Cheap and Cheerful 6-wheeled GWR Coach

[RosiesBoss]

Disclaimer

 

This blog describes the production of an approximation of an ex-Cambrian Railways coach, towards the end of its service with the GWR. Photographs and plans of the chosen coach are scarce, so numerous assumptions have been made. The resulting model is not meant to be seen in a glass case. Rather, it is intended for use in a rake of assorted coaches as seen on Central Wales branches around 1930.

 

Background

Some time in 1966, while still in high school, I purchased my first whitemetal kit: a K’s 6-wheeled GWR low siphon. It went together fairly easily, but did not run too well until I adjusted its chassis to be more flexible. It’s still in my collection, but is not in regular use.

 

Fast forward to 2000 and another K’s 6-wheeler was bought at a “bring and buy” sale. Assembled, painted and adjusted, it now runs reliably as part of a branch line train.

 

I was looking for more six-wheelers for branch line use, so converted a Bachmann “Emily’s coach” to a U9 composite in 2018.

 

As received:

 

As remodelled (See Ref 4):

 

Two other 6-wheelers are in my collection, both finished in GNR colours to run behind my motorised Kitmaster Stirling Single. (See Ref 1.)

 

 

Recently, I decided to try to make another coach, inspired by the image of Cambrian Railways coach 172, on page 29 of Ref 2 a 35’ long 5-compartment 3rd which lasted until 1931. It would be numbered as GWR 4066.

 

As the basis for construction, I chose to use a pair of Hornby generic 4-wheeled coaches, bought cheaply second-hand.

 

Parts List

·         Hornby 4-wheeled coaches

·         Misc. small self-tapping screws

·         1/2” by 2mm Brass strip

·         Modellers’ matchsticks

·         8 BA screws and nuts

·         Thin card

·         ¼’ x ¼” balsa rod

·         Clear rigid packaging material

·         0.5mm dia polystyrene rod

 

Construction

The coaches were dismantled. The roof/window mouldings were removed and discarded. The underframes were unclipped and set aside.

 

The body mouldings were cleaned up. In the case of the blue one, class letterings were carefully scraped away from the doors. The blue body had its ends cut off with a razor saw in a mitre box. The red body’s outer compartments were similarly cut free of the centre compartment, which was discarded. After minor corrections, the three retained pieces were joined with 5-minute “Araldite”, using matchsticks to reinforce the tops of the body and a ½” wide piece of 2mm thick brass to both reinforce the floor and provide ballast to the model. After cleaning up any excess adhesive, this was the result:

 

I did consider using a Brassmasters kit for a Cleminson coach underframe. I have just one of these fine kits in my scrapbox, but with current COVID-19 restrictions on international trade forcing some airmail prices to quadruple, I decided that this would be wasted on the admittedly crude body mouldings.

 

Instead, one of the two chassis was shortened slightly, by cutting off the buffer beam at one end. The other was shortened by cutting off one of the wheelsets. After fine adjustment, the two sections were joined with “Araldite”, using an ice-cream stick screwed on top of the chassis to reinforce the assembly and keep it true. The centre wheelset was replaced with a pair of flangeless wheels. The wide X171-style tension-lock couplings were replaced by narrower ones. The middle axleboxes were modified to provide more vertical movement. Running tests were conducted on the sharp curves of “Gennigael” (Ref 5) and adjustments made as required.

 

 

Placed together before painting, this was the result:

 

The frame was painted satin black using an aerosol can paint. The body was spray-primed grey.

 

After masking the rest of the body, the upper halves of the sides were sprayed cream. The lower halves and ends were brush painted with Precision Paints brown. Window frames and droplights were picked out in Humbrol 133 brown. Mouldings were picked out in black with a Uni Posca PC 3M 0.9-1.3mm paint pen.

 

The windows were glazed with clear acetate packaging material.

 

Compartment dividers were cut from cream card. Seats were made from ¼” x ¼” balsa and then painted with Jo Sonja Burgundy folk art paint.

 

The roof was made from 180 gsm card and curved to shape. It was fitted with ventilators from my scrapbox and rainstrips made from 0.5mm polystyrene rod. It was then painted dark grey with Humbrol 67 enamel.

 

A few passenger figures were added and then HMRS transfers were used to complete the model.

 

Results

 

Reflections

 

This model is not an accurate model of GWR 4066. Rather, it is an approximation of the real one, with more than a few compromises made to facilitate the use of the original Hornby toy. It has the “look” of a coach that the GWR absorbed in 1922-3 and fits in with the oddments used on my “Gennigael” fictional branch line, as seen here behind 1376:

 

This project was both challenging and fun – a good distraction while in self- isolation during the current COVID-19 crisis. Oh, yes, I almost forgot. How cheap was this “cheap and cheerful” model? I believe I did not spend more than A$5 each for the two donor coaches. Everything else came from my scrapbox.  A Peter K kit for a Cam Rlys 6-wheeled 3rd is quoted as GBP 18.58 on their website. Before post and GST, this translates to around A$37. I’m happy with the result.

 

References and Further Reading

1.       https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/67037-motorising-a-kitmaster-stirling-single/

2.       C.C.Green: “Cambrian Railways Album – 2” (Ian Allen, 1981)

3.       E.R.Mountford: “A Register of GWR Absorbed Coaching Stock 1922/23” (The Oakwood Press, 1978)

4.       https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/138426-gwr-diag-u9-composite-coach/

5.       http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83929-gennigael-a-fictional-mid-wales-branch-terminus/

[BernardTPM]

Nice conversion but you would make it easier for yourself by cutting the two bodies slightly differently, using the RH door lines. That way there's no join across body panels that need smoothing. You will end up with a slight zig-zag on the floor of the coach where each split coach has one side longer than the other, but that will hardly notice or could be covered over if an interior is fitted.

 

 

 

[cypherman]

Hi Rosiesboss,

Really well done. You have made a great job of the coaches. I also have a couple of GWR milk wagons that look like your top picture. 

[Londontram]

I've got so many bashed 6 wheelers that after years of trying to find a happy compramises I've taken what some people might see as the cowards way out and for the sake of reliable running I now build all my six wheelers with a flangless center axle and am in the process of converting all existing stock as well.

 I'm aware of it obviously but with all the under frame detail and the foot boards this type of carriage often have its hard to see this detail and when running see it even less.

[cypherman]

Hi Londontram,

I did consider making some 6 wheelers using the Hornby 6 wheel box van chassis. But the vans were so expensive at the time I put the build on the back burner.

[LNWR18901910]

I've always wanted to make my own Six Wheeled coaches! Would the Bachmann Emily coaches be good to work with? I was hoping to make LNWR ones out of them as well as WMR ones.

[Londontram]

Word of warning the style of paneling on LNWR carriages is like no other and is near impossible to make from cutting and shutting any RTR carriages. I'm not sure how the Ratio LNWR carriages lend themselves to converting to 6 wheelers one would have to look and see.

Edited November 7, 2020 by Londontram
Add info

[TangoOscarMike]

Very nice! My conversion, along similar lines, has been in progress for just over 18 months. So many pieces of plastic, so little time.....

[BernardTPM]

35 minutes ago, Londontram said:

I'm not sure how the Ratio LNWR carriages lend themselves to converting to 6 wheelers one would have to look and see.

The compartment side is not too bad for splicing, but the corridor side isn't very useful unless you were looking to make some kind of saloon perhaps.

The bottom three coaches in the photo (marked 7) in this post are Ratio showing how different the corridor side is.

[RosiesBoss]

G'day everyone,

 

Thanks for all your interest.

 

LNWR18901910 was interested in whether the Bachmann Emily coaches could be converted into LNWR ones. I am not familiar with the design details of the latter,  so I just don't know. The mouldings are rather chunky, as seen in the image above of the one I repainted into GNR colours. The clerestory roof comes off easily, making a plain roof easy to achieve. I reused the windows that came with the ones I repainted into GNR colours, but replaced them in the GWR  repaint.

 

I wish you well with your 6-wheelers.

 

Regards,

Rob

[LNWR18901910]

15 hours ago, RosiesBoss said:

G'day everyone,

 

Thanks for all your interest.

 

LNWR18901910 was interested in whether the Bachmann Emily coaches could be converted into LNWR ones. I am not familiar with the design details of the latter,  so I just don't know. The mouldings are rather chunky, as seen in the image above of the one I repainted into GNR colours. The clerestory roof comes off easily, making a plain roof easy to achieve. I reused the windows that came with the ones I repainted into GNR colours, but replaced them in the GWR  repaint.

 

I wish you well with your 6-wheelers.

 

Regards,

Rob

Ta very much, mate! I think I'll give it a shot and get some coaches.