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Bachmann's Troublesome Trucks

Started by MikeWilliams, May 10 2010 00:17

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Andy B

 Simon,

Firstly, welcome to the forum.

I've got 2 Troublesome Trucks awaiting gauge widening (got them at a very good price whilst on a recent trip to the US) - I'm also aiming for the 'budget' option on the first one at least.
So whilst I can't offer a 'this is how I did it' today, I 'd be happy to share any ideas before putting any parts on the operating table!

Diameter-wise, the wheels are fine to represent worn 3'1" - just the tyres are a bit thick. And the axle height (set by the folded steel bracket) is clearly wrong compared to the moulded axlebox centre - so that may be solved with a bit of packing.

Andy

MikeWilliams

Hi Simon and welcome to the Forum.

I've not tried it, but am sure it could be done, depending how fussy you are.  You need to widen the gauge and you need to increase the buffer height.

The "axleguards" are not bad representations, but too close together in that the re-gauged wheels won't fit, so you either have to cut them off and somehow stick them back again, or cut the whole chasss down the centre and widen the whole thing, which is actually a very easy job.

The L shaped steel axle supports need to be deeper, or located in a different way so they hang down lower, in order for the buffers to match other Gauge 3 stock.  My preference would be to make new ones, possibly U shaped in pairs, and with bearings, rather than the machine-made dents which pass as bearings.  If you chose to replace the wheels with Slaters, that helps with the buffer height anyway and they come with brass bearings.  As its not sprung or compensated you'd need to take care to get all the wheels on the track, but that's not difficult - just takes care.

And then the brake gear, which again is not a bad representation, is between the wheels instead of outside (due to having widened the gauge), and the blocks about half an inch away from the wheels.  I can't see any way to alter this, so suggest you cut it off completely and make your own or buy some - GRS is probably the cheapest.

You will need to replace the coupling hook.

All that would be cheap, relatively easy and the wagon would doubtless run well.  The only reason I went further is that the body moulding is so nice I thought it deserved nice other bits to match.

Mike

AllWight

Hi all I was at John Tomlinsons yesterday and he showed me a troublesome truck that he had converted complete with a simple compensation unit and sprung buffers. He had divided the chassis length ways down the middle and spread it out and braced it. It was still in original grey colour minus face and it ran really well. John estimates it cost him £50.00 to buy the wagon and convert. I wont go into too much detail but suffice to say it was a superb effort and I look forward to seeing the wagon painted and dirtied up.

MikeWilliams

Apparently my article on a Gauge 3 conversion for Bachmann trucks is in the latest Model Rail magazine (May 2011).  Not quite sure how it got there, but its all publicity for Gauge 3.

Mike

MikeWilliams

Managed to find the magazine and its not an article, just a letter and photo sent in so long ago (11 months?) that I'd forgottten all about it.  Sorry.

Mike

Sleeper Agent

Quote from: MikeWilliams on Jun 02 2010 21:29
I'll write up my Troublesome Truck for the Newsletter, but here's a picture of it this evening. Just buffers, couplings, brakes and painting to do.
http://g3forum.org.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=327.0;attach=154
Mike
I've seen the odd pic elsewhere splitting the chassis unit down the middle and widening it out for G3 wheel sets/moving out the TT wheels to the very limit of the provided axles but was wondering if there are any in depth articles on converting these? I know the RCH wagons had all sorts of permutations but i'm not particularly versed on any of the various era incarnations (any particular books worth buying?). As helpfully pointed out they're based on the 1923 design but i'm struggling with the frames. Bachmann for some reason traded the steel bufferbeams for wooden style when blowing up the old OO tooling but I can't actually find a real life example of the steel frame type. The above photo seems to simply show a substituted L unit (Evergreen?) cut to diagonals on the ends and I presume corner strapping as been added between it and the still original I beams but it's too blurry to study, could you provide a few alternative shots please?
Lastly concerning the interior area the hinge bar looks like it should be tucked just behind the top plank. I've struggled to find a match for this variant so wondering if anyone has a photo/drawing to study for scratch purposes? This 8 planker is close to what I imagine is right for the strapping but am unsure.
       

Regards
Sleeper

John Candy

The internal end door hinge bar is an authentic variation on the more common type which sits on the top of the end door.
From a quick look through a selection of photos, it seems the collieries and coal merchants around the Swansea area were particularly keen on that arrangement but there are plenty of examples from other districts.

If you are specialising in P.O. wagons then the "Private Owner Wagon" series by Bill Hudson / Headstock Publications is very useful, as are the Keith Turton / Lightmoor Press series.
"Private Owner Wagons of the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co.", A.J.Watts / HMRS is another good book with lots of original drawings of the various RCH standard specifications/designs.

Steel underframes with timber bodies are very rare on RCH coal wagons but not unknown... but I cannot quote an example without some research.

Regards,
John.
My fellow Members, ask not what your Society can do for you, ask what you can do for your Society.

AshleyW

for those who did not read the magazine -
Bachmann's re-visited
The first thing I do is remove the couplers and the faces (you can sell these for good price to re-coup some of your outlay)
I then remove the body and put the screws safe. I cut the t ribs off one end(see pic) ,as when you put a new buffer beam on these will not fit (yes unrealistic but just making an easy job- you could glue the bits onto new beam if you wish)
I then with a Stanley knife slice some of the rib from the underside at the location of the mounts for the wheel bearing irons (see pic)
Next job is remove the bearing mounts and keep the tiny screws safe, drop the wheels out and pull the wheels off the original axles (63.5mm long).
I buy 4mm steel rod from b&q at £2.13 per meter, cut this into new axles apx 85mm long (can do this when trialling re-assembly for best length to suit) and shove the wheels on , tapping each one till you get your desired back to back, they are normally pretty firm and won't need fixing.
The buffers (re-usable I feel) and coupling hooks are lightly super glued into their sockets, I find a swift punch with a cross head screwdriver and hammer from behind, whilst resting on vice, helps them release easily and they can then be pulled out by hand (couplings are a bit too fat to re-use- I intend using Williams).
Next task (but not essential) is to fill in the former holes for buffers, all I do is put sellotape over the buffer beam and using a cocktail stick fill in from behind with epoxy resin (pound shop)
After that's fully  dry, using the centre of the coupler loop mount holes as a guide, I take a hacksaw and starting from each end first, saw the who chassis in two. I then also drill new mounting holes 10mm inside the former holes for later re-fitting to the body. You also need to cut the outer bits of each end of the former buffer beam.
I spray the body with primer. Poundland stuff is a darker grey; Wilkinson's gives lighter shade at £3.99 but does go further too!
You can either then make a new buffer beam 10mm deep 100mm wide with holes to suit buffers of your choice or make coupling slot to suit your choice too. I have recently commissioned model engineers laser to produce some readymade beams in steel for this purpose (2.37 each) and have holes for Williams buffers and couplings as well as 2mm holes for attaching to original beam. once your new buffer beam is in place you will have to drill through the holes for the buffers to pass through the original buffer beam.
The next job is re-fit the wheel bearing metals to the two chassis halves; you can sit the wheels with their axles into these, while you line them up and re-screw the two chassis halves back to the body. At this point you now have a gap at the centre of the original buffer beam, so now you want to offer up your new beam (I have used plasticard before and glued into place) if you make the beam with mounting holes you can bolt this in place, making the whole assembly fully removable for adjustment or future re-paints etc.
All that's left is to re-fit the buffers and your coupling hooks and you have a g3 wagon. (I found filing the coupling hook to be a nice fit the most taxing job, you also need to file the edge of the link, so it drops into the gedge on the hook, you then turn it, and so the fatter end of the link is in the gedge.
You can if you wish remove the whole chassis and paint black, if it came with a grey chassis.
I bought my wagons at around £30.00 each, spent apx 6.50 on each on coupling hooks, 45p on axles and say £1.00 on paint, I also managed to recover around £6.00 for the faces and coupler loops, so a finished wagon is still under £35.00, I know these are toy-ish but very robust, ideal for letting the kids touch and keeping your precious stuff out of sight! The conversion can also been easily done totally in a few hours and again may add to the rake of your wagon fleet and encourage new members to learn that gauge 3 can be achieved at a modest price.

Sleeper Agent

Quote from: John Candy on Oct 08 2018 18:59
The internal end door hinge bar is an authentic variation on the more common type which sits on the top of the end door.
From a quick look through a selection of photos, it seems the collieries and coal merchants around the Swansea area were particularly keen on that arrangement but there are plenty of examples from other districts.

If you are specialising in P.O. wagons then the "Private Owner Wagon" series by Bill Hudson / Headstock Publications is very useful, as are the Keith Turton / Lightmoor Press series.
"Private Owner Wagons of the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co.", A.J.Watts / HMRS is another good book with lots of original drawings of the various RCH standard specifications/designs.

Steel underframes with timber bodies are very rare on RCH coal wagons but not unknown... but I cannot quote an example without some research.

I have the more common type you mentioned sold on Williams Models in mind when money and time allow, though i'm not really looking to model them as PO wagons for the most part. Anywho thank you for the recommendation, I do have one or two of the PO wagon series around somewhere which I need to re-find for a flick through, though I was oblivious to the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co title. Splurged too much on wagon books in the last 48 hours so the rest of that series will have to take a backseat but found the latter for a good price on the HMRS site and as I was paying for postage got it along with some of their Journals that have been on the ol' wish list :)
I'll be having a good read over the next few days but the lack of steel frame builds makes the Bachmann product somewhat surprising, guess it's simply a hangover of the old Mainline tooling (doesn't really explain the G gauge bufferbeam change though). Anyway if that's the case I'll look into scratching wooden frames for the majority or possibly Mike's compatible frames as i'll need some other bits from his nifty site anyway.

Cheers John

Ashley

Haven't got much to add as I've not actually converted any of my TT hoard yet but a few useful tips there, will be sure to pop into a B&Q next time i'm passing one. Regarding the buffers I agree that they are quite nice. The plastic heads not so much but the housing can always be drilled out and my experiment with one of Mike's sprung types borrowed from a still unbuilt kit proved a success.

Martin_B

Quote from: MikeWilliams on May 11 2011 13:10
Apparently my article on a Gauge 3 conversion for Bachmann trucks is in the latest Model Rail magazine (May 2011).  Not quite sure how it got there, but its all publicity for Gauge 3.

Mike
Hi
If anyone is going to bring any converted trucks to Adrian's GTG on Sunday I'd be very interested to see how it was done please or if anyone has trucks for sale even better!
Cheers
Martin

Bruce_L

I have some experience of these now, as I've converted 3 of them in the last couple of weeks. I'm just waiting for new steel buffer beams (to provide some strength).
So, if you need some advice, or measurements I can do that if anyone needs it.
I've also altered the axle height so thay look better. I've got pics if I can figure out how to load them.

Its a bit optimistic, though, getting them at £45. The average retail seems to be £79 but ebay prices are usually in the mid 40's. There's quite a lot of competition for them at less than that. Also, be careful searching ebay for them, as the search often ignores the G part and offers loads at £20 or so, until you realise they are 00 or purchased from USA at huge shipping and customs costs.
Cheers, Bruce
Bruce
729

hornbeam

When they came out they were cheap enough. However it's now getting to point you may as well get a full proper kit.

   I've done one and it looks good if a little narrow. I ended up using a Williams model chassis and ditching the chassis. Think I have two bodies spare of you have a use for them drop me a line.