I have been quietly been experimenting with the idea of a mrk 1 coach to keep the rat company, it would be BIG ! It has been some what problamatic on several fronts. Not least that because when the track was laid I was only running very short 4 wheel wagons, which didnt need long sweeping curves and lengths of level rail !

I started by making a test rig, ( a piece of 2" x 3" and 2 bogies ! )

The timber is not the correct overall length but was cut big enough to carry bogie centres on one side for a standard coach length and as shown here the shorter 57'

Im not one to give up and as I worked through getting the test rig to run I was / am getting optimistic. It now runs fine round the garden in 57' mode which Im pleased about given my tight radius curves and the fact at the time of laying I was planning on short 4 wheel wagons.

But im not out of the woods yet !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLZaznENMlQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLZaznENMlQ

I can live with the overhangs on the tight curves, the loops at the end are what they are .. return loops, if it was an indoor layout they would be "off stage"

I can live with the fact my bogies are not prototypical design wise, I'm always trying to show modelling can be do on a budget, they only cost £4

My problem now is that although you have all been too polite to mention, my 25 rides a touch high, its the best I could do with the playmo motors I was using plus the fact the track is 45mm and its 1:24 scale ! Perhaps I have hidden it well ? But now I am considering a coach I think the height and gauge issues may be more obvious and harder to bodge.. which may mean the project is abandoned before I get any where..

Getting blue spot fish wagons on my other chassis to look right may be easier.

If I get time later I may mock up a side from the full scale print I have, just to see how it looks, it may be the b start of a new build or the end of a bad idea !

Thoughts ??