O Gauge Dpaol Class 122 and Heljan warship progress

It has been a while since my last update but progress of various projects has been made over the last few weeks, with some of these models creeping towards the finishing line. Unfortunately time for modelling has been a little limited, with weekends away and other commitments causing a loss of momentum. However, this bank holiday weekend, other than walking my dog, my focus is firmly on undertaking some modelling, whilst  watching the snooker.

The O gauge Dapol class 122 is getting close to being back in service. I am waiting on some destination transfers from Railtec but otherwise the unit has gone through the weathering process and now just requires the glazing to be re-attached, passengers and drivers to be added and finishing off the DCC installation. The driver is not yet painted but the passengers will be glued into the unit this evening. 

Weathering of the class 122 bodyshell. This is now ready to have the glazing re-attached.

When I was modelling in OO gauge I became somewhat weary of Dapol products, with the OO gauge class 122 requiring surgery to keep it running. With the O gauge model of the Dapol class 122, whilst the finish and interior detail is outstanding, the original batch of DMUs suffered from erratic running and poor motors. So whilst this locomotive was apart I took the opportunity to remove both of the original motors and replace them with a single new motor driving only 1 bogie (the original motors are said to be mismatched causing poor running). Hopefully this will cure the erratic running. The glazing on the unit was an absolute pig to remove and I ended up breaking a lot of the windows, which are made from very brittle plastic.. So in addition tot he original unit, I have now purchased replacement glazing and a new motor........which has added a not insignificant sum to the original price. 

Motors during replacement. The new motor required soldering in. The unit now runs in a single motor - which I hope will improve the running qualities of this unit.

However, I am now hopeful that once fitted back together, this unit will provide years of services as the local stopping DMU on the Kimington Quay layout. The modelling tasks for today are to add in the DCC chip that I sent off to Howes for reblowing and solder in the speakers, consisting of two 4ohm small speakers and a larger 8 ohm speaker. This is what is recommended in the Dapol booklet - so I hope it is correct. When this bit is done, it is just a question of adding the passengers, driving, glazing and destination blinds and then it will be ready for operation.

Another project that has seen some progress is the Heljan warship. I dismantled the warship some weeks ago and have made a start on painting some of the details, such as bogies, brake rigging etc. The body shell has received its new identity, with transfers courtesy of Railtec and nameplates from the Protoneo range. These have all bee sealed in with gloss and satin varnish, so later today I will start the process of weathering the body shell. I cannot wait to make a start on weathering this locomotive, it is an absolute beast of a model and I am going for a moderately weathered look. The new identity for this locomotive is 810 Cockade and a few photographs of this locomotive on the Tarka line in the 1970s shows it is pretty reasonable shape - so moderate fading of the BR blue followed by a bit of grime will be the order of the day.

The nameplates fixed to the slide of the warship. It is now ready for fading of the original BR blue factory finish.

Beyond locomotives and DMUs,  I am also building various pieces of rolling stock, with a GWR Toad and Southern BY van making slow progress on my desk. Both of these pieces of rolling stock are destined for the 1970s engineers department. I am also close to finishing some scenic details, such as station nameboards, fencing panels and post and more warehouses for the backscene. Again these projects are slowly ticking by in the background. I am looking forward to setting up the layout again later this month and adding in a lot of these details, whilst giving the DMU a proper run on the layout. 

Slaters southern BY wagon under construction - there is a long way to go with this build.

Station nameboards getting close to being ready to install on the layout, although some more weathering and toning down is required.

Beyond my little modelling world, there has been wider developments in the hobby, with the Accurascale take over of Heljan. Lots of people have had their say on this - and I am sure I will add nothing new. However, a class 45 has now found its way into the waiting pile of stock, whilst a small Ruston and PMV are being ordered today...I wish the company well for the future and hope that it provides a springboard for even more top quality O gauge models.