Dublo Coach sides - Romford Motor Bogie - 4-4-2

[SR71]

Replacement or alternative sides for battered dublo stock has long been a thing. There have/are been plenty of options for this but having rediscovered my own liking for using graphics/photo manipulation software in lock down I thought I'd try my own. Nothing too adventurous to start with but I thought I would try a plane crimson lake suburban (rather than lined as produced by Hornby).

 

 

It's over height so it could be trimmed back and I'm quite pleased with it. I haven't got any solid window suburbans at the moment but looking at a Gresley I noticed the window shading is made up of differently spaced dots.

 

 

This isn't how I remember the suburbans being, nore how they look in pictures online. Does anyone have one to hand to actually look at please?

 

Edited January 8 by SR71
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[Il Grifone]

I'll have a look at what I have here to hand. There is a large box of Dublo stock and I think there are some D13s. However I am almost 100% sure that the shading is different between the two liveries.

The real Gresley coaches were steel panelled 52' 6" coaches (the 3rd and Bk/3rd were an articulated set as produced pre-war, the composite being a single coach. I gather they ran as 5 car (2 artics sandwiching a composite) cross country sets; more suitable for the N2 than the A4, I very much doubt that BR would have bothered with the faux panelling, but have yet to see photographic confirmation. One thing is almost certain - that they never had the BR style bogies fitted to the last issues. Several times I've had a project to cut out and glaze the windows, but the thought of all that tedious metal cutting has always put me off. The door droplights would be a particular pain!

[SR71]

Thank you. I actually like the non-window stock but I think that's because it reminds me of tinplate o gauge at Christmas which has the same windows.

 

I certainly wouldn't fancy trying to cut all the windows on a Gresley without damaging the decoration. As for the panelling I guess it made them visually more interesting?

[Il Grifone]

It's probably just that they didn't realise that the coaches were steel panelled. Information was much harder to find back then. I only found out from the learned tome on LNER coaches many years later. What is strange is that, despite being only 52' 6" long, they still modelled them short. Perhaps my theory that the original idea was an H0 range has some truth after all, despite being debunked by those in the know.

The LNER 3rd and Bk/3rd have consecutive numbers as befits an articulated set; the 1st/3rd a number from a different series (all prototypical). The BR(E) versions keep the same identities (less the 3rd obviously though they could easily have made one and potentially increased sales. The suburbans solved the problem by not having numbers at all, but again no full 3rd.

Edited March 12, 2022 by Il Grifone

[SR71]

Well I've now done the composite, spacing the first class was a bit of a challenge.

 

And the otherside of the brake required more effort after i realised flipping it just made all the doors open backwards.

 

 

I could have just done the same as the Hornby stannier on my desk which has 2 left hand sides I suppose.

Edited April 1, 2022 by SR71

[SR71]

This is starting to be an obsession...

Rebuilt Maunsell drawn between the last post and this one.

 

To bed before I start another!

Edited April 1, 2022 by SR71

[sagaguy]

If you want some for Dublo SD surburbans!.

 

                           Ray.

[Il Grifone]

You have already done better than Dublo who didn't bother with wider first class compartments. The LNER 3rd and 1st/3rd are identical apart from the coach and class numbers. They were designed pre-war of course when no-one really cared about such things.

To be fair, the Tri-ang Clerestories from much later on got the compartment spacing wrong too! The Bk/3rd is OK apart from the end compartment*, but the allegedly 1st/3rd has all the compartments the same size* and neither one nor the other.

* In the end compartments, they overlooked that the end panels are half width.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Il Grifone

[sagaguy]

I drew those up when i built this Dublo nevawassa maroon EMU.

 

                                Ray.

[SR71]

6 hours ago, sagaguy said:

I drew those up when i built this Dublo nevawassa maroon EMU.

 

                                Ray.

That looks very good! I've not got to printing any of mine yet.

[SR71]

Since RMweb went on its holidays eBay has done it's thing and turned up some suitably pre warn suburbans. Will be spending the next hour or so turning them into parts as I will cherry pick the best bits as I rebuild.

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by SR71
They look a lot better in the photo than in real life!

[SR71]

Test print but margin chopped end off.

 

 

Obviously actual prints would be in colour but easier to do quick black and white test print.

[sagaguy]

It seems that the type of paper you use, i use Kodak  Gloss 180gsm photo paper.It also seems that the resolution of the print matters,i design and print at 300dpi.sometimes,you have to add a mm or so to the original before you print it out

 

                               Ray.

[SR71]

Hi Sagaguy

Yes these were only practice prints. My home printer can just about cope with Word documents, pictures are a bit beyond it. I will outsource the actual prints when I get there. I bought it secondhand for £10 a few weeks before lock down 1. Mrs SR71 was away at the time and questioned my sanity when she came back. 2 years later it's been used by her regularly to work from home and I have to ask for permission. 😁

 

To answer the question I started the thread with the suburbans have dots shading the windows.

 

[sagaguy]

Try these,very quick colour change in Photoshop CS2 just now.

 

                        Ray.

[SR71]

Great minds...

 

The BW print I had above was/is my early BR livery attempt. Hopefully I've just ordered some prints so in a week or so I'll see what they look like printed properly.

 

[SR71]

First coat of paint on the roofs. They don't look too bad but need some rubbing down apart from one which has a dent I missed when cleaning them up.

 

 

[SR71]

Well I got my prints through and had a play. There were some improvements needed so I've just edited the files and ordered some more. Best was the CCT van below.

 

I'll post more when I get the next prints.

[SR71]

New printed arrived yesterday. Preparing some sides for them. Not quite what Mrs SR71 wanted for lunch I think!

 

 

Drying them after rubbing down.

Edited June 19, 2022 by SR71

[SR71]

Not tried a carriage yet but new (top) Vs old Southern CCT.

 

 

While the bottom colour photographs better it in reality it's a bit too Thomas the Tank engine.

Edited June 20, 2022 by SR71

[SR71]

This weekend I got started on the carriages proper.

 

 

4 stages. Bottom to top: Scrap side. Sanded down to give a key. Side applied. Side varnished to seal it.

 

Just got to pull them all together and remount on chassis'.

[SR71]

Later than planned but finally the first coach is together. Paired with my repainted N2 and the luggage van.

 

 

The heat has driven me out of the workshop for today but hopefully I will get some more finished tomorrow. (Excuse the track, three rail is behind but harder to photograph.)

[SR71]

Coaches finished a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd photograph them in the sun before putting them away.

 

[Il Grifone]

I must do one of mine 'BRITISH RAILWAYS', though I do have a Trackmaster one (69561 IIRC).

[SR71]

Everyone did N2's then didn't they. And we think it's bad now with double terriers etc.

 

If course you'll see this is an LBSC E5X of course 🤭