No.47 Bachmann Collett Coaches – bringing them closer?
There has not been a lot of progress with the layout so
instead some ideas on close coupling and corridor connectors for Bachmann
Collett coaches.
Coach Couplings as bought
Old and New Positions
My first attempt was a single concertina, placed between one pair of coaches. Both ends of the connector had 2.5mm indents, top and bottom, to fit inside the existing rubber connectors which were left in place and untouched. The top corners were rounded to match the existing profile.
I thought – quick and simple and looks quite good
Two Coaches with a Single Concertina
The final choice 27mm strip with 2.5mm indents, folds at 10,10,12,14,14,14,12,10 and 10mm
Coach Couplings as bought
As with so many Ready to Run models there can be quite a gap
between coaches. Can the gap be closed
up? Is it cheap to do and will it
significantly reduce the value of the original coach?
Coach Couplings as modified
I can remember the introduction of the first Collett coaches
by Mainline (Bachmann). At the time
these coaches seemed to me to mark a step change in the increased degree of
detail on offer. I purchased my first
Collett coaches back in July 1984 from the then Cheltenham Model Centre, they
came with rubber corridor connectors and wire water fillers.
Moving the Couplings Inwards
The latest Bachmann Collett coaches are fitted with Bachmann
Short Mini Couplings. The gap between
the coaches can be closed up considerably by moving the couplings inwards. Remove the bogies from the underframe and
unscrew and lift off the coupling. It
can then be repositioned inwards taking care that is resting up against the two
pegs that were used to hold it in its original position. The centre of the new hole for the retaining
screw can then marked out prior to drilling.
It also helps to shave off the back edge of the coupling so that it lies
flat when screwed back into its new position.
Old and New Positions
In my opinion the gap between the coaches is still very
visible and I decided to see if I could improve the corridor connectors with
the addition of some black ‘cartridge paper’ (Daler – Rowney A4 Canford 150g/m
Jet Black card).
First Attempt – Single Concertina 27mm high with 12mm folds and 2.5mm indents
My first attempt was a single concertina, placed between one pair of coaches. Both ends of the connector had 2.5mm indents, top and bottom, to fit inside the existing rubber connectors which were left in place and untouched. The top corners were rounded to match the existing profile.
Two Single Concertinas – sufficient for a rake of
three coaches
I thought – quick and simple and looks quite good
Two Coaches with a Single Concertina
Unfortunately whilst the rake of coaches would handle the
smooth curves on the layout the arrangement with a single concertina could not
accommodate the ‘S’ shaped movement at a crossover.
My second and final solution was to make separate connectors
for each coach that would slide against each other when negotiating an ‘S’
shaped crossover.
Marking Out four
at a time
To speed up the construction process I marked out four
connectors at a time.
The final choice 27mm strip with 2.5mm indents, folds at 10,10,12,14,14,14,12,10 and 10mm
The centre panel ‘A’ is the rubbing plate between the
coaches. There are two cut lines ‘B’
from the top and two cut lines ‘C’ from the bottom which are used to assemble
and hold the connector together without the need for glue. The completed connector is a ‘push fit’ in
the existing rubber connector and is held in place by the thrust from connector
on the adjacent coach.
The Final Product - two individual connectors - one
for each coach
Not bad - I would say.
Cheap, relatively quick and easy to do and reversible should the coaches
need to be sold. Must go and see if I
can use the same approach on my ex-LMS panelled coaches?
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