Tarting up the Lima model

I've noticed that this model has been mentioned a couple of times here and elsewhere.  I've been meaning to have a go at this and was encouraged even further by an article in the July BRM by Ben Jones.

The van is really good above the solebars as many of these legacy models were:



It falls down, for me anyway, with crude underframe details.  I remember changing the wheels years ago.  The bogies may have been changed but the fixing looks original.

As a preliminary to the upgrade, I sourced some parts from a box of bits scrounged from some PC coaches given to me quite some time ago.  These were the kits with printed sides if readers recall.  There were enough coaches for a decent rake but they were all in dire straits having decomposed over the years.  I never liked the notion of printed sides either, there being no raised detail.  Finally, the transfers hadn't been put on very well - so off they went to the knackers yard for parts.



The parts selected include trusses, vacuum cylinders, vee hangers and dynamo.  I'll try to retain some of the less offensive detail.

I also want to try Bill Bedford's sprung bogie.  My plan is to chop up the model bogie and stick the sides on later.

If you're on 00, the bogie part of the upgrade can be omitted apart from changing wheels to something better than the Lima pizza cutters.

John

I stripped the model down:



The glazing is pretty naff so that will have to go.  I will construct glazing bars.  I sent off an email to Brian Shaw at Shawplan to see if he can suggest something for the windows.

The roof vents are to anemic, I'll replace with Comet parts.

There's a buffer missing but they're pretty bad anyway so I will replace with Comet.

Now that I look more closely, those bogies are almost certainly Bachmann.  The wheels look to be split axle so they'll have to go as well.

The van body is accurate as evidenced:



The book is Historic Railway Carriages - Vol. 3 - NPCS by Peter Tatlow.

As I look at the livery, I'm getting less happy.  It seems to be self coloured plastic and looks a bit too red to me.

John

Just upgraded one I bought at an exhibition a few weeks ago. I've fitted Bachmann LMS bogies to it and some replacement buffers but haven't altered the underframe. Looks a lot better on the LMS bogies and runs a treat. The bogies need fixing on as they don't clip into the Lima holes. A nut and bolt with a couple of spacing washers solved the problem.

It's great fun to upgrade older models.  I haven't run mine for a long time, but I recall that it ran well on the replacement bogies.  My Bachmann bogies seemed to clip right in, but the design changed over the years - they are very OLD.

John

It's just nice to get some extra life out of the older stuff. I've got a Lima 57ft Guv to do sometime, and convert it into the water-carrier that they use behind Earl Of Mount Edgcumbe on some rail tours. I need to get hold of some BR B5 bogies from somewhere then its a repaint job into lined WR brown and a new tops panel.

I noticed today that Shawplan have a flush laserglaze window set for the Lima BR GUV.

I'm embarrassed to report that the bogies that I thought were Bachmann were, in fact, Hornby from their 80s short Stanier coaches.  The bogies have a WB of 8' 6" instead of the correct 9'.    These coaches, IMO, are fit only for the bin.

I have found a set of Bachmann sides.

John

 

Do the vacuum cylinders and dynamo come in the bag off brass goodies John ?

Watching carefully. ;-)

Well, the goodies were in a Ziploc bag, if that's what you mean Peter.  The cylinders and dynamo are whitemetal, the rest are brass.

Pay very careful attention.

John

 

That's what I mean John - was the ziploc bag a purchased complete "upgrade" pack including the white metal parts from PC Models or have you sorted through your "bits box" as well ?

Actually, it probably doesn't matter because we couldn't buy it today anyway ……………………….:roll:

Oh, I see.  No, they were scrounged from the PC coaches.  They can be purchased from Comet Models today - there's probably a list in the BRM article.  I can make a list if you like.

John

 

I suppose the right way to approach this upgrade is from the ground up.  Yesterday, I modified a set of Bachmann wheels to EM (I really MUST buy some EM wheels, all this filing gets a mite tedious).

Today, I'll start on the bogie etch:



Glory Hallelujah!  There are instructions!  Well, the sheet says "suggestions".

John

Well, I got the first bogie assembled.  It was not too bad, fiddly in places as these things tend to be.



Getting the brake shoes onto the hangers was much easier if done on the flat.  Must look at that uneven wire.

It runs freely and, surprise surprise, it's also square!

You might be just able to see some half etched on the axle box carrier.  For correct ride height, these should line up with the bearing.  They don't at the moment but once the weighted coach body is added, they should be right.  The brake shoes will align better with the wheels too.

John

That looks good John and, if we're reading this in real time, it's taken you around 4 hours to build thumbs

Looks good and strong.  I'd love to have a go at something like this.  I don't have the time to even think about it at present but it's all being filed away for when I do. :cheers

Thanks Peter.  Four hours elapsed but not full time.  I like to take breaks every so often since the process takes a lot of concentration and that is fatiguing.

The first thing to do is to gain confidence with soldering.  When I started, I slavishly emulated Iain Rice's advice as to equipment and materials.  Over time I have developed my own techniques.  Having a good iron is a must (ie, you need to spend a bit of dosh and not buy the cheapest), followed by good quality solder and flux.

I chuckle to myself when people try to avoid soldering.  It is a skill that gives one an opportunity to expand his/her range of modelling subjects.

John

 

I agree with you John about people avoiding soldering,i find it extremely easy but understand people who are hesitant to start.I've soldered most of my life in various jobs in the motor trade even using soldering irons that you heat up on a gas ring.To me preparation is the key.My advice is practice on scrap pieces and after awhile the hesitants will wonder what all the fuss was about.Happy soldering.

[user=1033]Spurno[/user] wrote:

………………………… even using soldering irons that you heat up on a gas ring……………………………

I've done that too Alan. ;-)

To me, it's not particularly the soldering, it's trying to make my shovel hands behave like micro-engineering tools.  I'm a bit ham-fisted when it comes to small parts.  If you read my thread on chipping a split chassis V2 loco, you'll see what I mean.  I broke almost everything my hands made contact with …………….:oops::oops::oops:

Welcome to the club Petermac. Now a days arthritic pork sausage fingers along with a certain amount of impatience and dodgy eyes all add to the mix. Still, I do persevere.

There's that P again.  Soldering small parts can be a challenge.  One of those "third hand" devices can be useful, although I tend to prefer to use my fingers and perhaps some tweezers or a fine file to hold and tease the bits into place.

John

I built up the second bogie today.  I also modified the underframe to accept the bogies.  I just gave it a run through my test point and it passed:



I smoothed out the pivot area underneath and added a 0.080" plastic card bolster plus another 0.020" to the point where the bogie swing misses the solebars.

The bogies are fixed through some plastic tube (I wanted brass but didn't have anything suitable) with 8BA screws.

John

Last night I prepared for today's work plan by installing Comet buffers and Lanarkshire Models coupling hooks.  I also cobbled up a means to make the nut captive.  This involved melting the assembled screw/nut into a plastic strip base, then covering the now captive nut with more plastic strip.

This morning I turned my attention to the thorny issue of couplings.  

In the past I have installed Kadee couplings on bogies and this DOES work.  However, it is not best practice.  The bogie should be unconstrained and allowed to do its' job of coping with the track.  By having a coupling on the bogie, a constraint is added that may restrict the bogie in the performance of its' duties.  It is one cause of derailments I think.

So, what is best practice?  Well, as in the prototype, the coupling should be on the body.  So, this is where I resolved to fit it.  The big problem with bogie coaches and couplings on bodies, is that the bogie frequently fouls it.  I energized my leetle grey cells and decided that the answer was to cut some of the bogie away as well as shaping the coupling draft gearbox.

You can see what I did here:



The bogie on the right is modified, the one on the left, unmodified for now.  The long shank Kadee has had the back corners rounded off.  On the RH bogie you will note angled struts added.  These were added before any cutting and there was trial and error in order to prevent the struts from rubbing on the wheels.  After I felt the struts were right, I cut the bogie.  I have tested it and the underframe sails through the test point.  :pathead

John