Modelling Class 25s

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waveydavey
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:53 am

Modelling Class 25s

Postby waveydavey » Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:54 pm

Today I've been having a bit of fun with razor saws.

The Bachmann class 25 has some well known shape issues around the cab and while the Hornby body from the 1970s is better it's still not spot on but a modified Hornby body on a modified Bachmann chassis is about as good as it gets in 4mm. I have a model of 25029 done like this that was a Longcarse West regular.

To do a 25 with a large centre window the Bachmann body is fine between the cabs and Silver Fox used to sell a resin body that was essentially a copy of the Hornby body converted to the large centre window style using an A1 Models conversion kit. The middle bit is rubbish but the cabs are better than the Bachmann ones. There is a chap on RMWeb that has been threatening to produce 3D printed 25/3 cabs in 4mm but as they are not available yet the 'best' way to do this type of bodystyle is to combine the cabs of the Silver Fox body with the Bachmann centre section.

So today I have cut one cab off my Silver Fox body and another off my spare Bachmann body with the idea of combining the two. Doing one cab at a time helps to make sure the overall length is maintained, having measured the length of the Bachmann body before cutting. Comparing the two cabs I came to the conclusion that the front of the Bachmann cab, below the handrail, looks the better of the two so I cut them out and grafted the section of Bachmann 'nose' into the SF cab. I also added sections of 40x60thou strip along the bottom of the cabsides to bring them down to line up with the new cab front. I had to deepen the cab on 25029 by this amount when I built it as the Hornby cab seems a bit lacking in height.

So far I'm not convinced by the result but I'll keep battling on and see how it turns out. Here's a photo for comparison. Silver Fox left, Bachmann centre and SF/Bach hybrid to the right.

Image

Cheers

David
Modelling Clackmannanshire Railways in 1975

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Wizard of the Moor
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Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby Wizard of the Moor » Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:37 pm

I like the hybrid cab, David. The only observation I have is that the lower lamp irons look to be placed too low down. Maybe the they are also too tall, which adds to the illusion.

Drilling out the marker lights on the Silver Fox ends and replacing them with sections of tube and rod, as James Wells has done, might be an improvement on what's there.

Coincidentally, I'm just finishing off the Penbits bogies for 25108. No chance of improving the cabs on her though :(
James Dickie

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waveydavey
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:53 am

Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby waveydavey » Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:52 pm

Wizard of the Moor wrote:I like the hybrid cab, David. The only observation I have is that the lower lamp irons look to be placed too low down. Maybe the they are also too tall, which adds to the illusion.


Having another look this evening I'm coming round to the hybrid cab and it looks right when glued to the Bachmann centre section.

Comparing to the drawings I have (can you ever trust a drawing) it looks like the marker lights are not in quite the right place but the lamp brackets and headcode clips are. Will need to look into it a bit more. The lamp brackets are definitely a bit chunky but are probably better than I could knock up from brass strip. I'll see if I can neaten them up a bit.

Cheers

David
Modelling Clackmannanshire Railways in 1975

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jim s-w
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Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby jim s-w » Wed Oct 09, 2013 8:19 pm

Hi David

I think the bachmann cabs are too deep. The step between the cabs and the sides are supplied is far too much to my mind.

Hth

Jim
Jim Smith-Wright

http://www.p4newstreet.com

Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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James Wells
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Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby James Wells » Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:27 am

There is quite a difference between the lower edge of the cab and the middle section of the body -

Image

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jim s-w
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Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby jim s-w » Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:50 am

Hi James

If you add the extra bits to the bottom of the bachmann body then yes. However if you scribe the extra bits ont the body side and file the gaps out then no. Obcvously the former is more work and to my eye ends up with a face that looks too tall but each to thier own.

Either way, as supplied the difference on the bachmann model is way too much.

Cheers

Jim
Jim Smith-Wright

http://www.p4newstreet.com

Over thinking often leads to under doing!

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Hardwicke
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Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby Hardwicke » Thu Apr 17, 2014 10:22 am

Has anyone ever built one of the Tru-Scale models bogies from the 1990s?
Ordsall Road (BR(E)), Forge Mill Sidings (BR(M)), Kirkcliffe Coking Plant (BR(E)), Swanage (BR (S)) and Heaby (LMS/MR). Acquired Thorneywood (GNR). Still trying to "Keep the Balance".

waveydavey
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:53 am

Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby waveydavey » Fri May 15, 2015 2:31 pm

Last weekend whilst visiting a friend in Norfolk I was lucky enough to be able to take a few measurements of a 25/1 cab. Mainly got the window dimensions but in true Waveydavey style it was a bit of a rush job and I didn't get some of the more important dimensions that would have resolved the height question that Jim and James discussed above.

The main revelation I've come away with is that all of the cab windows on all of the available 4mm options are chronically undersized. Curiously though, the 25/3 by Karl Crowther in the latest MRJ looks very right and he makes no mention of changing the size of the cab front windows other than opening up the centre one to convert to the later style of cab. Sometimes things can just look right even though they are quite wrong.

In the name of science I am therefore going to set about one of the cabs with my files, open the windows up to correct size and see how it looks.

Cheers

David
Modelling Clackmannanshire Railways in 1975

waveydavey
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:53 am

Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby waveydavey » Fri May 15, 2015 6:37 pm

IMG-20150515-WA0000.jpeg


Please excuse the poor quality of the camera phone pick but here you can see I've opened up the left hand cab window to near scale size. Looking much better already.
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Modelling Clackmannanshire Railways in 1975

waveydavey
Posts: 105
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:53 am

Re: Modelling Class 25s

Postby waveydavey » Fri May 15, 2015 7:07 pm

The picture above seems to have rotated 90 degrees.

Here is another comparison shot. The Silver Fox windows are now pretty close to the size I measured them at. Bachmann and Hornby cabs are included so you can see the difference.
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Modelling Clackmannanshire Railways in 1975


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