Airfix/Dapol railbus conversion to articulated railcar

[Tod Sloan]

Some years ago at an exhibition I saw this model on a layout and I was very impressed with the concept. I did speak to the owner at the time, but failed to get his name and layout name. I think it was at Barton Peveral college, Eastleigh, but absolutely sure. If anyone has details, please be kind and let me know. Thank you.
Tod

[Westernsignalman]

Is this what your looking for? I saw a model of this description on illfracombe east at the Milton Keynes model show it's on my video here:

https://youtu.be/ZvfSGYLvsa0

06:47 mark

[MickT]

Some years ago at an exhibition I saw this model on a layout and I was very impressed with the concept. I did speak to the owner at the time, but failed to get his name and layout name. I think it was at Barton Peveral college, Eastleigh, but absolutely sure. If anyone has details, please be kind and let me know. Thank you.
Tod

Hi Tod, "Westernsignalman" is correct in that, based upon your description, I am 100% sure that this is the railcar on Brian & Sue Key's Ilfracombe East layout which was awarded "best layout" at the first Wessex NGM "Narrow Gauge South" show at Eastleigh, after holding this biennial extravaganza for many years at Sparsholt College near Winchester. This was in 2018 so matches your thoughts of "some years ago" as it was the first and last one of its kind for 4 years thanks to Covid lockdowns etc until it re-surfaced in April this year, again at Barton Peveril College.

Here's another one of the same kind by Charlie Insley that runs on Elizabeth Insley's "Winter Overcotes" layout. This one has the cantrail above the windows removed, which lowers the profile and in my own opinion improves the look and "balance" of the railcar for 009.





And just to provide variety, I've had a trawl through the depths of my archives and come up with a pair of snaps of the one you were asking about - on Ilfracombe East again, but this time as long ago as the much missed annual Beds & Bucks Group open day at Barton Le Clay in 2009 - good grief that is 13 years ago isn't it!





And to round up - here's one that I started even before the above one (and still haven't finished it!) with modified front and rear ends, just to show that it is possible to veil the obvious Airfix/Dapol beginnings of the vehicle! Happy modelling!

Finally - if it isn't obvious from the photos, all 3 of these examples were built to run on the Kato 11-103 chassis, nowadays this would be the 11-109.

Mick

[garrywhiting]

Well done Mick,  an excellent overview of the Airfix / Dapol conversions to an almost Walker style articulated railcar.

Garry

[MickT]

Thanks Garry!
Yes, that was the inspiration - more akin to the big Australian Victorian Rlys Walker units than the County Donegal pair - I think it is the radiator, courtesy of a 50p swapmeet rummage box N German diesel body that makes it "individual". I've still got it in one of my many "must get around to finishing it" boxes, the trailer didn't survive house moves too well and needs rebuilding and I suppose that with time and mortality moving ever onwards I really ought to dig it out and amaze everyone with it...........sometime!

Mick

[Hugh Norwood]

Mick, I like the way you have removed the blank bit that takes the sliding door when open.

[Tod Sloan]

A very big thank you to you all for your replies, so helpful. Digging out some photos I took four years ago at Eastleigh, it was indeed the maroon MLR no.2 I saw there.
In one of those box of old kit bits I found at an exhibition more recently, an almost complete Dapol Railbus kit was discovered. Too good an opportunity to pass up, I put it away for a rainy day, initially for standard gauge, but I remembered seeing the railcar and thought, "I can do that!"
I'm currently away from home visiting my daughter and family, but when I get back to base......................?  Domestic/family duties permitting, I may have to postpone other projects and bring the railcar to the top of the ever increasing list. The more angular cabs is an idea I hadn't considered, food for even more thought.
Once again good people, my thanks for photos/video etc, now I must get on with it.
Tod

[JulienW]

As another variation on a theme of the Dapol railbus...



This was built by a deceased member of the West Midlands Group (Peter Smith).  The power unit is one of those rubber band drive 'OOO' power bogies from the 1960s and it was in a somewhat dilapidated state when I acquired it from Peter's estate some years ago...

[Julian Evison]

Mick,

Thanks for the overview. On your own version, I like the disguise at the radiator end. Makes me think of the dsign of those lovely Italian 950mm gauge railbuses built by Fiat.




Image source:
https://i0.wp.com/unusualplaces.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Circumetneatrain4.jpg?w=664&ssl=1

Julian

[MickT]

The late Peter Smith's example is very interesting Julien - shades of "inspired by" Donegal numbers 6,7 & 8!  Good grief, that is ambitious thinking to power it with one of those 000 Lonestar 1960's bogies - 0 to 0 or 0 to 200 scale mph in 2 seconds, depending on whether it decided to go or not!

Thanks Julian - I'd never thought of the Italian Fiat jobs - I suppose they suit the rounded ends of the unaltered Park Royal railbus quite well.

We've got the beginnings of quite a good thread topic here! Has anyone else got any Airfix/Dapol railbus bashes to contribute?

Mick

[The Sales Team]

Society Sales do have the Airfix / Dapol kits from time to time, but currently none in stock, unfortunately - though it's worth keeping an eye on the website if you feel inspired to have a go sometime...

(For something a little different, we will have not one, not two, but three Backwoods County Donegal petrol railbus kits for sale in the next few days.)

The Sales Team.