Leyland Cruiser HIAB and Roadtrain flatbed artic on my workbench

[Norm81]

Living in a flat has it's downsides, so a quick rearrangement of the computer desk gave me some space to work on. It's not much but it's better than nothing! I was getting fed up with the lack of progress on the layout, having to drag it out from under the bed before I could do anything, so decided to have a crack at some road vehicles (inspired by Jim S-W - P4 New Street).

Leyland Cruiser HIAB Flatbed

I found this photo on flickr and decided to try and recreate in 1:76:


Take one Base Toys D-90 Bristol 8w Flatbed - "Somerset Wire Company" (BRS) and deconstruct:

The flatbed is part of the project, the rest make good spares for some of the others in the pipeline.

Then take a Base Toys Roadtrain cab on 8 legger chassis won on everyone's favourite auction site, remove the second pair of front wheels and take the exhaust(?) off the back of the cab:

The next step for this is to "man up" and take a razor saw and scalpel to the cab to cut the bumper and wheelarches off as one piece, then use a hacksaw to cut the cab into three widthways then stick it all back together. This narrows the cab to the right width for a Cruiser (rather than a Roadtrain).

This is the Herpa HIAB I've bought to go on, but I might change my mind and fit a Herpa Palfinger or Kibri ATLAS one yet, I'm not sure which type was the more common on the 80's and can't id the one in the flickr photo:


I've just bought a Knightwing Portakabin I was going to use as a load, but it will overhang the rear of the flatbed quite a bit so i'll have to do some more research to see if that would be permissible.

 

Started out by chopping 10mm out of the flatbed:


Used a small piece of rectangular section cut to the exact size of the gap to keep both halves aligned. Think I'm using too much liquid poly but I'm learning.

Then set about some corrections to the chassis:


Removed most of the propshaft as I plan to replace the visible section with plastic rod, took a tank off one side, chopped the tailboard off and removed the mountings for the second set of front wheels.

This now needs the rear section extended to match the flatbed length and a tailboard with lights, propshaft and air tanks / fuel tank etc fitting.

No work on the cab yet.

40' trailer

Take two short base toys trailers:


Add one razor saw and mitre box with a dollop of courage:

There you have one 40' trailer.

 

Got the two halves joined after removing the moulded legs and two odd moulded shapes on one side:



Modified the two sets of twin wheelsets to two singles:


Wheels placed in postion:



This needs the rear lights and "bumper" metalwork, the main longitudinals deepening by about 3mm as they look too flimsy now, side bars (to stop you "smiling as your car goes under") and new set of legs up front. I'll probably also put some thin strips down the sides of the bed to help hide the joint.

Trial to see how it will look, also I chopped the rear overhang on the tractor unit off and that needs rear lights, tanks for air and fuel and maybe a couple of other things, not really started on it yet!

 

This will eventually be painted BT Yellow with some cable drums as the load.

 

 

I've never attempted anything like this before so all advice welcome!
 

 

[Catkins]

Nice work there.

 

Just a couple of pointers for you -

1) The 'exhaust' thing on the back of the cabs is an intake pipe for the air cleaner, and the air cleaner is the round shaped bit at the bottom.

2) A load can overhang the flatbed (rear and / or sides) by a small amount without any additional markings. If it overhangs by (I think) up to two feet it has to have reflective red+white triangular markers on the overhanging part.

 

As for the flatbed itself, some have extending frames at the rear to support an overhanging load, like this one - http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3300/5837311292_5b7521eac1_o.jpg

Edited December 30, 2013 by Catkins

[Fat Controller]

British Telecom also used to operate Tautliners and some flats with low, planked, sides; they used to be a regular sight on the A34 around Stone in the late 1970s, as BT had a large stores depot in the Cold Meece/ Eccleshall area.

[Norm81]

First off, thanks for the craftsman/likes etc.

Nice work there.

 

Just a couple of pointers for you -

1) The 'exhaust' thing on the back of the cabs is an intake pipe for the air cleaner, and the air cleaner is the round shaped bit at the bottom.

2) A load can overhang the flatbed (rear and / or sides) by a small amount without any additional markings. If it overhangs by (I think) up to two feet it has to have reflective red+white triangular markers on the overhanging part.

 

As for the flatbed itself, some have extending frames at the rear to support an overhanging load, like this one - http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3300/5837311292_5b7521eac1_o.jpg

Thanks, I had wondered if it was the exhaust or the air intake but wasn't sure! I've no idea where this is on the cruiser cab but i know it isn't where the roadtrain has it.

 

A quick measure of the portakabin and it would overhang by 6ft 6in (26mm), I would think that's too much? The truck i'm modelling is too old to have an extending frame I think as it is old Y reg 1982/3. I have seen those on pictures of newer flatbeds. I really don't know a lot, just going from what i've seen in photos and what looks right.

 

I model BR blue era, so that's late 70's to early to mid 80's. Had a day off today but hope to get some more done before the weekend.

[Norm81]

Got a bit more done on the 40' trailer today:



Deepened the longitudinals, the floating parts at the front just aren't stuck down to the rib that has been cut at an angle yet. Also fitted the new screw bosses for mounting the wheels.

No pics, but I have cut a "kit" of parts for the rear "bumper" etc, so that just needs glued together and put on the trailer. I also bought a length of styrene rod the same size as the mudguards so I can extend them to the correct depth round the wheels.

 

[jcb 3c]

I work next to a Portacabin hire depot and there delivery drivers would consider a 6ft 6in overhang as tiny !

They don't worry too much about being well over width either.

Edited January 1, 2014 by jcb 3c

[Norm81]

I guess I'll have to get the lorry and portakabin built and see what it looks like, I just didn't want a load that was obviously wrong.

 

Progress has slowed a bit due to returning to work and catching this seasons must-have head cold. However I re did the longitudinals on the trailer so I could have a one piece flange all the way from the wheels to the front, legs and feet, got the rear end built up and fitted and have a kit of 3/4 the parts for the side rails built up.






The lower rail on the back is made up of a pair of "C" sections as they don't do hollow square tube that size.

Just need to brace the legs, fit the side rails and some rear lights, then decide how to improve the mud guards & do it.

 

[Catkins]

Hi,

 

Regarding your landing legs, and mudguards.

You might want to brace the landing legs against each other, and add a 'driveshaft tunnel' between the top of them.

As for the mudguards, you have a few options;-

1) You can make them better buy using plasticard to lengthen them, and put an edge on the outside.

2) You can make some angled mudguards, again using plasticard.

3) You can cut the existing mudguards of, and just have a straight mudguard hanging down from the trailer floor fixed close to the rear wheels - don't forget to brace the mudguard - this seems to have been very common in the 1970's, and is still current on some trailers today.

 

I'll get some pictures at work tomorrow, and post them up here.

[Norm81]

Some more progress with the side rails and bracing on the legs:

I've given the mounting for the forward set of rear wheels a tickle with a file since the photo, so they sit a little lower as they should.



Just rear light clusters, some ladders on the rear of each side and the mudguards etc to sort out. Then paint...

I think some items are a bit overscale but it's not bad for a first go and streets ahead of the items it started out as, so I'm not going to beat myself up over it but remember for next time.

 

I decided I wanted an orange HIAB for that project, so bought one from eBay.de where the picture showed orange, then when the black one arrived I realised I'd badly translated the page. So, I found another, asked the seller to confirm colour which they did (yes it is orange as in the picture) and lo and behold another black one turns up! Fast turning into a nightmare...

[Norm81]

Hi,

 

Regarding your landing legs, and mudguards.

You might want to brace the landing legs against each other, and add a 'driveshaft tunnel' between the top of them.

As for the mudguards, you have a few options;-

1) You can make them better buy using plasticard to lengthen them, and put an edge on the outside.

2) You can make some angled mudguards, again using plasticard.

3) You can cut the existing mudguards of, and just have a straight mudguard hanging down from the trailer floor fixed close to the rear wheels - don't forget to brace the mudguard - this seems to have been very common in the 1970's, and is still current on some trailers today.

 

I'll get some pictures at work tomorrow, and post them up here.

Hi, I was going to do option 1) as I have some 18mm dia tube and put an edge on the outside with some thin sheet, also use a bit of thin sheet for the mudflaps.

 

Detailed pictures would be really helpful, thanks.

[Catkins]

Detailed pictures would be really helpful, thanks.

I taken some pictures, but I'm not able to upload them until the weekend.

[Norm81]

I got distracted by building lego set 10240 then had a mishap and badly bruised my wrist, so this isn't forgotten just on pause for a while.

 

I have managed to get a red hiab and also bought a Herpa Mercedes with an orange one (though this to be a different crane type to a hiab) as it looked the right age too. Thing is, here's some photos for comparison as I didn't think HO would be much smaller but the camera never lies:

 

I have to say I'm surprised in the size difference. EFE Leyland National, Oxford Dennis Fire Engine and Base Toys Leyland for comparison.

[BernardTPM]

I never did think H0 road vehicles ever looked right for 00/4mm. It's even more obvious when you have models of the same thing side by side.

[Fat Controller]

I never did think H0 road vehicles ever looked right for 00/4mm. It's even more obvious when you have models of the same thing side by side.

 

I never did think H0 road vehicles ever looked right for 00/4mm. It's even more obvious when you have models of the same thing side by side.

It always surprises me that modellers seem to accept the idea of using H0 vehicles (1/87 scale) on 4mm scale (1/76.2) layouts, yet balk at the idea of 1/72 . I'm no mathematician, but it's fairly evident to me that the disparity is far greater in the former case than in the latter.

[Norm81]

I think this is a case of me wanting the HO vehicle to look okay, rather than thinking it will.

[Catkins]

Hi,

 

Regarding your landing legs, and mudguards.

You might want to brace the landing legs against each other, and add a 'driveshaft tunnel' between the top of them.

As for the mudguards, you have a few options;-

1) You can make them better buy using plasticard to lengthen them, and put an edge on the outside.

2) You can make some angled mudguards, again using plasticard.

3) You can cut the existing mudguards of, and just have a straight mudguard hanging down from the trailer floor fixed close to the rear wheels - don't forget to brace the mudguard - this seems to have been very common in the 1970's, and is still current on some trailers today.

 

I'll get some pictures at work tomorrow, and post them up here.

Finally got the pictures that I promised.

 

Curved Mudguards on a modern tri-axle curtainsider -

 

Straight / Hanging Mudflaps -

on a (1990's) twin axle fridge box above,

on a (2000's) tri-axle fridge box above,

 

I was wrong about there being a 'driveshaft tunnel' between the top of the landing legs -

The two long yellow lines highlight the position of the drive shaft between the landing legs, the yellow box highlights the position of the gearbox that both makes it easier to wind the legs, and also transfers the drive fom the winding handle to the shaft. The winding handle is shown by the two short yellow lines.

 

Finally the rear light clusters from the 1990's twin axle trailer, and the 2000's tri-axle.

 

Hope that helps.

[PhilJ W]

I have exactly the same Herpa model. The crane is destined for a (OO scale) Best Choose Mitsubishi light truck together with a tilt bed from a Cararama HO scale truck. But that bright orange plastic will have to be toned down and weathered first.

Edited March 1, 2014 by PhilJ W

[Norm81]

Being off a fortnight means I got at least something doing on this stuff again.

 

First problem I encountered was that 40 footer, I got it out the box it's been stored in for ~10 months and though I know it's destined for BT Yellow it's already gone a bit banana! Not sure how to sort this out, I had tins of beans on it for a couple of hours but it sprung right back to being bent. Ar** biscuits.

 

 

I also revisited the Cruiser HIAB I had on the go, have cut up the cab to reduce it's width:

 

Added the side steps to the rear bed:

 

Next steps are to reassemble the cab and resize the glazing as it's currently a one piece moulding. Add a front mounting to the chassis to take the screw from the flatbed as it's shorter than any current Base Toys one. I'll use the dremel I just treated myself to so I can chop the mount from a spare chassis and a hole in this one to fit it into. And figure out how to recover the 40 footer...

[Robert Searle]

Hi,

 

Regarding overhangs this explanation might help.

[Norm81]

Some more progress on the cab for the HIAB, when I checked the reference picture the cab is longer than the one I had so another donor cab was chopped up.

 

 

The cab is just sat on the mudguards and bumper in this last picture.

Next up is to fit them together and then get out the Milliput.

[muddy water]

Happy new year!

Did this ever get finished?

It would be great to see the end results.

[Norm81]

Happy new year!

Did this ever get finished?

It would be great to see the end results.

It's in the unfinished projects box, I do want to complete it though. Now I've recently bought a working layout I might have time.

[George Woodcock]

Hello

 

           The windscreen wipers are  on the bottome of the screen when parked on a roadtrain. Also you don't need sidebars on a trailer till the late 80s if you were running at 32tons but you would from the mid 80s if running at 38tons. Also you would need 5 axles for the latter; either 3 on the tractor and 2 on the trailer or vice versa. I put a hiab on a log trailer on a layout about 20 years ago. The truck and trailer were Keil-craft, now Knightwing, so were 1/87 but the Hiab type log crane was HO  but they looked alright and nobody ever complained about it.  Nice Work by the way.

 

                                                                                                  Cheers

 

                                                                                                               George