RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 10, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2014 The only London Trolleybuses to be re-bodied entirely were those whose bodies were destroyed during wartime. Many of the earlier classes were rebuilt, in particular the Brush bodied 'B' class whose bodies showed signs of weakness within two years of their being placed in service (the construction method allowed the bodies to flex too much). All of the B, C and D classes had no drivers bulkhead as built and this was also a cause of weakness. All of these bodies were rebuilt up to about 1940. An interesting anecdote about the 'C' class vehicles that were sold to Georgetown Malaya, the local termites found the English ash body frames much to their liking and it was not unusual for a body panel to fall off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Nice bit of local colour there about the exported C class vehicles PhilJ W, having seen pictures of ex-London RTs in Ceylon/Sri Lanka in a state of advanced distress like this.... I can imagine that a wood-framed 20-year old trolley would have decayed rapidly especially under attack from voracious termites, the picture I have seen of a C in Georgetown looked quite chipper, but a fresh coat of paint can cover a multitude of sins..... Edited June 10, 2014 by Mister Spoons 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted June 10, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2014 The Georgetown C's were an experiment to see if double deck trolleybuses were suitable. They operated with a conductor on each deck, the 'senior' conductor being on the lower deck. They were quite successful by all accounts but a change of political parties on the municipality spelt the end of trolleybus operation altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Nice bit of local colour there about the exported C class vehicles PhilJ W, having seen pictures of ex-London RTs in Ceylon/Sri Lanka in a state of advanced distress like this.... I can imagine that a wood-framed 20-year old trolley would have decayed rapidly especially under attack from voracious termites, the picture I have seen of a C in Georgetown looked quite chipper, but a fresh coat of paint can cover a multitude of sins..... Maybe it was the paint that was holding it all together!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 The front end of 1058 is now completely glazed; I used the thin glazing material for the lowers (which actually are a full height window pane) and plugged the droplights in from outside as with the drops on the side windows. Aside from adding wipers and mirrors, and picking out the ventilators over the cabs (using a fine 0.18mm Rotring nib on clear decal film as my hands are not steady enough to draw freehand!) the frontal aspect is finished, I'll leave these small parts until the very end as they are by their nature going to be fragile. I'll also leave the external adverts too as I have concerns about durability and don't want to mess them up by over-handling..... I'll be making up the small items and upper deck seats etc. next as I'm waiting for handrail knobs and to hear back from the supplier of trolleypole kits - these will be adapted to look more authentic for a trolleybus than they make up out of the box. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePurplePrimer Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Really enjoying this build What is the date on the tax disc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) Really enjoying this build What is the date on the tax disc ? December 1962! I would hope that London Transport would have claimed back the 6 full months after abandonment..... I thought that May '62 would be too 'tidy'. Edited June 11, 2014 by Mister Spoons 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 That really looks superb David. Wonderful job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 Passengers eye view of 1058; upper deck windows are now all glazed, so I am now waiting for the handrail knobs to arrive and the trolley pole kits, I will be fitting up the cab roof over the weekend and building some seats for 'upstairs' now that 'inside' is complete.... It's quite realistic from the 3/4 perspective.... again I've tried to get a picture as would be seen by a 1/43 person (assuming our cat didn't get him first :-) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptic Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Impressive modelling / workmanship, Dave. Captures the prototype perfectly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 @ leopardml2341; a very attractive vehicle there! I wonder why they were rebodied after only six years, do you know? Purely the need for greater capacity - were originally single deckers, here's pic of the same vehicle earlier in its life: http://www.rotherhamtrolleybus.org.uk/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=57&fullsize=1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Just a couple of handrails today, the platform bulkhead rail was a real fiddle as the shape has to be spot on, and the knob ends have to fit in the pre-drilled holes at the right angle, I threaded the two knobs on and then formed the rail around them....... Once the shape was right, the knobs were slightly crimped to stop them moving and the rail removed for painting; a coat of matt white followed by a coat of gloss The rear platform rail was simpler Two 0.45mm holes were drilled into the edge of the platform wall (tricky!) and the the rail was bent to suit; I added the feet from .015x.030 styrene strip, and now the rail is painted it looks quite prototypical..... That's all for today as Wallander is starting shortly...... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby (John) Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Forget Wallander and put it on record, I'm waiting impatiently for the next build instalment!!!!! Great work, you should be very proud of yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Sorry Nobby - I can only click on one icon: I also agree with you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) HaHa John, I am really enjoying the build, and am definitely looking at building an L3 Only a matter of 12/18 months newer than 1058; but a massive leap in technology - 1058 and its fellow K class vehicles were quite conventional in terms of construction, separate body built on a traditional chassis; the L classes were early examples of chassisless construction and acquitted themselves pretty well, lasting until the final day.... Note the streamlined upper deck front windows, and the radiussing of the side window corners...... so much more going on under the skin though! I already have a 'victim' in mind based on photos in my 'library', but it will not be 1521, the preserved 'last trolleybus'; but a very anonymous long-scrapped vehicle that I can assume ran past the end of my road many times during the last year of its long service life...... Handrails now installed on 1058..... And on the real thing; 1201...... ...and a pic of 1348 as a comparison! A slight difference in bulkhead treatment. Edited June 15, 2014 by Mister Spoons 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Just a few bits and bobs accomplished today; the main component being the trolley planks, this is made from some very elderly Slaters Plastikard strips; bought from Harrow Model Shop around 1999! The cross pieces are .060x.060 Evergreen from t'internet!!! The green item is the cab roof, which will also be the upper deck front floor and will have an overlay of planking type plasti as with the lower deck. The two black things are the circuit breakers which are mounted on the cab roof above the drivers head.... Edited June 17, 2014 by Mister Spoons 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Continuing with the roof equipment (and putting off the evil moment of assembling all the upper deck seats!) Here's the hooks for the trolleypoles, curved strip of 15thou with brass wire hooks. Airbrushed with Tamiya matt brown acrylic, and seen here with the roof-mounted radio resistors - these are worn-out button cells plundered from the cats laser toy! A few minutes careful rubbing down to get rid of the stamped information on top, followed by a coat of Halfords spray primer then finished with Tamiya flat black from the airbrush.... I really don't think I could have produced these so perfectly from plastikard, and they are spot on in size and thickness.... Trolley hooks test-fitted but not glued; the curved bit is a touch too curved but the glue will hold them in place as the plastikard is quite flexible. The roof equipment, again not glued but shown for effect - I'll not cement the resistors in place until the trolleypoles are built 'just in case', and I'll be adding some cabling too! And the view from the rear - I also added the lever for the emergency exit and what I believe is a grab rail - just above the emergency exit - I assume that this was possibly for the use of repair crews to access the poles but ambling along the planking, but that is pure guessology there, I will have to check with Hugh when I visit him in a couple of weeks.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 21, 2014 Author Share Posted June 21, 2014 (edited) I still waiting for a pack of assorted springs to arrive to construct the trolleypoles, the actual pole kits arrived yesterday and look like a promising basis for what I have in mind; I also ordered some brass rod and tube which arrived this morning 0.4mm brass rod, and 0.6 and 1.2mm tubes, all three will telescope together, and I'm looking at building something like these, which are a 1/43 diecast model of a Moscow trolley, the poles are quite superb and the manufacturers website has some pictures, which along with some sent to me by Bruce Lake (builder of the 4mm scale trolleybus layout called The Ridings)will prove invaluable! Until the springs arrive I can't really start these, so I'm off to Screwfix to get a gas soldering iron kit; does anyone out there have experience of these? Regards Mister Spoons Edited June 21, 2014 by Mister Spoons 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby (John) Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Hi MS I've used a gas soldering iron a lot on my loft railway. I've found it useful as it quite versatile . J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 A Hot Air gun works very well. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted June 22, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 22, 2014 , so I'm off to Screwfix to get a gas soldering iron kit; does anyone out there have experience of these? A Hot Air gun works very well. Pete Yes but go for a higher power if there's an option as it's even more versatile. I've got a Solderpro 50 and 70 from Maplin when they do offers and with the interchangeable tips they are superb for soldering or hot air. I assume Pete uses that hot air gun for sweating parts together, but is it good for fine detail with the size of most of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Harvey Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Well all of these parts were fitted to my 4mm Ivor model in this way. They were laminated together first then the same method used to mount them individually to the cab front. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Cheers for the input there guys; I picked up the kit from Screwfix which has a range of 30-70w equivalent and it does seem a well-made piece of kit with no leakage on filling; if I get along with it building the poles I'll keep an eye on Maplin offers etc, and if I don't get along with it I have always got the tradition electric iron to fall back on.... Thanks again, Mr Spoons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Spoons Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Well all of these parts were fitted to my 4mm Ivor model in this way. PH4IVOR2-P20.jpg PH4IVOR2-P21.jpg They were laminated together first then the same method used to mount them individually to the cab front. Pete That is a very fine piece of work there Pete, clean precise and crisp looking, I don't expect my soldering to look like this...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John lewsey Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 What a lovely model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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