Cut on this side of the lip on the end of the carriage.
Remove the end.
Paint and glue the new end into place.
The Corridor Connection
Vertical packing pieces of plasticard are glued into the corridor connection aperture to keep the Floating End Plate stable.
The fixing plate is inserted and used to mark the hole for the End Plate. The fixing plate is removed and the hole opened up to 2 mm to receive the end plate spigot.
The End Plate, spring and fixing washer ready to install.
The End Plate is secured with the fixing washer. Ensure the End Plate extends about 1.5 mm equally all round from the corridor connection.
The Floating End Plate installed.
Fixing Plate
Fixing washers
Floating End Plate
Spigot
Spring
Ease the locating holes of the female coupling plate and countersink the top of the hole to make coupling the male plate easier.
The Base Plate Coupler and Draw Bar
Use a needle file or scalpel to increase the swing of the draw bar.
This will allow the longer carriages to go round Hornby radius 2 curves.
From this
To this
Don’t fit the coupling plates until the carriages are completed.
Glue or Screw
As a former maintenance engineer I always think of future maintenance and/or the possible need for accidental damage repairs.
The holes in the skirt fixing bar are just right for 10BA screws but any alternative can be used, eg metric equivalent (M1.6), or very small self-tapping screws or ultimately glue. All types of screws are available on line from many hobby suppliers.
It’s up to the modeller which method to use.
CLASS 91 LOCO
Because I don’t use overhead pickup the loco body has the Pantograph wires taped up out of the way
The chassis is fitted with a Zimo MX600 decoder. The trailing bogie has extra current pickup fitted.
The extra current pickup is a strip of 10th phosphor bronze trapped and glued between two peace’s of plasicard glued to the side of the bogie frame. A length of wire is soldered to the pickup. The other end is soldered to the metal body of the motor bogie.
The bogie clip has been removed as the Close coupling base plate is in the way.
The the threaded post nuts are out of my odds & end collection. Any size thread will do.
The post can be threaded or glued to the bogie frame.
Mark the centre and drill the hole for the diameter of the post you are going to use.
10mm
Gently file the sides of the base plate to follow the shape of the front end of the chassis.
Set the base plate in line with recess in the chassis edge.
The draw bar pocket has to be lowered with sections of plasticard so that it is just below the buffer beam and the pocket is in line with the its front edge.
Loco and the end carriage. Note the loco skirt extensions are fitted.
Buffet car to the standard class car.
DVT coupled to the first class car.
Close Coupling & Skirts for the Carriages
4.5mm
1 a. With a calliper gauge set to 4.5mm wide scribe a line on the floor of the carriage at the position shown. here.
1b. Or place the skirt on the floor of the carriage and scribe along the back edge of the locating bar.
2. Remove the tabs from the front edge of the base plate. Place the base plate on the floor of the carriage with the front edge against the scribed line.
3. Scribe a line along the back edge of the base plate.
4. Cut the section out of the floor between the scribed lines. Insert the base plate into the hole so that the top of the base plate sits in line with the top of the floor inside the carriage and on the under side of the interior.
5. Place the skirt on the floor of the carriage and drill small holes through the holes in the fixing bar into the floor of the carriage to take 10 BA or M1.6 x 4mm screws. (The screw are not supplied)
After inserting the draw bar into the base plate secure the skirt to the floor with 10 BA or M1.6 x 4mm screws.
Use a razor saw to separate the two skirts.
Clear the screw holes.
Then paint the skirts
Cut the coupling and partial skirts from the bogie
The DVT
Use a razor saw to separate the DVT skirt and Class 91 skirt extensions.
Clear the screw holes.
Then paint the skirts
Remove the tabs from the front of the base plate.
Reduce the width of the base plate by 1.5mm from each side.
Scribe the first line 7mm back from the front edge. Then place the front edge of the modified base plate (see below) against the line and scribe the line along the back of the base plate.
Cut the hole out of the chassis floor to the lines and insert the base plate so that the botom of the base plate is level with the bottom of the chassis.
Place the skirt on the chassis floor along the front of the chassis and drill through the holes into the chassis to take 19BA screws (notsupplied).
Inset the draw bar then secure the skirt with the 10 BA screws.
Don’t put the couplers into the draw bar pocket yet. A bottom to the pocket can be retro fitted.
