Rebuilt Bulleid Merchant Navy, 35012 United States Lines, upgrading the Hornby Model and converting to EM. It isn't that hard.

[45568]

35012 United States Line. Already made by Hornby as 35012, but with the wrong 'flag' on the nameplate, (the Hornby model has the early USL flag), so will need new plates.

(I recommend Fox plates, their BR/SR pacific plates are superb and no fiddling with transfers for plate crests).

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.

[brightspark]

 

19 hours ago, Jack P said:

Could it possibly be 35014, and will need a new nameplate as the model comes with black, and you need a red one?

 

Edit: You also mentioned you needed to change the tender emblem!

 

16 hours ago, 45568 said:

35012 United States Line. Already made by Hornby as 35012, but with the wrong 'flag' on the nameplate, (the Hornby model has the early USL flag), so will need new plates.

(I recommend Fox plates, their BR/SR pacific plates are superb and no fiddling with transfers for plate crests).

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.

 

A couple of great guesses.

I note that both of you come from below the equator.

Is nobody from the northern hemisphere brave enough for a punt?

 

[KeithHC]

We are all too reserved up here and respect your plans. It would not be cricket for us to guess the locomotive identity. We will all be patient and await your big reveal today…………

 

plus I don’t care which one it is, but it is a BULLEID PACIFIC that is what matter’s. Keep up the great work.

 

Keith

[brightspark]

Well done to Peter from Australia for correctly working out that it is 35012 United States Lines.

 

 

A very good guess from Jack in NZ and a shameful effort  from the rest of you - go hang your heads in shame. 

 

The flag is indeed the wrong one as this is the plate carried by 35012 until August 1951 when it was corrected. Yes the SR also got it wrong.

 

Here is the Fox nameplate cruelly enlarged. It looks OK when viewed from a normal distance.

Note also that the plate has a black background. This was changed to red in 1962.

 

I don't know when 35014 had its plate repainted, looking at the b&w photos it might be quite late. But only a dated colour photo will tell. Nameplate colours are a minefield for these locos.

 

Going into the weekend here is work so far. It is for the main part still looking like Hornby intended but it does run, I tested it again last night on Met Junc (but not on the 3' radius curves), so will be more or less in this condition next weekend. 

It all depends on how much I can get done over the next day or so.

 

 

Andy

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by brightspark
reapply photos

[brightspark]

No photos at the moment. 

 

I had a bit of a disaster.

So I managed to get the painted tender emblem off, but also managed to lose a little of the green paint.

I affixed the new emblem and today thought that a bit of varnish would do the trick.

Unfortunately the aerosol splattered and I got a very horrible finish. 

I had a go at it with white spirit and got it off. But the finish does not too good and more green paint came off. 

Hopefully I can recover it. The loco will be weathered so that will cover the sins.

 

However I have a query that I hope you Bulleid experts can assist with.

The Hornby model has a yellow circle under the number.

This is to identify which water softener system is in use on the loco.

 

But photos show it with a Triangle. 

Now these pictures all seem to be with the later emblem, so post March 1962)

Derry and Sixsmith do not mention when the softening system was installed so was it always triangle, or was it installed in 1962.

However there is a colour photo taken by Colin Boocock at Bournemouth on 24th May 1959 of 35012 on the up Belle, and there is a yellow blob under the number. But the photos I have seen published are too small to make it out. Triangle or circle? was it there in 1960?

 

I am going to leave as is for the moment until I have clarity. 

 

[145 Squadron]

Yellow circle was changed to a triangle to avoid confusion with the ex GWR weight restriction symbol. as 35012 had a GO in March 1962 it could have been changed then if not earlier.

 

Brake gear, front steps and other gear can be successfully attached with Poundland superglue if left to fully cure. My loco has survived several exhibitions and will hopefully be on Redbridge at Ally Pally this coming weekend.

 

 

Good luck with your loco.

[brightspark]

On 14/03/2022 at 10:26, 145 Squadron said:

Yellow circle was changed to a triangle to avoid confusion with the ex GWR weight restriction symbol. as 35012 had a GO in March 1962 it could have been changed then if not earlier.

 

Brake gear, front steps and other gear can be successfully attached with Poundland superglue if left to fully cure. My loco has survived several exhibitions and will hopefully be on Redbridge at Ally Pally this coming weekend.

Good luck with your loco.

 

Thank you for the good wishes and the information about the circle and triangle.

My google search let me down on that , but now I know what I am looking for I found this picture on flickr which I think confirms the  picture by Colin Boocock of 1959. 

Yes it shows a circle. The only problem I see now is that this is a nice small circle and the Hornby model has a Jaffa.

 

I really like the weathering on your model as well. I hope that I can come close to that standard. 

Weathering is underway as I write.

Foot steps do seem to be fragile. I will persevere and I will try cyno again. The main culprits for letting go though are not the parts from the detail pack but the moulded brake gear that I had to cut and pack out to meet  the wheels that have been pulled out. I do think longer term something made from brass. This will also act as a better retaining plate under the loco.

 

I look forward to seeing Redbridge again at the weekend and if I get chance will stop by to say hello.

 

It would be quite nice to take a photo of the two models together.

 

Now isn't it a shame that we could join the two layouts together. Swaynton is of course only four or five stops down the line.

 

Anyway here is another shot showing progress.

 

 

Time to add some more grime.

 

A

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by brightspark
reapply photos

[brightspark]

MADE IT!

 

Yes I made to the finish line in time.

 

Here is 35012 on Swaynton at Ally-Pally.

 

I was a little nervous as I did the weathering under artificial light and I was also wondering if I had gummed up the mechanism in the process.

But it charged down the layout with conviction and has attracted some positive comments, so I am happy with that.

 

The weathering is based on the two colour pictures I have found. The 1959 photo at Bournemouth by Colin Boocock and the 1961 image at Brookwood by Richard Greenwood MBE.

each shows opposite sides.

 

If you are at the show, do come by to say hello and any please post any pictures of the loco here.

 

Andy

Edited April 1, 2022 by brightspark
reattached picture

[brightspark]

So RMweb is back up and running....Horray!

Progress on 35012 is now just cleaning it up.

 

Here is the crew.

 

It's a shame that you will only get a glance of them, but they are there.

 

Also finished off the lubricators with some handwheels from RT.

Here is a before and after pictures.

 

 

So there she is now finished.

 

 

I will pop a link here to the next build when I start it.

It's another Bulleid Pacific, but which one?

Oh, and it will not be a Hornby conversion so I will see you in the kit and scratch build section.

[brightspark]

I have just gone in and reapplied the photos.

 

But one more post to show before and after pictures.