No. 161 Wet Day Play – etched plates and Jubilees

A conversation with a friend about changing names and numbers on old Bachmann or Mainline Jubilees prompted me to dig out some etched plates I bought perhaps two years ago, and get on and fit them!

Mainline Orion with 247 Developments etched plates and newer Bachmann split chassis

One of my all time favourite models was the Mainline Jubilee ‘Orion’.  I think ‘Royal Scot’ was my first Mainline model but Orion followed soon after in June 1981.  Pallitoy must have made thousands of models of Orion and they mostly ran well with their characteristic whirring noise.  When Pallitoy thought the market was saturated with Orions they brought out Leander.  By this time the quality control must have slipped because wheels began to shift on axles and I thought models did not run as smoothly.

Mainline Orion from 1981 with black painted wheel rims

I sold my original ‘Orion’ in autumn 2007 to coincide with the arrival of the Bachmann ‘improved’ Jubilees.  You cannot have too many models and more recently when the opportunity arose I purchased a replacement Orion.  I fitted this latest model with one of the newer Bachmann split chassis mechanisms with blackened wheels and motion.  I must also have bought a ‘spares and repair’ Bachmann bodyshell which yielded a couple of brass safety valves and some cab glazing (the hand rails and knobs being saved for another of those still to be completed projects).

Mainline Orion on a Bachmann split chassis, cab glazing and brass safety valves – waiting for etched plates

It was dark and wet here this morning, what could be better than to ‘finish’ Orion.  My chosen etched plates came from Brian Mosby at 247 Developments.  I think that they are suitably delicate without being too flimsy.  First remove the plates from the fret.  I have included a picture of my work set up, a piece of hard smooth Melamine shelving and a sharp craft knife.  I also used a 1.8mm precision screw driver, but more of that later.

Tools of the trade

In my experience the printed name plates on proprietary models are usually oversize, that is Hornby and Bachmann.  Heljan are the odd ones out and have form for making their plates too small. For comparison I have included a couple of views of the 247 etched plates together with the Mainline plates – the two types are different.  Significantly the 247 plates are more narrow meaning that the replacement etched plates will not cover the original plastic plates.

Etched plate from 247 Developments versus Mainline Plastic Printed plate.

Etched plate from 247 Developments superimposed upon Mainline Plastic Printed plate.

This morning I took the craft knife and gently scored a line beneath the plastic name plate.  After say half a dozen passes of the knife blade, the ends of plate should separate from the support.  The middle section of the name plate is too thick to cut through but with the ends free the plate can be bent forward and snapped off.

Mainline Plastic Printed plate separated from support.

The Mainline plastic is very soft and I used the 1.8mm precision screw driver to scrape and prepare the remains of the support for the replacement etched plates.  Sometimes the original Mainline / Bachmann plates might have been applied crooked and scraping with the screwdriver provides a means of truing up the support.

Finished and fixed in place

The plates were then attached with super glue (matt varnish is a more friendly substitute which will allow more time for positioning of the plate).

Orion with etched plates

I think adding etched plates lifts a proprietary model to a higher level.  Generally I only fit plates when the opportunity presents itself.  However I have a black and white picture of Jubilee Invincible that I took at Carlisle Citadel – so it follows that this is another of my favourite models deemed worthy of etched plates.

Invincible with etched plates.

I don’t remember how these were fitted but looking at the pictures it would appear that the named part of the plate had been glued to the top of the Bachmann plastic support.

Kolhapur with etched plates

This is more obvious on Kolhapur where I thought it important to keep the green plastic support with its fine orange lining.  (Note the larger more correct size of the cylinders).

Making access to the front body fixing screw

When working on Mainline / Bachmann split chassis Jubilees (and Patriots and Scots) it makes sense to pull out the leading pony truck wheels to give screw driver access to the front bodyshell screw.

Mainline chassis left Bachmann chassis right.

Spacing washer added beneath the Mainline cab.

 I have probably also mentioned before that there is a height discrepancy between the old Mainline chassis and the newer Bachmann chassis.  One solution when fitting a Mainline bodyshell to a Bachmann chassis is to insert a small washer under the Mainline cab – taking care that it is not pushed so far forward that it shorts out the two sides of the split chassis.

A good morning’s work.