benachie

Tim, "Is it down to the old Mainline bodyshell being sized to allow the original chassis/motor in it with minimal fuss or something else?" The Mainline pancake motor was pretty narrow and the basic dimensions/profile of the firebox seem fairly good so I think it's "something else". The handrail needs to be adjusted, the washout plugs are too high and the ridiculous chasm that represents a join in the cladding between handrail and plugs needs to be obliterated. On the other hand, the firebox/boiler join is much better than on the new moulding. Alan

"I am sure Bachmann will produce the long firebox version in due course" Well... If you're really sure, Larry. Actually, the new short firebox isn't perfect either. Maybe our cut 'n shut fun will stimulate Bachmann to get the finger out. Alan

Comet also do a generic Stanier cab etch. Tim, I agree about the plasticard for strengthening. This is even easier with the my second conversion method as the inside profiles match up. Alan

Thank you. Just a Junior hacksaw! But... Whichever saw you use, cut well back from the final edge and, with extreme patience, file and sand back to the true join. Using joins at boiler/firebox bands helps to give a precise finish line and also helps to conceal the joins. I'm really a soldering man so, if I can do this plastic thing, anybody can! Alan

Just to clarify my post #46, here are the bits and placed together Of course, if you don't have the piece out of "Drake" from fitting a donor LFB, then you could possibly just move the appropriate section 3mm or so forward and fill in the gap at the firebox somehow(!). (Should be 1ft = 4mm but 3mm seems to fit better with the Bachmann moulding.) Alan

farren, Thank you. 1. As far as I can see, all post-war Jubilees had smoke box saddles in the "Drake" style. 2. I'm quite happy to ignore the 1mm difference in the bogie wheelbase - I'm not even sure which length Bachmann have gone with. 3. I don't think the frame difference is visible. The old Mainline/Bachmann coupled wheelbase was wrong which is one reason you can't just stick an old body on the new chassis. I have encountered a few minor problems besides the extensive fettling needed to get the revised boiler/firebox to marry up with the footplate e.g. the handrail knobs on the grafted-in firebox need to be realigned slightly downwards which then shows up the grossly over-reprsented horizontal join on the firebox just above the handrail. The conversion is awaiting painting. In the meantime, I am working on another SFB to LFB in a slightly different way. The piece that was cut out of "Drake" can be slotted in to another "Drake", replacing the section ahead of the middle firebox band. This makes everything much easier to line up since the cross sections now match, at the expense of having to re-do the washout plugs and add mudhole covers. We shall see! Alan .

Thank you, Tim. The boiler-firebox-cab joins are not too difficult but a good deal of work is needed on the bottom edges of the firebox which, remember, is not attached to the footplate. I'm currently upgrading a Fowler tender with better coal rails etc and then I'm hoping to get away without a complete repaint but that may not be possible. Alan

Sorry, Jamie. It's going to end up as 45711 "Courageous" from your neck of the woods. Alan

Andy, Great stuff! Here is where I've got to after much pairing and filing - And now for the gluing - Alan

Andy, You might as well go for the saw - I did - because the backhead is part of the boiler moulding and will need to be cut off and rejoined to the cab anyway. You will then discover that the cab is clipped to the boiler moulding by two inward-facing lugs and will slide upwards when these are pushed apart but I doubt if this can be done without damage until you have these lugs in sight. I found the handrails impossible to remove without breaking the very fragile stanchions The front join needs to be at the boiler band that is ahead of the top feed. The rear of the replacement long firebox is a little wide but nothing that a careful squeeze can''t cure and there will need to be some cosmetic work around the middle splasher etc which is what I'm working on just now. Hopefully the metal footplate will ensure reasonable strength in the finished conversion. Alan

I am in process of grafting a chunk of boiler + LFB from an old model into one of these cheapo "Drake" SFBs which is not too difficult and keeps most of the improved aspects of the newer model. Alan

The drawbar is not held by anything. Once the loco and tender are both horizontal, they will not separate. If you're running on DCC, you probably need to cut off the two capacitors, otherwise it will be rather jerky. Alan

Hi Meister, Welcome! The bush problem was/is only one of many including weird lubricant which stops being glue only above 70F and a useless motor. Any combination of snags can apply to any loco. Even the later models are very slow runners. As I hinted in #276 above, I found the only satisfactory solution to be a complete alternative bogie. Good luck! Alan

Unfortunately, it's not a straight replacement. You need to hack some plastic out to make room for the rear drivers and provide new mounting points. Even then, the middle drivers do not match their splashers. Alan

Ian, Your pictures have been most helpful in answering a question that I have asked previously on these pages. It appears (surprisingly) that the Isinglas drawing is incorrect. Can I assume 1. that the square panel centrally below the rear windows is a departmental add-on 2. the St Combs branch conversions were the same as on the Craigendoran-Arrochar? Alan

I also tried a Mashima 1426 with similar results but I felt that, even when "warmed up" the top speed was too slow so I then fitted a High Level Lo-Rider bogie with excellent results. However, this is definitely not a mod to be undertaken lightly ubless you really like challenges. Alan

"How on earth can the government subsidise electricity at almost 4 times its current (no pun intended) market price? Or have I got it completely wrong?" The government is trying to fulfill promises about how much power will be produced from renewables in the UK. The FIT is just paying rent on your roof space to help meet targets. Alan

I think it would be fair to acknowledge that this is Brian Kirby's idea http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35605 Alan

Thanks, Eagle. Too late for me but might help others. Why on earth have they concocted this weird Chinese puzzle? I don't see any advantage. Alan

My 61243 is beautiful but what a job to get at it. I had to rip the cardboard in the end which can't be right - what did I do wrong? Alan

Silverstreak, "Futher to my earlier comment regarding the lower rear coal division plate on the tender of Hornby's B1 61180, having done a little more research I can say that Hornby have got it spot on for the period modelled. Later on in service these lower plates were replaced with a higher type which were positioned slightly further forward as can be seen depicted on the Bachmann B1 tender." And on the late crest Hornby 61243 - spot on again! Alan

I believe these were for the GE section. The diagrams 317/320 for Scotland (86983/4,86997 were different (see Isinglas drawing). Alan

Brilliant, Iain. I've had some for many years for use with Methfix transfers. Needs a good rub but works perfectly. Thanks. Alan

I asked this query on the painting etc. forum but got no reply. Hope it also fits here:- I'm thinking of converting one of the new Hornby Gresley suburban Firsts to a Diagram 188/189 Composite. The renumbering and removal of some of the "1"s is easy enough, but how do I get rid of the "First" signs on the glazing? Alan

I fear so - a photograph is really essential. But, even if a coach were known to have an SC allocation, it could have taken years for the "SC" to be applied. For example, the caption to the Harris picture claims that 81025 was still in teak in 1955. Perhaps it was never in crimson! Alan