The Fatadder

Received 37401 from the latest Bachmann model as a Christmas present this morning, my first with the full model rather than just the body. First thoughts are that my hybrid models stand up very well In comparison, so I will be continuing down that route. I think there is room for improvement, going to look at my fuel tank print and separate into multiple components for individual tanks / supports and a separate part for the fuel filler. The aim being to make it easier to print for those locos (eg 521) which still need upgrading. I also need to get on with attempting to add brake chains to all of the hybrid fleet as that’s the most visible issue now. As mentioned previously this will end up as either 668 or 670, while my second 401 body will become 510. But this will probably become 510 in the interim given it’s likely to be finished first. not actually heard the model yet, so that’s still to come. Will be interesting to hear how the factory speaker compares to the double fuel tank mounted sugar cubes in my current 510

Preparation for Christmas is finally finished, Hanz Gruber has fallen to his death and it’s time to do some modelling. As we are at my parents for Christmas we were at the in-laws for an early celebration this afternoon, who’s gift for me was a box from Bachmann with a 2f TSO body and a Class 47 chassis block, bufferbeams and fuel tanks. How did she know I wanted something that specific? the 2f body has been test fitted on the2d chassis and will be fully converted in the new year. the 47 bits were a bit of a bargain, available with chassis block and detail pack \screws for the same price as a bufferbeam and fuel tank. The original plan was to add plastic mounts to the buffer beam moulding to accept Heljan bogies, now I’m thinking about drilling holes in the side of the cast block to accept them. Not quite as easy as the plastic option, but a much better loco. (Although part of the original plan was that it enabled me to have an unpowered loco that was the weight of a coach for top and railing purposes…) Again I won’t make much headway until later in the new year. Annoyingly I think East Kent Models were selling off cheap 47 bogies at Warley, it’s almost tempting to try and source a pair cheaply and just finish it as a pure Bachmann model…… Wishing readers a Merry Christmas

Probably shown this one before, but my 6 wheel siphon hasn’t progressed much further than this over the past year (it may have gained buffers maybe). Need to draw and print some chassis bits next.

That was my other thought for a siphon C, having printed the 6 wheel siphons that are a similar size. definitely have printer envy with the X2

This is what’s tempting me to replace my single siphon F with a Blacksmith one (and then chop the Ks one down into a siphon C as I did with my second Siphon F last year)

I am erring toward either a replacement for 37670 or a model of 37668 for my new 37. Both of which should have the flush centre headcode box that as far as I know Bachmann have never done. for 37671 this was modelled with a lot of plasticard and filler. If not replaced the current 670 would need modification to match, but I’m less keen on the amount of work to achieve it. the answer in my head is to totally remove the headcode box, and replace with a 3 d print, this is the firs draft. I suspect it will need a couple of iterations before I’m happy to butcher the new noses. this is the current state of the drawing, all being well I will set a copy to print in the morning. I think I have a scrap flush 37 end on which I can test fit the new part. with a full set of reinforced windscreens 670 is not the most pressing loco for replacement, so the new one will probably end up as 668 (in turn replacing 667 the body for which ends on eBay tomorrow). edit: seem to have just bought yet another 2022 class 37 body, so 37510 will now be getting an upgrade to the current spec. I’m hoping I will get a chance to respray the lower exec light grey to white, and remove the names/numbers. This will the go on an old 37 chassis and 510s body will end up on eBay in the new year. this will mean I’ve done 37510 on the original, retooled and latest Bachmann models. Must see if a photo remains of my original model… So this just leaves 403/710/057/230 left with the old windows. Of which I am erring toward window upgrades for the Loadhaul loco swing as Bachmann haven’t done a heavy weight body and probably the same for 403 on which I would rather not have to hand paint those faded logos again. 057

A start on a project for 2024… I’ve had a last gen EWS 37/4 body in the scrap box for a while (formally it was 521 with the wrong grills before I replaced the body with the 2022 Bachmann). The plan is to use it as a test bed for the windscreen modifications, to see if I can change them without a full respray. At which point it will be stripped and converted to 37902 with the Shawplan kit. So far one windscreen has been prepared (and test fitted with a scrap etch) but I’m still thinking there’s no chance of avoiding the respray. I still have 37403 and 37710 in the core Wheal Imogen fleet without the full windscreen mod and keep debating retrofits, given lack of body availability for the latter and the complexity of the repainted BR logos for the former. for 510, 230 and 057 I’m much more likely to either do a whole upgrade or a body swap / respray. At the end to the day the 10£ or so in etches plus the £100 or so for selling the old loco and the price differential for a new one is too close to resist. edit: I should add the rationale behind choosing 37902 (other than the desire to tackle it from a modelling perspective.) Of all the 37/9 it was one of the few to appear in the south west in 1998/9 having been seen on the Laira fuel tanks (unclear if it also powered them on to Cornwall) plus on dogfish. Not a useful loco per say, but at least one with a valid purpose (unlike 56049 which most likely will be appearing in the classifieds in the new year to go toward a Cavalex 56 of a prototype that actually made it to Cornwall

A couple more details have been worked on this evening, first adding the cable between the buildings. I used the same wire that was used for the fence, gluing to one building and once dry pulling tight to the next. this was followed by making some security lights out of evergreen strip, which have now been painted ready for fitting tomorrow. finally another batch of Dinghams has been assembled. I’m currently working my way through a sheet that was under etched (so a lot more work) although another good etch arrived via eBay this week so I may swap…. So far these have been fitted to the outer pair of wagons for the new CDA set (correcting the orientation of couplings on 353224 while I was at it). you can just about see the faint line of the new cable between the two buildings in the background One of the OCA was also fitted with its new couplings, as was the Revolution / Kernow Cargowaggon pair. Of the remaining 3 sets, one is earmarked for the new 37, while the other two pairs will likely end up in engineers wagons.

And a couple more photos. still can’t get the lighting right on this angle…. Just a couple of jobs still planned, the first will be adding wires (power or phone?) between the buildings based on prototype photos. I’m a little concerned about getting a quick bond though. It could do with a few more loaded pallets of clay by the covered loading area, maybe a forklift truck as well Finally it needs some figures adding

Over a late lunch I’ve added a few more scenic tweaks. first up a bush between the branch line and the slurry loader, along similar lines to how it was on the original Wheal Imogen What the scenic materials were out I’ve also added more bushes along the fence between the works and the branch, there were a few places where I had to rip up the original finish to clear the fence wires, so this was intended to blend it all back together. I wanted to add a little more detail along the front fence, so I’ve added more weeds etc growing along the edge. Before its next show I think I will add a couple of ModelU sheep to finish it off. I’m currently struggling with the lighting in this area, purely because with no facia panel I can’t mount the lights in the right place. I’m thinking about making a secondary backscene for the right hand end (the proper one being part of the fiddleyard). while the desire to have this is primarily for photos, it would also mean I could refit the arch.

Last night I kept going with the fencing and added the fence to the other side of the branch, along with making a start on redoing the bushes etc. My approach to the fence was to pull the wires tight and then fix to a weight, other weights were used to pin the lines in position where necessary. It was a lot easier on the front fence where I could clamp it on the baseboard edge. Starting at the back and working forward would have been more sensible (and allowed me to use the same method for the rear fence), but I wanted to start with the front as it gave me the hidden section to test on first I think the next area needing attention is the gap between the fence and the slurry loader. There are some marks on the rear of the loader from scenic materials (I think from the mk1 Wheal Imogen). The obvious way to resolve will be adding bushes between it and the fence to obscure the damage 37674 shunts a TCA for loading 37521 passes with a through clay train another view of 37674

Perfect thanks, I had previously painted this interior in red so no extra work needed

While waiting for glue to dry with the fence wires on Wheal Imogen, I’ve made a start on the next 2d. The body will have to wait until next week (as it’s in the box of Bachmann bits I asked the mother in law to buy me for Christmas). But the Airfix chassis has now been fully converted, my article describing the process in the last issue of Update was helpful as a reminder.) just need to confirm the seat colour plus paint the floor and it’s ready for fitting. over Christmas id like to get wheels fitted to the rest of the rake and take it for a test run on Brent. Will also need to sort some couplings for this / the mk1 rmb

I’ve added a wash of light grey over the wires, I think it’s an improvement. There are still a few bits I’m in happy with where the wire spacing is not consistent. Hopefully adding some bushes etc in these area will distract from it. Time to start work on the other (longer) fence I guess.

One of the few main tasks remaining on the layout is adding wire to the fences. A job I’ve debated on and off as to whether I will/won’t do. My issue being I could never find a suitable scale wire, so it’s the trade off between overscale vs not there. In the end I decided it must be done so using 0.15mm copper wire I’ve glued the wires on. Coloured with a black sharpy (thinner layer than paint) it’s not as tidy as I’d have hoped, I struggled getting the glue to cure quickly enough. I’m going to give it another going over with foliage to blend in the bits I’m less happy with. I may have to give in and paint the wires, the pen looks ok to the eye but get a camera on it and you see more defects. The 2 inches to the left is pretty much obscured by the arch so will have a play there. First I need to add the fence on the works side. My logic is that as this does not need to stop livestock a shorter 3 wire fence will be adequate. Though it will be harder to make, for the first fence I was tensioning the wire by lining up 4 or 5 posts then looping around the outside of the 6th and clamping to the baseboard edge. This time that won’t be possible (as there will be another fence in the way). I also can’t use the soldered strip glued to the backscene as it doesn’t start there. Looking at the photos I need to add something along the front edge to tidy up the joint between board and grass. Particularly in the areas where the facia would normally hide it

Hoping someone could advise, I'm about to start converting another Bachmann / Airfix hybrid mk2d for which I need to get the new interior painted. So far I have not been able to pin down what colour the seats should be (the rake will have TSO, downgraded First TSO, FO and an RMB all of which in Intercity. I think after the refurbishment and outshopping in FGW livery they gained green seats, but I am unsure what colour they would have been in Intercity in 1998/99, hoping someone may have memories of travel on them at that time and could advise? thanks Rich

That is one of those wagons that I have absloutly no call for through Brent, but one day I will have to have a model of. I spent the first 10 years or so of my career based at the what was the Bristol aircraft factory in Filton, I always liked the "Return to Filton" branding on the reproduction they have at Didcot.

I made the same mistake on my 47xx, like you noticing after painting and weathering. In the end i couldn’t live with it so I found some masking tape the right width, put it on a sheet of clean plastic and sprayed in body colour, before peeling off and sticking onto the model. A little touch in on the weathering to blend it in and the loco no longer bugged me. Of course I still haven’t got round to fitting a decoder into it so I can actually run it, but it looks nice on the shelf…..

While applying the transfers to the mk1 rmb, I also finished off the transfers for the Wales and West 150/153 hybrid. For now it doesn’t have the right unit number (using up a spare set from the Railtec pack) along with their Wales and West logos I have a bunch of stuff on eBay at the moment, part of the plan being to free up funds to buy a cheap Bachmann 150/1 to provide a correct chassis for 950001. In turn freeing up a chassis for the 150 (mostly needed for its lights). So this set can be put away now pending that purchase. now I really need to get on with the fence…

The Intercity mk1 RMB project (started back when Bachmann first released the RMB) is finally finished as 1871 in 1999 condition. I couldn’t find the original chassis (I’m not sure if I’ve missplaced it or used it for one of my TPO conversions). Instead I’ve rebuilt a spare brake chassis, modifying the equipment boxes to match 1871. The body has been modified to remove all the door handles (per the prototype which was not CDL fitted), I also cut off the grab handles and replaced with Southern Pride etches. This was more to make life easier than for the detail improvement, the rest of the rake (Bachmann mk2d conversions) have solid handles. Ends were given the usual modifications to remove the redundant end steps. The roof has been modified to change the vents to match the prototype, along with removing the round vent that was not present on this prototype. windows are missing the reinforced window frames the prototype should have, as far as I’m aware no one makes an etch for the RMB’s shorter windows. I’d say the mk1 is a great candidate for someone like Accurascale to get stuck into given Bachmann haven’t bothered with anything except the earliest condition. There are two details missing, a very large rectangular vent on the roof (per below) and an odd looking underframe component. Would be interested to know if anyone sells a part for this (or has the dimensions so I can print one)

Worst case I will have to carefully sand it back with fine wet & dry if it’s visible through the primer. Not an issue I’ve had before, but will keep an eye out for it. the two I’ve resprayed so far were both ex large logo so this will be the first intercity 37 to be resprayed…

No longer in production as far as I can see, if they no longer want the untouched etches I would of course be interested….

It will be in EWS I think, though I haven’t decided if I will change the nose grills to do 668 or keep as /4 as 417

Look forward to seeing how it comes out, will be doing the fuel tank modification on my own bargain intercity 37 once I officially get it on Monday. Before it gets stripes for a full repaint in the new year, will be nice to work on an entire loco rather than just a bodyshell as I have so far.

I’ve seen interviews with some of the Welsh players who were based in France that the travel (plus things like having to travel back to the south of France play on the test weekends) was impacting their performances for Wales. There is a lot of good reasoning behind the limitations on playing outside the premiership, as soon as you make exceptions for one more will follow. back to last weekends games, brilliant game in Cardiff. Lots of trys, back and forth lead, although a few too many points missed with the boot. Pleased to see Bath performing again.