DalaGStanator's Customs, Mods and Experiments

Projects for the Union Express system have been pushed back until further notice. That said, I did build a third smokebox with a correctly sized door and a full ring on the inside. It was originally meant for a simple tank loco with valve gear in addition to coupling rods, which didn't work out for me. The ring on 69420's smokebox was made with hot melt glue and didn't have good support for the hinges (which I still didn't design well). The funnel is the same plastic container I previously used for Duncan's.



Having gathered numerous wheels from cheap plastic and die cast vehicles, I've now began scratchbuilding models in similar scales that look more appropriate for certain uses. I thought I should start with vintage UK style ones inspired by the background vehicles from Thomas & Friends, many of which will also be replicated. Compared to most of my off the shelf ones, these first three are only a little bit taller (roughly the size of Take Along/Take 'n Play).



This saloon (sedan) was originally meant to be ochre but became simply yellow, which I didn't like. Painting over it with the flat gold marker I used for Diesel 10 gave it a teak texture and colour instead. While not what I expected, it gave an even nicer result. My only real issues are the front bearing is at a different height, the (hot glue) headlights look bad and the roof seems a bit thin compared to the body. Maybe it should've been a convertible. It rolls great but has trouble keeping a straight line, and the rear wheels can get stuck going backwards. Ignoring the issues, I do like it for a first attempt.



Next up is an olive green van loosely modelled after an Austin 12/4 like the Sodor taxis. It's currently the only one designed for a different (smaller) wheel style to the others, and the only one with the bearings on top of the chassis plate. The trunk opens and is held shut with Blu-Tack. Clear packaging plastic was used for the windscreen and side windows. It's not a very smooth roller compared to the other two, but definitely an improvement in appearance.



Last is a non covered "soft sided" lorry in ultramarine blue. Not sure what to say about it, except it's the best rolling of all three. I would've liked it to be slightly taller and wider than the car and van, but it's still my favourite result. Only the bed was mounted a bit poorly and makes it look crooked at the front.



Given most of the wheelsets were taken from pull back cars (which I want to use the motors from), I ended up having more wheels (about 17 in total) than I have axles for them. One upside is it allows me to use different lengths if needed, but the main problem is the size of the holes. Most toothpicks are too wide and most pins (like paper clips) are too thin, so they have to be somewhere in between to actually snap into them. As it stands, only two/three bodies can have original axles at a given time. Despite that, my plan is to make these shells in very big batches that can be fitted with wheels whenever they need to be seen. I just need to find a perfect solution for new axles (without taking apart my last pull back of that type). Over time, I could eventually build countless other specialised bodies in different styles and eras, from real to fictional to my own designs. Too bad I never thought about doing this in my entire childhood.