Modifying a diesel (BR211 to M44)

[Steamtrains]

I think the "switch/turnout" conundrum exists only in the MR'ing world, since we use electrical and track "switches". So 'turnout" to differentiate between the two....A bloke throwing switches all day in the "real" RR'ing world would have no problem telling someone to turn on the light switch at night when he gets home.....

[tv_man]

From what I have seen on the Internet it seems that indeed the different types of jargon makes it complicated, but with differences between the various Englishes, many people using less-than-perfect English and above that all the railroad terminology in a couple of other languages which one comes across, there are many chances for confusion. Amazing, in a way, that there isn't more! Nice and understanding people everywhere, I guess.

[tv_man]

Ah, back to the original topic: I have now two engines under construction at the same time. They are a little bit different. Exhibit number one is the brass scratchbuild with some parts of the Arnold BR 211.    

Exhibit number two shows us the results of some aggressive use of the dremel to remove all the unwanted parts of the body of the BR 211 model. As an added bonus you can see some tiny LEDs which were rather challenging to solder into place. Thanks to Wayne for suggesting that the metal might be much softer than I thought. It was!    

The main thing bugging me right now is the bogie with the coupler sticking way too far from under the body. Maybe I will just shorten it by removing the spring, attaching the coupler rigidly to the bogie and hoping the coupler will work adequately despite that.

Before building the rest of the engine, I guess I'll have to decide whether or not I will want to be able to disassemble the engine. A removable top may or may not be feasible to build (there is not enough room on the sides for the use of thick sheet plastic) Cleaning and lubricating the engine and keeping it in a clean place would probably make the need for ever opening it again fairly small and thus could allow me to fix the top in its place entirely.

Of course the project will be on hold a bit as I now have enough track laid on the layout to allow a little bit of driving around!

[TCWORLD]

ALWAYS make sure you can remove the top. You'll need to be able to for mantainance - cleaning out dust and grime. Also to make repairs.

[tv_man]

Gotcha. I will make sure to make the top detachable

[tv_man]

The model is pretty much finished apart from painting and adding decals.

Some (many) details have been omitted - the railings should be thinner and more intricate, but this is still styrene and N. Some more steps and railings here and there, nuts, stuff...but: still N and my first scratchbuilt locomotive. (well, apart from the motor, that is)

Lights work and change depending on the direction, thanks to advanced LED technology, they are a bit too yellow maybe.

The distance between the bogies is a bit too much and the couplers stick out too much, but that is something I'll just have to live with. Some parts are too rough, others possibly too fine - Most of the grilles on the sides has been made by scoring the plastic with the xacto, hopefully paint will not render them invisible.

As for painting: mostly blood red, with black and yellow warning stripes on front and back, blue-grey underside. Painting may not happen immediately as I haven't invested in an airbrush yet and should probably learn to use one before ruining this locomotive.

[doctorwayne]

Very nice work, tv_man , although I'm surprised that you didn't use brass wire for the handrails. They'd not only be more to-scale, but would also be more durable. Of course, they'd need to be soldered together, but they could be built "flat", on a sheet of balsa, as outlined HERE. Skip the waxed paper mentioned for use with wood, though.

Wayne

[tv_man]

Thanks.

I've had trouble soldering brass , so decided to stick with the tried and tested styrene.

Whether or not the joint when soldering pretty much anything is a bit hit and miss, it seems. I guess it is either to blame on bad equipment (a cheap soldering iron, 40W, of which the very tip always seems to have most trouble heating up properly), greasy or otherwise dirty surfaces or just bad technique.

[doctorwayne]

A 40watt iron is plenty big enough for soldering handrails. First, clean the tip, with a file if necessary, then heat it up and re-tin it. Clean the wire which your going to use for the handrail - .015" is good for HO or .010" or smaller for N. Grasp one end of the wire with pliers, then draw the wire through a folded piece of fine sandpaper - the wet/dry type, 400 grit or finer, works well. Make two or three passes, then flip the wire end-for-end and repeat. This ensures that the entire wire has been cleaned, so you won't have to keep track of which end is the clean end.
Using an otherwise spent X-Acto #11 blade (I save them after several sharpenings, as they're useful as scrapers, glue or oil applicators, and, in this case, as wire cutters), and working on a sheet of glass or other hard, smooth surface, snick off the lengths you need: simply press down, using the heel of the blade, remembering to hold onto the piece being cut off, as it will tend to fly away. The handrail and the end stanchion (support post) can be a single unit, using pliers to form a 90 degree bend. Lay out this piece atop the drawing of the handrail, which you've taped to the balsa, as outlined in the link, then fasten it in place using pins. Cut the remaining supports, and using a small machinist's square, put them in position and secure with pins. Butt the top ends against the handrail, then, using the tip of an old X-Acto blade, apply a very small dab of resin soldering flux to each joint.
Next, wet some facial tissue or a paper towel, then rip it into small sections, wad them up and place them tightly over the main handrail, one piece between each stanchion. This will prevent heat from transferring along the handrail, allowing you to solder each stanchion in place without un-soldering your previously done work. For fine work such as this, I find it best to apply a very minute amount of solder directly to the hot iron, then touch just the tip to the joint. Using small diameter resin-core solder, the solder will transfer readily to the cleaned and fluxed joints.
You can make an even stronger handrail by using suitably-sized brass bar for the posts - drill holes through the top of the bars and thread them onto the main handrail, soldering them in place as outlined above. Brass bar stock and soft brass wire, in various sizes, is available from Detail Associates
For either type of handrail, drill appropriately-sized holes in your plastic loco, and secure the handrails using ca.

Wayne

[tv_man]

Thanks for this amazing tutorial! I'll see how the current construction stays together now but must try to improve my soldering skills. (keeping the amazing stuff that can be made using brass..)

[MountainMan]

Are you planning to replace those Rapido couplers?

[tv_man]

Not anytime soon. Went through the trouble of replacing some old and partially damaged couplers (don't even know which ones, I think some old, now disused system) to this type as the rest of the locomotives and cars uses it (In Euroland these are much more common, for better or worse, at least everything is compatible). They are a bit big, but it is sufficient for the time being. Maybe someday.

[tv_man]

A lick of paint later...

Used water based paints on cheap grey primer.

The red turned out quite well, despite painting it by hand. The yellow not so but that's the price for wanting to paint yellow. Decided to stick with just one layer of red - instant weathering!

Also on the picture: a little plastic structure for testing the paint on. Will not be featured on the layout. For the time being...

Next: decaling! (next weekend maybe)

[tv_man]

Apart from decaling and maybe adding buffers at some point or another I have declared the model finished. For a static model it would be fine, but as I removed some parts from the motor the motor should be fixed so it doesn't push itself up on the gears. Considering a tiny screw pushing a little bit into the motor shell, but drilling into the actual motor might be harmful, so I may have to think of something else.

Also featured is a little glimpse of the recently painted sky...