Missy I'm not sure after is right to me?

I'd agree that before there was too much angle on the top of the windows, but the after look too rectangular in your photo. I've scoured my books on the Dean Forest lines - as they were used a lot on enthusiast specials in the 1950s so plenty of snaps - and found one head on at Parkend in September 1950.

The top edges slopes down a touch, from the outside to meeting in the middle slightly lower.

The side pillars appear to be more on the curve of the front, giving the illusion that they too are angled, from the top they slope in towards the centre of the railcar slightly... a bit like they do in the before shot of yours above!

Your work is superb, and in 2mm it just blows my mind how tiny this stuff is - I trust my comments don't lead you to tear your hair out! PM me if you want the details of the book

Hi Missy

1. When unemployed I lived on a diet of tinned mackeral, rice, baked potato's and beans. Cheap but no fun!

2. Trying to find a decent bike shop is difficult these days, they seem to be either top end and a bit elitist or bargain basement junk with clueless staff!

3. ...no but the results speak for themselves! Top quality work as ever.

Paul. (One day I'll try this 2mm malarkey!)

Hi Missy,

I think you've made the right decision, though I think you may have taken it out a bit too much. I think they should have a slight dip in the centre, possibly about this much: (hope you don't mind my altering your pic to show)

It's a tricky one and I wouldn't like to say quite where 'the truth' lies!

Hi Missy,

Does (1) include model railway bits? - I'd have no chance if it did! I can sympathise with (2) - I have a box full of mountain bike parts and tools in the shed that don't quite fit my bike!

With regards to the railcar, it definitely looks better than before, but I'd tend to agree with James and Bernard - there is a definite dip in the front window tops towards the centreline of the body.

It's a really frustating one this (and I'm not the one building the model, so it must be far worse for you) - every photo of the railcars seems to show something slightly different!

Keep at it - this will be the definitive 2mm flying banana when it's finished!

Andy

Hello Folks

Thank you so much for your help and advice. As Bernard says the railcar is a tricky one for sure and I will take all your comments in and give it another go. Something like this will make so much difference to the look of it and its worth spending time getting it right. I have started to chop the end apart again and will post the results sometime soon, third time lucky I hope!

Its definately a tricky shape to get right, the compound curves really confuse things the shape is very dependant on what angle you are looking at it from. I havent given up on it yet though, its just taking a bit longer than I first expected.

James - Thank you for the offer but I have some pictures I am working to (believe it or not!) unless you have any pictures of railcar number 12? Its the one I am modelling.

Bernard - Thank you for the picture, that is very useful.

Paul - I would love to see what you could do in 2mm, your 4mm stuff is amazing and I am sure you wouldnt have any problems concentrating your skills onto a 2mm model.

Andy - Send me a list of your MB stuff and you never know I might be able to buy some of it off you, if of course, you want to sell any of it.

Missy

Some days I can't survive on £10. I do know people who have lived on £15 a week, but they weren't paying board.

What mountain bike part are you looking for? I have quite a collection of offcasts spanning 10+ years of upgrade and abuse, even though I don't ride very much any more. Standards change every few years in mountain biking depending on model and component manufacturer. Then lower end bikes use the older stuff for ages.

Oh wait this is a model railway forum. Sorry. Reading your post just reminds me why I didn't bother to start mine.

What mountain bike part are you looking for? I have quite a collection of offcasts spanning 10+ years of upgrade and abuse, even though I don't ride very much any more.

There's probably quite a few of us with mtb parts knocking about, I've taken perfectly good bits off bikes in the quest for a lighter/faster/more comfortable bike.

Paul.

Thanks for the replies guys

As far as MB bits go, I am currently looking for a headset and pretty much all the drivetrain (crankset, cassette, derailleurs etc) as the ones on my bike right now have seen better days. If you can help then let me know, but send me a PM so not to go too off topic on here.

Rich - Please dont think this is impossible. The way I see it is let me make all the mistakes on your behalf! I am doing this so hopefully others can get inspired to have a go themselves. I think one in a shiny GWR livery would look amazing, remember mine is going to end up crimson and cream with added grot!

Thanks.

Missy

Julia,

I think you have to be careful here. Photos clearly show that amongst these 'early' railcars i.e. the curvy ones, that they were not all the same. Railcars 2-4 built to lot 1516 in 1933 (chassis by AEC, bodywork by Park Royal) had a squarer profile, quite like your 'after' photo, but they have the top marker light between the windows, unlike your model. But I do have a photo of Railcar 12 built to lot 1547 (it's in the Russell coach book Vol 2 page 218), and it is (I hate to say after all your work) just like your 'before' photo. This lot was built ba a different builder, Gloucester RC&W which may well explain the differences. There is also a photo in the same book of the Parcels railcar no 17, and this seems to be somewhere between the two!

I think these is a book on the railcars, and it might be wise to try and get a copy. You may have to starve for a week to purchase it though.

Chris

Julia,

Only broadside or end on views are really reliable for deciding the proportions, and based on the side-on view of Railcar 2 in the Rusell book I would say that for railcars 2-4 (but not 12) your after photos have the angle of the top of the window correct, but perhaps not the roof line. I also note that the side windows differ between Railcars 2-4 and the later ones.

I now note from my Worlsey etch that Alan Doherty is clear his etch only covers cars 5-16, not 2-4. So I suspect he is not as far wrong with the angles as might be thought.

I presume you have also seen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1934_GWR_diesel_railcar.jpg

Perhaps you should settle for modelling the preserved Railcar 4 and head down to Swindon to take as many photos as you wish to get it right.

Chris

Hi Chris

Thank you for the information, that is very useful. As you can see these railcars seem to be a bit of a minefield, especially when the railcars look different in each photo. As previously mentioned somewhere there were a few different manufacturers too which adds to the confusion and I am guessing that if they were each made by hand 'to fit' then that would influence how they looked too.

I think I have figured out the shape of the windows now and once I get one end fitting right I will post a picture. Third time lucky I hope, but I am determined to get it right!

Thank you again.

Missy