From Gatwick to Downpatrick - DBSO 9712 (8918)

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

Coinciding with my 80 Class project, I’m going to convert one of Bachmann’s MK2F DBSO units to be NIR’s 8918. I acquired it in August of last year but nerves have put me off up until now, it’s just too nice (and expensive!) a model to ruin. Unfortunately, 8918 and the accompanying ‘Gatwick’ coaches were never used by NIR because of the amount of time it took to overhaul it. It was stored at York Road for 5 years before being moved to the DCDR site to act as a translator between GM 146 and ‘Castle’ 458. 

At some point, I’d like to re-gauge it to 21mm but, considering it has pickups screwed onto the bogie, this may prove rather difficult. For now, it is in the BR blue/grey ‘Intercity’ livery while I pluck up the courage and source the paint to spray it into the NIR ‘green stripe’ livery. I have started the conversion by removing the gangway as per the prototype but I need to fill this in. Also, the headlight arrangement is different. Nerve wracking stuff but hopefully I’ll manage to pull it off. Wish me luck!

 

[Midland Man]

Regaugeing is quite simple. Take if you want reaguage a Pullman carriage (railroad) all you need is 21mm bogies. Good luck. 

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

I’ll give it a go, thank you very much. B4 bogies for Mk2s?

[Midland Man]

Yeh think so

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

Ok thanks

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

Not much of an update but this morning I removed the headlight which is missing from the prototype and filled in the remains of the gangway connector. I also removed the orange boxes and have yet to remove the jumper cables. The coach’s rear end also needs some hacking away and adding to make it suitable for operation with GM locomotives.

[jhb171achill]

It would have been interesting to see this beast in traffic! Presumably they'd have had to fit one or more of the GMs with all the relevant gubbins and techyology to be worked from the far end. Would have been great on Derry services or rugby specials to Lansdowne Road.....

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

On 4/25/2020 at 6:45 PM, jhb171achill said:

It would have been interesting to see this beast in traffic! Presumably they'd have had to fit one or more of the GMs with all the relevant gubbins and techyology to be worked from the far end. Would have been great on Derry services or rugby specials to Lansdowne Road.....

It really would have been, such a shame. I believe it was equipped to be used with the GMs in a way that kept the GM controls in the 111s the same. Would be so much more interesting than CAFs..much better as an express too!

[Midland Man]

WHERE THOSE painted pink and white?

[jhb171achill]

45 minutes ago, Midland Man said:

WHERE THOSE painted pink and white?

??

There was only the one, and it actually never ran in traffic - it is now at Downpatrick. A "preserved" vehicle which was a one-off and never actually operated in service at all! It remains today in its original (standard NIR-of-the-time) livery.

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

DBSO is going to the paintshop now having been masked. I’m only doing the front half and the rear end, I’m leaving the backs of the sides to compare the elevation and texture of the primer with the factory finish. It also saved me masking all of the windows at once!!

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class

[Robert Shrives]

I was lucky enough to have a look in the cab at Stoke where it was converted, bits of  141 cab were on the floor waiting to be inserted - these had been awaited, I offered to tidy up but told only just enough had been supplied .  The cab was a bit of a  mess and it is possible it was never finished in Stoke.  

good project I used some cast parts and a Airfix brake for mine, like you hacking into a locomotive priced coach was somewhere I did not want to go at the time , so good luck and enjoy the journey !  

Robert  

[Lough Erne]

In reply to an earlier query, the DBSO trailer is currently sitting on B5 bogies not B4s.

[NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class]

17 hours ago, Robert Shrives said:

I was lucky enough to have a look in the cab at Stoke where it was converted, bits of  141 cab were on the floor waiting to be inserted - these had been awaited, I offered to tidy up but told only just enough had been supplied .  The cab was a bit of a  mess and it is possible it was never finished in Stoke.  

good project I used some cast parts and a Airfix brake for mine, like you hacking into a locomotive priced coach was somewhere I did not want to go at the time , so good luck and enjoy the journey !  

Robert  

That must’ve been very interesting to see it progress. Was that during the first or second attempt at overhauling it? 

I’ll take a look at your thread, I was very reluctant but after I’d chopped some plastic I just threw all caution to the wind and mistakenly removed a lamp iron! I got about 25% off mine so I was lucky, I know the seller quite well so they gave me a good reduction. Still not something I wished to muck up! Thank you, NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class

15 hours ago, Lough Erne said:

In reply to an earlier query, the DBSO trailer is currently sitting on B5 bogies not B4s.

Great, many thanks Sir. NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class

Edited April 28, 2020 by NIR 450 ‘Castle’ Class
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