7mm On Heather's Workbench - 37 Varieties

[Heather Kay]

Okay, I might come up with a better title in time!

As a rule I generally don't get involved in ready-to-run upgrades. However, when someone asks nicely, I am willing to take a look.



Some time ago, Philip Healey Pearce, better known round this neck of the woods as @BrushType4, asked if I'd like to have a go at titivating one of his Heljans. Always up for a challenge, I said yes. A couple of photos of a preferred loco and a brief discussion later, the loco arrived. And it stayed in its box while other jobs came and went, or more realistically, came and stayed.

Not generally being au fait with the class variations of the 37, I believe what I am trying to create is the 37/0 sub-class, in overall BR blue, retaining the steam heat boiler and both fuel tanks. The loco has been through the S7 wheel reprofiling stage (not by me), so my job was to try and make upgrades and tweaks, and to then gently weather to match the photos. When you start looking, it's amazing how much stuff is available to modify these things. For a start, I've got transfers from Railtec. Then I ordered a spares sprue of cab back panels and bogie end beams from Howes (another sprue might be needed to replace some missing bogie details). I managed to get the plumbing parts for the drawbars from JLTRT, and CPL diesel couplings will substitute for the Danish things. I thought that would do, but I've since decided on some Pete Harvey upgrade etches, and some further castings from DJP/MMP. Oh, and a driver from Modelu.

So far, as you can see, I've disassembled the loco. It's not likely to need a full repaint, so I'm doing my best not to damage the bodywork too much. The bogie frames have been taken off, and bits that had dropped off them reinstated, pending the upgrade etched parts. The wheels have been given a degrease (the stuff Heljan use seems to just get everywhere on its own, doesn't it?) and a quick coat of paint.

I've just had a play with creating the domino effect in the split headcodes boxes. It nearly works, but needs refining. I'll document it later.

Apparently, there are five more of these beasties that will need the treatment. Looks like I shall need to stock up on a lot of spare parts in the coming months!

 

[Dog Star]

If a 37 retains a working steam heat boiler, as suggested in your post, then there is one water and one fuel tank... plus a steam heat hose at each end of the engine. Of course, someone may have decided that the model is of a 37 which has had the steam heat boiler isolated... not sure if that variation would have been provided with a second fuel tank.

If you are really doing a 37 with twin fuel tanks then there are some of us who shall be looking for the balance pipe which sits between the two tanks and is visible in a side view.

 

[Heather Kay]

If you are really doing a 37 with twin fuel tanks then there are some of us who shall be looking for the balance pipe which sits between the two tanks and is visible in a side view.

The chosen loco is 37106. Sadly, I don't have photos that show the tanks, but what I do see is the steam heating hose. I also seemthe round buffer heads.

So, unless further images of this particular loco turn up that clearly show midriff details in the mid-1970s I shall work on a "near enough" approximation of the type.

Edit: one of the reference photos I'm using doesn't show the steam heat pipe. Hmm.

 

[richard carr]

Heather

The fuel and water tank on the Heljan model are far too wide, they should be within the bounds of the loco body, about 2mm off each side.

Exactly when is the loco to be modelled ?

Richard

 

[Heather Kay]

Right, while belly details remain to be confirmed, I shall describe how I went about making the domino headcodes.

A brief history lesson, which may help some soul seeking the information. If you know this stuff, scroll on down!

The second generation diesel locos of British Railways, which started to enter service in the very early 1960s, were given illuminated boxes on their noses which carried the four-digit train reporting number. These, in turn, replaced the headcodes discs and marker lights, which replicated the steam era lamp codes for train reporting. Initially, some classes also had communicating doors in the nose, meaning the panels were split. On later production runs, the doors were not included, meaning the headcode boxes could be a single unit. Still later, train reporting numbers were dropped, making the headcode boxes redundant. Eventually, many locos had the boxes plated over with additional warning or marker lights fitted. Before that, the so-called "domino markers" were fitted, essentially a white dot on a black ground which was lit by the box ilumination setup.

37106 will have the domino markers. How to replicate them?



Heljan thoughtfully make the boxes so they can be removed from the model. Here are the basic components: a blanking box into which the white lamp is fitted; a glazing panel, which I have run a black marker pen round all the edges; the outer frame which clips into the recess in the nose. You can also see my home brew punch, made from some brass tube that's been fettled to give a sharp rim, and the Mark 1 panels. The latter are made of card, coloured black on one side and with a hole punched through, and backed with some tracing paper.



The Mark 1 worked, but proved a little too thick, meaning the outer frame didn't sit properly. The Mark 2 panel is just black cartridge paper, punched and backed by tracing paper.



Using PVA, I glued the panel to the front of the blanking box, and then carefully trimmed the excess paper back.



Pushed back into the recesses, it doesn't look bad.



With the glazing and frame back on, it looks okay, but… the panels are too deeply recessed. Looking at the real thing, it's fairly obvious the blanking panel is really something almost literally stuck on the back of the frame glazing. Oh well, it looks like a Mark 3 will need to be created! Something for the morrow.

 

[Heather Kay]

Heather

The fuel and water tank on the Heljan model are far too wide, they should be within the bounds of the loco body, about 2mm off each side.

Exactly when is the loco to be modelled ?

Richard

Roughly mid-70s, I think.

I'm not sure major surgery like that is on the cards, but I shall have a look. I think the tanks are effectively cosmetic overlays held by screws, so it might be possible to trim something. I'll look at them in daylight!

By the way, I've also ordered some replacement sanding pipes from DJP. His castings look way better than the fragile things fitted by Heljan.

 

[richard carr]

Heather

You can buy the dominos from precision labels you want the plastic film type then just stick them on

Richard

 

[Heather Kay]

Heather

You can buy the dominos from precision labels you want the plastic film type then just stick them on

Richard

But where's the fun in that?

 

[BrushType4]

Some have had success with black masking tape. Hole punch the tape and then stick on the back of the glazing. Then put the opaque layer behind that. Maybe worth a try?

 

[Cliff Williams]

Or try using a leather punch to make masking tape circles, apply to rear of clear plastic.
Spray with a satin black acrylic. Remove masking tape circles, then apply two layers of white address labels, stuck onto rear, trim to the edge.

Job done in minutes.

 

[Jordan]

Well this is a nice coincidence; after some happy moments giving my HJ 37 a few short runs, today I finally took the plunge and took it to bits for a few bits of detailing - nowhere near as much as I think this specimen will get, and certainly not Scale7 wheels either!!
Anyway in my enthusiasm of course, I have forgotten to note if there's a correct orientation of the body to chassis - i.e. which end A & B cabs go, or doesn't it matter? What's not helped is that I've taken the truck bogie sideframes off, & not noted which side the speedo cable goes, relative to A & B cabs!! D'oh, D'oh & triple D'oh!!!
It's after working on American locos for so long; there's only one cab to think about there!! (and they helpfully put a letter 'F' at the end of the frame, to denote the Front. Well, duh..!! )

Anyway I shall follow this thread with interest now, though actually copying almost none of it!!

EDIT:- Ok, after writing this, NOW I've found the "other 37" Thread, which holds the answers I seek...!! Well how was I to know "Which end goes where?" was what I should have looked at??!!??

 

[Dog Star]

... after some happy moments giving my HJ 37 a few short runs, today I finally took the plunge and took it to bits for a few bits of detailing...

Just be sure that you pick up the correct paint brush when you get round to painting the model. In case you need any help with that thought - there may be a difference in size between a brush for painting a class 37 and a brush for painting a wall... or a door... or yourself.

 

[Jordan]

Just be sure that you pick up the correct paint brush when you get round to painting the model. In case you need any help with that thought - there may be a difference in size between a brush for painting a class 37 and a brush for painting a wall... or a door... or yourself.

I shall refer Sir back to the techniques of a certain Mr P. Dyson-Onslaught, Esq; who performs rather superb feats of weathering on his O Scale diesels with a 3" paint brush, as demonstrated in the early days of Western Thunder, here...

 

[BrushType4]

I shall refer Sir back to the techniques of a certain Mr P. Dyson-Onslaught, Esq; who performs rather superb feats of weathering on his O Scale diesels with a 3" paint brush, as demonstrated in the early days of Western Thunder, here...

Yes, Phill did a brilliant job on his 47. Those were the days.

 

[Blueeighties]

Don't forget that the lower bodyside steps, and mid bodyside footsteps and hinged panel need filling. I have only come across 2 or 3 locos that still retained them in blue livery.

 

[richard carr]

Heather

Narrowing the tanks is an easy job a couple of hours at most, they are as you described and you can cut off part of the centre section and then stick the sides back on, it makes a big difference. Even Heljan realised they had it wrong and got it right on the centre headcode version that came out last year.

I just used a piercing saw with a fairly rough blade to make the cut and some butanone to glue them back on a with a bit of plastic card to help add a bit of strength.

Richard

 

[Heather Kay]

Don't forget that the lower bodyside steps, and mid bodyside footsteps and hinged panel need filling. I have only come across 2 or 3 locos that still retained them in blue livery.

And I thought this was going to be a nice simple job!

 

[richard carr]

Heather

The Pete Harvey etches are very good, especially the bogie side steps. Unfortunately you don't need to much of the other bits as this loco in the 70's still has a full buffer beam skirt, they were not removed until the early 80's when the oval buffers were added too.
I managed to do both of mine without a complete respray. I did have to redo the yellow ends on the one I cut the buffer beam skirt off.

Richard

 

[Ian G]

a bit of history for the loco Class 37 Locomotive Data Site

Ian G

 

[Heather Kay]

Thanks to Ian's link, I've pinned down some detail info.

• Philip wanted the loco as it appeared while at Gateshead, which sort of places it around 1975.
• TOPS number was applied at the end of 1973.
• The steam heat boiler was removed in 1982.

So, to my mind, details would be as follows:

• Retains both belly tanks.
• Nose "skirt" and round buffers.
• Steam and vacuum pipework.
• Headcodes blanked (can't find when this was done in general, so clues here would be useful).
• Side acces steps blanked or not blanked?

While I wait on the PHD etches, I shall complete the detailing on the cab parts, and do a better job of the headcode boxes.