Nile

Happy with the body, I got on with making the chassis look like a Plymouth. The Gmeinder chassis is bolted together, the Plymouth one is cast and machined. I made some side sheets from black plastic that were glued onto the chassis. The end sheets were cut and filed to match the new side sheets, to make the chassis look like a single lump. After a bit of painting, the two modified models together. It will be back to standard gauge next.

Hi Steve, thanks for your comments. I think the C class has the potential for conversion to several real prototypes, as well as my fictional take on a typical pre-grouping 0-6-0. If you have any questions about a conversion, just ask. ----- And now for something completely different! Converting a Busch HOf Feldbahn Gmeinder into a Plymouth loco. What on earth does all that mean? Some explanation below. Busch - a European model manufacturer. HOf - HO (1:87) scale models running on Z gauge (6.5mm) track, representing narrow gauge prototypes that run on 600mm (2 feet-ish) track. Feldbahn - German for field railway, a narrow gauge light or industrial railway. Gmeinder - a German loco manufacturer. Plymouth - an American loco manufacturer. I had two of the Busch Gmeinder locos, a green one without a cab roof and a yellow one with a cab roof. I would have preferred a green one with roof, but that was only available in a set. I also had a need for a small American loco to operate a mine railway. So I decided to move the cab roof to the green loco and try to convert the yellow one into a Plymouth 2 foot gauge loco. A Google search found a few useful pictures to base the conversion on. The first picture shows the green one, in original condition, alongside the modified yellow one. The rear part of the cab was removed.New cab sidesheets were made from black styrene. White styrene rod and sheet was used to make the framework and roof. I also added some bits to radiator guard to make it more Plymouth like. The loco has to fit into this building.

The thing that was bugging me was the sandbox on the centre splasher, it being a distinctive feature of the C class. I thought it would look better on the front splasher. As these are separate parts this should in theory be not too difficult. After removing the chassis and body, the splashers came off with a bit of gentle persuasion. The front ones have a little bit sticking out that needed to be removed. The middle ones have a notch in them which fits around parts of the gearbox casing. This needed to be filled on the original ones (with some styrene), and filed into the new ones. Some holes left in the footplate, where the sandboxes were, needed to be filled. Part of the sandboxes needed to be filed back, as they now fouled the smokebox. This took a while to get right. Test fitting the body onto the footplate. The finished model. I removed the pipe on the front of the cab, another South Eastern thing I didn't want. Also visible on this side is the reversing lever, made from some fine square section nickel silver. The gearbox, which was hidden by the sandbox, is now visible. But as all the bits are black it's not that noticeable I'm now happy with its looks.

The completed model, along with some LMWR wagons. The goods livery is black with red lining, the opposite of the passenger livery. The lining, lettering and numbers are from Microscale decals, except on the buffer beam. The original number was 1256, I removed the 1, hence the loco became no. 256. And this is how the loco stayed for about a year, while I got on with other things. But I wasn't entirely happy with it, something was nagging at me whenever I looked at it. So at the end of last year I decided to sort it out.......

Part 2 - the tender I removed the rear steps and handrails. This exposed a small hole in the frame (for the back of the buffer). This was covered with some black styrene. To make it look even older I added styrene strips around the edges of the side panels. The side sheets at the front were removed and replace with a handrail made from brass rod. Nice though this model is, it is let down by the tender brake gear. The brake shoes are molded into the frames. When the brake rigging is fitted it ends up between the wheels and the shoes! It looked horrible to me, so something had to be done. I cut off the brake shoes, and used the rear ones as a pattern to make four new ones. A notch is needed in it to fit over the rod of the rigging. The hangers for the rear shoes need to be different length because there is a screw in the way of one of them. Some brass rod was used here, as I had removed the coupler socket. With the brake rigging fitted, the brake shoes were glued into the correct positions Note the screw at bottom right is in the way of the brake hanger. The finished model.

I thought it was about time I started one of these workbench things. One of my interests is pre-grouping railways, but rather than model one of the real ones I've made up one of my own. The London and Mid Western Railway (LMWR) was a real proposal that was killed off by changing railway politics, it would have been a direct line from London to Oxford via Uxbridge. My chosen period is around 1920, the railway is still feeling the effects of war time austerity, so the livery is simplified rather than elegant and complicated. This topic will mostly be about me converting RTR models into something suitable for a small pre-grouping railway that didn't build its own locos. First up, converting the Bachmann C class into a typical late Victorian / Edwardian 0-6-0 loco. I started this project over a year ago, and didn't take many photos of the loco modification work at the time. Things have improved since then. Part 1 - the Loco. The main work was to the cab, extending the lower part of the front with bits of styrene, I also fitted separate handrails to the rear of the cab, after carefully carving away the moulded on parts. The whistle was moved from the cab roof. The C class as built is right hand drive, I've decided the LMWR prefers left hand drive. I moved/removed some of the cab fittings and made a new reversing lever from plastic rod, painted red. Other changes to the loco included: removed the front footsteps. replaced the chimney with a stove-pipe (Gibson, I think) removed the extra Southern lamp irons. An internal mod., I removed the wires that go to the tender. They aren't really needed unless a DCC chip is used, and their absence makes handling much easier.

Welcome to my workbench topic, where I will be mostly modifying RTR things. This first post is now the index, the actual workbench now starts in the third post (first link in the index below). Topic Index [35 pages so far] LMWR 0-6-0 from Bachmann SECR C class Busch HOf Feldbahn Gmeinder into a Plymouth loco Back-dating a Bachmann Midland brake van (before Bachmann did) Bachmann Midland compound for LMWR LMWR 2-4-2T from a Bachmann LYR 2-4-2T LMWR 4-4-0 from a Hornby T9 4-4-0 LMWR 2-8-0 from a Bachmann S&DJR 2-8-0 HOn30 2-4-0 from a Minitrains Fiddletown & Copperopolis 0-4-0 with 3d printed parts Midland 2P from an Airfix LMS 2P with a Comet chassis SECR C class repainted grey Trix brakevan detailed Bogie coach from two Hornby 4-wheel coaches Midland 1F from a Bachmann LMS/BR one F.ROTH tanker Hornby 'H&B' van on Bachmann chassis Hornby 'H&B' van to WMR Mainline LMS coach cut'n'shut to WMR Triang Polly + Electrotren chassis - LMWR The 'Shepton' Mallet - Micro-Ace HOn30 conversion Midland 3F, back-dating the Bachmann model GWR 9700 3d printed body + Bachmann chassis LMWR 4-4-2T from a Bachmann LYR 2-4-2T LSWR '700' no.316 - mainly repainting a Hornby model Converting a Beattie well tank to EM gauge Re-motoring an Oxford Rail Adams radial MiniTrains Porter 0-6-0T - adding a tender MiniTrains Baldwin conversions Triang clerestory coach conversions - 6 wheel and all third bogie Oxford Rail LNER cattle wagon mods Oxford Rail LNER 6 plank open wagon Triang vans for LMWR Bachmann LMS cattle wagon for LMWR Bachmann Wickham trolley to 009 Minitrains Bagnall wing-tank 009 loco Back-dating a Hornby LSWR 700 class Oxford's Adam's Radial - Reposition motor and add daylight under the boiler WMR 0-6-0 from SECR C class (static model) Repainting a Hornby SECR H class grey Radio controlled van in 4mm scale LMWR cattle wagons from Bachmann LMS ones LMWR large horsebox from Lima LMWR 6-wheel brake van from Oxford & Parkside parts WMR BG from Mainline coach parts LMWR 4-wheel full brake from Hornby clerestory parts WMR 4-4-0 with 3-D printed body and GBL tender LMWR small horsebox from modified Parkside kit WMR small horseboxes from a GWR Beetle kit Repainting and Detailing the Hornby LSWR Brakevan A Triang TT tank wagon conversion Hornby LSWR (and other) 3-plank wagon mods More Hornby wagon mods

With a bit of gentle persuasion. Like many detail parts on Bachmann models, they are held on with a small amount of superglue (or its industrial equivalent). Remove the chassis, and then the boiler+cab assembly. You should be able to prize the splashers off with your fingers.

I first did this over a year ago (doesn't time fly), more recently I swapped the splashers around to make it less C like. In addition to your list, I also removed the rear steps from the tender, moved the tender brake shoes inwards, and converted it to left hand drive.

I do plan to start my own thread in that section sometime, when I get around to it. It's not the only loco I've been messing around with. The new LYR tank loco is a very useful model.

LMWR = London & Mid Western Railway , a line proposed a few times around 1860 to provide a standard gauge link from the West Midland Railway at Oxford to West London. After piece broke out between the WMR and GWR the plan disappeared into history. Not so in my imagination. The model is a modified Bachmann C class. This is an example of freelancing, which seems quite rare in British standard gauge modelling.

How about a pre-grouping might have been but never was livery. This is LMWR no.256 in post WW1 goods livery. EDIT : I've now started a workbench topic about this, and other conversions. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/82968-niles-bodging-bench/

A Dapol terrier would make a good chassis for a WD Hunslet, if you can find one.

The buffers seem quite firmly attached, but I managed to work one loose. This probably isn't what you wanted to see.

Rather than party like it's 2014, today I decided to dismantle the body of one of mine. Here is the resulting explosion of parts. The dome is a separate part, the chimney is not. The reversing lever has broken (cleanly) as it's glued to both the boiler and footplate.

I can confirm that at least one box shifter has plenty of these models. The reason you are not seeing them in stock is because they are busy packing and sending them all to me.* * a slight exaggeration, but if pre-orders >= deliveries , then they wont appear on the web site.

Would you believe it, Hattons stock it. http://www.ehattons.com/stocklist/1531512/1000594/1000781/0/Vallejo_Any_or_Multiple_Scales_Paint_acrylic/prodlist.aspx Use the search box to find the colour you want, or you'll be there forever.

I was struck by how small the motors looked. I thought they would be more at home in an N gauge model.

Hi JCL I agree entirely with your comparison of the two models, which is why I went for the Portrait. As for what I'm going to do with it, not sure yet. Maybe some experiments. I'm watching what you get up to ;-) . I managed to get a big sheet of 20thou plastic yesterday, plus some 10thou.

Excellent stuff, I too shall be following this as I've just bought a Silhouette Portrait, the slightly smaller and cheaper version.

De-spoked models, surely? [feel free to groan]

I think Richard was implying that you have a better knowledge of what will and wont get rejected, rather than getting special treatment. The issue of design rules changing can be a big problem for us designers. Better communication would help a lot. As well as telling us about new materials (in the regular emails), I would like to know about any changes. The usual way I find out is when something gets rejected, that has previously been printed.

Mythocentric, you forgot the pug. Add in a few wagon and coach kits, have we now got enough for a LYR layout?

Put some thin, clear plastic between the two boards first. That should make separating them easier, and you can match the ballast level on each side.

High Level kits does a chassis for the Pug, but it may not work with the kit designed for the Hornby Pug.