Improving the EPM Est
“Romilly” modernized coaches (2)

Original page created on 20/08/2023; updated on 26/07/2024.

Aesthetic improvements

installation of electrical boxes under the buffer beams

These parts don’t interfere with the drawbar movement. What’s more, the cable outlet box improves cable grip. So why go without? However, there are some difficulties:

• the location holes provided are a little too narrow;
• these tiny parts take great pleasure in escaping into the air…

For the cable outlet box, you need to drill to ø 0.9; for the other, to ø 0.8. In addition, to allow the cable to enter, you need to deepen the hole in the box to ø 0.6; avoid going through the part, but it’s not a problem as this is absolutely invisible. The box is held in place with a cocktail stick. Gluing with CA glue. For the other box, there’s no solution other than using tweezers, with all the risks that entails…

Click on the photo to zoom in.

All that remains is to insert the cable into its housing.

Roof vent

The part supplied by EPM is too small in diameter (0.3) and its end touches the roof, which is bound to scratch it sooner or later. So I’m making new parts in ø 0.5 nickel silver wire, slightly oversized.

The bending is carried out using the “rolling” technique, in this case on a ø 1.5 mm brass rod (more details on the handrails below). Segments of ø 0.5 mm nickel silver wire are cut in lengths of around 10 mm; the ends are chamfered using the mini-drill, on 200-grit abrasive; then bent. The free end is cut off approximately flush with a wire cutter. Finish with an abrasive disc, then a soft file to break up any burrs. If the result is a little too short, the curvature can be reworked with round-nose pliers.

The parts will wait until the handrails have been made before undergoing the same treatment: cleaning, priming and painting. See below.

For assembly, the original part is removed with flat-nose pliers. The hole is drilled to ø 0.5, then the vent is inserted then pushed against a spacer made from 0.5 mm thick plastic card.

Click on the photo to zoom in.

Gluing is done from underneath using CA glue sprinkled with baking soda, for immediate setting. Trim with wire cutters.

Gangway handrails

I had already replaced the plastic parts on the De Massini, which are quite crude, twice as thick as they really should be, and fragile. There are many available in spare parts, but if they break, it’s impossible to remove the pieces that remain stuck in the wall…

The nickel silver strip is perforated to ø 0.4. The pitch is 4 mm. As feared, there was a slight shift along the length. In addition, the drill bit has a tendency to deviate. A better solution would be photoetching, but it wouldn’t be worth it for so few parts.

Here is the result.

I make a template to shape the handrails. It consists of a 2.5 mm thick epoxy glass plate with two ø 2 holes spaced 0.3 mm apart, corresponding to the diameter of the wire to be shaped. Two ø 2 brass rods are inserted. It’s such a tight fit that I have to force the wire between the rods using a piece of nickel silver scrap.

The wire protrudes by about 7 mm. It is bent using an aluminium plate, to avoid damaging it with a too hard material.

Result: twenty or so parts to equip five coaches.

Then, to assemble the parts, an assembly template is made. I made several notches with the idea of assembling several parts simultaneously, but this turned out to be too difficult and irritating… I therefore decided to cut the perforated strip (Xuron scissors) with some approximation, which would be corrected after assembly.

Detail of the milling (with very high micro-contrast). The width of the notches should ideally be 2.8 mm.

The soldering process is as follows: with the wire part fully seated in the template, the flat strip is inserted. It must be held flat against the template. The two epoxy plates must be perfectly superimposed, otherwise the strip will be askew. In the photo, the flat strip is not yet fully inserted.

Soldering is done using water solder, although the resulting mechanical strength is fairly weak. This prevents the parts from getting caked. I had to rework a few solder joints.

Here are ten finished parts, but not cleaned (out of the twenty planned).

After a long rinse to remove the flux, the parts are scraped with a fibreglass pen. The length of the band is adjusted with a file, as is the length of the pins.

Then all the nickel silver parts, handrails and vents, are degreased in a soda lye bath, rinsed and bathed in vinegar to neutralise any soda. I didn’t think it necessary to use a pickling bath.

In preparation for painting, the parts are planted in a XPE scrap. The handrails are sorted by length, which varies between 3.8 and 4.0 mm - it’s not perfect.

A coat of Decapod primer is applied, then, after drying for half an hour, three coats of Decapod green #301 paint are applied at 5 or 6 minute intervals.

Here’s a comparative photo of the original and new parts.

As expected, the tenons of the removed parts are still stuck in the body.…

A close-up shows me that very little paint has been applied to the underside of the parts!

The tool mouth is flared with a file to facilitate insertion. A transparent PS cover is glued on using Faller Expert glue.

Here’s a photo of the drilling template and installation tool.

From left to right, drilling template for the handrails, 0.5 mm spacer for fitting the vent and insertion tool into which a part has already been placed.

So, drilling with the template, here held in place by a strip of Tamiya masking tape for the photo. Normally, I hold the template with one finger.

Note: the holes don’t always fall in the centre of the old tenons, because the position of the template, abutting the gangway plate, is not very precise.

Flaring the holes with a conical milling bit, with the dual aim of leaving space for the soldering joints, and facilitating insertion.

Gluing by depositing CA glue on the pins, not on the body: if there is any excess, it is easier to remove and there is no risk of staining the body. Inserting the part.

Click on the photo to zoom in.

Comparative photos

On the left, the modified coach; on the right, the coach on standby (but already fitted with a homemade air vent, which is too big for my taste and will be changed).

On the left, an unmodified coach; on the right, a De Massini coach fitted with slightly thicker handrails than those described on this page (wire ø 0.35 instead of 0.3). What strikes me most is the difference in the shade of green, which is supposed to be the same Celtic 301 green. I prefer the one on the right.

The underframe, buffers and running boards still need to be weathered.