Q23 Stock conversion to trailers

Yes the weight will bear on the centre of the axle. That was part of the design spec.

Collected the Harrow models Q38 trailer mentioned above yesterday. My friend now has the Q23 DM so he can match the paint job. He's agreed to do the other four coaches as and when they're finished too. His paint work is many times better than anything I could manage! He also sold me (for a nominal sum) what I believe to be an L B C Q38 trailer. The body is slightly warped but I will have a go at rectifying this with hot water etc.. If this doesn't work then I shall buy a Radley Q38 motor body to replace the top half. He showed me an L B C Q35 trailer he had finished. While it is not warped the basc model is not a patch on the Radley models stuff. Despite this, he had done a good job on it although he wouldn't be tempted to part with it.... I tried!

aha lbc, all they have at the moment is a c stock train but it looks very good! www.little-bus.com/bus-kits/c69.html
£70 for a 2 car set isn't to bad either, sometime once I have time I will buy some for a 4 car set, very nice looking

The L B C Q38 body appears to be beyond salvation but the underframe is ok. I'm not that disappointed as the L B C body isn't a patch on the old Harrow whitemetal one that I purchased. Bizarrely. the L B C coach sat on K2 bogies! So they did them after all...... I'll try and get a spare Radley models Q38 DM body to fit the chassis sometime in the future. The K2s will do for the inner ends of the Q23 and Q27 DMs. The two Q35 trailers can have Metmans new bogies. What took me two minutes to type will probably take months to achieve!

Progress report from Hampshire! The Q23 DM just needs the cab windscreens glazing to be called 'finished'. I have a bottle of 'Glue and Glaze' from Radley Models but I haven't had the nerve to try it yet. That can wait until the Daugthers are back at School! It will still need couplings but I will look at that when my current account has more than the 24p it currently has in it!!!!!

The Q38 trailer needed some work. Although the body was well put together, the bogies were not and needed a rebuild. Sadly, one of them had been soldered together. As I attempted to dismantle it one of the bogie sideframes fell apart! The centre casting of the bogie is also a near write-off. The other bogie had been superglued and came apart quite easily. As the 'Black Beetle' power bogies are going under this vehicle I will fit them with new resin frames from Radley Models! The body has been numbered (013158) and will be given a coat of satin varnish when time permits. Air brake pipes (hoses) have been added at the appropriate positions at the ends of the vehicle. The interior needs to be built as the Harrow kit did not come with seating.

I purchased a Q27 DM body from Radley Models at the Portsmouth EM guage show just before Christmas. It is not warped along its length but the bodysides have bowed inwards slightly. These look to be relatively easy to be sorted out but I have to make the chassis from scratch and will use it as a 'former' when I dunk it in hot water! It had been spray primed but, as the moulded handrails and air brake pipes (sorry Tubeprune, HOSES!!!!) are coming off I attempted to remove the paint using Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner. It didn't scratch the surface! Some of the paint had flaked away beforehand and I will attempt to flake the rest off when I get some peace at home. Bizarrely, and after the 'Acton Shuttle' body that became the Q23 DM had the air hoses moulded at the inboard position at both ends, the Q27 body has them moulded at the OUTBOARD position on both ends!!!

Progress has been stalled by events (Christmas and School Hols) but I hope to make some real progress in 2009. I will even try and set up a website so you can all laugh at my work! Regards to you all for the new year. Glyn.

The 'Black Beetles' are not fitted yet simply because the funds to purchase them haven't been stolen from the wife allocated from excess funds. When they are fitted I'll let you know. If you are planning to produce new models of Q 27/31/35 stock can you try and avoid what Hornby do on a regular basis (nine times in seven years!). That is, wait until I have struggled building a kit or scratchbuilding a vehicle out of plasticard before telling the world that a much better model than I could ever manage is imminent! Guess who was painting a kit of a T9 that took ten years to complete when Hornby announced theirs! Thank you.