certainly helps across points. They are available as spares fairly cheaply, and also look so much better than those older wheelsets!

 

Keep up the good work

 

Andy G

[manna]

G'Day Gents

 

Back to the G5, been a while, I got stuck into the Railcar, I've stripped the body, and resprayed it, fitted new decals, covered the bunker and built a roof for the cab, I don't think they made them in a convertable configeration !!

 

manna

 

PS,Close up pics can be so cruel.