It Doesn't look quite like this...BUT ITS FINISHED!!

[Miamigo259]

Made a start today on the latest phase of Newquida coach butchery, namely converting two NQ passenger coaches to something completely different - two bigger coaches, one of which will be a passenger brake coach. The NQ ones are a bit short, so the new ones will end up around 25" long.

I wasn't anticipating starting work on them this early, but circumstances have dictated that I have some unplanned free time over the coming week or so, which meant the hacksaw was out today starting to cut them up!

The plan is to use two three-window sections from one coach, with a two window section from another, plus some serious scratchbuilding work, to come up with a passenger carriage that resembles this sort of arrangement.

which will give me something more suitable to go behind my Piko 218 conversion. This is the first one to be attempted.

The remaining 4 window section of the second vehicle will then be used to create a passenger brake coach (with a scratchbuilt brake section added to the existing bodywork.

Before anyone suggests that it would have been easier scratchbuilding the whole coaches, the NQ ones only cost £25 each and will provide the bulk of the bodywork, chassis, running gear, windows and seating. The only thing that won't be used is the coach roof, and Gizzy has already reused one of these on his push-pull coach conversion!

Will post updates and photos as and when I make further progress......

 

[Gizzy]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Looking forward to seeing this project completed Steve....

 

[MR SPOCK]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

[align=center]Looking forward to updates, I like sawing up things myself, usually my fingers!!!!
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[Bram]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

It will be interesting to watch the progress of this project - best of luck

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

A couple of photos to give an idea of what I am trying to do!

The two coaches have been completely dismantled and then the bodyshells were cut up into the sections required. The three sections for the first conversion job were then trimmed to size, which was a lot easier to do once they had been roughly cut up first. The picture below shows all 4 sections, with the longer one being for the brake coach and therefore not trimmed properly to size yet.

The three sections for the open coach are shown in the picture below. The two gaps of 2" between the sections is where the entrance steps/doors will go, which means that the coach will end up about 25.5" long. This compares with the normal NQ coach body length of 17.5"(plus verandah) and as the Piko 218 is 23" long, the new coach should look better with it!

I should be able to get some more work done over the coming 4-day break, so will post more updates as it progresses.

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

I've made a start on the vehicle chassis which needs to be rebuilt first so that the new sections of body (ie the entrances) can be constructed once the cut down body sections are fixed to it.

I'm reusing the section of the existing chassis that contains the bogie mounting piviot, taking the ones where the "Newquida" markings are molded into the chassis bottom, as this section has less brake gear clutter to remove.

The end platforms were cut off first, and then the remainder shortened down to the sections I wanted...

These 8" long sections of chassis will enable the 3-window body sections to be fixed down onto them using the existing screws.

As the chassis needs lengthening up to 25.5", I have found a suitable piece of wood to act as the new central spine to join the two outer sections. It needs to be strong (obviously!) but can't be as wide as the coach body due to the need to have the entrance doors + steps set back from the bodysides. I removed part of one of the molded brake pipes and the end of one of the chassis crossmembers to enable the wood to be stuck directly to the underside of the chassis floor.

The picture below shows how the chassis will look with both outer sections glued in place.

 

[nygma]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Good progress. I wonder how you plan to make the door sections.

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Good progress. I wonder how you plan to make the door sections.

Plasticard, in the good old tradition of modelling!

Will worry about how I do that once the three main bodyshell segments are fixed in position though....

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

A few more photos from this morning..........

I'm changing the roof profile compared to the original, so have made a start on reducing the curvature on the body sections that are being reused. The original is on the left.

The offset doorway is being replaced by a new one, central to the carriage body, made from plasticard.

A new carriage end is being made from plasticard with the centralised doorway for fixing inside the saloon interior.

More updates tomorrow, all being well...

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

A few more pictures from today..........

The three body sections sitting on the rolling chassis outside in the daylight. I moved the bogie piviots in by 1/4" so that the ends of the bogies werent actually lining up with the end of the coach body. It doesn't seem a lot, but it improves the appearance!

I also checked clearances on the main track circuit, but as I've got 5 foot radius curves on the main line, I wasn't expecting to find any problems......

Since the above pictures were taken I cut away the remaining carriage end on the 2-window section so a central doorway/corridor can be created. It can be disguised on the two outer ends of the coach, but this isn't possible on the centre section.

The first of four new compartment ends has been cut from plasticard ready for fixing to the carriage sides

 

[vsmith]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

This is cool.

Remember when these first came out a few of us correctly predicted that these "el cheepo's" would find an avid audience with the kitbashers. They have proved to be versital base models for some interesting bashes

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

After a 3 day interlude due to being back at work during that time (and running out of some types of plasticard/strip) work has restarted on the coach today.

I have cut out the new centre section for the chassis from 2mm thick plasticard and have cut away the sections where the entrance steps will be.

I'm mainly concentrating on one of the end sections of the coach at the moment as with the model being in G scale, the interior will be very visible, so it needs detailing accordingly. The new interior end section with a centre door has been fixed in place following painting and a new section of plasticard to form the floor has been fixed in place and painted a suitable green "lino" type colour. The seating and glazing units are currently being worked on and then painted to give a two-tone grey interior decor with red seat cushions.

More photos will follow when the paint has dried!

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Another two photos from today.....

The repainted seats for the coach. The seating in the two outer saloons will be reconfigured to 2+2 arrangement rather than the 2+1 in the NQ originals - except they will be 1+1 where the door into the compartment is.

I'm constructing some corridor connections for the ends of the coach, with the diaphragms being made from folded cardboard applied to a plasticard end section. The first of these is shown below prior to any painting.

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[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Managed to get quite a bit done today, the main problem being the amount of time it is taking for the paint to dry (a good 12 hours for the paint I am using on most of it) which precludes rapid re-assembly of the coach.

A start has been made on constructing the passenger entrance steps on the chassis.

An initial coat of blue & grey paint has been applied to one of the sections of bodywork.

The back of the glazing sections have been painted, leaving the windows clear, whilst the window frame sections have also been painted.

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[3Valve]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

What a great bash

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Just took some photos of the coach outside in the daylight.

I've started work on the other 3-window section now. Various parts have been built and have been painted (not shown in the photos.

The passenger entrance step assemblies are in place and the first of the homemade compartment ends has been glued in place. Once it has thoroughly dried, the end can be sanded down to a smooth finish.

I've made a slight change to the windows that came with the original coach in that a central vertical window bar has been made out of plastic strip which alters their appearance quite a lot.

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[Gizzy]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

I'm constructing some corridor connections for the ends of the coach, with the diaphragms being made from folded cardboard applied to a plasticard end section. The first of these is shown below prior to any painting.

Fancy making up an extra pair for me Steve?

They look much better than the one I made from car door rubber seals....

 

[Miamigo259]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

I'm constructing some corridor connections for the ends of the coach, with the diaphragms being made from folded cardboard applied to a plasticard end section. The first of these is shown below prior to any painting.

Fancy making up an extra pair for me Steve?

They look much better than the one I made from car door rubber seals....

Will see what I can do, as I've got to make 4 connections for my two coaches, so another 2 wouldn't be too much out of the way, given that they only use scrap plasticard and cardboard!
What size is the doorway on yours??

 

[Gizzy]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

I'm constructing some corridor connections for the ends of the coach, with the diaphragms being made from folded cardboard applied to a plasticard end section. The first of these is shown below prior to any painting.

Fancy making up an extra pair for me Steve?

They look much better than the one I made from car door rubber seals....

Will see what I can do, as I've got to make 4 connections for my two coaches, so another 2 wouldn't be too much out of the way, given that they only use scrap plasticard and cardboard!
What size is the doorway on yours??

Ah, good question!

I've looked it up in the dark shed at the bottom of the garden?

What I did, as the (very narrow) door opening was offset, I measured and scribed a line the same distance on the other side and 'widened' the door to make it centred, as per the photo....

 

[mole]

Re:It won't look quite like this...........

Good and very interesting as always Steve look forwood to seeing them in the flesh when they are finished by the way is your mum o k and out of hosptail yet