PROTOTYPE QUESTION OF THE MONTH
I’m attempting to model the South Manchester area in the modern era and need a few Class 323 EMUS. How feasible would it be to convert a Bachmann Class 350 ‘Desiro’ into a Northern ‘323’ unit? James Allen, by e-mail
George says: I’ve seen a few ‘N’ gauge Class 323 projects recently, produced largely by scratchbuilding or with the aid of bespoke etched brass sides. Notably, they’ve employed chassis from Farish three-car Class 158/159s or Class 170s. Indeed, the latter DMUS are the closest in terms of dimensions, with each car from a ‘170’ being around 23.5m long (the Class 323 vehicles are 23.4m). The Class 350 cars are notably shorter, at 20.3m. The bogies of a ‘Turbostar’ are also closely matched to those on the ‘323s’. Peter Harvey of PH Designs offers a set of 3D-printed Class 323 body shells in 2mm scale and may be able to scale the plans up to 4mm scale. PH Designs can also design and produce custom etches at reasonable prices. Hurst Models can supply a suitable pantograph, while other detailing parts can be improvised from scratch or by adapting existing components from the donor models. Web: www.phd-design-etchings.co.uk www.hurstmodels.com