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Converting the Turbostar 170.(3-car) into an Electrostar.375/3 in 4.mm


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Wow, that Electrostar is looking superb - the underframe detail in particular is very nice indeed. Was that all scratchbuilt? I have some of James's cabs ready and waiting for the conversion to a 4 car unit for Sevenoaks, but haven't quite had the courage to take the plunge with it yet! You're doing a fantastic job with that, look forward to seeing it completed! :)

 

Thanks TJ. James' noses need a fair bit of filing like most resin stuff but they fit the Bachmann body really well. I had difficulty removing one of the Bachy noses as the glue they've used was strong in places. I spliced the centre car together with thick plastic rather than a metal plate like James used and it's certainly adequate as it's survived a full on drop...oops.

 

The underframe of the single power Electro is not as complicated as one with a pan and I've used thick plastic sheet to create the boxes......quite easy as there's already a ridge on the chassis to fit them on once the Turbo one piece moldings are pulled away. I've also used some of the Turbo's bits in there...not 100% accurate but it matches the vids and pics on this thread good enough.

 

Have a go I say. One good thing is the Bachmann Turbo is straightforward to work with and all the plastic is very workable and glueable...

 

Good luck

 

I

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I believe some of the Bachmann 170's(maybe the 2 car) have the air conditioning unit for over the cab. Definitlely worth considering if your chosen Electro proto has this. I had to cobble this together and it's a blinkin' nightmare.

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Tjf,

If making a 4 car set, I have seen 2-car Turbo 170s second hand for £45.

3-car turbos,anywhere up to £95.

Thanks David,

 

I will indeed be making a 4 car set - I do have x2 3-car Turbo 170s that have been sitting on the shelf for 2 years now, gathering dust awaiting the project! It's only now, seeing the excellent job you guys are doing with your conversion that I have been inspired to get cracking with it.  I have ordered some brass etchings to help me a bit with some of the finer details at the front end - this is mostly because I have chosen to model the later units with the larger, combined headlamp clusters, and I figured some etched pieces for the front of the cab might make this look a bit neater. I'll post some pics if and when I manage to get started!

 

It's certainly not a project for the faint hearted though, is it! :O  - it is great fun that there is another layout on the forums that shares much the same rolling stock requirements as Sevenoaks!

 

Keep up the great work folks,

 

Tim

Edited by tjf4375
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Thanks TJ. James' noses need a fair bit of filing like most resin stuff but they fit the Bachmann body really well. I had difficulty removing one of the Bachy noses as the glue they've used was strong in places. I spliced the centre car together with thick plastic rather than a metal plate like James used and it's certainly adequate as it's survived a full on drop...oops.

 

The underframe of the single power Electro is not as complicated as one with a pan and I've used thick plastic sheet to create the boxes......quite easy as there's already a ridge on the chassis to fit them on once the Turbo one piece moldings are pulled away. I've also used some of the Turbo's bits in there...not 100% accurate but it matches the vids and pics on this thread good enough.

 

Have a go I say. One good thing is the Bachmann Turbo is straightforward to work with and all the plastic is very workable and glueable...

 

Good luck

 

I

 

Thanks Andrew, really useful info here - you've done a fantastic job with the whole conversion, including the underframe detail and the weathering as well which really looks spot on. As I said to David, you guys have inspired me to blow the dust off those turbostar units on the shelf and get cracking with my conversion! I'll post some pics of how I get on, I doubt it will be anything near as good as you've achieved but it will be a good project for the miserable January evenings! :)

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Thanks Andrew, really useful info here - you've done a fantastic job with the whole conversion, including the underframe detail and the weathering as well which really looks spot on. As I said to David, you guys have inspired me to blow the dust off those turbostar units on the shelf and get cracking with my conversion! I'll post some pics of how I get on, I doubt it will be anything near as good as you've achieved but it will be a good project for the miserable January evenings! :)

Better have a chat with AndyF & M.L.

 

If you want to fit running lights to the cab .

 

Buy a couple of Field Dressing,or fill em up with bitumen.

Edited by David Todd
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The whole cabs light up. Class 375 torches!........The leds need to be completely isolated from the resin as it acts as an optic; paint on the inside of the cabs make no difference as the light travels within the resin.

 

Martin's built a couple of black lighting boxes that will hopefully fit behind the noses.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yesterday Went and did some more work on 375 lighting, with Andy.

 

We fitted directional lighting, interior lighting and door open lighting.

 

Had issues with light bleed but got around that with some electrical magic.

 

Still some more work to do and another unit to complete. but attached is a taster.

 

post-1147-0-70863400-1454419930_thumb.jpg

post-1147-0-67704300-1454419944_thumb.jpg

 

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Yesterday Went and did some more work on 375 lighting, with Andy.

 

We fitted directional lighting, interior lighting and door open lighting.

 

Had issues with light bleed but got around that with some electrical magic.

 

Still some more work to do and another unit to complete. but attached is a taster.

 

attachicon.gifIMG_2479.JPG

attachicon.gifIMG_2480.JPG

 

 

:O  Have you bought another one, :no:

 

or shall I post this 3 set one I have on the shelf ?

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We used 3528 warm white LEDs, easy to get of EBay.

Then the greenish glow comes from the glazing.

It is a fine line between the LEDs being to bright or not bright enough.

Think we used 5K2 resistors, but can't remember off the top of my head.

It's best to experiment with resistance for the right glow or play about with decoder CVs to adjust the brightness.

 

We spent the time getting the brightness right with out playing with the CVs, because if you do a factory reset on the decoders, changing the function brightness CV is something else to change, along with address.

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Thanks for the info, that's really helpful :) It looks very nice indeed, and you did a great job with the brightness. I agree it is worth persevering with the brightness levels, a lot of the RTR models with interior lighting are far too bright I find. This, however, looks spot on.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Thanks David,

 

I will indeed be making a 4 car set - I do have x2 3-car Turbo 170s that have been sitting on the shelf for 2 years now, gathering dust awaiting the project! It's only now, seeing the excellent job you guys are doing with your conversion that I have been inspired to get cracking with it.  I have ordered some brass etchings to help me a bit with some of the finer details at the front end - this is mostly because I have chosen to model the later units with the larger, combined headlamp clusters, and I figured some etched pieces for the front of the cab might make this look a bit neater. I'll post some pics if and when I manage to get started!

 

It's certainly not a project for the faint hearted though, is it! :O  - it is great fun that there is another layout on the forums that shares much the same rolling stock requirements as Sevenoaks!

 

Keep up the great work folks,

 

Tim

 

Hey there,

Where did you get the etchings from?

Regards,

Ben

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Hey there,

Where did you get the etchings from?

Regards,

Ben

Hi Ben thanks for your post.

 

Am not sure where tjf4375, would get his brass etch from,we will have to wait,until he answers,unless you PM him.

 

The cab ends, for the Electrostar, I got from James Makin, a member on this site.

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  • 1 year later...

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