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Jun 13, 2023 15:02:46 GMT
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Now the real fiddly bits started - flush glazing all the windows, all 24 of them! Nice thick clear styrene sheet, each one cut to fit each window independently and bonded in with good old UHU glue - drove me nuts.... Then, once bonded in, each window carefully given 'seals' with a black paint pen and the opening cab side windows given a 'chrome' lock strip on top. Two windows were left open - one next to the driver at the 'front' and the cab door to access the light and fan controls inside. By the way, the little yellow 'ears' by the windscreen are the jet wash covers - the real originals didn't have these and lamping birds tended to bust them off so steel covers were fitted.... Further testing with the Society 7.25" gauge riding truck and a bogie coach went well, five hefty lads going around the track with little problem. but some parts are a bit too steep and like the real thing, there is more power than grip, so maybe some ballast for the future?
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Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,248
Club RR Member Number: 160
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Project ZOGRich
@foxmcintyre
Club Retro Rides Member 160
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Jun 13, 2023 19:43:53 GMT
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No idea why I havenβt commented on this this far but what a fantastic thing. Well done on the rebuild, your attention to detail has paid off and it looks brilliant. ππ»
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Jun 13, 2023 21:17:24 GMT
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The question was posed "Does the Mrs know about it?" I think this answers the question - SWMBO belting around the Society track on my newly built riding truck with Daft Collie in close pursuit - she loves driving it! And to cap this bit off (until I get into the cab interior and riding truck build), the "Official Portrait".
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Jun 13, 2023 21:27:54 GMT
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Such a transformation from when you got it. Brilliant
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Jun 15, 2023 16:21:39 GMT
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That, my friend, is f**king awesome. I was hoping you were going for BR blue. This one pulled us on the return journey from Scarborough last year on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Seaside Special. Out bound was a Class 37. π
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Jun 16, 2023 11:21:05 GMT
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That, my friend, is f**king awesome. I was hoping you were going for BR blue. This one pulled us on the return journey from Scarborough last year on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Seaside Special. Out bound was a Class 37. π 31128; basically the same concept of refurbishment but without the train heating sparky bits. 37403 would have done the honours down to Whitby (now how would I have known that?? ;-) )
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A couple of weeks ago I took it to the Society and discovered that it really struggled to get traction out of one of the platforms when it was towing a coach, so after scouting about, I bought a strip of lead flashing and cut it to fit under the batteries and in the chassis at the cab ends - yesterday was the Fathers Day picnic so I went and after a quick test run, I 'borrowed' a coach and was giving rides to all and sundry (alongside the Society electric loco and a steam 0-4-0, both 7.25" gauge) without any serious problems. It'll still pick up it's wheels if provoked but now works much better. Only downside......it's effin' heavy!
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Aug 18, 2023 11:54:59 GMT
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Time for a further update. One thing about the 31/4 (well, all of them) is the large windows in the cabs. I had a slight brainf@rt and decided the 'front' cab should have a detailed interior so whilst building the loco up, I had a rummage around the interweb and my collection of photos and then broke out the plasticard again, mocking up a basic shell of the interior first for fit. Seeing as the cab proportions aren't quite right, I had to 'make do' with heights and sizes. But, even in basic form, it made one heck of a difference! As the details increased, I found bits like the handbrake wheel was perfectly reproduced from a model boat steering wheel!
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Aug 18, 2023 12:01:59 GMT
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I'm not going into the minutae of how this came together - a lot of it was trial and error (lots of that) but having access to a real one helped - coat cupboard and lighting board, for example... ....and the (far too clean) model version...
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