coachmann Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Today, Ian Allan Publishing sent me a Hornby Magazine/Dapol 'Stove R' 6-wheel passenger brake van instead of the requested refund. There was little to gain by returning it or arguing over £20-odd £££'s, and so I wondered if it were possible to remove its worst toylike qualities and make it into a reasonable model. The shade of LMS crimson lake is like nothing the LMS used. The best I can say is it reminded me of some coaches that I saw as a child after the war...... a mucky brownish-maroon. The yellow lining should not be on the raised horizontal beading strips. The line directly above the windows should be above the beading and stop at each door ventilator. The yellow lining at the waist should be lower and run through the door handles. It was obvious a respray would be necessary. The colour can be compared the the LMS crimson lake I have used since the early 1970s.... DISMANTLING.... There is a lug in each corner of the black chassis. Prise each one out of the body floor as shown. They come away easily.... The chassis and body..... Removal of the roof is comparatively easy as well. Just insert a small screwdriver under the roof and carefully lever up away from the body. Do this at the other end and the roof will come away.... Finally, remove two black plastic bridge parts that hold the bottom of the glazing in place, then lever the glazing away from the glue with a screwdriver. The glazing strips came away easily..... The van is now ready for repainting or modiying as one wishes. To be continued... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJH584 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Larry I'm looking forward to this given your thread on the one that you made yourself. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galtee More Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Larry, Thanks very much for kicking this thread off. It is going to be very useful to alot of modellers - me included - and is very much appreciated. I'm looking forward to further instalments. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I am reading, watching, and making notes with great interest!!! Looking forward to this one Coach, will show me how its done and then some! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted January 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 30, 2011 If any one has a spare body to lend for a short while, please drop it off at the Shawplan stand at any of our upcoming exhibitions, (Normanton and Pontefract today f'rinstance), and we'll knock out some flush glazing for it. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Starting on the chassis, remove the couplings but don't lose the springs as I did...! You will then see the split pivot pin holding the outer swivelling pony trucks in place. Squeeze the pin together while pulling the truck and it will come away. Same at the other end.... Mark off where the flanges touch the plastic (using a set of 14mm wheels) then drill two holes as shown. Elongate them to give plenty of clearance using the drill then shamfer the ends of the slots.... A completed pair with 14mm diameter wheels in place..... Dismantling the centra axle holder is simply a case of levering off the cover. A screwhead is then visible which must be removed. The square pillar will them come off as will the axleguard assembly. These are the parts..... The middle stub axle was re-used by removing the 12mm wheels and fitting 14mm wheels. It each stage it is imprtant to check the back-to-back with a wheel gauge..... With all the wheels back in place, the outer trucks could be left to swivel, but I glued mine solid with Loctite. My curves are a minmum of 24 ich radius but this van will negotiate much sharper curves than this even with unswiveling outer wheels.... I should add at this juncture that the 'W' irons are spaced out further than they should be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 With the chassis up and running, I removed those silly brake shoes. Previously I had spaced out some wheels to those brakes... .... The footboards were neat plastic mouldings, albeit under length (I suspect they were copied off a Stove R preserved on the BlueBell Railway). They were easily prised out of their rectangular holes with a small screwdriver.... Most real Stove R vans had what might be termed ¾ footboards that overlapped the RH buffer plank. In fact, Dapol had moulded the support bracket on the buffer plank, but the footboard failed to reach it by 15mm..... I have my own 22thou thick brass etchings for footboards that can be cut to length, so I made two replacements for the Stove. The stems were melted into the solebars with a 45 watt soldering iron..... The Body was tackled next, the first thing to attend to being the door and grab handles. The RH locking handle should not be horizontal, so I completely removed all the moulded handles and fitted brass ones. An etched 'T' door handle was used to make a guards door hinge, missing off one side of this model. The insignia was also rubbed down in preparation for spraying..... I have mentioned the missing door hinge on the Guards door. The Guards door on the opposite side has hinges on BOTH sides of the door. I leave you ro draw your own conclusions.... To be continued.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 The master at work... Wondrous B) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 A comparison with the Comet Stove R I built last year leaves the Dapol looking a bit naked around the wheel area. I've got some Comet brake etchings so I'll have a shufty in the morning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Comet etched brake shoes were easily melted into the plastic base of the Dapol van, however, there was very little room in which to poke the soldering iron when attempting vto fit the inner brake shoes. In retrospect, this should have been carried out before gluing on the battery boxes. The outer ones will have to suffice! All the metal parts were then brush painted with cellulose red oxide primer and left for a few hours.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Are you going to shorten the J-hangers on the outer axle springs? Dapol took a shortcut there and made them all the same length. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Are you going to shorten the J-hangers on the outer axle springs? Dapol took a shortcut there and made them all the same length. I'm afraid it's one of those shortcuts that aren't easy to rectify seeing as the plastic is nylon based and ungluable. One could fit Comet 'J' hangers and 'W' irons, but seeing as the coach body is plastic (I hate the material), any extra affort and expence would be like gold plating a plastic spoon. Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Blandford1969 Posted January 31, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 31, 2011 Thanks for such an excellent step by step guide, I'm looking forward to getting mine, now i know how to improve it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Glad if it is proving useful to others. The model was given a light coat of red oxide primer this morning but it dried on the Dapol paint as if the latter has a greasy surface. In an attempt to disguise the surface texture I matted some LMS crimson lake cellulose and gave the model a spray over with this...... After the BR insignia had been applied, I painted the gutter (which is moulded on the coach body) black. Along the top edge as well before spraying the body with satin varnish. The glazing was glued back in place and the appropriate window painted light grey. I had lost the springs that help centre the Bachmann couplings, but this turned out to be fortuitous. It turned my attention to moving the coupling back 2mm to allow close-coupling. The image below shows where 2mm was removed from the coupling brackets. also 2mm had to be removed from the chassis floor as shown..... The brackets were then glued to the chassis with Evostick. The body was clicked back onto the chassis and the roof sprung into place. Job almost done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 I tested the van with its rigid outer axles and sideswing centre axle on a sharp reverse curve, and it ran alright without attempting to climb the rails.... The finished Stove R was photographed on the workbench tonight. I have no transfers for 'Stove BGZ'. Fitting larger wheels is not the whole answer, as the van stands higher than my coaches.... The Comet van in BR carmine is somewhat lower than the Dapol van in BR maroon. The Comet Stove R has the correct longer 'J' hangers on the middle 'W' irons whereas those on the Dapol Van are all the same length. Buying and fitting Comet Stove R chassis etched and cast components would improve the Dapol model. Whether you consider it worth it or not is up to you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted January 31, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 31, 2011 Another really smart job Mr G. I like it and I think I'll try and scrounge a Comet one from Geoff when I see him at Donny. 36E Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 Really lovely job Coach - looks good from my end. The Comet one really looks the business to - it might be the angle, but compared to the Comet model, the Dapol one looks a little shorter and also taller (also due in part to the larger wheels fitted?), but overall the effect is still grand. I haven't decided which way to go with mine yet - very definitely train set curves here, so the swinging axles mat stay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Final pictures taken an hour ago out in the garden sunlight. For those lifting the roof off, don't forget that frosted glass window...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Belgian Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 What this thread shows is what a lot has to be done to this model to make it acceptable, more than most of us are capable of. And even then it's still got height problems . . . nearly £30? JE Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 POSTSCRIPT : Seeing as the model was never going to enter my fleet, I removed the BR insignia this afternoon and finished it in LMS post 1937 livery with the lining is in the correct positions for a friends layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Very nice - as usual. This really illustrates the big difference made by putting the lining right. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 Lining makes it less stubby thats for sure. I had toyed with the idea of giving it full panelled lining as applied on the very first Stove R's, but one would have to be very carefull seeing as some of the lining is on the raised horizontal beading and some not. In 4mm scale, it could end up looking overscale. The same problem arises when lining the waist of a Gresley teak coach in BR maroon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buhar Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 When the correct wheels are fitted where has this extra mil or two in height appeared from then, anyone any idea? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJH584 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Superb work Larry - well done. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Very inspiring, thanks. I'm still waiting for my LMS coach but got the BR version a few weeks ago. I tried fitting 14mm wheels but running qualities are not great. After reading the article I decided to go to Comet and ordered their underframe, W-irons and brakes. I'll be repainting/lining my coach when it comes. Cheers John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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