Q23 Stock conversion to trailers

Hi Metmen
I will definately be in the market for some of the k2 bogies as well please
Cheers John

Metman, will ones for use as the trailing bogie on a Q23/27 have pick-up shoes and shoe fuse boxes? Also, will it be possible to fit the frame to a Tenshodo as I like to have two power bogies in one coach. It helps with haulage capacity and it is easier to wire them together than trying to fit pick-ups to a trailing bogie!

Took delivery of the Acton shuttle car this week. The work of converting it to a Q23 motor has begun. I'll let you know how I get on. So far, the casting 'flash' has been removed as have the air pipes on the trailing end. The pipes have been removed from the driving end too but the 'pips' at the top of them have been left for the attachment of the replacement wire later. The marker lights on what will become the trailing end have also been removed. I haven't yet been brave enough to try and remove the drivers side markers on the lead end for re-use under the other cab window. I'll save that for a time when I know that the daughters aren't about to get home from a party! The phrase 'Daddy, do be careful with that knife' is usually a precursor to a trip to the medicine cabinet for a bandage!

This is also the first Radley models kit I have built that doesn't have moulded handrails, just small inset marks for the location to drill holes for wire handrails. Top marks. It has saved a lot of time. Thank you.

One question though. Would I be right in assuming that the floor unit as supplied with the kit would be the wrong was round for a west facing Q23 DM?

Glyn, we are very keen to have little holes where the grab handles are fitted-does make life easier! The new Circle stock will also have this arrangment.

The K2 bogie is not designed to take a Tenshodo WB31 bogie because it is designed for drop in wheels. However, it would be possible to hack away the wheel supports and add the motor bogie. The hardest bit would be to provide a fixing for it.

I would imagine all Q23 and Q27 kits will have an extra set of shoebeams which can easily fit onto the axel boxes. There are no fuse boxes but these can be made from pastic rectangular tubing-which is what I'm doing on all my stock!

I would suggest that none of the Q23 trailers survived past 1965! In fact I 'think' that there was mass scrapping of the Q23 stock once the A62 delivery allowed CP stock to work the District. Only a small number of Q23 west end motors survived after this.

Not sure about the EP brakes. Was all the electromagnetic equipment removed on trailer conversions I wonder?

The last of the Q23 trailers was disposed of in September 1966.

No. The e.p. brake is required on all cars in a train for it to work properly. The conversion normally took the form of a group of valves added into the existing pipework. You'd hardly notice it under the car.

If I had a look round an existing car, I'd probably be able to find it.

Good question. I can't remember. The guard's area was partially open anyway but I don't know what was done at the old cab end.

I removed mine with a bluntish curved scalpel blade used V-E-R-Y carefully. Don't try and do it all in one go as doing a little at a time will reduce the likelyhood of mistakes. It is for the same reason that I tend to use a bluntish blade as a sharp one will go into the resin like a hot knife through butter. If a slip does occur then the resin can be filled using any of the proprietry model fillers. It may be wise to mark and drill the holes for the replacement wire handrails BEFORE the removal of the last trace of the moulded ones. That was a lesson I learnt the hard way! The area was then gently smoothed with some fine abrasive paper. Be careful using anything abrasive (paper or files) on resin as the dust is LETHAL! A facemask would be a good idea.

As for glazing, There are glazing fluids available that will give a flush effect. Someone else wil probably know the sort of stuff I mean. One of the model mags uses it quite a lot for glazing windscreens on lorries and cars in 'OO' scale so it should work on G/Q stock drivers windscreens. It is similar to PVA wood glue and is white when first applied but it goes transparent as it dries.

The reconstruction is underway on my former Acton Shuttle G23 car. In fact I feel it has gone so well that I can legitimately call it a Q23 DM now! The rear cab windows are filled and smoothed and the air pipes (sorry tubeprune, hoses ) are attached (inboard at the front, outboard on the rear). The next task is to fit the handrails and destination board brackets and then it will be pretty much ready for painting. All this in probably less than four hours modelling time (not including drying time for glue/filler).

All I need now is some advice on the correct shade of paint to use (make and colour) and funding for the other five cars for what will be a 6 car formation! I plan to run a set formed west to east DM-T-T-DM+T-DM. From what I have read so far that seems about right as I haven't room for an 8 car. Ultimately it will share duties with a 6 car set of CO/CP stock...... One day!

Glyn what cars are you having in the formation?
I planned to have one day....West(A) dmQ23-tQ38-tQ31-dmQ38+tQ35-dmQ27 East(D)

Visited the Ian Allan bookshop in Lower Marsh Street, near Waterloo station today. One of the items that I succumbed to was a paperback booklet entitled 'Farewell to the Q Stock Trains'. I am guessing that it was originally published as a handout for participants in the Q stock farewell railtours in 1971 but it has been reprinted to help raise money for the restoration of the LT museums four car set of Q stock. A noble cause if ever there was one!

It contains details of history, re-numberings, conversions and withdrawal dates for all coaches including the rebuilt motor coaches that started this thread. Worth £5.99 of anyones money!

Yes I think the Q31 and Q35 conversions did. The Q23 trailers were only supposed to be a stop gap to balance the fleet until the P stock could begin work on the District. I would have thought the end windows (and at least the wipers) would have be blanked out?

Could you do a scan of this for me? It would be most interesting to see.

I wish that I could follow prototypical practice re siting of the power bogies but needs must I'm afraid. The other 5 coaches will be resin so it makes sense to me to put the motors in the heavyweight! After all, who'll see them? If my stock followed prototypical practice then my (very) weathered Hornby M7 tank would leak steam all over the house!

Fair enough-its a good idea to double up on the motors-and wire them together! Can't wait till my T stock DM is ready, it already shifts like a beast!

Glazing is the bane of my life. I'll be using this stuff!

Glyn, did you say that you were going to do Gunnersbury?

Oh, I'm sure at some point you said you were doing a layout based on Gunnersbury-my mistake!

I'll try and get some photos up. There is no layout ready yet however, but my I'll put up my CO/CP stock when I've finished building it. I only have the D end CO DM to do!