Bulk Grain Wagon Conversion, Part 1

See the previous thread 'More Info On These Wagons?' for the background to this modification project.

This thread shows how I modified a Hornby Bulk Grain Wagon to run on Tomy track.

The first picture shows a Tomy Annie/Clarabel chassis above and the Hornby Chassis below.


And from the side. The Hornby chassis is a bit longer, and the axles are further apart. I want to use the detailed Hornby side plates, so the Tomy chassis needs to be lengthened, and the axle supports need to be moved apart.


The first cut (is the deepest). Sides removed from the Tomy chassis. I want to keep the end buffer/coupling sections.


Sides removed from the Hornby chassis, I cut it like this so as not to destroy the buffers - they might come in useful sometime.


Tomy buffer/coupling sections separated and spaced to about the same length as the Hornby side plates.


Tomy axle support sections separated, and a slice removed from each end so that they can be moved closer to the buffer/coupling sections....


...like this.


Lengths of square section styrene superglued to the undersides of the three middle sections of Tomy chassis to give the correct separation of the axles.


More styrene struts glued to the end sections to give a length equal to the Hornby side plates.


Everything coming together nicely.


And from the side.


The original axle retaining piece is now too short, and also too wide - more cuts.


The two ends of the axle retaining piece in position. (The sides have been glued on too - sorry I forgot to photograph that step. The corner joints are reinforced with fillets of Araldite 2-part epoxy.)


The two ends of the axle retaining piece joined together with a strip cut from the surplus Hornby chassis.


Here's the re-modeled clip removed from the chassis after the superglue has set. A hole has been drilled in the middle which will be used to secure the clip to the chassis and to screw on the superstructure.


The chassis assembly with its wheels in place. No comments about the positioning of the brake shoes relative to the wheels please - I think that adds an air of Fisher-Price authenticity.


The superstructure needs to have its retaining lugs removed, and a hole drilled in it.


Final assembly, almost ready for a trip to the engine-wash, and then the paint shop. There are a few little tweaks I'd like to make first though. And the other two wagons to modify.


One slight drawback, as Super observed in the original thread; the finished wagon is about 2mm too tall to pass under a Tomy standard 3" riser, so we'll have to be a bit careful about which routes it's allowed on. I can't see any easy way to do the mod differently to avoid this.