Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
Looks promising 
What's your tightest radius curve?
Phill
What's your tightest radius curve?
Phill
7mm The Colonel's Birmingham Bodges. EMU's & now Mk2 coaches.
- Thread starter iploffy
- Start date
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
I am not happy with the gap between the coaches due to the alterations and after a little deliberation time I have decided to make a few mods to the idea, the whole of the plastic corridor end with the exception of the curve at the top and a small lip were the gangway was) will be removed. This will allow the gangway ends to move more freely, I will join the shrink wrap to the inside of the coach rather than the inside of the gangway that allows more flexibility in the mock rubber and the gangway rubbing plates will be a sandwich of plasticard rather than one thick piece. this should bring the ends of the coaches closer together and following prototype principles allow the ends to locate on each other.
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
Consider the first attempt scrapped
This I think is much better
The shrink wrap has been cut in half and bends much easier, also it gives a little more play in the horizontal direction
![GetAttachment[1].jpg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/27/27706-e546a7d24404ecd1f2797f8f98dde6c6.jpg "GetAttachment[1].jpg")
![GetAttachment[1] (2).jpg](https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/data/attachments/27/27707-e84558ea14da81ce5b8ac771486acaf3.jpg "GetAttachment[1] (2).jpg")
When the coaches couple up the rubber is compressed, the top part of the bellows is going to be formed of material as it was the curve at the top that caused a lot of resistance to it pivoting
Now the next play thing RED (battery operated ) LED's for tail lights, another trip to Wilco's and I purchased a set of 3V red non flashing fairy lights and set to skimming it down to fit into a paraffin tail light body
Excuse the bent handle I didn't notice it until after I had taken the pictures
with the flash on you can't see it
with out the flash it still looks a bit on the bright side but it isnt
this will go permanently into the BSK at the rear of the formation.
This I think is much better
The shrink wrap has been cut in half and bends much easier, also it gives a little more play in the horizontal direction
When the coaches couple up the rubber is compressed, the top part of the bellows is going to be formed of material as it was the curve at the top that caused a lot of resistance to it pivoting
Now the next play thing RED (battery operated ) LED's for tail lights, another trip to Wilco's and I purchased a set of 3V red non flashing fairy lights and set to skimming it down to fit into a paraffin tail light body
Excuse the bent handle I didn't notice it until after I had taken the pictures
with the flash on you can't see it
with out the flash it still looks a bit on the bright side but it isnt
this will go permanently into the BSK at the rear of the formation.
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
I too went back to Wilko's & picked up some more sets of 'Warm White' (stocks now getting very low in Wakefield
)......I also got some of the red ones with the same idea as you! 
Who's tail lamps are you fitting the LED's into?
Phill
)......I also got some of the red ones with the same idea as you! Who's tail lamps are you fitting the LED's into?
Phill
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
I will look out the packet but it's a horrible job the LED will slim down to just about fit in the largest hole you can bore into the casting and then you have to be so careful as not to damage the carrying handle on the top. The best way to skim it down I found was to put it in my battery electric drill and sand it with grit paper, after all it's the light out of the end we want
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
Tom I am not so much worried about the thickness of the gangway ends just the distance between the coaches when coupled as the bellows arrangement has changed it has bought them closer together. As the coach is a not strictly accurate and bob on faithful model and as it's going to be racing around the garden I think it will be passable. The under gubbins come next I have ordered bogies from easy build and then I will be able to set it all up 4 permanently coupled together with buffet and 3 first. There will be mini connectors between the coaches inside the gangways to enable me to add more coaches with lights if I want
Ian
Ian
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
Right I have managed to find a low cost smaller version of the warm light red LED. it is 3mm in diameter and it's from Maplins part No WL 32 @ £0.59 each 50p if you order them. The lamp is a spring side about 8 Quid for 5, they have different types but the jewel in the front lifts out so you can drill it out.
Ian
Ian
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
it's been a while but I have finally completed the cut and shut half brakes just got to fill the holes up in the coaches
sorry its a bit blurred
trying to get the cuts as straight as possible
And there we go. With me wanting to fit lights to the coaches the inside finish must be as good as the outside so the holes are being filled with plasticard strips and being trued to the inner wall so there is a little filling as possible. there are brass strips added to the underside to keep the coaches straight and they are laid on a plate glass cutting table to make sure they are as flat as possible. I will fix a plasticard ceiling into the coaches to add further rigidity (2 strips down either side and then a further piece over the top to hide the wires for the lighting). They are going to be run in rake of a half brake and 5 TSO's permanently coupled as sets of 3's+ buffet and 2 or 3 Mk1 1st class coaches and another full brake.
I am looking to make a rake of Mk2 B's with the wrap around doors
sorry its a bit blurred
trying to get the cuts as straight as possible
And there we go. With me wanting to fit lights to the coaches the inside finish must be as good as the outside so the holes are being filled with plasticard strips and being trued to the inner wall so there is a little filling as possible. there are brass strips added to the underside to keep the coaches straight and they are laid on a plate glass cutting table to make sure they are as flat as possible. I will fix a plasticard ceiling into the coaches to add further rigidity (2 strips down either side and then a further piece over the top to hide the wires for the lighting). They are going to be run in rake of a half brake and 5 TSO's permanently coupled as sets of 3's+ buffet and 2 or 3 Mk1 1st class coaches and another full brake.
I am looking to make a rake of Mk2 B's with the wrap around doors
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
oh by the way ignore the right hand side of the coaches as this will all be cut out and replaced with Plasticard to be able to cut out the Guards door, cargo windows and outwards opening doors. It looks messy but hopefully this time next week I will have the inside and outside finished, just waiting the production run of the etches.
Ian
Ian
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
the inside view of the plasticard lining WHEN the roof lining is added it should make a seamless joint nice and smooth.
A plasticard lamination to just stand proud of the surrounding body work filler next then cutting out of the windows can commence. Only another 6 sides to go
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
That has surely got to be the most ambitious ever chopping up and re-forming of Big Bigs - fantastic
Simon
I dunno, Rob's half brake was pretty impressive too
Nice work though Ian
........how are you gluing your sections together?Phill
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
I decided that I didn't want strips inside the model so I ran 2 brass angle section's down the bottom of the sides and levelled the sides and rooves up took them back off roughed the brass strip and the plastic and used epoxy resin, then when this was dry I used plastic strips the full length of the coach and again used epoxy. I again used epoxy to glue strip to fill in the gaps truing up to the inside face then packing with plastic strips using mekpack plastic to plastic then filled the outside with epoxy. The sides I fitted a thin skim of plasticard using epoxy from the inside then added a further layer of card with epoxy and filled out side in the gap then flooded the rest with superglue then added further card using mekpack and epoxy and then left it to cure overnight. I remembered to rough up each mating face because epoxy does not stick very well to smooth surfaces
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
As Phill quite rightly said my inspiration came from Robs conversion on the top of page 17. These will be in a rake of coaches permanently coupled together with lighting and tail lightThat has surely got to be the most ambitious ever chopping up and re-forming of Big Bigs - fantastic
Simon
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
No external body work completed yet, floor made sitting on a set of accomodation bogies. 1 down 3 to go, when the floor is in and secured in all 4 then I will start the body work as I found the sides tend to bow in whilst sanding. Just tying for height and how they will look next to the Easy Build ones they will run with
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
Completed 3 of the 4 floors complete with 3 fixing points to distribute the weight of the trailing load through the sides, via the brass runners, should I use brass as the headstock or do you think I could get away with plastic?
and here is the next project a Mk2 c, I have decided to cut them to near enough the correct length and have used the same construction techniques as with the half brakes.
in truth the difference it makes is 4mm across 6 windows ( not done the other 2 yet) but as the others are near enough the correct size I thought (dangerous I know) what the hell. I did notice something about the window spacing that the toilet window is much closer to the door in a later Mk2 body shell. Marsa noted that I was becoming a bit of a rivet counter, so I am going to have to leave something off, but what, mmmmmmmmmm
and here is the next project a Mk2 c, I have decided to cut them to near enough the correct length and have used the same construction techniques as with the half brakes.
in truth the difference it makes is 4mm across 6 windows ( not done the other 2 yet) but as the others are near enough the correct size I thought (dangerous I know) what the hell. I did notice something about the window spacing that the toilet window is much closer to the door in a later Mk2 body shell. Marsa noted that I was becoming a bit of a rivet counter, so I am going to have to leave something off, but what, mmmmmmmmmm
iploffy
OC Blue Brigade
Mk2c piccies to compare it with the half brake
Excuse the window cut in half, I wasn't going to cut up another coach to get one window from it. I may yet cut it in half and the existing other side of the window section and swap them over. Only the middle 6 are stuck together as yet as a few more mods are going to be undertaken before it is ready for the body shop with the others. One down 9 more to go. a's and b's mixed.
Excuse the window cut in half, I wasn't going to cut up another coach to get one window from it. I may yet cut it in half and the existing other side of the window section and swap them over. Only the middle 6 are stuck together as yet as a few more mods are going to be undertaken before it is ready for the body shop with the others. One down 9 more to go. a's and b's mixed.