G64 Troublesome Truck Conversion

Re:G64 back to back

Oh go on Don, you know you want to. :bigsmile:

Apart from anything else, in your scale a standard gauge truck would be HUGE :thumbup:. I take your point about the ropes. I soaked them in dark grey paint and they're actually a bit darker than they look in the photo. Having said that, I like your idea of adding a little brown.

Gilles, yes your quite right. The one dimension of these trucks that isn't quite right for 1/22 (ish) is the width which includes the buffers - they're just under 1/2" out according to the gauge 3 standards mentioned right at the start of the thread. I think the most likely explanation is that these trucks are up-scaled from OO moulds and, of course, OO is narrower than true 1/76th scale. Putting this right would be a pretty huge task which I'm not really sure I'd fancy doing. Bit of a compromise I suppose, but one that I'm comfortable with.

Trevor Evans just happened to be visiting the goods office that day to pick up a couple of Dunlops for the old Bedford OB :bigsmile:.
 
Re:G64 back to back

As mentioned in the WGLR thread, the next standard gauge project is under way. This time it's a CCT type LWB van which will provide the early morning WGLR newspaper/parcels train. The basis for this one is one of the Bachmann Thomas coaches (Claribel) purchased from Steve @ Back2Bay6 (split from a set). This actually provides two models - the original body was re-sprayed green and turned into a grounded coach for the goods yard adjacent to Gooey livestock market.

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This left the chassis to be re-gauged for 64mm gauge. The wheels were re-gauged in exactly the same way as with the previous coal wagons. The buffer beams were sawn off the chassis which was split straight down the middle. Unlike the coal wagons, I wasn't going to attach the split chassis back onto the body, so a piece of thin ply wood was cut to size and Araldited in place as a spacer.

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New buffer beams were cut from the same ply as the sawn off ones weren't wide enough. The supplied coupling hooks and buffers were re-used. The buffer spacing on this model was changed to match up with my new standard gauge pannier tank (a job I've still got to do on the coal wagons).

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The new chassis undergoing testing on the standard gauge siding at Gooey.
 
Re:G64 back to back

yb281 said:
........basis for this one is one of the Bachmann Thomas coaches (Claribel) purchased from Steve @ Back2Bay6 (split from a set). This actually provides two models - the original body was re-sprayed green and turned into a grounded coach.......

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Mel, Thats exceptional work, i would have never guessed it was from "Thomas". At first glance i thought it was an IP Engineering carriage of sorts :bigsmile::bigsmile:
 
Re:G64 back to back

Elmtree Line said:
yb281 said:
........basis for this one is one of the Bachmann Thomas coaches (Claribel) purchased from Steve @ Back2Bay6 (split from a set). This actually provides two models - the original body was re-sprayed green and turned into a grounded coach.......

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Click to expand...

Mel, Thats exceptional work, i would have never guessed it was from "Thomas". At first glance i thought it was an IP Engineering carriage of sorts :bigsmile::bigsmile:
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Cheers Keith, thing is these Thomas models make a really good basis for a "serious" model and at a really good price. :thumbup:
 
Re:G64 back to back

The parcels van's bodywork is pretty much completed. All built from various thickness of plasticard, different types of Plastruct and the odd bit of wire, the only bought parts are the Chuffed2Bits lamp irons and GRS door handles.

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I came up with a new (for me) way of doing the roof. I cut a piece of medium thickness plasticard to fit the top of the bodywork with no overhang, marked "planking" (every 5mm) and scored them. This scoring automatically causes the plasticard to bend and form a roof shape. The scored plasticard was then glued in place, held down with masking tape and left to dry for 4 hours. A thinner piece of plasticard (cut to size to allow for the overlap) was then glued onto the scribed former, held in place with tape and left over night. Not only does this give you much more places to glue the finished roof to (so that it's less likely to spring back), but you also get the "planking" showing through very lightly, much like the construction of a real wagon roof.

Alongside an Accucraft L&B van. This shows that the parcels van is a pretty big bu**er.

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The Clarabel chassis doesn't include any underframe detail, brakes etc., so that's the next job plus painting of course.
 
Re:G64 back to back

jameshilton said:
Cool! Looking good. What's the prototype? A GWR diagram?
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Cheers James and Tony. The drawings (and photo) I worked to were for a Southern PMV, but the Clarabel chassis is shorter, so I've reduced it from 4 windows down to three. I've also gone for a more conventional roof line rather than the typical Southern one.
 
Re:G64 back to back

That's really great, Mel. Seeing the two vans side by side reinforces the point that the WGLR is narrow gauge.
 
Re:G64 back to back

like it mell, your atention to details amasing, it s definatly a big bugger
 
Re:G64 back to back

I wondered if it was a Southern CCT design, I had a Wrenn one in 4mm as a child, but what made me say GW was the end vent and roof shape, looked sort of 'Iron Mink' ish in profile.
 
Re:G64 back to back

Having finished the detailing on the roof (edging strips, rain strips and IP torpedo vents), the parcels van emerges from the paint shops. The whole body was sprayed with Halfords plastic primer, followed by a coat of Halfords Rover Damask Red. The roof was then airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic dark greys.

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Still lots of work to do on detailing the underframe - which I must admit, I'm not really looking forward to.
 
Re:G64 back to back

Excellent work - just proves that an essentially freelance design works really well in std gauge if based on a prototype.
I don't think that most people would notice that it wasn't an 100% accurate model of any particular wagon because it has all the character of the real thing - to me this is a pretty old school modelling technique (I'm thinking Edward Beal) and takes careful work to achieve.

Looks really tidy by your Pannier and makes me ashamed that I've had a few G3 wagon parts knocking about for so long without using them ;)
 
Re:G64 back to back

That's very nicely done Mel. You should be rightly proud.
 
Re:G64 back to back

ceejaydee said:
Excellent work - just proves that an essentially freelance design works really well in std gauge if based on a prototype.
I don't think that most people would notice that it wasn't an 100% accurate model of any particular wagon because it has all the character of the real thing - to me this is a pretty old school modelling technique (I'm thinking Edward Beal) and takes careful work to achieve.

Looks really tidy by your Pannier and makes me ashamed that I've had a few G3 wagon parts knocking about for so long without using them ;)
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Thanks Ian and Martin.

Chris, you've hit the nail on the head. For me the look of a model is the priority rather than it being 100% authentic, so being mentioned in the same sentence as someone like Edward Beal is a massive compliment. I know someone who would think nothing of spending a week sanding away at a piece of wood to make the roof of a 100% authentic coach or railcar and his models are absolutely fantastic, but that's not for me. I'm also on a very limited budget, so getting this parcels van plus the grounded coach body for about £50 is ideal. I reckon a kit for a similar gauge 3 parcels van (if there is one) would be about £150 to £200 on it's own.

On the "errrr that'll do", "stingy old git" theme, I've just used bits of plastciard, plastistrut etc. to add a bit of clutter to the underframe. Next job will be to make some vacuum pipes etc. out of wire. Just thinking of a way of making some steps that won't be too fragile.

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Re:G64 back to back

That parcel van looks Fantastic Mel :thumbup:
Have you seen the white metal steps that Steve makes in his shop i used them on my snow plow build .
 
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