Hello to you all. As a recent member and also living far, far away from most of you, I was wondering if the Dapol Drewery kit is a suitable candidate to convert to 009. I could not find any reference via the search function.
I have a new Grafar 08 chassis to use and the only unsuitable thing I can think of would be that the wheelbase is probably a bit short for the existing Dapol body.
There are real life examples of Drewey shunters 0-6-0 on 3'6" gauge here in Victoria, ex Tasmanian railways.
My reasoning for choosing this as a first time build is that it is cheap and available locally for equivalent price as UK.
Any suggestions or alternatives as a first build would be very much appreciated.
No layout as yet. Only retired earlier this year and still finalising new house plans which will include a dedicated railway room.
Thanks in advance
(My skill level would be considered moderate in that I spent all my working life as a Service Tecnician on everything between oil rigs to photocopiers. My only real concern is the diminutive size of some of the models.)
I am considering modifying the Knightwing 0-4-0 diesel kit to fit the Grafar Class 14 diesel chassis. I think the Drewery may well be a little on the large side for 009, but I am well prepared to be shown to be wrong on the matter ;)
Both the Dapol Drewery and the Knightwing Diesel have been successfully converted by many Society members to 009 use over the years, My preferences tend to favour the use of a longer bogie chassis ( either a Bo-Bo or a Co-Co ) with the Dapol Drewery, There are some really excellent bogie chassis available at the moment particularly those by Tomytec which run extremely well and are modestly priced. You need to watch your moving structure / loading gauge with any Dapol Drewey conversion - - - it really belongs at the top end of the prototype 2ft 6ins gauge envelope and will not be suitable for those whose loading gauge is more akin to that of the Festiniog or Talyllyn for example. For modelling inspiration,of larger diesels,- checkout the Australian HOn30 modellers - - John Dennis' Dutton Bay & Andrew Collier's Cudgewa/ Shelley both have particularly fine examples.
The Knightwing Diesel is infinitely more flexible and ripe for conversion - - it can be easily shortened, for use with the readily available Kato or Bandai 4w chassis, used unmodified ( lengthwise ) on any number of fixed 6w chassis, and with 2 or more kits it can be lengthened either as an end cab or centre cab on a great number of bogie chassis, all have been done to great effect over the years, in fact I am quite certain that the bulk of the sales of the Knightwing diesel over the years have been to 009 modellers for conversion and that only a very very few have been built as intended to standard gauge
Garry is right - there have been several conversions published in the 009 News, both of the Knightwing kit and the Dapol Drewry kit. Ian Turner has built several of them, I believe, and there was a Knightwing diesel challenge some years ago. I myself built a short bogie diesel using the Drewry kit. But I think if you shorten both the cab and the hood you can build an 0-6-0 version. I had to shorten the cab even for the bogie diesel, as can be seen in the photos below.
The cab is a little wide for 009 but it would be all right for a large 2'6" gauge loco.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.009dutch.nl%2Fcdr%2Fmain%2Ffoto%2Fmotivepower%2Fdiesel%2Fsmall%2Fpb305118.jpg&hash=329ff30385725a7ccb398ffea350f6efe656e98d)
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.009dutch.nl%2Fcdr%2Fmain%2Ffoto%2Fmotivepower%2Fdiesel%2Fsmall%2Fpb305119.jpg&hash=d82ed3e350160a6ef7fa9a4769c9f55753c208f4)
Thanks to all who have replied. I think the one simple answer so far is "get the kit first" as most are correct in their assumptions that I do not have any dimensions.
I was also assuming the body would need modifications to length and even width with possibly the cab height reducing
I have a book on diesels built for the Cane trains by a local Aus manufacturer with lots of examples of bogie locomotives so I think the Dapol or Knightwing kit would be ripe for conversion but with a bogie chassis not the 08. Thanks also for suggestion about Tomytec chassis available from 009 sales. I will start investigating.
From some of the pictures sent of models produced from the kits, it is obvious I have a big act to follow, but as in a recent article in RM, sometimes they take a few goes to get it right so I better get started before this house is built. MikeB.
Hello Mike,
As you are in Melbourne, it might be easier and cheaper for you to get the Tomytec chassis direct from Japan. On eBay Australia, set the search criteria to show international sellers, a highly recommended seller is plazajapan , they have many of the Tomytec chassis in stock.
Also if you do not already have them, get hold of the following back issues of Australian Model Railway Magazine - - -
December 2002 & October 2010 for John Dennis's Dutton Bay Tramway
February 2002 for Andrew Collier's Cudgewa ( Shelley Railway Company )
October 2007 for Lincoln Driver's Wallaville
Also the following back issues of Narrow Gauge Down Under - - -
No. 29 April 2008 for Andrew Collier's article "Selective Compression" & for Lynn Zelmer's article on Queensland Cane Mills 1st Generation Diesel modelling.
No. 31 October 2008 & No. 38 July 2010 for Lynn Zelmer's follow up articles on 2nd & 3rd Generation Queensland Cane Mills Diesel modelling.
All the above will give plenty of inspiration for modelling bigger diesels in 009/HOn30, particularly recommended is Andrew Collier's Selective Compression article.
Good luck with your project!