Kit-built Stock for Caia Road - A44 BR(W) Auto Trailer

[westernviscount]

I am going to record a couple of recent projects here involving kit-built rolling stock. The items are built specifically for a new project, Caia Road Goods Yard in Wrexham circa 1960. This is a change in era for me which means the requirement for new stock items. So far I have renovated an airfix 14xx which were the main motive power for passengers trains with them being paired with an auto-trailer or two. 

 

Hawksworth and collet autocoaches were the norm  for my selected time period but there is a lovely video on the bfi website of the Wrexham Ellesmere branch, which Caia Road is part of, with footage of a 14xx paired with a BR autocoach, diagram A44. 

 

Comet coaches do a kit for this vehicle so I thought is proper to give it a go. 

 

Here is the free film on the bfi player which is great!

Watch Wrexham Central to Ellesmere Line 1962 online - BFI Player

 

So to the model...

The end are soldered to a box which is folded up to form the structure which will join the body to the chassis. Here, I have "sweated" the regulator mounting to the outside of the cab end. Notches are etched to map out where the handrails and step will go and also the gong. Sadly, the placement of the gong, regulator mount and window wiper hole are positioned as a mirror image to reality (unless I have totally misread how to build this). 

I have chosen to add handrails and steps early on. The drawback of this is that the detail hinders use of a square when soldering to the sides and also lining out later is more difficult as two handrails are on the line of the central lining.

 

I enjoyed doing the steps as I used .4mm wire to form the rivets which I think looks rather neat, 

Details are added to the sides. handrails at the ends using .4mm wire. Door bumpers are .4mm wire cut and filed to make small protrusions. Door handles/turns come with the kit but sadly in my case not enough. To the scrap etch box!! Hinges come on the additional detailing fret. Short ones used for the upper and middle and the bigger ones for the bottom on teh tumblehome. 

 

The tumblehome is preformed but to my eye is incorrect against the ends and I had to reform it. I still didn't get this right but I was a little nervous of ruining everything. Here, the sides have been soldered to the ends with the sides mounted outside the ends as per the instructions. 

 

The roof was cut slightly too long to allow it to be filed back flush with the end as per the real thing. The roof is glued in place using impact glue.

I made a rather huge mistake building the chassis, cutting where I should have been folding! there is an upward fold which makes the chassis rigid and register with the body. I thought I had ruined it but some patient soldering averted the problem. 

 

The trusses needed cutting the right size and the lateral supports between the queen posts are not part of the kit so added them myself with L angle 1mm brass. I do not know if this is prototypical and there are likely more central posts. 

 

Details are whitemetal and these were soldered as per the diagram which was another mistake as the battery box, brake gear and dynamo all fouled the bogies so the placement here is of my own decision making. 

 

[westernviscount]

Further to the above, the model proceeded onwards rather nicely...

 

buffers come with the kit and I added additional coupling hook and vacum hose by LMS and my own steam heat pipe using guitar string. The join between the roof and end is filled and sanded in an attempt to make it as flush as possible. 

The electrical connectors come with the kit but the alarm gear is made fir .5mm wire and the handles (i think they are handles) are part of the extra detailing fret. The end steps are also part of this fret and I think really set things off!

Here you can barely see the dynamo belt which I made from brass fret waste. I can confirm that now the chassis is sprayed black the belt is impossible to see. Also, in this shot I had had to move the dynamo back away from the bogie and here there is now plenty of clearance...with the bogie casting on! Another move followed shortly. 

[westernviscount]

Onward to painting. I used Halfords etch spray which I used in what I now feel was the completely wrong way. I went for very thin coats which seemed to build up as a powdery surface. I think applying wetter would be better. Much sanding was needed and more than I ended up doing to be honest. 

A coat of Halfords Ford Burgundy over the top made things look slightly better but I was not happy with the texture. I also would mask the roof in future. The chassis is Halford Matt black which is more satin than matt but this suits me at this stage. 

A test run on my Dad's layout led to a total shorting out or everything. Turns out I had not taken note of how I inserted the wheels, these being insulted only on one side!

 

A screen grab from the bfi player shows the vehicle no. as W 6818 W.

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by westernviscount

[westernviscount]

So far I was a little disappointed with my painting. It is by far my weakest area of modelling, mostly due to my impatience in terms of prep and waiting for optimal conditions. 

 

 

Lining out was completed as best I could using the few photos I have of the vehicle I am modelling (there seem to be very few). An ancient HMRS pressfix sheet was used for all elements. I had never used them before and realise that perhaps teh age of them worked against me and my lack of understanding of how they work. I moved them an awful lot after initial placement which made the adhesive cover larger areas than I wanted. 

The lining over the can window was a bit tricky, needing to be sliced incrementally to form the curve. This can be easily spotted but not bad I don't think. 

The numbers are placed individually perhaps need to be spaced better but what is done is done!

The thing that satisfied me about the paint job was the coat of halfords matt lacquer. The lack of reflection makes the pitted finish of the maroon less visible. Oh the roof was airbrushed Humbrol satin 163 I think.

 

Lots more work to follow including glazing and the interior...oh and weathering!

[westernviscount]

I must say I was very proud of the cab front and the lining so proceeded with the cab window. 

 

As has become pretty standard for my modelling I knock up something I am really pleased with and promptly ruin it. This time, the pleasing results barely lasted 12 hours!! 

 

I added the front window, cut to size to allow flush glazing. Whilst trying to achieve the pressure fit, I pressed from the inside out and was appalled to feel the top of the cab face move forward, cracking the paint along the upper lining which is where the brass meets the aluminium roof!! The lining crinkled up amd chips of paint fell away. 

The two images above show the window in place and the top of the cab resprayed, re-lined and matt varnished. I Knew I had to just fix it straight away or there was a risk that the model would have gone in a drawer and ignored, possibly having been stamped on!! 

Edited July 31, 2023 by westernviscount

[westernviscount]

I was looking forward to taking it to the club and seeing the coach on it's rightful home which also motivated the quick action!

 

 

Yes it is not as neat as it was and I was quite angry with myself for the mistake, I am still pleased with the model generally and "lessons have been learned."

 

Nearly forty more windows to go! 

Edited July 31, 2023 by westernviscount

[westernviscount]

I added door grabs tonight. I decided to use a mk1 etch for consistency along the coach side and they look close enough to the original. 

I have also provisionally added some glazing to see how this will look. 

2 sheets of clear styrene come with the kit and I guess it is normal to add the glazing to the inside of the coach as the brass sides are thin enough, however I feel it doesnt look as good as it can do. 

 

So I have cut windows individually and use a black marker pen around the edge to reduce "prisming."

The panes will be held in by thinned gloss varnish bled in through the inside edges. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by westernviscount

[Captain Kernow]

That's a very nice outcome to an interesting project.

 

[westernviscount]

I have glazed one side of the coach with reasonably pleasing results.

It is amazing how much a transparent piece of plastic can change the look of a model. The reflection makes it look more believable and reduces the visability of the interior. 

Luckily the finish is not so pink in reality. 

The odd window has the permenant marker visible but I think I can live with that for now. 

 

Further jobs include...

Glaze t'other side

Sort a neater coupling to perhaps including a vac pipe and screwlink mockup

Cab detail including internal handrail across window and regulator. 

Passenger (I have painted the seats)

I didnt really document the interior that well but it is not glued in so will give a more detailed record when I carry on. 

[westernviscount]

A couple of pics of the most recent progress.

 

Nothing particularly groundbreaking here. The kit comes with ratio coach seats and I built the compartments in line with the actual model not the plan which the instructions suggest. 

Here we see the glazing loosely fitted without blackening the edges. 

 

I made a regulator copying the dart castings airfix autocoach upgrade kit casting (try saying that after a bottle of red...infact try making a regulator after a bottle of red).

And a brake handle also based on the dart castings set. 

 

I obviously have no pics of the real a44 interior and have based the fittings on the more common gwr auto. 

Edited August 13, 2023 by westernviscount

[pete_mcfarlane]

Interesting that you have fitted individual glazing to each window. The normal method is to stick a single piece of plastic in place, but that never gives you quite the right effect of the droplights being further back than the main windows. 

[westernviscount]

2 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

Interesting that you have fitted individual glazing to each window. The normal method is to stick a single piece of plastic in place, but that never gives you quite the right effect of the droplights being further back than the main windows. 

I find that with the brass side thickness, putting the glazing behind the apertures there is still too much recess (even for the droplights).

My attempts at setting the droplight glazing further back are I confess, done by feel. I use calipers to get the heighy and width of each window aperture, scribe directly onto the glaxing material using the caliper and cut with a brand new scalpel blade. 

 

Edges are dressed with wet and dry and finished with a sharpie pen. The window is a press fit (as best I can achieve). 

[westernviscount]

Further pics of progress...

Just in view is the regulator, in the wrong position but on the bracket as per the kit. 

 

I realised as I uploaded this picture that I have made a hand brake and positioned it like the gwr autocoach but forgot this was once a braked van, therefore the handle would be in the guard's compartent. There is no through door from the guard's compartment to the cab. 

 

I dont know this of course but I assume I have done it wrong. Shame, because I quite like the effect. 

[westernviscount]

I have been brave and started some weathering on the coach...

The chassis was airbrushed with an in initial mix of revell enamel leather and matt black and a touch along the lower body side. 

A mix of humbrol 32 dark grey and revell leather was used further on the body sides. This was taken back a bit with white spirit on a cotton bud. 

The above proceedure leaves dark areas around the hinges etc. 

The chassis has a further light airbrush of humbrol dsrk grey, revell leather and humbrol "orange" which I cant remember the name of. A touch of rust weathering powders are brushed into areas of the bogies. Very little however!

The roof has a light airbrush of humbrol 32, thinned down 60/40 ish. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by westernviscount

[westernviscount]

I may well declare the coach complete! 

 

Now close coupled with guitar wire impression of steam and vac pipe. The loco and coach are still easily seperable. 

For the keen eyed, a first class sticker in the appropriate comparymrnt and no smoking signs in the end compartment. 

A window wiper was made from wire and some final weathering on the buffers. 

You can just about see the planking of the bulkhead between cab and luggage area. I scribed an impression of a security bar/grid onto clear plastic and place behind the luggage door drop light. 

 

A lovely kit and essential for c1960 Ellesmere line. I wish I could have been around to see and travel in one. 

[westernviscount]

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