G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
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flying scotsman123
- Posts: 2233
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:29 pm
- Location: err, down there round the corner... not that one!!!
G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
Has anyone done this or found somewhere where it is documented? looking to convert them to something a little less thomas but keeping it British outline. the main problem is getting rid of the noses, once these have gone it will require a full repaint to cover the surgery, any suggestions for a livery? I presume the coaches are just a generic design, certainly not accurate to the originals (wrong number of wheels for starters!) and they look like the oo gauge hornby 4 -wheelers that everyone knows and laves/hates. what could I do with them?
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
They look like with a bit of work they could be made to look a little less toy-like (going by Google Images)- and I'm sure there were 4 wheeled coaches around - take the Ratio 4 wheelers for example. So I reckon you could make a good model out of it. Is this for a garden railway?
On a completely unrelated note, this is my 500th post!
On a completely unrelated note, this is my 500th post!
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flying scotsman123
- Posts: 2233
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:29 pm
- Location: err, down there round the corner... not that one!!!
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
Garden railway yes, my grandad's, he keeps getting continental stuff which no one is really happy with, and after speaking with a model shop owner liked the idea of Thomas conversions, but couldn't find anything on the coaches. I don't mind four wheelers really, just pointing out that none of the manufacturers notice that theyvwere actually bodied...
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
Bachmann released the coaches for Emily which have three axles. Several modellers have adapted the Annie coach to non-Thomas modelling with some success. A Welsh retail store (from memory Back2Bay6) does laser cut interiors for a reasonable amount. The 'Emily' coaches do not have faces and are quite attractive in their green livery.
Edit: scroll halfway down the page. http://www.pamakhobbies.com/Products/Bachmann.html
Tim
Edit: scroll halfway down the page. http://www.pamakhobbies.com/Products/Bachmann.html
Tim
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
I am planning to get an Emily set with coaches do some detailing to make them more prototypical. I haven't purchased them yet, but this is my way of breaking into G for as little outlay as possible.
Martin
Martin
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
I have a Annie and Clarabel pair I grabbed when I saw them at a low price, with the definite intention of "doing something with them."
As the sit against the rest of my coaching stock the wheels are too large, making them too high at the foot-board level, but the bodies aren't high enough. so the roofline is still relatively low.
They will get smaller wheels and an insert between the top of the body and the roof. before they are properly "let out".
Two thoughts. One is to make them into an articulated set with three four-wheel bogies.
(I may then lose the faces in an "corridor connection")
Or they may get more subdivided into a diesel railcar articulated set, using a Hartland Mighty Mac sawn in half to provided the two driver end positions.
(and one powered bogie. No, that doesn't get sawn in half.)
More work, but for my needs a self-contained railcar set would be more handy than simply coaches needing to be loco hauled.
The Emily coaches do appear considerably better finished. Fortunately I've got away from 2ft radius curves and am up to 3 1/2 feet at the tightest.
I wouldn't believe the six-wheelers on 2-ft curves. The four wheelers aren't that happy.
I'm all for cheap G. None of my locos were bought R-T-R and the majority have the *old* track-power Playmobil motor blocks as a starting point, with bodies assembled from all sort of places. I have been called the Dr Frankenstein of the model railway world.
My two rakes of coaches were kits: wooden or plastic 4-wheelers.
(for those 2ft curves!)
Foreground: GRS generic, plastic compartment panels, background: IP Engineering, laser-cut wood kits.
Chris
As the sit against the rest of my coaching stock the wheels are too large, making them too high at the foot-board level, but the bodies aren't high enough. so the roofline is still relatively low.
They will get smaller wheels and an insert between the top of the body and the roof. before they are properly "let out".
Two thoughts. One is to make them into an articulated set with three four-wheel bogies.
(I may then lose the faces in an "corridor connection")
Or they may get more subdivided into a diesel railcar articulated set, using a Hartland Mighty Mac sawn in half to provided the two driver end positions.
(and one powered bogie. No, that doesn't get sawn in half.)
More work, but for my needs a self-contained railcar set would be more handy than simply coaches needing to be loco hauled.
The Emily coaches do appear considerably better finished. Fortunately I've got away from 2ft radius curves and am up to 3 1/2 feet at the tightest.
I wouldn't believe the six-wheelers on 2-ft curves. The four wheelers aren't that happy.
I'm all for cheap G. None of my locos were bought R-T-R and the majority have the *old* track-power Playmobil motor blocks as a starting point, with bodies assembled from all sort of places. I have been called the Dr Frankenstein of the model railway world.
My two rakes of coaches were kits: wooden or plastic 4-wheelers.
(for those 2ft curves!)
Foreground: GRS generic, plastic compartment panels, background: IP Engineering, laser-cut wood kits.
Chris
"It's his madness that keeps him sane."
Re: G gauge Annie and Clarabel conversion
Hi Mate,
Simple answer here is 2 questions: how much work do you want to do? And which era do you intend to model them in?
If the first answer is: as little as possible, and you said don’t care to the second the you have the quickest makeover possible.
Simply cut/carve/grind off the nose from the face end, model bog it flush and sand flat. As these coaches are almost LNER teak in colour simply paint both ends black (standard LNER non-corridor stock livery). Use a bit of paint stripper/methylated spirits to rub off the coach names and you’re done.
If you want to get a bit fancy, make up some strips of plasticard to create the end beading for the coaches and glue in place before painting.
Otherwise the only thing missing would be a ton of yellow lining around the coach sides to make out the beading lines.
Going on further: if you choose early British Railways then the sides need to be painted crimson and the roofs a dark grey (ends stay black) late 1950’s early 1960’s the side colour becomes maroon.
Other than that it is simply fitting out the interiors.
(How do I know the liveries and small details? I do a lot of 3D modelling for MicroSoft Train Simulator, aka MSTS, and the LNER coaches are my area of modelling).
As for the lack of British “mainline” outline garden railway stock, unless you want brass and can pay over £1000 per item, there is very little. But I will be trying to fix that shortly. I am in the designing and evaluation stages of some 1/29 (can be made 1/32) scale 3D printed kits that I eventually hope to be able to sell. No I’m not trolling anyone one here, I am dead serious. I already have 3 prototypes (test shots below of a basic conflate and container, excuse the bad paint job) that are already seeing track time. They just need further evaluation and refinement before they can go on sale.
Note that the chassis sections shown here are first prints and not the production chassis.
Model assembled, checked and bogged smooth(ish).
And here it is, with a (badly) painted look.
I still need to sort out proper coupling mounts and some fragile parts, but beyond that this has been pottering around the test track that I have chucked down in the back yard. It goes through first radius points no problems. Best thing is with the plastic I use (PLA) is that if it warps just use a hair dryer to reheat and straighten out.
Getting back to Annie and Clarabel, the closest thing to what they are in the books (if you want to be pedantic and yes I just grabbed my Thomas the Tank Engine complete collection book to double check) is Gresley 51ft non-corridor suburban coach, Annie being a Full Third with Clarabel being a Brake Third (which I have just finished making a 1/29 scale model of, tacking together and then nearly melted whilst trying to get the glue to dry).
So keep an eye out for future things.
Justin
Simple answer here is 2 questions: how much work do you want to do? And which era do you intend to model them in?
If the first answer is: as little as possible, and you said don’t care to the second the you have the quickest makeover possible.
Simply cut/carve/grind off the nose from the face end, model bog it flush and sand flat. As these coaches are almost LNER teak in colour simply paint both ends black (standard LNER non-corridor stock livery). Use a bit of paint stripper/methylated spirits to rub off the coach names and you’re done.
If you want to get a bit fancy, make up some strips of plasticard to create the end beading for the coaches and glue in place before painting.
Otherwise the only thing missing would be a ton of yellow lining around the coach sides to make out the beading lines.
Going on further: if you choose early British Railways then the sides need to be painted crimson and the roofs a dark grey (ends stay black) late 1950’s early 1960’s the side colour becomes maroon.
Other than that it is simply fitting out the interiors.
(How do I know the liveries and small details? I do a lot of 3D modelling for MicroSoft Train Simulator, aka MSTS, and the LNER coaches are my area of modelling).
As for the lack of British “mainline” outline garden railway stock, unless you want brass and can pay over £1000 per item, there is very little. But I will be trying to fix that shortly. I am in the designing and evaluation stages of some 1/29 (can be made 1/32) scale 3D printed kits that I eventually hope to be able to sell. No I’m not trolling anyone one here, I am dead serious. I already have 3 prototypes (test shots below of a basic conflate and container, excuse the bad paint job) that are already seeing track time. They just need further evaluation and refinement before they can go on sale.
Note that the chassis sections shown here are first prints and not the production chassis.
Model assembled, checked and bogged smooth(ish).
And here it is, with a (badly) painted look.
I still need to sort out proper coupling mounts and some fragile parts, but beyond that this has been pottering around the test track that I have chucked down in the back yard. It goes through first radius points no problems. Best thing is with the plastic I use (PLA) is that if it warps just use a hair dryer to reheat and straighten out.
Getting back to Annie and Clarabel, the closest thing to what they are in the books (if you want to be pedantic and yes I just grabbed my Thomas the Tank Engine complete collection book to double check) is Gresley 51ft non-corridor suburban coach, Annie being a Full Third with Clarabel being a Brake Third (which I have just finished making a 1/29 scale model of, tacking together and then nearly melted whilst trying to get the glue to dry).
So keep an eye out for future things.
Justin
http://tsforum.freeclanforum.com/ MSTS forum.