richard carr

Brian Thanks I didn't think the kit included bits for the toilet end hand rail. As for MMP coaches I made a pair of their bogies but it took over 30 hours, at that rate it would take me 10 years to build a rake of coaches ! I'm sticking to JLTRT too not are they quick to build but I think they have the body shape spot on. Richard

Brian It does look good, in those photos though you can hardly see the white line. What did you use for the handrail at the toilet end, I can't see any parts in the kits I have for this ? Richard

Brian I have just spent half an hour going through modern loco illustrated 184, class 33s and I am far from convinced that 33/1s had larger buffer heads. There is no mention of it in the text and it is not visible from the drawings. The lower photo on page 13 does appear to show a 33/2 with one buffer bigger than the other but that is the only picture that really shows anything unusual but is it just an optical illusion ? Richard.

Boris The bolster isn't sprung at all as I will be using the cast springs, the springing comes from the weight of the coach body causing the phosphor bronze strip to press down on the axle box so that if you come to a dip in the track the PB strip pushes the wheel down onto the track, simple but very effective, most wagon springing systems work in the same way. Richard

Boris Here are 3 photos to show how the springs work, the springs are the phosphor bronze etch I have cut 2 of them out from this etch The springs get folded almost in the middle there is a small notch in each side that marks the fold line, they are then inserted into the sideframe, there is slot for them where the axle box fits, you can see it clearly here Finally there is picture with the ax;e box and leaf spring in position, the idea is that the top of the axle box presses against the spring allowing about 1mm of movement to the axlebox stops. So it should still be possible to spring your bogies, they will run better if you do and this method is very quick and simple to apply Richard.

Boris I made a start on m pair of bogies last week and made quite a bit of progress over the weekend. I did notice though that the springing of the bogie comes from the phosphor bronze etch and is nothing at all to do with using either the cast main springs or the actual springs. I will post a picture of them later today. I have to say that the bogies are a joy to build the parts go together just perfectly Richard

You are a brave man Brian, I wouldn't take all those beautiful models on a motor bike especially at this time of year. I hope you have some good insurance. The class 33 does look good, I wonder if we shall ever see a JLTRT one ? Richard.

So is that 39 hours to build the pair of bogies or have you spent time on other things. I have a pair of bogies to build and but I was hoping that it would take a little less time than that. Richard

Brian I thought it is was one of CPLs, you can't beat their couplings, its well worth spending the extra £10 on to get the look right. The class 20 is looking really good. Richard.

Brian The coupling on the 20 looks very good, who is it by ? Kind regards Richard.

Thanks Brian Unfortunately that is what I thought you were going to say, that is quite a long time for a wagon. I think I will stick to some JLTRT mark1s for nowit is probably quicker to build a coach than one of those wagons. Richard.

Brian Approximately how long does it take to build one of these MMP tank wagons ? Thanks Richard.

Just how much you should take exactly I don't know, but looking at photographs the tanks sit noticeably inside the the body width, not at the edge of it, which is what the model has. Its hard to take much more than 1mm from each side because the metal part of the chassis gets inthe way but its enough for it to look like the tanks are now well inside the body width. You don't need to put the speaker int eh tanks it fits nicely between the motor and the circuit board, thats where mine is positioned. Richard Carr

Brian Here are some pictures of 47416 with thinned fuel tanks and D1942 unconverted, I think you can get a clear idea from this one of where the thiner centre section is. The big holes were in case I put a speaker in there but I didn't so they are not necessary. This gives a close up of the thinned tanks , its not much about 1mm but enough to make a difference. The there are two shots from the same angle of the modified one and then an unmodified.

Brian This is what I did. I took off the side mouldings and filed away where the cast posts go so that the mouldings would then sit inside the body width. I binned the centre section and made a new one from 1mm plastic card. I then glued everything in place with either butanone or super glue. Once it was all put back together and suitably weathered it looks good. I will post some pictures of it this weekend once I get back home. Richard.

Brian Those improvements certainly work well, especially the steps. I was wondering if you were going to thin the fuel tanks etc as these are too wide in my opinion, I did on mine. The 27 looks really good too, the JLTRT models just seem to get better and better. Richard.

Richard I well understand what you mean, there would nothing worse than ruining a good set of wheels and if this is your first try at doing something like this perhaps its not he best thing to do. Why not practice on some wagon wheels that you do not need anymore ? Let us know how you get on Richard.

Richard The first thing to say is have you got any soft jaws for your lathe, if you haven't you need to get some, soft jaws are just jaws made of mild steel that are easily machinable. If you have some ( or when you get some) you can use a boring bar (an HSS one with a good sharp point is the best choice) to machine a shoulder in the centre of the jaws to a depth of about 1mm ( you don't need to be precise)big enough to hold the wheel by the tyre. You can now grip the tyre of the wheel very firmly in the jaws and as you machined the jaws on the lathe the wheel will turn true. If Alan made the wheels then you can be assured that when you grip the tyre in the soft jaws the end of the axle will still be running pretty true. If he didn't make them then it might not be that true as getting the wheel to run true on the axle is the most difficult part of making wheels. If it is running true then use a fixed steady to support the end of the axle and you should be able to machine off the 1mm (or so) required to get the correct B to B that you need, you can then screw on the other wheel and machine off the excess screw that you will now have. If the axle isn't running that true the best thing to do is to bin it and start again, they can be easily drilled out. If that isn't an easy solution then it may be possible to punch the axle a little further through the wheel at the glued end, be careful though as its easy to damage the axle it self and if you go mad to break the wheel ! For the drivers your best bet is to reduce the length of the thicker axle by the amount required to get the right B to B. To do this hold it by the tyre in the soft jaws, you will probably need to machine a wider shoulder to grip the larger wheel. You can then used the fixed steady to support the end of the axle and remove the necessary material. The down side to this is that you will lose the quartering as the holes through each axle will no longer line up. Quartering is relatively easy if you have a jig, I use the one by Metal smiths its reasonably cheap and very easy to use in pillar drill. I tend to use a 1.2mm drill for the hole, first I file a small flat then very gently bring down the drill just to get it to bite then it will pass through both axles quickly. You will then need a taper pin reamer a 1:48 imperial one you can get one from MSC J&L Industrial supply. If you need more taper pins let me know and I can post some to you. If the axle doesn't run true then let me know as things get a lot more complicated and stating from scratch with new axles might be abetter option. Richard Carr