I knew that I had this project on the shelf for some time. It was to convert the LGB Toytrain BP tanker using a conversion kit from GRS. When I sat and worked it out I realised that I had bought the kit ten or more years ago. Oh well, no point in rushing these jobs.
As always, the starting point was to dismanlle the `toy` wagon. It had been my intention, as with my other conversions, to take a series of photographs along the way. From the start I encounterd problems that made that unfeasable. As you will read, I had to wing this conversion as I went along. Basically the conversion is a two parter, the tank and the wagon. The GRS kit modifies the wagon only and not the tank. I decided to go to work on the tank as well. The first thing I did was to cut off the toy outlet pipe and the moulded web. I decided to drill and file the suppport cradles, moulded as one with the tank. I thought that this would lighten up the appearance of the tank and make it less toylike. This is not a task for the fainthearted. The plastic was extremely tough and resistant to drilling and filing. I expended a considerable amount of sweat and swear words on this. The moulded outlet pipe was on one side, I wanted pipes both sides. Having cleaned up the moulding I was left with an angled hole. I extrapolated that hole through the tank to produve a second hole on the opposite side. I fed a section of plasticard rod, of a suitable length, through the holes, and glued, to represent the new outflow pipes. I took two short sections of plasticard tube, rounded at each end, like a doughnut, to represent the valves. Not having any small wheels to use as valve wheels, I used two small shirt buttons just superglued on top. The pipe ends were drilled at right angles and two short lengths of wire glued in to represent the screw off end caps. Apart from a repaint, that is it.
The starting point for the wagon conversion was the GRS kit. Like all of my previous experience of GRS kits, they are very basic parts, requiring additional work, and virtually non-existant instructions. They are not for anyone without modelling skills. The kit comprised 4 x timber baulks, 4 x upright stantions and lengths of support wire. First issue, having removed the railing from the balcony end, there was nothing included to fill this gap. I had to cut and shape a piece of plasticard to fill the gap in the planking. I did not have to texture this as it is covered by one of the `timber` baulks. The `timber` baulks are no more than three thicknesses of plasicard glued together. The cut edges of these baulks were, in part, uneven, and required sanding. The uncut sides were very smooth and shiny and needed sanding to dull them down. Once these baulks were cleaned up, a very passable woodgrain was applied by running the teeth of a razor saw, sideways, along them. Two of these baulks then required four holes drilling in each. The next issue was the so called stantions. These appearred to be lenghts of wagon strapping. They were overlength and there was no indication as to what length they should be. More importantly, they appeared unduly thin and out of proprtion with the weight of the timber baulks they were supposed to support, both in reality and model form. I did have a length of H section girder, but this appeared too heavy. In the end I made up some T section from 1.5 x 4.0 mm plastic strip. Like Goldielocks, this third option seemed just right. So using the afore mentioned bits, I assembled the wagon. I have to say thay once all the support wires were superglued in, the whole structure was vey rigid. I should have mentioned earlier, that before assembling the wagon, I painted the wooden deck. The usual Claptowte Railway embellishments were added, plasticard brake lever, GRS lamp irons, and Al Kramer wheels.
Once everthing was assembled, it was into the paint shop. Finally lettering and CR nameplates. The above sounds as if this converversion was a bit of a trial, but I found the challenges quite interesting. Although the Claptowte Railway has need of only one tank wagon, for the shunting puzzle, the method/materials used in this conversion mean that it is easily reproducable, for additional models, without further recourse to GRS kits and bits.
I am very pleased with the final result and I hope you agree that it has made an acceptable freelance model from another `toylike` item.
David
As always, the starting point was to dismanlle the `toy` wagon. It had been my intention, as with my other conversions, to take a series of photographs along the way. From the start I encounterd problems that made that unfeasable. As you will read, I had to wing this conversion as I went along. Basically the conversion is a two parter, the tank and the wagon. The GRS kit modifies the wagon only and not the tank. I decided to go to work on the tank as well. The first thing I did was to cut off the toy outlet pipe and the moulded web. I decided to drill and file the suppport cradles, moulded as one with the tank. I thought that this would lighten up the appearance of the tank and make it less toylike. This is not a task for the fainthearted. The plastic was extremely tough and resistant to drilling and filing. I expended a considerable amount of sweat and swear words on this. The moulded outlet pipe was on one side, I wanted pipes both sides. Having cleaned up the moulding I was left with an angled hole. I extrapolated that hole through the tank to produve a second hole on the opposite side. I fed a section of plasticard rod, of a suitable length, through the holes, and glued, to represent the new outflow pipes. I took two short sections of plasticard tube, rounded at each end, like a doughnut, to represent the valves. Not having any small wheels to use as valve wheels, I used two small shirt buttons just superglued on top. The pipe ends were drilled at right angles and two short lengths of wire glued in to represent the screw off end caps. Apart from a repaint, that is it.
The starting point for the wagon conversion was the GRS kit. Like all of my previous experience of GRS kits, they are very basic parts, requiring additional work, and virtually non-existant instructions. They are not for anyone without modelling skills. The kit comprised 4 x timber baulks, 4 x upright stantions and lengths of support wire. First issue, having removed the railing from the balcony end, there was nothing included to fill this gap. I had to cut and shape a piece of plasticard to fill the gap in the planking. I did not have to texture this as it is covered by one of the `timber` baulks. The `timber` baulks are no more than three thicknesses of plasicard glued together. The cut edges of these baulks were, in part, uneven, and required sanding. The uncut sides were very smooth and shiny and needed sanding to dull them down. Once these baulks were cleaned up, a very passable woodgrain was applied by running the teeth of a razor saw, sideways, along them. Two of these baulks then required four holes drilling in each. The next issue was the so called stantions. These appearred to be lenghts of wagon strapping. They were overlength and there was no indication as to what length they should be. More importantly, they appeared unduly thin and out of proprtion with the weight of the timber baulks they were supposed to support, both in reality and model form. I did have a length of H section girder, but this appeared too heavy. In the end I made up some T section from 1.5 x 4.0 mm plastic strip. Like Goldielocks, this third option seemed just right. So using the afore mentioned bits, I assembled the wagon. I have to say thay once all the support wires were superglued in, the whole structure was vey rigid. I should have mentioned earlier, that before assembling the wagon, I painted the wooden deck. The usual Claptowte Railway embellishments were added, plasticard brake lever, GRS lamp irons, and Al Kramer wheels.
Once everthing was assembled, it was into the paint shop. Finally lettering and CR nameplates. The above sounds as if this converversion was a bit of a trial, but I found the challenges quite interesting. Although the Claptowte Railway has need of only one tank wagon, for the shunting puzzle, the method/materials used in this conversion mean that it is easily reproducable, for additional models, without further recourse to GRS kits and bits.
I am very pleased with the final result and I hope you agree that it has made an acceptable freelance model from another `toylike` item.
David
