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BR106.2

106 257-9

This is one of a pair of BR106s that will be gracing these pages and this particular model receives a severe upgrade as it is a secondhand pre-unification Piko product with those awful steamroller wheels. (Ed:- The second one is mine, modern Gützold; rebuilt to an early series V60.10, BR106.0)

Detailed BR106, left hand side view
The body was the first item to be detailed which included Weinert buffers, air hoses, coupling hooks and those oh so prominent lift rings on the cab and engine compartments. The plastic air horns were substituted with a US design from Cal Scale and the moulded handrails were removed and new ones formed from brass wire.

Detailed BR106, replacement motor in chassis Detailed BR106, Lenz Gold Mini DCC decoder and Power 1
Next came the chassis which was to receive new Gützold driving wheels and motor. The original Piko wheels required some drastic surgery to remove them without damaging the axles since they all have gears attached. With good fortune all were intact after the butchery. The Gützold wheels were turned to RP25 profile and carefully fitted to the axles. I say carefully as the wheels had to be quartered and the gears aligned to ensure a smooth transmission. Whilst the chassis was disassembled I manufactured new electrical pickups, discarded the original Piko motor and installed the new Mashima motor and flywheel. The original Piko plastic coupling rods were refitted although these may be upgraded in the future.

A Lenz 'Gold mini' decoder and Power 1 were fitted as standard. The finished locomotive now runs smooooooothly, in fact it seems to glide. Mmmmmm nice.

Detailed BR106, right hand side view
I weathered my model using enamels and thinners which afterwards turns out bely the photographic evidence I have seen showing most BR106s running with a clean finish. However, I did manage to find a photograph showing a BR106 with a somewhat dirty patina. Never mind.

Etched number and shed plates are now required to finish the model.



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This page last updated 13/05/2006. Copyright © Euram Solutions and David Illingworth, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
David Illingworth can be contacted through the contacts page