dj_crisp

A new job and being away from home has reduced my modelling time over the summer, but I've managed to slowly progress my 37s. A few bits from Shawplan have been fitted... these being laserglaze, windscreen wipers and a fan. Then i thought the cab looked a little empty so I've made a representation of the cab front and rear from scrap plastikcard. I've fitted these to two of my 37 projects and although they're crude from a distance it looks ok...well to my eyes it does A (hopefully) quicker project is a Hornby 31. I've always quite liked them (despite the reviews) and couldn't resist starting my regional railways example. The printed stripes and numbers looked a little bit too gloss for me, and not in keeping with the rest of the excellent livery application, so I've sprayed the body with railmatch satin varnish. I think it looks a bit better now. Also I've a applied some light weathering to the roof and picked out the inside of the window frames in black, which will then be laserglazed. Shawplan nameplates finish it off nicely. I've been lucky recently and have been able to get two EM conversion sets off a well known auction site.... no idea who makes them but they work well. I've also fitted a set of kadees and converted it to DCC. This leaves me with a small challenge for the tail lights as I'm trying to think of a solution that will allow me to turn them off.... other than permanently! It also looks like it's missing the headlight from the front so I'll be fitting one of those soon. And onto something a bit more southern.... a Bachmann Mk2 which I rather like these (especially in toothpaste livery) . The bogies are Branchlines excellent etch with Bachmanns sides - it now glides along my uneven test track. They're pretty straightforward to fit with the main challenge being getting the ride height to look ok! Now i have done one the rest should be easy.... (famous last words) To create an illusion of corridor connectors I've fitted a keen systems connector. Couplings are kadee as usual. I'm going to attempt a home made lighting circuit but thats for another day! Happy Modelling!

Thanks! A lovely setting. Please keep the excellent photos flowing!! cheers Will

Hi Roger an excellent photo... which station is it? thanks Will

Hi Jon Great to see your layout and I particularly like your 50s! Have you previously done a thread of how you improved them? Cheers Will

Thanks Jon. I'm enjoying following your 33/2 thread... It inspired me to return to this one! Cheers Will

I think Hornby's Class 60 is one of the best models around.... I've just fitted some laserglaze which I think improves the look of the cab. Other tweaks I've made is fitting kadees, but keeping the full plough and converting to EM using blackbeetles. This one's a bit of a rescue project so is perhaps a little over-weathered and this is hiding a few paint issues. For some reason the orange paint has bubbled in places and chipped off - I'm tempted to respray the orange but that's not high on my list! Although buffers need blackening and one day I'll find out how to have independent lights so I can switch off the tail lights. It's also managed to loose it's steps and a few horns so hopefully I'll be able to source some spares. My other project that I've been progressing is 33114 - I do like the toothpaste livery! This one has been going for a while with quite a few details that I've changed. The bogies have had their centre springs moved back to add some depth and I've added the PH's excellent bogie steps. It's been converted to EM using blackbeetles which really improve it's running abilities. 252 Kadees have been fitted and I've used Heljans buffer beam details - which are brittle but look the part. The front bagpipes have been picked out with railmatch yellow and matt black, which is an easy improvement that I think really improves the front end. The solebars have been painted grey and a few of the cab details picked out. As with all diesel projects a few Shawplan items are essential! Glazing, nameplates and roof fan and grill are all Brian's items. Heljan's printed nameplates are a little long, so some T-Cut and satin varnish is required. The Heljan fan/grill is also a little oversized so filling is needed to sort that out and then the roof has been sprayed with good old halfords black - An excellent paint that i use alot. It's DCC chipped and also has an express lighting kit fitted which allows independent control of the lights.... (I wish all locos where wired that way!!) I'm going to keep this one quite clean but will weather the roof as soon I've sprayed the middle bit grey (i always forget something!!). I've got a few more bits and pieces to fit but at least this one is no longer in bits! Happy Modelling! Will

Thanks! That's an excellent tip for making the MK3's look better - I'm going to have a go with some of mine and see how they look. Your 33/2 is looking fantastic - Are you going to fit the original glazing or put in in some laserglaze? cheers Will

A bit of progress with the mk3s - Shawplan's frames fitted; Since this picture was taken I've sprayed primer over the top half of the coach, which meant masking and resulting in the end of the white lining! Will have to respray that. Currently I'm gently sanding a few areas that looked a little rough... Roof has also been primed after a little tidying. Also spent a bit of effort on adding an impression of the Automatic Wheel Slide Protection (WSP) system on the bogies; And painted; I assume the Automatic Wheel Slide Protection (WSP) system is correct for an HST set? If not I'll use these on my MK3 pullmans. I've only ever seen these on the right hand bogie as you're looking at the coach. I guess it's one per bogie and always right hand as you look at the side of a coach? Next step will be building a brassmasters bogie. Cheers Will

Hi Jon. I just read back a little and saw you've improved the lima mk3 end by modelling the rounded rubber... what did you use? Thanks Will

Thanks everyone... awesome help. I never thought finding the right shade of grey would be so interesting!

My class 37 project is progressing... A class that I have a soft spot for and I think the Vitrains 37 with a some of Brian's excellent Shawplan fittings looks quite good. Their other advantage (for me) is that they're cheaper than Bachmann, run nicely and are easy to convert to EM as the centre axle isn't driven. First up 37709 This has had Shawplan cab window frames, roof grill and fan fitted. I've put in some homemade side glazing, a kind of representation of the cab interior, new buffers, and a homemade lighting circuit. And I've used some 14mm black beetle wheels to convert it to EM. As they're slightly smaller than Vi's (and probably the prototype) the bogie frame is sitting a bit off centre of the wheel. I might have a go at getting the bogie side frame closer to the body. Lots still to do! Lots of details to do and I'm also trying to put together a set of PH steps and while I've managed his 33 & 47 versions the 37 is defeating me!! I've also started on my other Vi's.... A few in progress shots I had to feather in some railmatch paint as I've never been able to been able to remove Vi's transfers and they always seem to have larger printed nameplates than the etched versions; all fittings are shawplan I picked up a couple of painting disasters so have attempted to save them. The RFD version has turned out to be a total respray; The mainline one I've managed to get away with respraying just the roof and part of sides. Varnishing has hidden this quite well Next I'll be starting on the lights and fitting glazing, then a spot of gentle weathering

Andy Thanks for your excellent info... Im definetly going to try and replicate thus Cheers Will

Hi Andy Thanks! I've resprayed a Mainline liveried 37 used exec grey and it has a brown tint to it which doesn't match the power car. Looking at the photos that were kindly posted, the Lima colour looks closer to the prototype to me so I'm tempted to try and find something. cheers Will

I've long admired many projects and people's workbenches featured on RMweb so thought I'd share a few of mine in the hope they may be of interest to others. Also maybe my photography skills might improve!! My overall project is somewhere in the south in the 1990s. I'm not too bothered about being exact so some of my stuff is late 80's eventually creeping into 2000. I've decided to try EM out... mostly as i want to have some kind of wheel standard so decided to replace RTR wheels and EM seemed a logical choice for my slap dash abilities. Anyway waffle over, here's a Heljan 58 that I'm progressing. Some door protectors to fit and then some weathering. I've done some homemade glazing from lexan plastic sheet as I'm not a fan of the factory fitted stuff A few livery details have been corrected (black door and picked out the side grills). I also had an old railmatch grill which I've fitted, mostly because my model had some damage in that area and i've had a go at suggesting a few cab interior details (What i like about photographing my models is other than focussing on my mess ups I notice things like a missing cab step...! No idea where that is.) Finally a rather nice Express Models Lighting kit has been added, a decoder, kadees and a set of Blackbeetle 14mm wheels from Branchlines. I do have a soft spot for Cromptons and Eastleigh was one of my favs so had to have a go. I can't decide if with a few roof mods I can get away with the old Heljan 33/0. I think it looks a little better with some filing but is probably stil too flat And compared to a 33/1 Happy Modelling cheers Will

Well project HST has started.... This ones going to take a while (I've ordered some ultrascale wheels.... but i bet they arrive before this is finished) Basic project will be upgrading two lima HST sets, one in exec the other swallow livery. They'll comprise of about 5 coaches each due to my space limitations. The warning panel yellow was really rough where the paint had been badly sprayed by lima so I started sanding it down assuming I'd have to respray. It smoothed off nicely and I've coated it with a satin varnish and l think I'm going to get away with it. The white line has has been touched up in parts and handrail picked out. So onto a colour match test for my MK3s.... I just happen to be repsraying a Vi 37 into general grey and thought I'd try Halfords volvo dark grey for the roof. This has also been varnished and I don't think it's a good match for the Lima power car... And then looking at the power car the grey is quite dark, closer to falcon grey of the swallow livery. My experimental MK3 has had it's window frames removed and sanded down. Next time I'm going to gloss varnish the red and white strip as the "protective" masking tape took the lining clean off in places!! So I'm not sure what to do with the paint match issue as I want the set to look like a.. set. cheers Will

Your Vi 47 is looking great! I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. The one good thing about Vitrains is I'm learning how to feather in with Railmatch paints! (Nameplates always seem to be oversized) Cheers Will

That is an excellent spot.. Very interesting and the band is noticeable on the buffet. Cheers

Thanks! I'm always interested in using halfords rattle cans for bulk spraying of roofs and things like that. Which livery did you match volvo dark grey with? cheers

Thanks! I shall try out Railmatch and see how it looks. I'm just experimenting with one coach at the moment before attempting sound a batch. Will put up some photos when I'm a bit further down the line. Thanks for the photo... really helpfull. that's the first I've seen with the beige being a bit higher on the roof line. I'm attempting a the revised version so I think I'll simply the whole roof. Cheers!

Hi I'very just started my HST project... A lima Intercity Swallow and an Intercity Executive set. This'll keep me busy for a while! I'm updating the lima mk3s and will be fitting shawplan's window frames. It means that I'll need to paint match Lima's Executive Grey and Swallow Grey. Does anyone know a good paint match? Also on the executive version I noticed that lima painted a beige strip onto the roofs. I can't find a prototype for this... is it correct? A number of mine have damaged roofs so I think I just need to respray them into the same grey as the side... but wondered if I should include the beige. Cheers Will

Yep I agree on the front windows being slightly out on the 33/1. I think as soon as heljans horrible glazing is ditched for laserglaze the model looks pretty good. I'm happy with some compromises but can't get over the new roof on the 33/0 which is mostly what I'll be looking at!

The most successful 33/0 I've seen are modifying a Heljan 33/1 body shell. One day I think I'll have a go...

I commuted for 2 years to west croydon around 2003. I remember the connex slam doors were quite good fun... jumping out onto the platform just as the train stopped!

Looking good and great progress!

Hi Shed Thanks for the photos. .. They do look good. Which means I'm really looking forward to seeing your efforts as I'm sure they'll be even better! Cheers Will