This will most likely result in a "no, it can't be done", but I want to ask anyway.

In Sweden, most used N gauge locos are in the scale of 1:160. I'm wondering if I could use one as a donor chassi and replace the wheels with 1:148 scale ones, extend the body somehow and put on a 3D printed body to make for instance, a nice little steam shunter.

It's probably a stupid idea, but with so little RTR to use for my layout (Northern Yorkshire, WW2, bransch line), I figured it's worth a shot. No need for DCC, so cutting it up to extend it between the wheels, shouldn't be a problem... I think?

Quote from: Reptilian Feline on June 01, 2021, 12:24:09 AM
This will most likely result in a "no, it can't be done", but I want to ask anyway.

In Sweden, most used N gauge locos are in the scale of 1:160. I'm wondering if I could use one as a donor chassi and replace the wheels with 1:148 scale ones, extend the body somehow and put on a 3D printed body to make for instance, a nice little steam shunter.

It's probably a stupid idea, but with so little RTR to use for my layout (Northern Yorkshire, WW2, bransch line), I figured it's worth a shot. No need for DCC, so cutting it up to extend it between the wheels, shouldn't be a problem... I think?

Since the size of wheels on the real thing varies anyway, there is no such thing as '1:148 scale wheels' and at the same time there is no practical difference between 'versions ' of N scale (ie 1:160, 'UK' 1:148 and Japanese 1:150), so it doesn't matter - you can use any 9mm gauge chassis with any 'N scale body' to all intents and purposes. This has been common practice since N gauge was invented.

As Gordon said, no need to modify the chassis or anything. A lot of continental 1:160 chassis have been used for RTR 1:148 British outline locos (basically all the Minitrix ones) and the Kato ones also come in handy.

If you're looking at 3D printing a body for a continental chassis, here's a work in progress shot of a generic saddle tank body I picked up from Thingiverse on a Minitrix T3 0-6-0 chassis (the same one as they used for their UK dock tank). T3s can be picked up off eBay for £25 or so and make brilliant donor chassis or can be kit bashed into looking more UK like.

Maridunian from this fine forum does a few small locos both diesel and electric to suit Minitrix/Farish chassis.

I have a couple, would recomend you have a look at his threads.

Andy

Forgot to add available from Shapeways.

Quote from: BramptonBranch on June 01, 2021, 01:54:23 PM
Forgot to add available from Shapeways.

Who - Maridunian? 

Just find the chassis with the closest wheel spacing and wheel sizes to what the model needs for 1:148.  You probably won't find an exact match unless your loco is closely related to something already made RTR.  With kits and bashes it's mostly a compromise that modellers have been making since the beginnings of N as Gordon says.

You really don't want to be getting into cutting and modifying chassis and changing driven wheels unless you're a skilled engineer, in which case you might as well scratch build the chassis    "Extending between the wheels" will probably not be just a case of cutting the chassis, you have to consider the gearing and/or coupling rod drive from one axle to the next.

Find photos or drawings of the types of loco you maybe want to create, and people may be able to suggest a suitable chassis to use as a basis.

Could I return to the elephant in the room?

Why not just buy a British outline loco? There are plenty of models available of small locos plausibly allocated to a north Yorkshire branch line, which could easily have been semi-private (like the Derwent Valley railway)

Presumably because of availability of locally sourced used models, as per the OP?

Quote from: Gordon on June 01, 2021, 11:19:34 PM
Could I return to the elephant in the room?

Why not just buy a British outline loco? There are plenty of models available of small locos plausibly allocated to a north Yorkshire branch line, which could easily have been semi-private (like the Derwent Valley railway)

I haven't found a G5 or G6 steam loco in N RTR. A G5 or G6 would fit nicely into what I'm modelling, but so far I haven't found one. I can get the body from shapeways, but would need a chassi to go with it. Used Fleishmann or Märklin or similar for the German/Swedish/European outline is a lot easier to get here in Sweden.

BTW... the livery would be LNER war version, and I probably would have to do a proper paintjob to get that, but as for plenty of small steam locos for a north Yorkshire bransch line... so far, all I've found are locos with tenders used for main lines. I know there are some that would be OK for goods services, but none for passengers, and then there is the question  of the tiny shunter I want as well.

I need options, and so far, I've found only a few. If the wheel size and so on doesn't matter, I'll start looking at what might fit from the 1:160 scale range here at home. Then look for a body to fit.

Looking at the G5 on Shapeways I think your easiest way to a chassis is a used Dapol M7.
I would be surprised if it is not possible to fit the chassis to the G5 print. Maybe you have to reposition the bogie but that will be all. And probably a bit of filing but that will be the case with every chassis you use.

Or you could just buy an M7 and repaint it. These locos are so similar that only someone very familiar with the prototypes could see the difference.

Jan

Jan has beaten me to the suggestions about replicating a G5 - that's the route I'm taking.  As for the other locos on an LNER (ex-NER) North Yorkshire branch, they *would* mainly be small tender locos: the G5 is an exception. Tender loco in this location does not automatically mean "main line".  The NER was usually quite assiduous at providing its branch lines with turntables at the termini for this reason, but there were NER branches without turntables (Masham, Pateley Bridge) and on these lines the tender locos would spend half their time running in reverse: this is standard branch line practice in the UK so totally OK for your model.

Suitable models would be ex-NER J21, J24, J25, J26 and D20, plus (pushing it a bit) ex-NER J27 and LNER standard J39s would be OK, especially on excursions/specials.  Many of these are, or have been, available from Union Mills rtr - and are likely to be re-run in the future - whilst the J39 is also available from Farish. eBay is also worth a try here.

On top of that there's the LNER Sentinel railcar available in kit form from Langley Models - totally right for an ex-NER branch - and the Sentinel 4 wheel shunter kit from P&D Marsh: one of these was the shunter at Pickering for example.  If you are prepared to kit build & bash chassis, as you now say, then you have a lot of potential motive power.

A pair of Langley etched brass NER clerestory carriages will give you a suitably "old time" branch train (this kit is listed as a push-pull coach but comes with optional plain ends to be built as a "normal" coach.). Supplement with Etched Pixels LNER non-corridor kits (when he resumes production) and the odd demoted Dapol Gresley mainline coach (plus an N Gauge Society Gresley full brake.)

I live in hope that someone will produce kits/rtr for the big A5-A8 tank locos, and that Farish will eventually produce their 4mm V1/V3 tank in N, but until then there is enough to be going on with, unless you expect it all to be off-the-shelf.

Hope that helps. Richard

Richard

Quote from: njee20 on June 01, 2021, 11:23:07 PM
Presumably because of availability of locally sourced used models, as per the OP?

I used educated guesswork as a long standing N gauge modeller (50 years and counting) to deduce that as the OP mentioned 3D they might have to go beyond 'locally sourced' materials, and  this is seemingly confirmed by the OP's mention of Shapeways.

Ok. I just read what the OP wrote. Maybe once I've got 50 years of experience (and don't worry, your signature reminds us) I'll be able to ignore that 

It's of course a bit moot, but it's also not unreasonable for the OP to want to utilise local sources to keep the cost down, as reinforced by subsequent threads.

My Ixion Torquay Manor loco arrived today. I compared it to my Minitrix 2088. I can't really see any difference in size. There probably is, if I compared the original locos to each other and then the scale, but I see what you mean by it not being necessary to do much if I convert one 1:160 chassi to work with a 1:148 body.

So far, my biggest problem is finding the right wheel configuration on what would be the donor loco.