Stuart Birks Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I have just bought a Bachmann 45xx in GWR livery. On inspection I decided I really didn't like the coal in the bunker and thought it must be fairly easy to do something about it. It turned out to not be quite so easy. I dismantled it and the coal comes out as part of the inside rear of the cab. The only problem is that the rear lamp bracket and guard also come away with the coal. This is a good thing as it is not located correctly being set in from the rear of the bunker rather than being flush with the outside. Having cut the coal away I then milled a grove in the bottom of the bracket guard so the it would sit a bit better. Removing the coal also revealed a step that it sits on. I wanted the coal to be at a lower level than the step so milled some of that away as well. Having put it all back together I inserted a new base on which I can add a load of coal at a realistic level for part way through a days work. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 The next step was a simple replacement of the smoke box dart with a brass one. This was easy as the original was a moulded inner handle with the outer handle pushed through a hole. This gives the hole in the right place after cutting away the moulded handle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 The next job is to replace the horrible safety valve cover. For something that is very prominent the colour is wrong and it is a bit too big. I bought a replacement from Alan Gibson.Removing the old one reveals the top feed is part of the boiler moulding and there is a large recess which the moulding sits in.After removing the top feed and filling the hole the complete top of the boiler was resprayed. I missed a couple of spots that really should have been filled but that should be ok when the new safety valve is in place.For the bits of wire that represent the pipes I milled some small groves in the side of the casting. This picture also shows the crew I fitted. These are from Dart Castings. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 excellent! looking forward to seeing more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 You may have noticed that in the last photo I have also copied the mod done by David C in his topic Modifying Bachmann's 45xx praires where he shows 4550 never had outside steam pipes so I copied his simple mod to remove them. I decided not to copy his mod to the rear buffer beam.A bit more hunting on Google showed a photo taken in 1933 which is around the time I want to set my layout. 4550 did not have the small porthole windows in the cab at this time which is good as I don't like the look of them.A bit of filler soon covered them up. Now it is all put back together it just needs a bit of weathering to hide the difference in colour between the bits I have re painted and the original colour. Then fill the bunker with coal. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted May 25, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2014 Very nice Stuart.I only plated my portholes on mine.Removing the steam pipes is a breeze as described in David C 's post you mentioned.Etched plates are another touch you can add easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 Thanks Robin The plates are already on order Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 The plates took a long time to come but it is now finished. The coal is real and at what I think is a much more realistic level. And showing it attached to the coaches I intended it to pull. Stuart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanbuttler Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Great work Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi 81C The full story of the coaches can be found here http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25520 Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Taz Posted June 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi Stuart, I've just had a look at your coach thread over on the other side. Brilliant work. Sorry to take this thread further off topic but could you elaborate on the 'Keen like' close coupling system you developed? I'm also a fan of close coupling mechanisms and when I've built comet coaches I've hacked about the underframe to fit the standard Keen units: Your solution looks much neater. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi Brian. No problem with going off topic and thanks for the comments. If I remember correctly I didn't want to put the coupling unit above the floor as I was worried what effect it would have on fitting the interior floor and seats. With hindsight it may have been easier to cut the seats down to go over the coupling units. For me modelling is more about making things than running stuff so I did it mainly as a bit of interesting engineering which I enjoyed doing. It is surprising how close the tolerances need to be for it to work and I had to remake several bits before it ran smoothly. Unless you are seriously into close tolerance engineering I would not recommend trying it. This is a CAD drawing I did to get the basic idea but then changed things as I played around so don't use these dimensions and expect it to work. The final dimensions I just worked out directly on the brass so I don't have a copy of them. I hope this helps but if you need any more information then please ask. Stuart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Taz Posted June 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2014 Thanks Stuart. I don't necessarily have the tools or knowledge to carry out close tolerance engineering at the moment but I'm always on the look out for good ideas that can be filed away for future reference. I may yet have a go at a solution like yours at some point in time. I also liked some of your little jigs (I tend to fold/bend everything by hand at the moment) so if you don't mind I might pinch those ideas as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Birks Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 I also liked some of your little jigs (I tend to fold/bend everything by hand at the moment) so if you don't mind I might pinch those ideas as well. Hi Brian The reason I show all the little jigs is so people can copy anything they think may be useful or modify the idea for something else. Stuart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted June 16, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hi 81C The full story of the coaches can be found here http://www.modelrailforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25520 Stuart First class work there Stuart and a great looking end detailing job with that jig you made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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