Ben Alder's workbench

[Ben Alder]

Time I started a bench thread here as I find it a useful reference point, not keeping notes of any WIP, and generally forgetting how I did things if I ever have to revisit them. To begin with I'm going to salvage some posts from the wreckage of the other place and add newer jobs as they occur. To start, a rebuild of the old Hornby CR coaches.

The latest incarnation of Hornby's Caley coaches suffer from the drawbacks of their origins; namely a representation of the two preserved coaches attached to their now dated Mk 1 chassis, still with no interior and those brass nuts holding the whole thing together. In the past I have attempted to blend the sides with a more appropriate vehicle, with none too much success, so when the Caley 123 train pack appeared I gave it little attention. It is the same old tooling, and although the engine now has a better motor, it has also acquired traction tyres, which is not a move forwards. However, the decoration is first class, and I got a set with the intention of doing an upgrade to the engine, but came to the conclusion that it was beyond practicallity- not for the first time BTW. The announcement of City of Truro finished any further ideas of modifying 123, but I was pleased with the coaches finish, and decided to do something with them.

What follows now is not for the purists- but it gives me an acceptable coach for a minimum of that most precious ingredient- modelling time- and once again involved my stockpile of old Airfix LMS bodies and chassis. Rather than adjust the length of the body and damage the finish, I decided to leave the body as it was. The first line was to join two Airfix underframes to the correct length, but it proved easier to keep the Hornby chassis and fit Airfix ends and roof, to hopefully give a more pre-grouping feel to the whole thing.

Trying out the new profile roof.





A comparative shot of the two different end profiles- I think it does make the character change.


An interior was also added, but I forgot to photograph this before I stuck the roof on, so here is one of a old Mainline coach that is also being titivated- the old Peco kits being used. To be honest, its hardly seen, but I know its there.


Two shots of the interiors as seen from outside- it is better than seeing straight through originally.


Some shots of the finished coaches in service, and showing a before and after comparison as well.

As I said, a very crude approach to coachbuilding, but it does make the most of the best bit of the original, the finish.
This was done twelve years ago and I left the BR bogies in place due to a lack of LMS ones at the time. They are currently semi dismantled waiting these replacements and I am swithering between four and six wheel ones. As they are overlong six wheeler would be better but the extra work involved might just result in four wheelers being used. We shall see....

 

[Mallard60022]

Old Airfix Coaches for conversion eh? That has just reminded me of the stash(es) of those lurking just far enough away to be ignored.
Just before he died, Geoff Brewin (ex Comet) and I were looking at the use of 'his' Brass sides on suitable Airfix/Dapol LMS stuff. Gangway, including the 60'+ Staniers and NG Stock that is all 57' IIRC?
Using the NG 57's for 'new' Gangway stock involves more work of course (Ends etc), but your philosophy suits this inexpensive work I should think?
If you are interested in any of the possibilities for conversions , drop me a PM here or in the 'other place'.
Thing is you can do almost anything you like with the range of Sides available from both Comet and elsewhere, but Geoff was planning what could be done just using Comet parts + some imagination. I know some folk never used Comet Ganways, always using Masokits ones.
Even for those without 'Stashes', the cost of a different Coach, in materials, is quite low compared to the RTR prices now hitting £60+. Sides around £12; Dapol Kit around £16; + better wheels and Under Frame and detailing parts. I'd say about maximum £45.
However that is also getting close to the price of a complete Comet KIT! However, Plastic is very much more acceptable to some folk.
Those you have done look excellent, especially the lovely interiors; Larry would be impressed!
Phil

 

[Ben Alder]

That is how I tackled my passenger fleet, using Airfix coaches as carcasses for Comet sides with extra underframe detailing. I must have done about fifteen of them and apart from three in the works as they need the sides reattaching. they are all still at work. Here is a look at three also a confession. As my stock is always facing the same way, with no return loops etc, I never bother doing anything about the unseen side, which had the added advantage of getting two runners from one pack of Comet sides. Not that I'm mean or such....The undetailed side shot also shows how I cut and shut bodies to get 57' donors and get the windows aligned on the far side. The visible side had most of the existing body removed with narrow strips left top and bottom to attach the overlay.

Bear in mind these are layout coaches, with compromises where necessary to be reliable runners and they are showing a bit of wear and tear but I haven't seen anything yet tom replace them with. I do have one or two Bachmann Prthole crimson and cream ones but they are kept apart from the hybrids as the two types show their differences in appearance side by side and it is one of those relatively small things that niggle with me ( He said, completely ignoring the 4'1" track gauge.....)

 

[Ben Alder]

CDC/ Thanet Loco Works do a range of 3D printed loco bodies to fit on RTR chassis and recently added a CR 439 0-4-4T to it A model of this is available from DJH, and in brass,IIR, and has been bubbling under as a possible RTR release for a while , but with no signs of appearing though. I already have a DJH/Hornby hybrid on the layout but bought the CDC body to see what it was like. TBH, it is a bit of a curates egg, as it is designed for the old Hornby chassis and arrived with a chimney well off in both vertical planes and beyond anything apart from replacement. It had signs of the printing on the body but once it was painted , lined and on the layout they are not noticeable. The surface is smooth unlike some other 3D bodies I have dealt with and the chimney was easily removed and replaced with a whitemetal one from the leftover stash from my several HR and CR loco works. As I had a spare new version M7 chassis lying about I decided to alter the body to get it to fit. This entailed a bit of fettling at the smokebox end and removal of a bit of the backhead and cab floor - which are an integral part of the body print - and some collateral damage occurred doing this - the footplate split and shattered on both sides between the splasher and tank front - and part of the cab roof and boiler top had a clean split; both damages being easily enough repaired by either superglue and a clamp or Milliput. The body sits slightly high thanks to its design for the older chassis, but is not too apparent.

This is really a project for the 12v DC modeller as I had to remove the blanking plate to get space for lead to balance the united pair and the only room for a decoder - in the cab and bunker - is rendered unusable by the method of construction. Going by my work on the backhead any attempt at gaining access to it will result in damage to the body that would probably be less easy to repair than mine.

It seems they have missed the target here by going for the old chassis as it really doesn't pass muster on current track or standards nowadays, and to bring it up to scratch would involve a lot of work and cost, which is a bit of a shame because almost RTR ScR locos are very thin on the ground and their offerings are a good way for the less skilled/adventurous modeller to get going in loco working.It isn't an exact replica of the loco as the rear bogie is slightly off but altering it on the new version is a real faff and I am beyond worrying about such things.

A couple of shots showing it all now. The "off" chimney was worse than it seem by the pic, and the extent of the hacking inside can be seen, along with the footplate repair, but compared to a whitemetal or some of my conversion builds very little was involved in all this and it gives a useful loco that latterly ran the length of Scotland. There is also a side by side with my existing model, with the hideous stovepipe lum..
The loco is as off the bench, and awaits some weathering to tone it down a bit and hide one or two of the hiccups that are so painfully obvious in close ups....