Horsetan

I have the same questions...

Is the chassis the same as that used under the E421s? I wasn't quite clear on this.

I see what you did there.

Continental HO modellers have been paying that type of price level or above for years now, and we never hear a word of complaint.

CSB doesn't work well if one axle is rigid. You might as well use traditional beam compensation instead. Having no rods is technically more demanding, because you're relying on the drivetrain to provide the link, instead of coupling rods. Have you seen the Penbits range of sprung diesel bogies, to see how Ian Penberth gets round the problem?

Are you planning around High Level standard hornblocks, or their spacesaver (thin, in other words) ones?

I got a broadly similar result on the spreadsheet, so it looks like you're on target. NWSL make a lot of stuff to order now, rather than holding stock of every single part, so it's a matter of ordering and waiting, especially given average international postal times these days.

It will work if you make your drivetrain articulated, in other words the gear positioning is allowed to swivel, and thus not interfere with the vertical movement of the axleboxes. The QuadDriver is a start, and if you look at the High Level gearboxes, some have an articulated section to the final drive, and there's also a DriveStretcher option to cope with more awkward layouts. If High Level don't have exactly what you're after, do have a look at NWSL. USA-based, but they have a bewildering range of gears, from 0.2 to 0.75 MOD, and loads of other things that may be adapted. They even do bevels and a multi-start worm which is effectively a cross-helical, which is brilliant if you want a low-resistance non-locking drive.

Shouldn't be too difficult to convert back to the correct gauge.

I'm wondering if this might be a suitable place for a modern version of Rivarossi's S-drive system?

If the etch can be built as a "421", I'm in for a 21mm gauge version. Subject to what I wrote about providing half-etch lines for the HL hornguides, I can work out my own fulcrum points for the CSB spring beams. I'm only really interested in trying to build preserved stuff, because the option exists to actually go and see it.

High Level gears are not a particularly fine pitch; they are likely to be around MOD 0.5 to make them easier to mesh. They are available individually as spares, so you could buy a set and experiment with the permutations. Ultrascale also have Apple-based gear calculators that help you set centre distances, etc. There are CSB calculation spreadsheets available for download - to get the best out of them, you need to have some idea of how much your model will weigh, and where you think the overall centre of balance will be. The one I have linked to has tabs for 4, 6, 8 or 10-coupled chassis.

Example here As far as Irish coach etching lists are concerned, you have to register with the Mousa Models site before you are allowed to download, but I don't think you're missing much if my downloaded copy is anything to go by. Mousa-Models-Etch-List-Coaches-Pre-Grouping-Irish.pdf

If anyone has a basement or similar well-drained sub-surface accommodation, now might be a good time to use it....

I've always thought the Maybach E a somewhat unbalanced design, but it did get into preservation, and I wouldn't say no to having a go at an etched one. How many etches are you planning to produce, and what would the cost be to an interested customer like me? For compensation/springs, the current hornguide standard is the High Level one, so your chassis etch should have provision to cut out a 5mm wide slot so that the HL guide will slide in and be held in place accurately for soldering. That just leaves me to work out the fulcrum points for CSB springs. Effectively the uncoupled chassis could be treated similar to a diesel bogie - you can decide whether to drive only 4 or all 6 wheels, but this should ideally be done as a separate gearbox or series of boxes, so that it doesn't interfere with the action of compensation or springs.

What is the method for unclipping the bogies for re-wheeling / regauging, please?

Mousa Models is Bill Bedford. Unfortunately his production is erratic at best nowadays, and it's never entirely clear from the website what he has available or what he can make available. When he has a trade stand at finescale shows, it's best to just buy what you can see, 'cos the chances are that you may not see it again. Note also that he hasn't lived in Shetland for years. He has resided in Leytonstone, above the former premises of The Engine Shed model shop...which is now a hairdressers.

It occurs to me that it could still be sprung using the Dave Bradwell spring carriers.

I wouldn't mind a couple in 21mm to see what they're like...

I also saw a suggestion that the N gauge couplings be replaced with the much less-obtrusive Märklin Z-gauge/miniclub ones.

For coaching stock, yes. For freight, it might be a bit different. The Accurascale semi-transparent couplings could have gone further, and been made fully-transparent. Maybe something could also have been done to reduce the massive gap between coupled vehicles.

If there's any left over, I might be interested in one or two if that makes things easier....

Gostude has a collection of Studebaker cars to support.

Not so much alternate universe as naked greed.

Thurles Is Not Enough