W 207 W, a reworking of a K's auto trailer.

[The Johnster]

Cab front glazing, conventional back glazing with clear plasticard held in by Glue 'n Glaze, has been done, and a planned session for tomorrow, I mean later today, should have the front back on.  There's little need not to put the roof on properly once this is done, but I may put a few passengers in before I do that.  I need buffers and shanks for it, and may well raid one of my other auto trailers for these in order to place the coach in service before I locate new ones.  I'll probably have to buy another Airfix A28/30 from 'Bay for them; probably cheaper than having 3D ones printed.  But we have a little time to sort this, about 3 weeks until the bogies turn up.

[The Johnster]

The Glue’nGlaze experiment hasn’t worked out as well as it first looked, as the windows have become a bit fogged.  You can’t call it a failure as it has extended my knowledge of what G’n’G is capable of, but enough is enough.  

 

Proper clear plastic glazing will be installed, a fiddly job I’d hoped I’d avoided.  I’ll use G’n’G as glue for this, as it’s proved successful with the cab windows. 

[timbowilts]

On 09/05/2019 at 02:31, The Johnster said:

I need buffers and shanks for it, and may well raid one of my other auto trailers for these in order to place the coach in service before I locate new ones.  I'll probably have to buy another Airfix A28/30 from 'Bay for them; probably cheaper than having 3D ones printed.

I’m not aware that anyone does 3d printed GWR autotrailer buffers? If you do know of a source could you post details, please.

TIA

Tim T

[The Johnster]

I'm not either, but one could presumably have them commissioned at Modelu or Shapeways.  it'd cost a bit and sourcing them from eBay Airfix trailers is probable cheaper and a lot quicker!  Nobody I'm aware of does them as cast whitemetal either except K's, and these are not in production at present AFAIK.  The Airfix ones are not bad, though the actual buffer heads on the more recent Hornby version are better, as are the Baccy ones on the A38, but nobody's going to shell out that sort of money for a buffer donor!

[Gordon A]

247 do cast white metal GWR auto coach buffers and shanks.

 

Gordon A

[The Johnster]

Do they, by jiminy!  Cover me in chocolate and throw me to the fat girls!

 

Thank you for this, Gordon, you have dug me out of a hole!  I shall order a set forthwith, toot sweet, or sooner...

[The Johnster]

BU 11 is their part number for oval head buffers with square shanks, but I will contact Mr Mosby to confirm that these are the long shank angled base ones required for bow ended auto trailers.  Can't off hand think of oval buffers on any other GW passenger stock.  But Comet do an A38 trailer, so presumably must also be able to supply suitable buffers for it; I can't find them mentioned in their catalogue, though.  This gives me two lines of enquiry before giving up and going down the secondhand donor coach route.  OTOH the 247 buffers are only £2.50 a set and it might be worth ordering anyway!  There is still plenty to do to the bodyshell before this matter becomes pressing, and I must source a bell as well; Peter's Spares I think.

 

Probably better to leave this til tomorrow now as people are entitled to a Sunday off!  Thanks again for the heads up, Gordon!

[cctransuk]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

BU 11 is their part number for oval head buffers with square shanks, but I will contact Mr Mosby to confirm that these are the long shank angled base ones required for bow ended auto trailers.  Can't off hand think of oval buffers on any other GW passenger stock.  But Comet do an A38 trailer, so presumably must also be able to supply suitable buffers for it; I can't find them mentioned in their catalogue, though.  This gives me two lines of enquiry before giving up and going down the secondhand donor coach route.  OTOH the 247 buffers are only £2.50 a set and it might be worth ordering anyway!  There is still plenty to do to the bodyshell before this matter becomes pressing, and I must source a bell as well; Peter's Spares I think.

 

Probably better to leave this til tomorrow now as people are entitled to a Sunday off!  Thanks again for the heads up, Gordon!

 

I know less than zero about GWR coach buffers - but when ABS Models were in full operation their square-shanked  buffers could be had round or oval-headed; and neither were suitable for autocoaches.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited May 12, 2019 by cctransuk

[The Johnster]

I have something similar in moulded plastic on an old Mainline Siphon H, John , and am now thinking that this is what 247 are offering.   Worth having as an upgrade for the old Siphon, about to be rejuvenated with Shapeways American bogies, but no further forward on the A31 front unfortunately.  

 

I’ll try getting hold of Comet tomoz, and if that draws a blank it’s back to plan A, looking for a donor.  Comet might be able to do a bell as well; there must be one for their A38 and A44.

[The Johnster]

I mean A38, of course, not the A44 which has standard coach buffers, and I haven't got around to contacting Comet yet.  I have asked Bachmann, but they have not yet responded and anyway will not be able to help as their A38 features buffer housings and mounting plates integrally moulded with the main chassis tooling.

 

Bogies have arrived, had the footboards cut off, and been painted; I will fit Hornby wheels and attempt to fix them to the coach later this evening.  It could, well actually it should, be running, albeit in an unfinished and still unglazed state, before bedtime.  Progress seems glacial at the moment, but we are really not far off finishing.

[The Johnster]

Bogies on and the coach has been road tested successfully; like the E116 it will not negotiate no.3 curves but doesn't have to.  I'd been concerned about propelling such a heavy coach with a Hornby intemediate trailer but the thing runs fine and smooth and the now very heavy train is no problem for the 4575 in charge of it.

[The Johnster]

Bit more done today, more Milliput in in the plated over toplight reveals, smoothed down by wet finger and to be rubbed down to the best smooth surface I can get tomorrow.  Then it's touching up and putting the glazing in (for the second time!).

[The Johnster]

Smoothing and touching up went well.  The coach had got to look distinctly scruffy with all the continual handling and working, and looks a lot better this evening.  Glazing tomorrow, and possibly a temporary roof fixing.  Roof could do with a coat of grey as well. 

 

Priority is is rapidly shifting towards buffers and housings.  

[The Johnster]

More empty promises than a prime minister, but I've actually made a start on the glazing today.  This has proven more fiddly than I'd planned, there being very little room because of the inside shape of the side castings and the various positioning and assembly ridges to just cut a piece of glazing and back glue them.  There is only about a scale inch above and below the window reveals.  Jobs about ¾ done, but my hands have gone all trembly and that's my lot for today.  I'm using the same back glazing technique with Glue'n'Glaze as glue as I did on the E116; this at least dries clear and seems to hold the glazing in place reliably.  

 

Should finish tomoz, or whenever the next session is, and once the no smoking triangles are in place and I make a decision about passengers, the roof can go on.  Passengers are a bit of a problem, ones that look like workaday valleys types from the 50s and not brightly dressed stylish holidaymakers or city gents are thin on the ground, and my coaching stock spends the bulk of it's time on the visible part of the layout standing in the platform anyway and proportionally not much being hauled about in revenue service; not the end of the world if I leave it empty.  Another Dart Castings detailing kit for the cab will have to go in before I permanently fix the roof on, though.  I'm modelling the rh cab window open.

[The Johnster]

Rather rough iPhone shot of what is, if I’m honest, a rather rough model, but here’s the current state of play.  The thing is to all intents and purposes complete, with only the roof repaint and Dart Castings cab details to do; I’ve put it in to service, where it’ll be paired with an A28/30 in crimson/cream, W 189 W. 

 

It’s never going to win any prizes, but I’m happy enough with it.  As originally built, to K’s instructions, it was a Curate’s egg, crudely cast but to scale, with nice underframe details.  This is a bit odd given that there was no floor and only the barest of interior detail.  I’ve provided new bogies, a floor, and seating.  Future developments will be a new bell and end details to replace the rather crude and lumpy cast lamp brackets and handrails.  The fishbelly bogies are 9’ and should be 8’, but nobody does 8’ ones and I’ll live with them. 

 

It provided some some interesting problem solving exercises, and there are many faults if you care to look for them, but it runs well and looks something like W 207 W in it’s last years allocated to Newport Division in the 50s.  Not bad for a bargain box scrap item!  Cost was £27 including the new bogies, but I haven’t included transfers etc which will ‘do’ for other coaches as well

 

Now, if only Dapol can be persuaded to do the Diagram N in 00...

[timbowilts]

Johnster, remembering the vintage of the original kit you’ve done an excellent job there.

As our house move to Swansea is on hold I might have to unpack my two anddo something with them!

 

Tim T

[The Johnster]

Thanks Tim!  That photo is cruel at full size, and the lighting's all wrong; the coach does seem a bit bright though and a bit of weathering to tone things down might not be a bad idea.  The photos in Lewis show the coach at Monmouth Troy in a fairly clean state, but on a dull day.  The colour could almost be maroon, which is what Lewis calls crimson anyway, and which I think would suit it better, but 207 was withdrawn in December '56, and it's very unlikely it ever carried that livery.

 

Sorry to hear about the Swansea move problems, which must be discouraging and stressful, but If I've encouraged you or anyone to have a go with one of these old kits, the topic has served it's purpose.  My advice/lesson of experience is to paint the outside and glaze the sides before assembly, and to prime the steps well as paint is scraped off them even if you just look a bit hard at them!  Whatever prototypes you go for, I'd spring for Stafford Road/Shapeways bogies which are not cheap but are excellent and fit almost just by being thrown at the model, and run perfectly with Hornby wheelsets.  I was concerned that the coach would rock a bit on them because of the weight, but it sits fine and rides steady.  

 

I might even have another shot at it if another kit or, better, cheap damaged model, ever shows up.  Collet 7' bogies make the coach look a lot longer, as would a late GW livery, but I'm not going to look for one for a while.