N Gauge Forum

Hi

Apologies if this is in the wrong place,

I have seen images and YouTube videos of the network South East class 442 wessex electric and I understand you cannot buy these ready to run but does anyone have any idea where I could purchase one?

Would really appreciate any advice as I have been searching for one of these for years started looking when I use to have OO but now n gauge

It's such a fantastic emu and one in which I would love to own, so if anyone knows where to get one, I would greatly appreciate it

Many thanks

Better talk to the boss!

Welcome to the NGF!  :thumbsup:

Hi

Thanks for the welcome

And what do you mean better talk to the boss?

Tank, who runs the forum, has a couple, and a strong liking for Network SouthEast livery. There aren't many in jokes, don't worry.

TPM used to do the conversion parts for Farish mk3s, but they're harder to obtain these days as Bernard Taylor gave it all up. You can often get cab front and MBLS underframe details on eBay, but I've not seen any of the bogie sides and dampers in years.

Fox do NSE decals, with the whole livery on a single decal, you just need to paint the lower body side, cabs and roofs. Electra Rail do vinyl overlays for all the liveries, which mean you just need to paint the roofs and cabs.

In any of the liveries painting the cabs is quite fiddly due to the curves, but it's not a bad conversion. If you want to motorise it you can use the old Farish 158 chassis. 

The St Denys n gauge exhibition layout had several, they were superb, really well done.

Thanks njee20 for the advice much appreciated

I thought it would be a long shot asking, so probably just going to give up, as I could never build one from a kit etc, don't have the skills

And the forum owner has them, do you know where he got his from or did he build them himself?

Many thanks

The only option is to build them yourself sadly. They've never existed ready to run in any guise in either scale. Hurst Models did/do the OO gauge conversion parts, but that's a more involved conversion. Intercity Models had a "coming soon" for a brass kit of a OO gauge one, but it never surfaced.

The N gauge one isn't hard to do, if you can obtain the cab fronts why not have a go? They're not available at the moment that I can see, but my guess is that the seller was casting from either from the masters or from copies of the TPM ones, so I'd hope they'll reappear.

Ok thanks again for the advice.

I have never built anything model railway related so even cautious about metcalfe kits lol but if there was a guide of some sort I would definitely be interested in learning if it's not too difficult

I know there is a company called brittania I think who are building them in OO gauge to order at £950 but they have no mention of n gauge unfortunately

Quote from: Euston on January 21, 2019, 08:21:13 AM
Ok thanks again for the advice.

I have never built anything model railway related so even cautious about metcalfe kits lol but if there was a guide of some sort I would definitely be interested in learning if it's not too difficult

I know there is a company called brittania I think who are building them in OO gauge to order at £950 but they have no mention of n gauge unfortunately

Hi

There was an article in one of the model magazines about building one from the TPM kit. If I can remember where it was I'll edit this post.

One day I might actually get mine finished.

Edit: Model Rail May 2000 pages 30 - 33

Cheers

Paul

Would use 158 chassis. Mk3 body. Google n gauge class 442 or mr electra. Vinyls and ends as njee says

Hi Paul

Many thanks for that, would really appreciate it

Also you are building one yourself? If so be interesting to know your progress

Building is probably a bit of a grandiose term for the bits still available - you just cut the end off two coaches, stick the cab front on, change the underframe detail and paint it.

Like I say, the TPM kit came with correct bogies and the dampers which needed adding by filing away the tumble home on the coaches, given those bits are now far harder to obtain it's probably a bit moot. Sounds like Paul may still have a full conversion kit.

I've got one in NSE somewhere, and just got the vinyls to do a Gatwick Express one too. Both dummies, motorising was too much effort, the former was a display model the latter will be dragged.

Hello Euston,

As others have said, the main supplier of the parts was TPM.  Sadly he hasn't made them for some years now.  There is a seller on eBay who has basically copied and has been selling them for a few years - although I believe they don't supply the curved cab glass or the buffers.  I used Fox Transfers for the decals.

Here is a video of one of mine.  I have one which runs on a 158 chassis and another on the 153 chassis - which is faster.

Thanks for the replys and advice njee20 and tank much appreciated

I'm very envious of you both haha and the class 442 in your video tank is superb, is that kato track you have?

I will keep checking ebay as I have been daily almost for the last few years and hopefully something might pop up.

Thanks everyone for all the replys and advice

Happy to help.  Yes, this is Kato track.  It was only temporary whilst between layouts, but I've used it for about 7 years now! ;D

Oh ok tank thanks for the reply, out of interest, would you recommend kato track over peco?

As I don't have my layout built yet, just been buying locos etc but do have a tiny amount of peco, but really interested in the kato stuff for simplicity

Oh and also proberly a huge longshot, if you ever decide (or anyone else please) that you would be maybe interested in parting with a 442 please consider me, either by cash or maybe a swap - even a rare item.

Many thanks

Tank's right that the eBay seller one doesn't include buffers or windscreens, and I vaguely recall some white metal detailing parts too.

Although I've got the order confirmation from eBay I can't find the seller ID to see if he's still doing anything, certainly can't find any more of the cab fronts, which is a shame.

Would you want your hypothetical 442 motorised, presumably? That does make it harder and significantly more expensive as you need the 158 chassis. I'm not averse to building one if the bits become available more readily again.

Thanks njee20 for your help and advice

I would take anything when it comes to the 442, used to use them in real life when I was a child around Southampton Central always been my favourite train, hopefully one day some will potentially do one via crowd funding

Mmm, they're my favourite EMUs too. Obviously new liveries and being dragged about the country for refurb would help, but I fear you'll wait a very long time for RTR one!

I'll keep an eye out for the cab fronts, if they come up again then I'd do another one.

Thanks njee20 really appreciate it  :thankyousign:

Quote from: Euston on January 21, 2019, 08:28:48 AM
Hi Paul

Many thanks for that, would really appreciate it

Also you are building one yourself? If so be interesting to know your progress

Hi

I am building one and have been for around 10 years (other projects keep getting in the way).

Mine requires painting now before the transfers are applied then it will be done. It is motorised using the old TPM chassis.

Cheers

Paul

Sounds great Paul, please share some pics when done,

10 years some didication there, but bet it will be worth the wait

Quote from: Euston on January 21, 2019, 10:34:01 AM
Sounds great Paul, please share some pics when done,

10 years some didication there, but bet it will be worth the wait

Hi

Ten years is nothing my scratchbuilt 506 took around twenty  :D.

I find I have a burst of enthusiasm at the start then some problem will arise so I put it away until I find a solution.

In the case of the 442 I wanted to spray the bodies using my airbrush but until recently I could only use it outdoors on a sunny day and other things took priority. I now have a spray booth I can setup in the house so I can paint all year round.

Cheers

Paul

wow 20 years to complete a model, fair play on completing it, you must be really talented at building these models..

Hopefully you have the enthusiasm to finish the 442 soon, and if you ever fancy building one to order please do let me know many thanks

Wow 10 and 20 years for finishing a model, makes me feel better about taking 8 for a building.....

I am also a fan of the 442 and contemplated attempting one (my preference would have been to use Fox decals as I seem to get on with them).

I got as far as trying to source cheap MK3s.

However I have since been put off by:

• Apparent lack of complete conversion parts (knew about windscreen and buffers, not about bogie sides)
• Not having an airbrush and not being able to find a suitable NSE white in rattle cans

One day I will have one, but seeing as I am between layouts it's not a priority.

That said, if one were to come up for sale....

Skyline2uk

Cheap mk3s come up all the time on eBay, or these (https://www.hattons.co.uk/11054/Graham_Farish_374_400A_Mk3_TGS_guard_2nd_in_Midland_Mainline_Pullman_livery/StockDetail.aspx). I had about 30 'in stock' for various conversions  :-[ gradually working through them, with at least 5 destined to become a 442!

The Railmatch NSE silver white brush paints nicely, I found the cab fronts far harder to get right. The lack of correct bogies is a pain, but they're not that obvious, wouldn't stop me using the standard mk3 ones.

I've just discovered this thread as I've just dragged my 442 kit out to continue it, after around 10 years too! Regarding the unavailable parts of the kits there are possible work arounds. The Farish class 170 bogies (apparently available at BR Lines) are the correct style for the four unpowered coaches and the 158 bogies are correct for the centre power car. As a sort of bonus, to replace the unavailable damper etches, the Farish bogies have a moulded representation of the dampers! The white metal casting in the kit are mainly replacement roof ventilators and a representation of the coupling area, so a Micro Trains coupling could be used as a replacement. The only thing I'm not sure about is what to do about replacing the glazing that comes with the kit for the cabs.
So if or when the resin castings become available again on ebay there is a way to complete the unit without the complete kit. This is what I've been thinking to do with the set of castings I got from ebay.

Regards
David