Lima Coaches are they worth it

[Colin R]

I know some of you will have one or two in your collections but over on that Auction site I can see some of these coaches (Not in Irish liveries of course) are going for reasonable sums so I wonder if I should look at them to help fill up the lack of coaching stock I have at present

[spudfan]

If you like them, want them and they are at a price you like, buy them. If you are happy that is all that counts.

 

[Colin_McLeod]

I like the Lima coaches.  Unless you have code 100 rail you will need to replace the wheels.

Flush glazing kits are available for many of the Lima coaches.

They do have large tension lock couplers which you might want to change, or just keep them.

[irishmail]

I quite like the Lima coaches, the only downside is the tension lock couplings. The Mk1's would benefit with replacing the tiny round buffers for some oval ones.  I have recently got a few for a good price of eBay recently.  Another advantage if you can get them cheap is they are good for practicing repainting with or doing conversions. 

[33lima]

Like the Tri-ang Hornby Mk2s, the Lima Mk2s - with their very thick bodyside moulding and deeply recessed windows - were something of a step back from the near flush-glazed 'scale length' Triang Railways Mk1s introduced in the 1960s. Flush glazing is awkward due to the need to reprofile the window edges and fit the three ventilator pieces individually. They are also awkward to dis-assemble for rebuilding due to the somewhat fragile but tightly-fitted roof/glazing piece. But they are cheap as chips, ones with the metal wheels run very freely, and they provide a good basis for comparatively inexpensive rakes of NIR coaches - I have five NIR 'bumblebees' (plus two of the three-packs Lima released in that livery), another five in original NIR Enterprise, and another four in NIR 'blue band', including some adapted as driving trailers, diners and a genny. I also used Lima Mk2s for my 1990s NIR 80 Class sets, as other have done.

Edited Saturday at 13:42 by 33lima

[irishthump]

For when they were made the Lima coaches are fine. They have better details than they’re given credit for and can be made to look even better with detail parts.

I have quite a few in British liveries and they happily run behind my modern locos. My layout is all code 100 so the wheels give me no problems and I have switched all the couplers for Kadees or magnetic ones.

Although they're obviously not the most detailed models they can be made to look pretty presentable and they run very well.

 

Edited yesterday at 11:13 by irishthump

[irishmail]

20 minutes ago, irishthump said:

For when they were made the Lima coaches are fine. They have better details than they’re given credit for and can be made to look even better with detail parts.

I have quite a few in British liveries and they happily run behind my modern locos. My layout is all code 100 so the wheels give me know problems and I have switched all the couplers for Kadees or magnetic ones.

Although their obviously not the most detailed models they can be made to look pretty presentable and they run very well.

 

I  am currently working through my rake of Lima MK'2s , I have removed the hideous tension lock couplings and replaced them with Kadee's, this helps reduce the gap between the coaches.  In fact I tend to run my lima coaches more than the Bachmann ones!     Will try and post some before and after pics later.

[irishmail]

Here are the pics of some of my Lima  MK2  modifications.  There is a before and after image.  I have also  modified the end corridor and painted the end doors  red.  I have a rake  of  5  SO's and  have renumbered them,  also have an FO  and  BFK  to  do.

Edited Tuesday at 15:24 by irishmail

[Horsetan]

Lima were quite fond of that weird grade of bendy plastic that they used in their bogies and associated parts. It was virtually impossible to glue anything to it.

[irishthump]

18 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Lima were quite fond of that weird grade of bendy plastic that they used in their bogies and associated parts. It was virtually impossible to glue anything to it.

Newer adhesives like Plastic Magic from Deluxe will work. Also, if you roughen the surface with fine sandpaper or a file superglue works very well.

19 hours ago, irishmail said:

Here are the pics of some of my Lima  MK2  modifications.  There is a before and after image.  I have also  modified the end corridor and painted the end doors  red.  I have a rake  of  5  SO's and  have renumbered them,  also have an FO  and  BFK  to  do.

They look very good! I don't think I could be that brave with the close coupling space on my layout!

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, irishthump said:

Newer adhesives like Plastic Magic from Deluxe will work. Also, if you roughen the surface with fine sandpaper or a file superglue works very well.

Plastic Magic didn't exist when I had Lima items in the 1990s.

Roughening the surface didn't work for regular superglues, and the plastic was also resistant to solvents like Mek-Pak and Daywat butanone. Araldite would hold for a while but the bond was quite weak.

[irishthump]

9 minutes ago, Horsetan said:

Plastic Magic didn't exist when I had Lima items in the 1990s.

Roughening the surface didn't work for regular superglues, and the plastic was also resistant to solvents like Mek-Pak and Daywat butanone. Araldite would hold for a while but the bond was quite weak.

I attached all my Kadees and NEM pockets to the bogies with Superglue (cheap stuff) after abrading with sandpaper. That was about 10 years ago and they're still attached!

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, irishthump said:

I attached all my Kadees and NEM pockets to the bogies with Superglue (cheap stuff) after abrading with sandpaper. That was about 10 years ago and they're still attached!

Interesting. I remember using Loctite, which proved unable to hold on.

[irishthump]

20 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Interesting. I remember using Loctite, which proved unable to hold on.

Sanding the plastic really is the trick to it. Sanding both the spot on the bogie and the Kadee coupler box gives a really good bond.