O-EM-OO9 workbench - wheely good? Maybe

[76043]

Next up, SR vans, I've got two Bachmann bodies and two Ratio kits. Starting on a 9' wheelbase vacuum fitted van for the Bachmann body. I'm raiding my Cambrian and Parkside spares bin for the underframe. Hoping to get all four finished by Christmas....

Anyone know the best way to remove Bachmann wagon lettering and numbers?
Tony

 

[James Spooner]

Next up, SR vans, I've got two Bachmann bodies and two Ratio kits. Starting on a 9' wheelbase vacuum fitted van for the Bachmann body. I'm raiding my Cambrian and Parkside spares bin for the underframe. Hoping to get all four finished by Christmas....

Anyone know the best way to remove Bachmann wagon lettering and numbers?
Tony

View attachment 250954

Hi Tony

A couple of options I use (depending on the ease with which the lettering comes off) are to gently rub the lettering with a fibreglass brush or to scrape off with a scalpel with one of the rounded blades (as you are less likely to gouge into the paint surface that way). Usually, with some weathering over the top any damage to the paintwork doesn’t show.

Nigel

 

[paulhb]

Next up, SR vans, I've got two Bachmann bodies and two Ratio kits. Starting on a 9' wheelbase vacuum fitted van for the Bachmann body. I'm raiding my Cambrian and Parkside spares bin for the underframe. Hoping to get all four finished by Christmas....

Hi Tony,

I recently used IPA to remove lettering from a Hattons Genesis coach which worked. Also recently stumbled across a uTube video where a Sharpie pen was used to remove markings from a Heljan wagon. Not tried it myself.

Link.

Regards Paul

 

[James]

Hi Tony,

I recently used IPA to remove lettering from a Hattons Genesis coach which worked. Also recently stumbled across a uTube video where a Sharpie pen was used to remove markings from a Heljan wagon. Not tried it myself.

Link.

Regards Paul

That looks very handy!

 

[simond]

Bit counter intuitive but pretty effective.

Not sure why it needs a ten minute video to tell you what one sentence would, but that’s the modern world for you!

this young lady’s post provides some insight.

www.ChemistryIsLife.com - The Chemistry of Sharpies

Introduction Sharpies are sold in about 20 different countries, sharpie is just another permanent marker. There’s is about 39 different colors of the fine point. I choose the chemistry of sharpies because I love to draw and write with sharpies. It affects how i write and I just love all the colors

www.chemistryislife.com

 

[76043]

Thanks all for the info on removing RTR lettering, all very useful information.

The first van continues, obviously the body is Bachmann, but the 9' chassis is cobbled out of all sorts and now awaits suitable buffers and couplings. Has been a real challenge, was effectively scratchbuilt.
Tony

 

[76043]

So yet another spill of the EMA bottle has wrecked the bodywork of the southern van shown above. Fortunately the chassis was elsewhere and escaped, so a new Bachmann even planked body will have to be sourced at some point.

I should have been using my anti-spill liquid dispenser, but wasn't. Oh well.

So moving onto the next SR van here's the Ratio body on a plate axle box BR chassis representing a Diagram 1455.

Cheers
Tony

 

[76043]

The Southern van is just now awaiting buffers, I have some Oleo's in stock so may use those, but might try some Accuracscale RCH ones as they don't come with bases, but the Ratio headstock does. It's a mix of Parkside frames, Ratio brakegear and Evergreen strip for the tie-bars. Mainly trains coupling hooks have been super-glued in.

I have a new phone, so I now have new colours for the van, YAY! (compare to the previous post)
Tony

 

[76043]

I dug out my 30 year old Menda bottle from my days as an architectural modelmaker, so no more spillages for me.

https://menda.descoindustries.com/MendaCatalog/Pump-And-Bottle/Take-Along/HDPE/35702/

Tony

 

[76043]

More wagon work. A couple of cobbled together Conflats. A Bachmann BR one has has extra details such as tie-bars, vac pipes and lamp irons, whilst the GWR one is a Hornby body on a Bachmann chassis and same mods and new buffers. Fixings have been adapted on both so they screw together for painting. I've got some Ambis shackles for the time when they are ready to accept the containers. Lastly both have angled headstocks which is a doddle with a needle file.
Tony

 

[Simon H]

I dug out my 30 year old Menda bottle from my days as an architectural modelmaker, so no more spillages for me.

https://menda.descoindustries.com/MendaCatalog/Pump-And-Bottle/Take-Along/HDPE/35702/

Tony

I remember using these in a couple of electronic assembly jobs in the 1980s, but never bought one for myself as I didn't know what they were called. Might have a look for one...
Thanks,
Simon.

 

[76043]

I'm also working on this. I think it's a Kirk kit, but whatever it's origins, it's a WW2 LNER austerity van. I have a Parkside LNER fitted wagon chassis for it to on. Was considering using an unfitted Ratio chassis too, but think I'll stick fitted.

It does need a bit of work, the curve on the ends isn't symmetrical and it required some serious work with a file to get the ends to go together square. It comes with a curved piece of black plastikard for the roof, which I think I will use, making it a solid upper that gets screwed onto the chassis. The headstocks need shaping as they are currently 45° chamfered pieces of plastic.

But despite it's crudeness of its time, it is fun seeing what I might be able to with it. I don't think there is any updated plastic kit of this wagon, so worth persevering with.
Tony

 

[76043]

Ok, so it doesn't look like much progress, but it's actually a lot of work just to get to this point. The left hand van came with a piece of plastikard for the roof, so I strengthened it using the Geoff Kent method. This involves sticking an extra layer of plastikard underneath, which seems to have worked so far. It also needed a piece adding to one end as it was too short. I've also corrected the profile on the ends. The right hand body was just a bit of a pain to get square, resulting in it coming apart twice, only to find a slight twist in the body. I corrected it by flooding EMA on the joints and leaving to set on a piece of aluminium with a twist set the opposite way, after a couple of days it seems to have set itself square.

I haven't even got to the underframes yet!

Tony

 

[76043]

The second Southern van is now complete and ready for painting and weathering with Oleo buffers, lamp irons, vac pipes and coupling hooks.

 

[76043]

I got three LNER vans ready for EM before 2026 arrived. The Kirk kit for an austerity van, an early Parkside fruit van and a Bachmann non vent van.

The fruit van is a fairly standard van for the period, some retained their roof vents (Chivers LNER) during the BR period, but this one has lost the cast fruit plate, mainly because when I had these kits as a lad I chopped them off for some unknown reason. The axleboxes were angled back to look more like LNER ones and a tiny strip of rod put on to represent the handle. The austerity van represents an unfitted BR conversion to vac fitted with plate axleboxes and collared buffers, possibly a little rare as LNER axleboxes seemed to last. Both have various mods from the spares bin, I made a wee jig for the four door handle holes and popped them in with wire. The safety loops were also added on the fruit van as they seem to be more visible on LNER vans as they stick out more towards the headstock.

All this detailing and some more meant they basically took ages, but I was determined to finish them before 2025 was done. But nice to finally get them ready for painting having owned these two kits for some 30 years in an unbuilt state.





They are demountable in my usual way to ease painting, the Parkside kit never did get square, so I ended up with a subframe chassis for both of them and removable roofs. All parts are interference fit.







The Bachmann van has some yoke detail added along with the safety loop. I drilled out the brake shoes and added rodding for strength. I may add roof strips later, but the paint finish was too nice to break into at the moment.
Tony

 

[Simon H]

Happy New Year, Tony!
Great stuff, and very inspiring for me as I'm also modelling in EM, often using older kits bought either new many moons ago or second-hand more recently.
The LNER/ER vehicles are of especial interest right now as I've recently begun some preliminary noodling on an Ian Kirk LNER early 1930s 9' wb van kit, prompted by the chance acquisition of some suitable transfers for my preferred mid-'30s era.
This particular kit is showing its age somewhat, with one or two details being a bit iffy, but I'm afraid that if I start getting too into replacing things like strapping, there might not be much of the original kit left!
I'll probably fit EMGS W-irons as they're fairly contemporary with the kit, and will also add some decent RCH buffers and axleboxes, along with suitable (Morton, unfitted) brake gear and leave it at that.
All I really need to do is find time to do all this...
Cheers,
Simon.

 

[76043]

Thank you Simon, I've really just followed the Geoff Kent methodology, which includes no compensation, I can't get my head around moving w-irons and the gap between solebar and springs. I'm not a fan of sticking etched parts to plastic kits either, so as much as possible should be plastic melted to plastic in my world. White metal buffers and couplings are the exception as they have the luxury of a hole to go into.

These old kits will be passable as runners in a train, no need to be the latest all singing and dancing RTR or etched wonderment as they won't be stopping long enough for anyone to notice. I'm more interested in an impressionist approach.
Tony

 

[76043]

Next up, a Bachmann BR three plank which on closer inspection turned out to be an LMS D1927. The later LMS and BR versions had four vertical stanchions on the ends and metal capping on the tops of the sides and ends.

So time to make it unfitted and off with one set of brake gear, add the bump stops in the headstocks, carve off everything that stops EM wheels being fitted and make some rudimentary representation of the rest of the door closing device.

Okay, so the w-irons might be the later ones, but they did get changed on some wagons....

Easy except in trying to sort out the brake gear I managed to destroy it, meaning the levers and V hangers had to be carefully rebuilt, one from the spares box. Anyway, it's ready for painting now and then some sort of load in due course.

Tony

 

[76043]

Some way back on here I started a Dapol/Kitmaster Lowmac. I got stuck on the detailing and put it aside, but was recently inspired by the EM Gauge 70's crew who finished one too. I've done my best to make the axleboxes as close as possible to the ones shown on Paul Bartlett's website. I've also put some LNER self contained buffers on it, which are not correct but close enough and fettled the buffer beam and brake levers.

Another one for the paint queue.
Tony

 

[76043]

Next up, an ancient Parkside LMS open, really showing it's age, but a little fettling might produce a runner. Decided to go for a fitted version, so using spare J-hanger chassis parts. Looks like it's going to end up a D2150. I've got no pinpoint spoked wheels in stock so went back to my old favourite round end Jackson EM wheels again. Peco bearings are 2.5mm diameter so reamed out the holes and ended up with a free running square chassis!
Tony