The Fatadder

Thanks, there are a few others (private owners and a salt van) that have had similar conversions previously, always nice to get something that has a bit of sentimental value turned into something that is also useful, I still have another 6 wagons in the unfinished box (and I think a further 5 or 6 awaiting build), although everything thats left will require parts purchasing so they are certainly a lower priority. Its the unfinished locos that I really need to look at, with the County, 47xx, Mitchell 43xx and Manor all still not working, the Finney 2251 still without a chassis even in the to do pile, and the Saint awaiting a chassis build. Then there's the Bird.... The latter might actually see some progress. I think I have a way forward for a reliably running unpowered chassis for it using Bachmann Earl parts from their spares site. Having just dismantled my dukedog in preparation for fitting the chassis into a curved frame Bulldog I matched up the block against the existing block and they are pretty similar in size. It just needs modifying to add the body fixings and a new keeper plate (as I refuse to pay what Bachmann are asking for the Dukedog part). (This does mean that I will be putting a Dukedog body in GWR green with etched number plates on the classifieds soon). For those interested you can buy the complete drive assembly including motor and keeper plate for about £55 from Bachmann spares which I think is a bit of a bargain. With some metal removed from the insides of the boiler I think it would be possible to fit one to the K's white metal kit I have for sale.

I tend to do the same (using etch primer if it’s metal). for mixing enamels I use cheap disposable plastic shot glasses, which work really well

Does seem to be the variant they do the least though, last I looked they still hadn’t done a GWR version with it.

What seemed strange to me was that it gained a tender with the old full Great Western lettering (which I'd have thought by 42/43 would have been pretty rare being two logos behind the current identity), and that a loco that was scrapped in 45 would be getting a new coat of paint just a couple of years earlier.

Is the Vallejo primer ready to spray or does it need thinning?

Look forward to seeing how it comes out, I am planning to get the Oxford one, but I think it will also need major modifications to the cab to match the example that was at Newton Abbot. It will then be able to run along with my Bachmann one on its way to a civil engineering job...

Are you going to add the GW enclosed cab?

A couple more wagons finished this evening after finding some more buffers the NE van is a Cambrian kit, the Devizes sand open is another relic from my childhood trainset that’s been given a bit of a tarting up, as are the Mogo and the conflat . They have received new chassis to bring them up to scratch with the two vans and the open intended to join mainline freight services, while the conflat has dinghams to enter the branch / pickup goods fleet.

After the failure to do any spraying earlier today I have switched to a bit of DCC testing, the first task being a check that the new 37510 works properly on its predecessor's chassis. Thankfully it did, though I still need to try and find a way to get the Loksound 3.5 to sound better. My hope is using blacktac to better enclose the OEM speaker will help as I have no hope of fitting a better 100ohm speaker in there. The fuel tanks being designed to take sugar cube type speakers and the chassis block preventing anything deeper being fitted without major machining work. Next up were 37674 and 025, the latter I knew was on 37230's old chassis while the former I had no idea. It was at this point that I remembered how much I hate programming with the Lenz setup and how I really need to get a new baseplate / wire for my Powercab so I can switch the Lenz to the garage (where it was purchased for) and move the NEC set up indoors. I can never work out how to change an address with POM on Lenz (while I can on the NEC), cue a search for the programming track wires before eventually reprograming both locos to their new identities Continuing on the Class 37 theme 37668 has been primed and if it wasnt for the compressor issues would have been sprayed in EWS gold tomorrow... Looks like I could get a regulator from screwfix, but it has a female inlet and outlet. I have one suitable connector for between it and the compressor but nothing between the regulator and the airbrush. So that wont be ready until next week at best... Instead I have been working on trying to get my Hornby Sentinel. While I rebuilt the body and repainted it quite a while ago, its never actually worked. So this evening the model was stripped down and tested. Motor was fine, and with the Hornby DCC decoder removed it powered up ok. Eventually I got fed up with it and ripped off the pickups, rebuilding with nickle silver wire which seems to have done the job. I think the decoder could only have been getting power from 2 or 3 wheels and it didnt like it! Eventually I do intend to replace the chip with a better one (with a stay alive) but at least it means it can shunt some CDAs around the yard now...

2921 I find particularly interesting in that despite only lasting a couple of years after it’s repaint it is listed in GWRJ no7 as having gained wartime black livery but running with a green 3500gl tender that still had the full Great Western lettering

Parts arrived for the compressor this morning to replace the failed regulator, this time my plan was to replace the failed part (a male - male connector to the inlet of the regulator) with a higher quality part. It was only when I tried to fit it at lunch today I found that while it has a BSP fitting on the outer (broken) part, it has a different thread on inner side so my plan wont work. Leaving me with a choice between returning to Machine Mart for another replacement which will no doubt fail in the same way, or find an alternative pressure regulator . Most of the alternative parts I have seen have a female inlet / outlet and no valve on the outlet, further complicating things. Or there is the other alternative of just buying a new compressor... Im not too worried as its bloody freezing out there today so at least I am not missing out on lunch time spraying.

37510 and 37025 have now both been refitted with their glazing, windscreens were damaged on removal on all 3 locos, fortunately there were enough good bus to cobble together two locos worth from the remains. (668 is getting Laserglaze ) For 510 all that remains is to solder the light wires in place and get the body to fit properly 025 needs slightly more work, requiring the headlights glazing, and new LEDs for the high intensity lights (ordered from eBay and lost in the post). The main lighting boards can’t be refitted until this is done. finally it will need ploughs fitting

My one good file was just out of camera shot (which does have a smooth side), but completely agree about the crappy files making life difficult. I keep meaning to go and buy a new set of diamond files, but never quite get round to pulling the trigger as theres always something more interesting to spend on... Its done the job for now, with all 4 grills fitted to 37668's body, and at an initial inspection it doesnt look like too much filler will be required. I will try and get a coat of primer on it before heading to the gym this evening so I can properly gauge it. Replacement parts for the compressor are due any day, so will be good to get started on the respray. All being well with only two colours to spray and reasonable weather forecast for the next week it shouldnt take too long to get finished. Speaking of spraying, one job that could still be done was spraying varnish. So at lunch today the bodies for 37025 and 37510 were both given a dusting of semi satin varnish and are now drying pending reassembly this evening.

I do like the Ellis Clark stand at the bigger shows (and the fact they are usually rotating their stock so its always worth several visits as you never know what they had hidden away behind the back of the stand). Though the only time I tend to have cash at a show is when I am an exhibitor and I have a pocket full of my expenses, cost of attending the show can go on the joint account, the cash for attending can go to a deserving trader in exchange for more goodies..... Im still hoping for a flurry of late bidding on 60059 over the weekend, much as I love a sub £100 loco I am much less happy when its one that I am selling!

Finally time to stop procrastinating and get cracking on 37668 I don’t particularly enjoy changing the nose grills on 37s, but thanks to Bachmann’s lack of imagination in their releases it’s the only way to get a refurbished 37 that’s not a 37/4. Much like 521, 37668 had one piece grills all round making it the worst possible type to model. (I did consider doing 668 when I did 674 but rejected it for this reason). The first step is to drill out the bulk of the grills on one side only. This time I used the Dremmel in a pillar drill fitting with the stop set to protect the body fixing posts. (This being a complete 2022 37 it makes sense to actually keep the fittings…) this was then opened up with a scalpel and files until it accepts the 3d printed one piece nose grill. The process was repeated at the other side before gluing the first two grills into place. I will now leave the body until lunchtime before repeating the process with the other side. Small amounts of filler will then be needed to blend the grills into the body. I have also removed the centre windscreen frame for replacement with the Shawplan reinforced windscreen etch. The no1 end has this painted while the no2 end is in silver. So one will be glued in place once I’ve finished cutting up the body

Going to ask friends at Model Rail Scotland to have a look for me, as I’m pretty sure they are up there. Seeing as I have everything bar the bogies it just feels sensible to make it a complete working loco. Even if the original logic was that I need an unpowered 47 for top and tail work. That said an almost complete loco missing its worms/driveshaft/motor retains the possibility of re powering in the future (it’s what I’ve done with one of my DRS 20/3s…) Back to modelling, this is the chassis for 37025, as it’s a 37/0 I’ve added the sand pipes to my 3d printed fuel tanks. Also needed to add a bracket that snapped off when removing the supports. looking at the photo one of the actuator cylinders has fallen off so that will need replacing before painting. Enough procrastinating, time to start cutting holes in a new 37….

@James Makin managed to work out the difference, the ‘new’ block has these wire guide clips glued to the front of the extension under the cab. The block on my RFD loco doesn’t have this feature extension piece so the body fitted fine. Remove the parts and the royal train body fits fine on its chassis. Just need to buy some bogies and sort out some lighting for it (and for the other two Bachmann 47s all of which are missing their lights due to the bodies being newer releases than the chassis)

I need to take another apart and have a closer look vs a RFD chassis. The bits I purchased from spares were in an odd condition, the fuel tanks were unpainted silver and the block itself is a different colour to normal. I want to check EKM at a show and see if they still have £10 47 bogies as I quite fancy buying a pair to finish the chassis properly rather than my original plan for a bit of a bodge fitting Heljan bogies.

Deliveries today from both Shawplan and @railtec-models. first up some transfer fitting, with both 37510 and 37025 now ready for varnishing This included the Intercity logos and numbers on 510, and all the transfers on 025 (including the OHLE cantrail stripe.) This also included fitting a set of Extreme Etchings nameplates. The final part of the transfers order is the numbers for 37668 which will not be needed for a while. Continuing on the nameplate theme, finally have names fitted to 37674. So that’s now a complete set of St Blazey named 37s. (I also have 207 in Cornish Railways to model the missing name) Finally nameplates added to 47799, still need to sort out a chassis for this. The block I bought from Bachmann spares doesn’t fit the body properly. So it’s going to take a bit more thinking as to how I will actually power it.

Minor work on a couple of class 37s yesterday, in the rush to be ready for Showcase 37671 was not fitted with bufferbeam details so these have now been added (along with a couple of missing lamp irons). Next up bodies were removed from 37230 and the original 510 in advance of prepping the chassis for their new bodies. The chassis for what will become 37025 will need new fuel tanks fitting (which will need printing), mostly so that the redundant bodies can end up on Ebay this evening. The chassis for both 510 and 025 were then modified to allow the new bodies to fit. The body that will become 37668 had a bath in IPA and is now ready for the conversion work on the nose grills to commence (with all 4 grills requiring changing), I need to remember where I have put the printed grills to properly get stuck into it. Finally more work on the hybrid mk2d, which has now been fitted with its new bufferbeams, along with converting one of the door windows to the deeper type. All that remains now is to add some transfers. As an aside, I have been doing a little more research on interesting CDA variants and found another one to model with a 1997 photo of 375075 showing it with rectangular European style buffers, so looks like another pack of CDAs is needed...

Discovery of sandpaper leading to forfeit?

Its a shame they got the height of the bogie frames so wrong (short), leaving too big a gap between bogie and body. Which reminds me I really need to crack on with attempting to retrofit Bachmann bogie frames on mine. Most of my 47s are Vi with shawplan bits

Another very nice 60, triple grey just suited them so well. Guess we were lucky they lasted so long carrying it The Hornby model certainly scrubs up well, though based on the 56 I’m sure the Cavalex one will set a new standard. Having put my first up for sale tonight it’s a tough call as to whether a second will also depart soon leaving just my Transrail repaint to fly the flag until the new model arrives. I just find I can only fit a single 60 and 66 amongst all the 37s in the fiddleyard

It’s funny how things come around sometimes. Back when the Hornby class 50 was released I had a large fleet of 1980s machines, along with 50031 in preserved 1998/9 condition. Over time most of these were redundant, and slowly sold off over time leaving me with 4 locos remaining. 50001 in revised early NSE (currently for sale), 007 in GWR 150 which I’m undecided on its date, 149 in Railfreight as a shelf queen / occasional photo on Wheal Imogen and 50002 in large logo with black roof. Of the sales the first to go was 50031. The latter was a prototype for an upgrade programme that never happened, with replacement bodyside grills and lots of extreme etchings bits. It was also never finished, the Replica cantrail line kept falling off (and was never added to the other side) it’s missing some handrails and a door window and the underframe still has the hideous Hornby sand weathering. In other words it’s not in a sellable state, but is highly detailed and has some sentimental value. The solution logically is to get the paints out and renumber it to 031 along with respraying the roof once the compressor is fixed. While the body is off the glazing can be soaked in ipa to lift Hornby’s sand, and the chassis repainted. I’ve managed to remove the 02 ready for replacement with a 31, along with removing the replica cantrail transfer to be replaced with the excellent Railtec product. naturally I placed a order with Shawplan about 4 hours before I came up with this idea, so the plates will have to wait until later in the year (unless someone has a set of Hood plates but would prefer to have Superb) So approximately ten years after I sold my Hornby 50031 it looks like I’m about to make another. Now I just need to decide what I’m doing with 007…..

I guess that’s what happens when you come out with a higher priced lower quality product against a recently released competitor product. if they’d gone in at an Accurascale price point, (or delivered closer to Bachmann hitting the shops) it may have been a different story.