I hope everyone has had a great Christmas and is looking forward to a fun filled new year. With a couple of free days during the festivities I have had some time to get on with some modelling - the airbrush is up and running and I am looking to finish off some projects that have been hanging around in the paint boxes. In the meantime I thought I would produce a better update on the recently finished class 47.
The finished class 47 shunting at Charlton station.
The class 47 running light out of Charlton.
Another view of the completed loco - ready to head back to Barnstaple.
The model is the first Bachmann offering with a 21 pin DCC socket. I purchased this locomotive on special offer from Hattons, about 10 years ago for the princely sum of £50. It has sat around in its box since then. I have always meant to make on a start on this locomotive, but never got around to it! Anyhow the model was finally taken apart this year. The glazing and cab were removed from the body and the bogie frames from the chassis. All the details were added to the bufferbeam and then everything was masked off ready for spraying. With all my detailing projects I start with an all over body wash on the body shell - a mix of sleeper grime and weathered black. This is mainly brushed off, before spraying some different mixes of weathered BR blue over the body, intermixed with some light weathering using sleeper grime, frame dirt and weathered black. The grills had weathered black sprayed into them and the roof treated to a healthy dose of roof dirt.
The body wash applied, with parts of the wash removed. This was taken part way through the process.
The body shell with streaks of faded blue, sleeper grime and weathered black applied.
The body shells with roof dirt and weathered black sprayed into the grills.
The chassis and bogies were also sprayed with various shades of weathered black, frame dirt, sleeper grime, brake dust and matt white. When all this had been completed the body was reassembled and reglazed.
Chassis masked off and with the first coat of weathering applied.
The bogie frames with brake dust, weathered black, and frame dirt added.
The chassis with the fuel tanks having sprayed with sleeper grime, frame dirt and weathered black.
The sound decoder is a Loksound v 4.0, fitted with Howes sound. I must say, this is an absolute belter. As soon as it was fitted I was delighted with the sound. There is plenty of room inside the body shell for a speaker, so I could fit my speaker of choice; a Road and Rails double Iphone speaker. The sound quality on these speakers is fantastic and it sounds like the real deal.
The decoder with the double Iphone speaker soldered up.
All fitted and ready for reassembly.
The locomotive was then reassembled and tested. Despite sitting in a box for 10 years it runs like a dream. I am very happy with how this one turned out. I ran it for the first time at the Brighton exhibition a few weeks and it ran faultlessly. Whilst not strictly common for the Tarka line in the 1970s, a little bit of modellers licence can be applied, they were common in Exeter St Davids from the 1970s onwards, so why not have one trundling up to Torrington or Ilfracombe!
Class 47 running into Charlton.
Class 47 heading back to Barnstaple with a short train.
