Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[john coffin]

I will ask the question, but from memory there are a couple of bits on the body etch that are relevant, hence making it more difficult to extract.

A major problem in many kits is the need to get as much as possible on as small a sheet at possible, so many bits are crammed in which may
well not be of value, and therefore make the frames more expensive than many might want to pay.

Paul

[60526]

Have you tried SEF, Nu-cast did a brass K2 chassis.

[2512silverfox]

Unless the NuCast K2 chassis has been re-engineered recently, it was always a jig bored cast white metal chunk. I remember making a brass replacement for mine many years ago.

[jwealleans]

I thought that the previous owner of the range had produced brass chassis for the whole range, other than the Sentinels.

[Woodcock29]

I have an unmade Nucast K2, purchased over 20 years ago and it has chunky etched brass frames.

Woodock29

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

Interesting Woodcock, my K2 had the whitemetal chassis as mentioned by Silverfox above.

Also mentioned above was the Gibson chassis which I fitted to my Nucast K2.

The brass chassis that were supplied with some NuCast kits were a little chunky, but a vast improvement on the cast chassis.

I don't like screw together chassis, and with the NuCast brass chassis, I have filed down some Comet spacers and then soldered them to the chassis. This makes the chassis fractionally wider and allows for a High Level gearbox to be used.

Earlswood nob

[Woodcock29]

Certainly the very early Nucast chassis were whitemetal, I have two early O2s with w/m chassis, also two C13s but also an unbuilt O2/3 with brass frames and the later C13 I built had brass frames. I suspect the changeover happened gradually in the late 80s early 90s.

My first Nucast loco was a Q6 with a w/m chassis, purchased in about 1978. The front axle holes were in a horizontal plane of their own - most frustrating - I fitted a Ks O4 chassis which could be purchased separately in those days and was very close in wheel spacing.

I tend to solder the screwed spacers once I'm happy everything is square and properly aligned.

Woodcock29

[Godred01]

Hello there Graeme

My friend Simon says that you sell a resin conversion kit to make an A1/1 from a A1 or A3, as well as chimneys, cabs and other parts.

I like to know how much the A1/1 kit costs and if there are any recasts of the Hornby A1 Great Northern's front bufferbeam, chimney and cab?

[Atlantic 3279]

Greetings "Godred",

Quite right, I can produce parts for an A1/1 conversion, which also involves a fair bit of butchery of the existing Hornby chassis and the grafting-on of replacement etches parts of the motion. It's quite an involved task to perform the conversion but it can produce a very nice result. If you are seriously interested and in no hurry your best plan would be to ask me again some time in the Autumn. I'm out of stock of parts and getting nowhere with production of new castings at present. The conversion scheme does away with the Hornby front bufferbeam and the chimney. The cab has to be modified.

The usual set of resin parts costs about £46, valve gear etch £15.

[Godred01]

£46 for resin parts, does this include recasting parts of RTR models? Like you said I'll ask you again at a later time when a new batch of parts are available.

[S.A.C. Martin]

I'm not sure if the chassis from the recently warmed-over version of the V3 can be used, avoiding the split chassis "snag" that so many perceive (even though I seem to be able to make them all work tolerably well, and resurrect them when the axles disintegrate). If Bachmann, in its infernal wisdom has compensated for the loss of the big central block by extending the casting outwards into the side tanks then that unit won't be an attractive option.

Guess what Graeme? You were spot on. They've extended the weights into the tanks on the new V3 chassis. Most tiresome. The chassis looks good but at that price it's firmly priced me out of the V3s and sticking to my already purchased L1s instead.

I've been looking at options and the Ivatt 4MT might be a possibility with a different set of cylinders applied and paring down the slide bars a tad. Found this picture online on the Locoyard blog of the 4MT chassis - what do you reckon Graeme?



Potential K2 there maybe, putting your body shell on top and modifying the chassis...?

[Atlantic 3279]

£46 for resin parts, does this include recasting parts of RTR models? Like you said I'll ask you again at a later time when a new batch of parts are available.

My attempt to understand your term "recasting" has evidently failed. Can you explain in simplest possible terms exactly what you mean please?

[Atlantic 3279]

I've been looking at options and the Ivatt 4MT might be a possibility with a different set of cylinders applied and paring down the slide bars a tad. Found this picture online on the Locoyard blog of the 4MT chassis - what do you reckon Graeme?



Potential K2 there maybe, putting your body shell on top and modifying the chassis...?

All depends on what's fixed on and what is removable. Does the wheel base match? The only way to test viability in the end, even when you think you've covered all of the theoretical considerations, is to take the plunge.....

[Godred01]

£46 for resin parts, does this include recasting parts of RTR models? Like you said I'll ask you again at a later time when a new batch of parts are available.

My attempt to understand your term "recasting" has evidently failed. Can you explain in simplest possible terms exactly what you mean please?

What I mean is to make a mold of a part and use resin to make a duplicate of the part, sorry for the confusion.

[Atlantic 3279]

I think I understand now. I have no plans to do resin copies of the Hornby buffer beams and cabs, nor an original height GN chimney.