"Toby"Leeds Hill Railroad #7 "Toby"
0-6-0T Steam Tram (LNER "J70") Bachmann 91405 Features: battery power & R/C, lights Status: fully operational Brought to LHRR: July 2018 Toby is the only engine in the LHRR roster that is not based on a real engine. But, he was always my favorite as a kid. |
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Toby's Basis
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Rev. Awdry based Toby's model on a LNER Class J70 steam tram. These teams were also known as GER Class C53. These engines moved from railroad to railroad through the first half of the 20th century, but the reverend knew them from the LNER, which is why, in early appearances, Toby can be seen with LNER on his side panels.
Here are three photos which I used as partial reference for the modifications I made to my Bachmann Toby. I had to take some liberties in the cab so that I could still hide the motor, battery, and boards, but the idea was to keep it as close to this photo of the interior as I could. |
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Modifying Toby
When I was looking at purchasing this engine, I was disappointed to see that Bachmann had created a Toby that has no interior. Where would the driver go? Then, I found a thread on G Scale Central by Keith Edwards on how he modified his Toby in just the way I was picturing. I figured I can probably manage something similar.
Once I bought my Toby, I set to work planning the modifications. I took the shell off the chassis and had a look around. Here's what I decided to do...
- Remove the eye mechanism and set the eyes in place
- Cut out all windows & doors and glaze
- Fabricate a boiler, cab floors, chimney, and new handrails in the doorways
- Drill holes to add LED lighting to either end of the locomotive
- Do something about the plastic look of the bell and pull string
- Rewire the locomotive to run on battery power & R/C control
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First and foremost was the designing of the wiring. The motor obviously is in place, and I knew I could use the existing DPDT switch (top-right chassis) in my plans. I went through a few variations, but below is the final wiring diagram for this locomotive. Previous versions included interior lighting and an additional switch for exterior lights. Ultimately, I needed the loco to have some way to tell me it's on. I've ended up with a plan that keeps the lights on so long as the loco is switched to RUN. (I've also found a way to avoid wiring splices in this model since I'm not very good at them.)
I set to work on the chassis, adding in a subfloor and wiring up the switch and charger port. After I took the below photos, I had to go back and pull the switch off its original circuit board since I realized the board was built to act as a reversing unit. That would have shorted out my entire loco. I also realized that the cab floors will need support later on, so I added them to the chassis.
I did a rough cutout of all the doors and one window at this point. This allowed me better access to see what I was doing and how everything was looking so far.
Next was the more detailed modeling work. At this point, I'd already taken dozens of measurements of every possible part of the chassis and shell, so I knew things would fit together nicely. I began work on the cab floors and boiler. I also built a 1:1 version of the battery pack from paperboard. I'll be using it to make sure the battery fits in the boiler properly.
I built the boiler out of paperboard first and used that to cut out the styrene. The boiler cap is ABS pipe.
Next was the more detailed modeling work. At this point, I'd already taken dozens of measurements of every possible part of the chassis and shell, so I knew things would fit together nicely. I began work on the cab floors and boiler. I also built a 1:1 version of the battery pack from paperboard. I'll be using it to make sure the battery fits in the boiler properly.
I built the boiler out of paperboard first and used that to cut out the styrene. The boiler cap is ABS pipe.
The boiler shell had its chimney installed and some bracing before being added to the boiler assembly. After this is where I had my first problem. I realized this build would only fit inside the shell if I could bend and twist it because of the screw mounts on the inside. So I couldn't attach the cap until it was inside the shell.
So I ended up cutting my carefully constructed boiler in half so each half could fit in the shell itself. The cap ended up being attached to the front piece of the boiler.
It was about this time I got really frustrated because the boiler was still not working well. So I set it aside and moved on to some smaller things that needed doing. I'd changed my mind about the lanterns on either end of the loco and pulled them off so I could custom build some new ones based on photos I'd seen of J70 trams. I filled in the original holes and drilled new ones: one for the hook, the other for the LED. Bending the styrene rod was the hardest part of these.
So I ended up cutting my carefully constructed boiler in half so each half could fit in the shell itself. The cap ended up being attached to the front piece of the boiler.
It was about this time I got really frustrated because the boiler was still not working well. So I set it aside and moved on to some smaller things that needed doing. I'd changed my mind about the lanterns on either end of the loco and pulled them off so I could custom build some new ones based on photos I'd seen of J70 trams. I filled in the original holes and drilled new ones: one for the hook, the other for the LED. Bending the styrene rod was the hardest part of these.
I also fabricated the new handrails out of brass rod and built a wiring loom of the two LEDs. The wire will run down through the chimney to connect to the rest of the circuit.
Once I had some time, I returned to the boiler and made it all work. I ended up having another issue with pieces not lining up right after I cut the boiler in half, so I had to cut it up a little more, and now everything fits almost perfectly. Once I'd figured that out, I finished detailing the boiler. My original plan was to buy some nice metal pieces to use such as gauges and handwheels, but I haven't been able to buy them yet. So there's room for the pieces, and I can add them later.
Everything here is done by hand with styrene with the exception of the dome at the back of the boiler. That's a cap from a bottle of food coloring that I thought had some nice texture and detailing for my piece.
Notice how the chimney is double-walled? I regret that. It was a good idea at the time, and the chimney won't move at all, which is great, but if I'd just done the outer wall, then the connector for the LEDs would fit through. It doesn't fit now, which will be a problem if I need to take the model apart again...
Everything here is done by hand with styrene with the exception of the dome at the back of the boiler. That's a cap from a bottle of food coloring that I thought had some nice texture and detailing for my piece.
Notice how the chimney is double-walled? I regret that. It was a good idea at the time, and the chimney won't move at all, which is great, but if I'd just done the outer wall, then the connector for the LEDs would fit through. It doesn't fit now, which will be a problem if I need to take the model apart again...
I've never loved painting, but spraypaint makes it so much easier! The major things that required painting were the interior of the shell, the cab floors, and the boiler. I also sprayed the backside of Toby's face piece to hide the chopping I did to it.
Wiring the battery into the circuit was easy, but I had to be careful to leave enough leads for everything else! When I did this, I also had to devise a way to keep the battery in place. I didn't want it moving at all. Since I'd removed the eye mechanism, I had a couple of screw holes in the gearbox to use as a mount for a strap of some kind, and there was another on the other side. I drilled a few holes in a long zip tie and used that to hold the battery tight.
I also took this time to add some weight to the other side of the loco. The battery is a Li-Ion 3-cell 11.1v unit that weighs 150 grams, so I added the same weight to the opposite subfloor.
Notice the circuit board strip I used to prevent any messy splicing in my wiring. It also acts as an anchor point for the wires. This is important because there is actually a space between the subfloor and the wall of the gearbox. Loose wires could easily slip down and get caught in the gears. I used a circuit board that has internal connections to sets of 3 pins.
I also took this time to add some weight to the other side of the loco. The battery is a Li-Ion 3-cell 11.1v unit that weighs 150 grams, so I added the same weight to the opposite subfloor.
Notice the circuit board strip I used to prevent any messy splicing in my wiring. It also acts as an anchor point for the wires. This is important because there is actually a space between the subfloor and the wall of the gearbox. Loose wires could easily slip down and get caught in the gears. I used a circuit board that has internal connections to sets of 3 pins.
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I'd been test-fitting parts all along the way, of course, but here's a good place to show a few of those photos... Nothing is glued down in any of these shots. See the difference in the door frames between the first and third photos? Before I'd done the third test-fit, I took several hours to finish the windows and doors. This included cutting out all the black plastic, sanding the frames smooth, and washing the shell in soapy water to ready it for frame painting.
1 Face plate and door removed, along with the eye mechanism 2 interior shot after floor and boiler added inside shell 3 new grab rails, backside of face plate (now painted), and new front LED from inside the cab 4 inside shell, down length of boiler 5 driver for scale 6 driver for scale 7 front of Toby with new lamp fixture 8 9 front light 10 rear light |
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To finish the shell, I first painted the door and window frames with acrylic model paint from my local hobby store. The owner, Dennis, was very helpful getting me the right paint color; it was near a perfect match! So I got home and gave the proper areas two coats of paint. I then glued in the window glazings. That got a bit messier than I expected, and I'll have to clean up the windows very carefully with rubbing alcohol. Next came the LED lights and lanterns. That part was trickier than I expected. I had to paint inside the lanterns black so the light wouldn't show through the sides of the lantern and glue them down so they sat right. (If either LED fails, I'll have a major problem.)
Once the lanterns were securely in place, I added the handrails. Then the cab floors and boiler halves were test-fit in their proper place. I only glued them down once I knew they were right. Finally, the face piece was snapped back in place. The shell is done.
Here are a few shots taken from different views. The bottom left is a shot taken from outside one of the front windows. The figure used in the last two is from LGB.
Here are a few shots taken from different views. The bottom left is a shot taken from outside one of the front windows. The figure used in the last two is from LGB.
Most of the above was completed and written in 2018. Six years later, I am finally able to add that Toby is now fully operational! The circuit board has been installed and test runs have been successful. I would like to figure out how to add Kadee couplers to the engine (so I can run stock just the same). But, it may remain a hook-and-loop engine and have a few special pieces of stock to run instead.
Fixing Toby
Now that Toby has been 'done' for a bit, I have had time to reflect and decide what I don't like about the model. The biggest thing is the gap in the front cow catcher. I have to leave the back one for a coupler, but the front needs to be solid. So, I cut out the awkward bits so I can fill it in to match the rest. I also cut a piece of styrene to fit under the rear hook so the buffer beam is complete. The coupler won't be affected by this.
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I also don't really like the lamps I made for this engine. So, I removed them, replaced their hooks (metal now), and tried re-finishing the lamp housings.
Finally, I decided that a couple more details were required in the cabs. Most important: a throttle as seen in this photo. Second: a driver! I'll use a Bachmann TTTE 'conductor' figure. I will probably try to buy one soon.
In the final photo below, you can also see the new bell string. I replaced the cheap-looking plastic thing for a real string and some metal hooks. This way, I can still take the bell & line off, if needed.
Finally, I decided that a couple more details were required in the cabs. Most important: a throttle as seen in this photo. Second: a driver! I'll use a Bachmann TTTE 'conductor' figure. I will probably try to buy one soon.
In the final photo below, you can also see the new bell string. I replaced the cheap-looking plastic thing for a real string and some metal hooks. This way, I can still take the bell & line off, if needed.
I have decided that I also want to add a snowplow for Toby based on designs from The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends (original show). Here's a couple reference photos.
