Go anywhere Speedlink machine…

Us N scalers hold out hope every Bachmann quarterly ‘announcement’ for a mild refresh of the already excellent Farish 37. The last batch are now, pretty much sold out everywhere, so trying to find one is a thankless task. I picked up 37242 in Mainline blue with a particular project in mind…

It was a photo I found by accident that became the catalyst. I’d stumbled upon one of the Bescot trip workings and was trawling Flickr with that search, always on the hunt for new wagons to model. However, a Distribution liveried 37 has long been on my ‘wish list’ - these Tinsley based machines saw service across the country. In this photo the look of the non-headlight snow plough fitted 242 was a surprise, I hadn’t seen this combination with the red diamonds before… 

Don’s photo was oozing character. I just had to model it.

So a long search of the internet a few months ago finally turned up a new 37 at a smaller model shop. Not cheap, but needed… the funny thing was it was 242 in its later guise that became the donor but a bath if IPA shifted the blue Mainline paint and factory weathering - the conversion work could begin.

The Farish body 37/0 tooling has the boiler access hatches and footsteps and the sealed headcode box ends have the headlights - both needed removing at this stage and it pays to take time here as whilst gentle undulations or ripples in the bodywork might be realistic, their realism killers in this small scale.

Repainting followed the same steps and custom colour mixes using Humbrol enamels as my previous sector resprays - and I used a mix of Fox and Railtec decals - the latter are great for numbers, but I’d not use the logos again - in N they’re just a bit thick. Ploughs, I think are from Farish and their class 47 detailing set - the DG fitted first, then ploughs, then pipework. The MU hose is modified, drilling a hole though the moulding for a length of 0.3mm soft copper wire is not without danger, but the result is worth it.

Weathering inspired by photos of the prototype in the early nineties before she gained a headlight - a general attempt at keeping it clean, but a dirty matt roof contrasting with a soft sheen still peeking through the road dirt on the sides. This subtle finish is the result of restraint and patience - and trusting the process,  something I hope to get across in the weatheringbook one of these days!

Standing back I’m pleased with her - she runs smoothly and slowly, and looks great on Paxton Road (above) and Night Shift - and is a great piece of generic motive power for the collector of Speedlink wagons. Until next time, more soon…

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