Parkside O LNER Horsebox

[The Bigbee Line]

A Parkside Horsebox kit has been sitting in the cupboard and is one of my holiday builds.

 

I decided to fix the ends to the floor first in an endeavour to keep it all nice and square...

 

 

 

A steel rule was used as my 'square'.  The sides were then fixed one corner at a time to ensure nothing was fixed on the wonk.

 

The solebars did not want to go in their slots on the floor.  They had some thinning etc to get them in the grooves, plus they were a smidgen long.

 

 

 

The internal compartment dividers were fitted, including the grooms seat.  Would the seat have had a lifting section in front of the toilet door?  Or maybe shortened like the seat in a brake van where is next to the stove.  Was there no direct access to the horse box itself?

 

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by The Bigbee Line

[brossard]

Looking good so far Ernie.  I just started the GWR Paco Horsebox.  Had a dreadful time with missing frets but these have been (at last!) supplied by Peco   There were other missing parts too, like the floor braces, but I made them.  Frustrating.  I'm girding my loins to get my head around the brake gear.  The instructions aren't all that great either.

 

John

[Pint of Adnams]

A Parkside Horsebox kit has been sitting in the cupboard and is one of my holiday builds.

 

I decided to fix the ends to the floor first in an endeavour to keep it all nice and square...

 

A steel rule was used as my 'square'.  The sides were then fixed one corner at a time to ensure nothing was fixed on the wonk.

 

The solebars did not want to go in their slots on the floor.  They had some thinning etc to get them in the grooves, plus they were a smidgen long.

 

The internal compartment dividers were fitted, including the grooms seat.  Would the seat have had a lifting section in front of the toilet door?  Or maybe shortened like the seat in a brake van where is next to the stove.  Was there no direct access to the horse box itself?

Preferable to fit the solebars first so that the ends/bufferbeams can be trimmed to fit and the solebars also provide further rigidity to the joint.

 

The slots in the floor for the solebars being slightly undersize is a minor issue common to a number of the kits. I just run a flat two-faced Swiss file along the slots and 'plough' them slightly wider until the solebars are a good fit.

 

The groom's seat does have a lifting section in front of the toilet door.

 

There isn't any direct access to the horse section but there were two hatches in the dividing wall through which the groom could check on his (or her) charges and refill the water troughs, one for each of the two stalls.

 

There's a plan in Tatlow's Historic Carriage Drawings Volume 3 NPCS. It doesn't give all of the internal detail but in the photograph you can just make out the position of the hatches through the open droplight.

[The Bigbee Line]

Preferable to fit the solebars first so that the ends/bufferbeams can be trimmed to fit and the solebars also provide further rigidity to the joint.

 

The slots in the floor for the solebars being slightly undersize is a minor issue common to a number of the kits. I just run a flat two-faced Swiss file along the slots and 'plough' them slightly wider until the solebars are a good fit.

 

The groom's seat does have a lifting section in front of the toilet door.

 

There isn't any direct access to the horse section but there were two hatches in the dividing wall through which the groom could check on his (or her) charges and refill the water troughs, one for each of the two stalls.

 

There's a plan in Tatlow's Historic Carriage Drawings Volume 3 NPCS. It doesn't give all of the internal detail but in the photograph you can just make out the position of the hatches through the open droplight.

Thanks for the hints.  I've come across the narrow solebar slots.  I ended up thinning the backs of the solebar and trimming to fit.  I will try the ploughing technique next time.

 

As there is plenty of room in O gauge I'm thinking of adding a luggage rack, with an artisan like figure, all illuminated with a 'not too bright' LED.  There are some good interior pictures of a BR horse box on the internet at Shildon, that will be my inspiration...