RMweb Premium JDW Posted November 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi all, Mk1s aren't really one of my areas of knowledge, but I have one that I'm looking to improve slightly - yes I know I could just buy a Bachmann one but it's a Lima BRT one and until I get around to producing something better/more accurate to accompany the set of ZDAs I'm working on, it'll do the job! I've ordered a set of SEF flushglazing for it, and the other main area of concern is the buffers, which look much too small. What is the best/most appropriate source of replacement buffers? They don't have to be sprung, it's not going to be a finescale model, just metal castings or plastic mouldings are fine. The best I found so far seem to be from Dart Castings but they have a minimum order of £5 according to the website, and I don't want to have to buy things just for the sake of it! Any suggestions welcomed, Many thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted November 17, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi all, Mk1s aren't really one of my areas of knowledge, but I have one that I'm looking to improve slightly - yes I know I could just buy a Bachmann one but it's a Lima BRT one and until I get around to producing something better/more accurate to accompany the set of ZDAs I'm working on, it'll do the job! I've ordered a set of SEF flushglazing for it, and the other main area of concern is the buffers, which look much too small. What is the best/most appropriate source of replacement buffers? They don't have to be sprung, it's not going to be a finescale model, just metal castings or plastic mouldings are fine. The best I found so far seem to be from Dart Castings but they have a minimum order of £5 according to the website, and I don't want to have to buy things just for the sake of it! Any suggestions welcomed, Many thanks! Presumably you mean MJT 2934 Mk1 retracted buffers? (MJT come under the Dart Castings stable) They are very good. It may be worth making the order up with other Mk1 parts, such as roof ventilators - MJT 2942/2943/2944. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium JDW Posted November 17, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 17, 2014 Yep, that sounds like the ones, I hadn't thought of roof ventilators too... Thanks Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefrk Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Be careful of what you're coupling the coach to, the retracted buffers are only used coupled up with other vehicles with buckeye couplings otherwise they are extended and used with screw couplings. Lanarkshire Models will be doing extended MK1 coach buffers, sometime in the new year. Hope that helps, Dave Franks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Replica do the oval heads and other parts for Mark Is. They are probably best modelled retracted for use with automatic couplings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK 50A Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Replica do the oval heads and other parts for Mark Is. They are probably best modelled retracted for use with automatic couplings. Hi, Aren't ZDA's (12" to the foot) usually fitted with instanters? In which case, if these things bother you, with regard to the original question, extended should be modelled on this occasion. Alun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Replica had a stand at Ally Pally last time and a good selection of that sort of spare. I bought some buffers there (including some I wanted for a Lima Deltic!). The Lima coaches aren't too bad with flushglaze imho, got one that now runs on Bachmann bogies that looks ok. Also handy to practice weathering etc on rather than an expensive new model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Hi, Aren't ZDA's (12" to the foot) usually fitted with instanters? In which case, if these things bother you, with regard to the original question, extended should be modelled on this occasion. Alun Hi Alun It depends which annoys more short buffers or vehicles too far apart - for me it's the latter, but it's a matter of opinion of course. The ideal would be working instanters and buffers, but scale radii are required (again IMHO). Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK 50A Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Hi Alun It depends which annoys more short buffers or vehicles too far apart - for me it's the latter, but it's a matter of opinion of course. The ideal would be working instanters and buffers, but scale radii are required (again IMHO). Regards David Hi David, That's a fair comment and I agree about close coupling being far more noticeable than a buffer being 2mm too short. It was only when I started close coupling my Bachmann GUVs that I realised that the buffers were (incorrectly) modelled in the retracted position. I think some of the GUV Motorail's and newspaper sorting van conversions got buckeyes and retractable buffers later in their lives, but that's another story. Anyway, I couldn't have close coupled them if the buffers had been correctly reproduced, so ho hum! Alun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium JDW Posted November 18, 2014 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted November 18, 2014 Oh dear, I seem to have opened a much bigger can of worms than I expected here! I suspect I might compromise on the MJT castings even if they are a tad short, I'm hoping to replace the whole coach with something better in the end so if they're the best option I can live with it, anything's going to look better than the tiny Lima buffer heads. Thanks for all the input, I'll bear it in mind when I come to doing the work. Any other ideas/suggestions still very welcome of course! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted November 18, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 18, 2014 As my stock is going to be re-marshalled as part of the premise of the layout, having permanently retracted buffers is the way forward for me. After all, in a full rake of mk1/2/3 coaches, there'd only likely be one with extended buffers behind the loco, unless it's a buckeye fitted loco such as a 33/1, 90 or 91. (Covering all bases, possibly the last coach as well, but that won't bother me as half my fleet will have DBSO/DVT's on them.......) Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YK 50A Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Oh dear, I seem to have opened a much bigger can of worms than I expected here! I suspect I might compromise... Not so much a can of worms, but yes a compromise. In the real world, your coach would have buffers in the extended position if coupled to a ZDA or the locomotive. But, if you model them that way, it might cause issues if you want to couple the vehicles closely, unless you have prototypical curves and crossovers, etc. Bear in mind that even Peco long radius points are well short when compared to 12" to the foot. What I was getting at with my Bachmann GUVs, is that although the buffers are incorrectly modelled, it does at least allow me to couple them very closely, which to my eyes (and I think ll Grifone's) is more noticeable than the buffers being a little short. Alun Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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