7mm Project 31: Laughing In The Face Of Adversity

[SteveO]

I've bought a 'project' loco from a notorious eBayer, not because I wanted a challenge but because I had a very itchy Buy It Now finger. This is the story of how of how I'm going to regret that purchase.

I know I've done this all wrong. For a start, I bought some brass suburban coaches - another impulse buy - but had no idea what was going to pull them or even where they were going to be based (and hence the colour scheme). After quite a lot of research I found what I was looking for. BR Suburban coaches were used well into the 70s on the suburban commuter routes out of Kings Cross before electrification, and were pulled by those BR stalwarts, the Class 31; one of the most prolific BR diesels ever produced.

And so to find one. I'm a bit of a bargain hunter, something I 'caught' from my mother who haggles and deals the price of everything. After a few weeks of looking I had no luck at all and almost was resigned to taking the step into kit building a bit too early. Then I saw it.

Looking a little neglected but just needing finishing, there in front of me was a 31 with a Buy It Now price of only £225 including free delivery. It had only been on eBay for 3 hours. Had I been the only one to spot it so early? I had no time to think about it before somebody else spotted it and snatched it from my grasp. I pressed the button. It was mine.

Then the sweating and nightmares started. Hearing about this alleged 'shady' chap was not at all good for the nerves and I instantly regretted it. To my surprise, having not expected for quite a while, if at all, it arrived 9am sharp by FedEx. Excited by this, I opened the box and my heart sank again. It was in an awful state and suspiciously warped. Hand painted, badly, and soldered in the same manner as my 2 year old uses crayons.



On first glance the bogies looked well made, at least much better than the body, but placing them on a flat surface revealed massive gaps beneath the centre wheels on both bogies. Plus there were no pick-ups.



To say I felt like I'd been robbed was an understatement. However, in for a penny (or a few hundred of them), I decided to persevere and get as far as I could. The first job was getting rid of the Dulux paint job. A can of stripper and a couple brushes in hand (one robbed from my son's collection of toothbrushes) and I prepared to set to work.



Time will tell what will magically appear beneath...
Steve

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Just an observation, but that seems to be a rather more modern 31 than would have pulled Mk1 suburbans out of The Cross in BR service: the body-side styling strip is not there, but the loco has a hi-intensity headlight - and that's just for starters! (31s are not my favourite class by a long chalk so I cannot comment more fully, but I do get a bit nostalgic about them nowadays.)

 

[Dikitriki]

Can I object to pictures of Heyside being used to strip models on?

 

[SteveO]

Just an observation...

Ah, yes, you've spotted the obvious flaw in my plan. In the Lesson Book of Impatient Eejits, you will find on page one a chapter on Careful Observation & Avoiding Mistakes. I skipped that bit.

Apologies about the wonderful Heyside and the whole mag in fact, I'm afraid it was the only thing I could sacrifice to the modelling gods. No doubt they shall act out their wrath in due time!

 

[JimG]

The centre wheels on the bogies look to be of smaller diameter with a raised centre - almost as though they were intentionally built that way to get them above rail height.

Jim.

 

[D7093]

Been a while since I seen one of them.

A bit of work to do, but I'm sure it'll be worth it

The centre wheels are the correct size being an A-I-A, if I remember rightly when I did mine, I had the centre bearings floating lose in the etch with washers behind, which was the norm with RJH.

Trevor.

 

[SteveO]

This thread is definitely of the tongue-in-cheek variety so feel free to ridicule at your leisure!

Also, if you've got any 'learning' stories of your own I'm all ears. I'm am definitely on the thick, sticky end of the modelling stick. Advice and tips are also welcome. For starters, what on earth am I going to do with those bogies?

I'll post pics later of the stripping. I've placed a well earned fiver in that particular thong...

 

[Neil]

It'll be interesting to see what lurks beneath the horrid paint. I worry about the cab front/cab side join in the top photo as it looks a bit gruesome even allowing for the clarty paint; mind you I'd also worry about stripping it on the dining room table could get a whole lot more than you bargain for. Got to admire a chap with the cojones to tackle such a basket case though.

 

[D7093]

You'll probably find even though their are no pick ups, if you put the bogies on track they'll probably work. It's using live axles of opposite corners, a bit crude but it works. You could put additional pick ups on the insulated corners for all wheel pick up.

Trevor.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

The centre wheels on the bogies look to be of smaller diameter with a raised centre - almost as though they were intentionally built that way to get them above rail height.

Jim.

The smaller diameter is a feature of the '1' part of the prototype's A1A bogies, although not to the extent of the model - and on the real thing they do actually run on the rails!

 

[ceejaydee]

It may be that the 'builder' of the loco made the centre wheels so much smaller to allow the loco to negotiate tighter cures in effect making it a BO-BO.... just a thought.
Simon is correct about the loco being a later version missing the body strip (a cause of corrosion on the prototype) and the later headlight.
I'm no expert on Peds either but I also noticed the lack of steam heating boiler filler or access steps and the cowling around the buffer beams missing (another source of corrosion I think)
However you do deserve to be able to turn this loco around and top marks for your resilience

 

[Phill Dyson]

Hi Steve

Do the center axles move up & down (float).......they may be just a bit stiff if it's been out of use for a long time ?

I wouldn't worry about back dating too much the body side strips could be added & the high intensity headlight is easily removed

You will get a better idea of what's involved once youve applied the stripper..........don't wash it in very hot water though as the whitemetal bits may drop off , unless of course you want/need to get it fully apart & start again.

Although it does look rough, the basic shape looks right to me, so with lots of TLC I think you could end up with a nice loco

Cheers Phill

 

[D7093]

Outer wheels on a cl31 should be 3' 7" and centre 3' 3", dont know what that equates to in 7mm.

Trevor

 

[SteveO]

Just enough time to take a couple shots before the light fades on the glorious south coast.

Most of the paint has been stripped away, leaving a few few stubborn areas that I'll tackle tomorrow. I feel a bit thick headed after those stripper fumes, even after opening the bay windows.



Now the paint has been largely stripped away I can see exactly how badly this kit has been constructed. As Neil mentioned above, the join between the cab bodywork and the roof is awful - nowhere near where it should be. I don't know if even the most liberal amount of weathering is going to hide this! You can't tell from these pics, but even the roof fan is way off centre by quite some way.

To answer the questions posed so far, I'll have a proper look at the bogies later tonight but the centre wheels don't budge a micron. They have either seized, been painted solid or soldered in position. That's going to be one hell of a job on its own.

Jordan, I should have titled this Laughing in the Face of Stupidity. Way more more apt!

D7093, thanks for that insight. There is a wire connected from one of the motor poles to the bogie chassis which would account for that rather basic approach. I will put them on the rolling road later tonight and see what happens. They are quite stiff though.

Both cab ends plus the body sides toward the cab ends are quite distorted. You can just about make out on the second pic above that the buffers point toward each other. This, unfortunately, is not a photographic error...

Thanks all for your encouragement. I'm going to need all I can get!
Steve

 

[Phill Dyson]

As Neil mentioned above, the join between the cab bodywork and the roof is awful - nowhere near where it should be. I don't know if even the most liberal amount of weathering is going to hide this!

If the fit really is that bad, removal & refitting is probably the only real option.........hard to tell looking at the pics

 

[28ten]

That is rough I would take the cab roof off and try and get a better fit. I would guess the centre wheels are intentionally like that to allow the model to navigate the forthcoming 3ft6" radius points from PECO

 

[Simon Dunkley]

Outer wheels on a cl31 should be 3' 7" and centre 3' 3", don't know what that equates to in 7mm.

I think it equates to a small amount of arithmetic, Trevor...

(25mm and 22.75mm, near as makes no odds.)

 

[Simon]

Cripes, that is a rough bit of building.

I reckon you'll be best off dis-assembling major elements and starting again. Looking on the brightish side, it doesn't look as if key things like the basic roof casting or etched sides have been banjaxed beyond redemption.

I think if you keep your nerve and take it steady you could get a good result, and if it involves a bit of filling and making and re-making the odd part then the satisfaction you'll feel when it all comes together will be that much the greater

Either way I think you're brave to chronicle the whole thing here, but then I reckon that also pretty much guarantees your success as we are all willing you to succeed and fascinated by the challenge you've taken on.

I very much look forward to seeing the next stages - I'm a sucker for epic struggles against the odds

Simon

 

[Phill Dyson]

You should be able to get spare parts from PRMRP if you asked nicely

MMP were selling very nice complete resin 31 cabs a while ago........... can't see them on the website now though

 

[SteveO]

A minor update of this potential epic saga.

I sprayed a bit of WD40 on the bogies after being wooed by the prospect of seized bogie I wheels, needing just a helping hand to free themselves. It worked, to some degree at least. They now move fairly freely up and down the slot but they still don't reach the track. It looks like I'll have to take the bogies apart to file out the slot. Is this the correct thing to do? Should I look elsewhere for replacements? After freeing the wheels it is now also quite obvious that a couple wheels are buckled, so I'd have to take the bogies apart to solve that anyway. This project never stops giving!

On the plus side, thanks to a tip-off from Phill's post above, I called David at MMP and they have a few cabs in stock. I've ordered a couple (thanks David) and they'll be here next week, postman permitting. The cabs as they stand are just awful. I had a look at them in detail last night and it looks like they've been bodged quite severely and putting them right would be a task beyond my limited ability. Cutting those beasties off and replacing them some ready-made ones would not only be easier but would fill me with endless amounts off joy. It would also put right the distortion in the body which is in the cab areas.

I had a nice surprise visitor this morning (as I was expecting him next week). A friend of mine is giving up modelling as his work sends him overseas for extended periods and he just doesn't have the time any longer to enjoy the hobby. He's here for the Jubilee weekend then jetting off to the Far East again, but he's left me with his remaining stock to throw on eBay this weekend. Two, yes, TWO Heljan Class 47s and a lovely detailed N7 with a couple coaches. He said he'd tried a traditional train auction but they didn't reach their reserve prices so he's going to try eBay. He doesn't have an account so asked me to try for him. I would love to buy them but they are a bit too rich for me. Pics of the 47s below.


Steve