Hawksworth's for EM..............

So much for my New Years modelling plans which have already been changed !  The reason being that last year I bought a couple of Hornby Hawksworth coaches, since then they have been awaiting conversion to EM and have now jumped the queue on the to do list !  Though they are corridor coaches they found widespread use on WR secondary and branch passenger services.  Pick up any photo album showing WR steam in the 50’s and more likely than not you will come across views of these coaches all over the system.  In fact they are more suitable for Penhydd than the 57 ft BR Suburban’s currently in use.

So how easy is it to fit EM or P4 wheels ?  Well thanks to Hornby’s clever bogie design it’s both quick and simple.
The bogie's first need to be removed from the underframe, to do this simply hold the coach in one hand and grip the bogie between finger and thumb around the coil springs.  A gentle tug should see the bogie released and ready for conversion but be wary of those delicate steps !  With the bogie's removed you will see the close coupling mechanisms which are screwed in place.  As I use S and W couplings both were removed and the bogie supports screwed back in place.

From left to right.......1) Bogie with brake and spring detail removed and EM wheels fitted.  2) Brake and coil spring moulding.  3) Bogie support plate.  4) Bogie before modification.  5)  The underframe with one of the close couplings removed.

The next job is to remove the old wheels by simply springing the bogie frames apart.  Once removed take a close look at the bogie and you will see that the brake shoes and coil springs are on a separate moulding, which is held to the main bogie frame by four plastic rivets and a touch of glue.  File the rivets flush and then slip a flat knife blade between the two parts to gently separate them.
At this point I slipped replacement EM wheels in place to check clearances and found  I had an extremely free running bogie, I should imagine that P4 wheels will fit just as easily.

Taking the brake shoe moulding to one side it was cut into 5 pieces.  Namely the coil springs section which was glued back in place and the four brake shoe mouldings which were moved outwards to be in line with the new wheels and then cemented in place.

Top photo shows the brake moulding cut in pieces with an unmodified one below.

The top photo shows the basic bogie whilst the bottom one shows the coil spring and brake sections cemented back in place.  You can also see how the coupling housing has been filed out to allow the S and W paddle to fit and pivot freely.

The same operation was carried out on the other bogie which completed the conversion to EM.
At this stage you need to consider what couplings you are going to use.  As mentioned previously I use S and W fitted to etched mounting plates made especially for them.  I always mount them in the low position so that the buffer beam does not need an unsightly slot cut into it.
Looking at the bogie you will see a horseshoe shaped cut out at one end.  This was modified as per the photo so the S and W coupling paddle would fit.  A little plasticard was then fitted to provide a mounting point for the coupling and that was that.

The coupling test fitted prior to the links being soldered in place and the whole assembly chemically blackened.
Never paint S and W couplings as all sorts of problems will occur !

The underframe all ready for the bogie's to be plugged back in place.

So there you are, one converted Hawksworth coach, it actually took longer to prepare this tutorial than do the conversion !  I will be fitting a small piece of scrap brass etch around the dynamo to represent the drive belt and then painting and weathering the underframe and bogie's

The Hornby Maunsell coaches can also be converted the same way but as for others in the range I couldn’t say.

Geoff