Garden Railway Forum

Phil.P wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 10:24 am “…how have you altered the proportions?”

As delivered, Diesel measured (in mm) 168H x 115W x 324L but its wheels appeared to be undersized and the running plate too low, which also appeared to exaggerate the length of the overhangs at each end. I thought it looked a bit weird.

To sit comfortably with my existing rolling stock (and track) I needed to cut 20mm off the height and 12mm from the width (from the centre of the body and 6mm plus from each side of the supporting chassis moulding). To adjust the proportions to more like a Class 08, I then needed to lose a fair bit of the length too; say 20mm plus, off both the front and rear overhangs. Helpfully, the original cab appeared too long anyway, so building a new, shorter cab wasn’t a problem.

I was limited in where I could remove ‘featureless space’ from the body sides, so the front overhang wasn’t touched (and the wheels are still too small, of course) which makes the revised version look, perhaps, a little long in proportion, with roof sides that aren’t as steeply pitched as you’d expect from an 08 (see above).

I’m sorry, this answer is probably unnecessarily long, detailed and tedious (but I’m not writing it again).

BertieB wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 11:49 am I’m sorry, this answer is probably unnecessarily long, detailed and tedious (but I’m not writing it again).

We're railway enthusiasts! "Long and detailed" definitely isn't the same thing as tedious!

Personally, I really enjoy getting a glimpse into the minds of fellow modellers. As long as the train of thought I find there are in the correct livery and displaying appropriate headcodes, of course...

Not tedious, at all.. After all, I did ask!

The shiny-black model looks 'wrong' to me, but I don't know why..
A waft of matt-black, and rail-dirt, from a couple of feet away, would probably help?

I mainly asked, as I don't see the joins! - Which is the point, I assume?


If I can get over my 'fear of failure' I would love to have a go..
PhilP.

Andrew wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 1:00 pm "...a glimpse into the minds of fellow modellers"

I feel suitably chastened. So, just to illustrate just how off-the-scale nerdy I can be, here’s the amended, annotated plan / cheat sheet / mood board / user guide, I assembled as the rebuild began.

Not followed exactly, of course, for all the usual reasons (too hard and/or mistakes). I’m not pretending to be making any sort of accurate model here, just something that looks the part and fits in with the rest of the stuff.

The drawings are hardly altered, it was about establishing the differences between the original and Diesel at the size I wanted it to be

Phil.P wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 2:06 pm "...matt-black, and rail-dirt, from a couple of feet away, would probably help?"

Well, I agree. If you’re not constrained by the dimensions of existing rolling stock, tight clearances on garden railway bridges or whatever, you can as you say, embellish and repaint or weather Diesel as it is. It doesn’t have to be chopped up and resized.

I’ve seen a photo of a real one actually with a yellow cab

Not glazed yet, run out of Canopy Glue

Here it is in vivid, disruptive camouflage — sorry, I mean ‘a fanciful, late development of’ the Rail Blue scheme. That bit in front of the cab in yellow is (partly) an attempt to disguise the length of the bodywork in front of it. Not sure it’s really worked.

The loco will be trundling slowly, with the odd wagon or two, to and from the ‘Semi-scale BR dockside sidings’ which, I suppose, are hidden behind the shrubs at the bottom of the garden. And Wikipedia says that Class 09s were geared to run fast enough (27mph) to be able to do branch line goods. Excellent.

It’s kind of a companion piece to the previous Class 33 effort. Neither are wired up so far — but I do have the bits

I really really like these. Superb colours Bertie. Well done.

Spot on!!

Rik

Thanks very much! I’m plotting what else can be painted blue…

BertieB wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 8:33 am Thanks very much! I’m plotting what else can be painted blue…

The Bulleid "Spam Can" - would look rather nice in "large logo" blue livery... Or the earlier variant of Network South East, with the swooping stripes at each end???

The shunter looks great - I look forward to seeing it and the 33 in action. With the 73 and the Thumper, you've got the makings of a Southern Region diesel gala...

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:08 am “…you've got the makings of a Southern Region diesel gala”

My thoughts exactly, thank you.

However, I’m afraid I can’t agree that “the Bulleid ‘Spam Can’ would look rather nice in ‘large logo’ blue livery” — not to mention, in the hopelessly naff “Network South East, with the swooping stripes at each end” scheme.

I remember being extremely disappointed when the then fairly new and sensible, Class 455 EMUs (let alone elderly slam-door stock) started to appear in the ghastly NSE livery, rather than BR blue and grey. Late 80s, I suppose. It turned me into the cynical, table-thumping critic of crap corporate identity I am today.

BertieB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:22 am However, I’m afraid I can’t agree that “the Bulleid ‘Spam Can’ would look rather nice in ‘large logo’ blue livery” — not to mention, in the hopelessly naff “Network South East, with the swooping stripes at each end” scheme.

I remember being extremely disappointed when the then fairly new and sensible, Class 455 EMUs (let alone elderly slam-door stock) started to appear in the ghastly NSE livery, rather than BR blue and grey. Late 80s, I suppose. It turned me into the cynical, table-thumping critic of crap corporate identity I am today.

Well, I guess those suggestions were a little tongue in cheek...

But... I do recall being quite excited by the launch of NSE - I remember the the press launch (presumably from the evening news?), featuring a newly re-liveried 455 and a loco-hauled set gliding into Waterloo in parallel, and thinking that was pretty cool. After a lifetime of blue and grey (or just plain blue, ugh!) EPBs, I was ready for a change, and NSE livery certainly made them easier to spot in the distance from the D floor classrooms art school, but I will concede that, in retrospect, it wasn't a great look for the older units. If I had insane amounts of money, enough to buy and restore an EPB (probably in the top 20, maybe top 10, of my unwritten fantasy restoration list), I'd paint it blue and grey...

If I had enough change to own and restore a Spam Can (top 100 on the list, maybe, there are a lot of 'em already), I think I'd go for malachite green...

I love it.

Andrew wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 10:49 am "... those suggestions were a little tongue in cheek..."

Me too. Well, a bit.

The Lymington branch (for a ferry to the Isle of Wight), continued using two mid-60s, 3CIG, slam-door EMUs, as a kind of ‘official’ heritage railway, long after they had disappeared elsewhere — one in green and the other in blue and grey — neither in NSE (or SWT) livery you’ll note. Both looked great, in my view. Here’s some pictures (not mine):

https://bobfostersrailgallery.weebly.co ... ranch.html

Fantastic work Bertie. It really does make you wonder though why Bachmann couldn't release theirs looking like yours to begin with! The "as delivered" model is so out of proportion its not even funny which is a bit disappointing because I was contemplating buying one at least to make a "near enough" Victorian Railways F class. At least you've proved with some careful cutting it is at least feasible

Tropic Blunder wrote: ↑Thu Mar 02, 2023 6:05 am “The ‘as delivered’ model is so out of proportion it’s not even funny…”

Thanks. Bachmann, presumably deliberately, chose not to follow the proportions of the original. It seems perverse. They don’t appear to have been limited by any obvious practical or manufacturing issues. But I suppose their intended customers aren’t you or me or members of this forum.

The same applies, of course, to the other locos in their Thomas range, usually to an even greater extent. Makes an interesting comparison with the Hornby approach, where they stuck faces on generally recognisable or plausible locomotives. Weird.

I was told recently, by someone engaged in magnificent, main line, steam loco restoration how, for a full-size replica of ‘Percy’ from the Thomas stories, rather than recreating the GWR original on which the character is allegedly based, in the US they referenced the Bachmann version. It’s true! Here’s a picture:

https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/blog/ ... th-thomas/

I thought this was really funny — but then, from what I can find online, the original book illustrations of Percy (and the TV models that followed) don’t look much like any real locomotive I’ve stumbled across (and they’re not unlike the Bachmann one) so perhaps it’s not so silly after all…

I don’t know if it actually steams or not. I don’t suppose so.

BertieB wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:22 am the cynical, table-thumping critic of crap corporate identity I am today.

Not alone there. Great work as always, you're braver than I would be to rebuild that shunter. To my unfamiliar-with-BR-diesels eye, I wouldn't have known it started out a Thomas toy. It looks perfect.

Edit: I have a gut feeling the design changes were some marketing department gibberish, maybe to make it more in keeping with the "friendlier" looking Thomas, Percy, etc. engines.

Thanks, Aaron.

The shunter could never have been a ‘scale model’ (obviously) but now, several weeks later, I’m inclined to think that I ought to have taken the surgery a little further.

Reduce the height of that bit with the angled top, immediately in front of the cab — and the cab front windows and, possibly, the pitch of the cab roof sides could have been ‘more prototypical’ and a more persuasive illusion maintained. Perhaps. But I’ll have to leave that to others.

I'm with you on the southern liveries Bertie. I think nothing matches the green. I always thought the NSE 'toothpaste livery' was hideous.

p.s, Some locos look great in any livery. A class 73 would look great in a pink frock.

Nice. In no way meaning to hijack the thread, I got my hands on a Devious Diesel last Christmas. Still plenty to attend to, but its a working loco.