OBB Brake Van project

I acquired a couple of second hand vehicles to convert or amend as brake vans. First up, rather like the Austrian Railways did in reality, I have converted a standard box van to Steyrtalbahn brake van D/s 6495. Start with a standard box van like this one (yes, I know, this isn't the real before photo, it's one I prepared earlier, sorry).

From H&DLR public album photos

Spend hours scouring the web for photos of the prototype until you eventually realise that you actually have a photo of this very vehicle that you took in service 28 years ago.

From H&DLR public album photos

On the original, the door runs the other way, so remove all the door furniture and reverse the sliders, filling in the resultant gaps. Create a window in the side, and a door onto the veranda. Add some handrails for the staff to climb up onto the veranda more easily.

From H&DLR public album photos

From H&DLR public album photos

The original owner had removed all the original lettering with a (very) blunt instrument and had weathered the vehicle, although not to Clive's standards .

Paint the resultant work, hoping against hope that the paint will hide everything. It never does, but hope springs eternal on that one. Humbrol matt 30 and a nice thick brush, if you're interested. Then paint some gloss varnish where the new transfers will go - this is important! Highlight the window frame in yellow and any other bits you think might look nice/prototypical picked out.

From H&DLR public album photos

From H&DLR public album photos

Get some very nice transfers made for you by Michael Troeger. Apply very carefully to the gloss varnished areas. When dry (or before, if you're impatient like me), paint up to them with the matt 30 green. When everything is dry, or as dry as you can be bothered to wait for, spray with satin varnish. Remove the LGB roof vents and replace with a stove pipe chimney in one corner. Fill the holes, paint the roof grey, and then matt varnish it.

From H&DLR public album photos

From H&DLR public album photos

Reassemble everything, stand back, and notice all the bits you missed. The result isn't an exact scale model but it's close enough for me. And there's another one to follow...

Nice job Bruce! I much prefer it to the original

mikey

Great bash there, Bruce. Exactly what varnish did you use, please?

Thanks, Clive and Mikey. The satin varnish is a large spray cannister of acrylic varnish from Modelzone. I think it's Spanish... I'll have a look when I get home. Normally I wouldn't touch acrylic with a barge pole for anything, but this stuff is really good. No matter how thickly you spray it on (yes, I know, you're supposed to use lots of thin layers, but it never works out quite like that, does it?) it dries smoothly, and quickly. I managed to get quite a puddle in one corner, but no ill effects are visible. The satin varnish protects the transfers, hides all my brush marks and gives (I think) a nice even finish. Same was used on the brown van in the first photo. The gloss under the transfers is an ancient tin of Humbrol enamel, the matt on the roof likewise.

Excellent conversion Bruce .... but could you have saved yourself a lot of work by just turning the body around on the chassis? That particular box van has both doors that slide to one end rather than opposing doors like the non-verandah box van. I see you did both sides. My similar Mh6 support van should really have opposing doors but I chickened out and left one side incorrect.

I do hate filler .... just when you think you have it right, it always shrinks or expands after you put on the top coat.

MzB wrote:

Excellent conversion Bruce .... but could you have saved yourself a lot of work by just turning the body around on the chassis? That particular box van has both doors that slide to one end rather than opposing doors like the non-verandah box van.

I do hate filler .... just when you think you have it right, it always shrinks or expands after you put on the top coat.

I did think about that - the body looks almost symmetrical, but actually has different mouldings underneath to accommodate the buffer beam at one end (a small problem), a cut out to hold the veranda moulding in place at the other (a bigger problem), and to locate the axle boxes, which are equidistant underneath whereas the body sits off centre (a major problem).

Reversing the door was actually very easy (by comparison!). "All" that is needed is to cut the top runners off the sides and reverse them. Ok, I added some strip plasticard to maintain a level surface (white bits in the photo!), although that might be a luxury, and filled the gaps - although LGB don't! The doors simply change sides, and the bottom runners simply unscrew and go on the opposite side. OK, you need to remove some small mouldings but they're easily removed with a knife and some abrasive. Glue on a new door stop (a bit of plasticard) and something for the hasp to latch onto (bent wire), and the job's done. I used Revell Plasto filler, which seems ok and quite strong (bounce tested it... ooops...) but does shrink as it dries, and I'm not as patient as I should be.

Clive - this is the stuff, Barniz Varnish (!) by Vallejo. 400ml for £7.99 from Modelzone a couple of years ago. Wouldn't normally touch acrylic, but this has been very good. Nearly empty...

From H&DLR public album photos

MzB wrote:

I see you did both sides. My similar Mh6 support van should really have opposing doors but I chickened out and left one side incorrect.

Now that's set me thinking... it's starting to look like an answer to a conundrum when I was deciding what to do... but not the answer I wanted to hear... ... I'd assumed that both the doors would open either to the veranda end or to the other end... and as I have some half decent photos of one side showing the door running towards the back, whereas those showing the other side are less distinct and may not be of the same van... but then again, might be... well, I'm not changing it now!

Thanks Bruce, will look out for some of that - I am looking for something to protect (and dull down a bit) the paintwork on my figures off once they're done, and that might just do it for me.

Nice work Bruce. That looks great

I wonder if our special agent in Spain might be able to track down some of this varnish...?

Excellent model Bruce. Looks better than anything LGB could have mass produced.

At the risk of rejuvenating an old thread, the second Dienstwagon has now entered service. This started life as an early (1972-ish) LGB 3019 brake van. Although enquiries revealed this to be old, it isn't, so far as I can tell, particularly valuable - these older style vans fetch less on e-bay or second hand than the newer ones with lights and metal wheels.

From H&DLR public album photos

So it duly went under the knife. New strapping, windows, paint job, transfers... could do with a low profile roof like the other one but I can't seem to source one (or preferably two) anywhere... unless anyone knows the whereabouts of a spare low profile roof?

From H&DLR public album photos

Post edited because the photos disappeared... not that I've got a clue why, nor how come they've reappeared...