The parts I need to complete building my 6-wheel coaches have not yet arrived so, in the meantime, here's one that I made earlier!

I've mentioned before that one of the factors that triggered me into thinking in terms of a 19th century layout was that I'd already built the three types of 'Ratio' GWR 4-wheel coaches. I then came across a photo, taken in 1911, of a short train behind a 'Stella'-class locomotive at Leamington station (see http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls826.htm ) The mixed formation of coaches comprises a van, a brake composite, and an all-3rd, and I felt that I would like to create something similar, for use with my own 'Stella' (converted from a Dean Goods).

As I actually had a duplicate brake-3rd, I decided to turn it into a V5 passenger brake van, by using the Shire Scenes etched brass sides. These are attractive for a beginner in etched-brass construction, since they are designed to be glued to the existing Ratio chassis, roof, and ends. The only aspects that I found a little difficult were forming a smooth 'tumble home' to the sides, and folding and attaching the guard's look-out.

It was not immediately obvious to me which way round the inner drop-light surrounds should be fitted, since the etched side is actually towards the inside of the coach. The key is that the holes for the door handles must line up with the main side panel. The folded tabs form the door 'hinges' when pressed through the sides. The guard's look-out has long side tabs, which are tricky to align with the slots in the sides. Because the etched sides are thinner than the original plastic sides, the ends are folded back to create a double thickness where they meet the coach ends. I made the joins with superglue.

The V5 sides are intended to be used with the shorter version of the Ratio chassis, whereas I had the longer one under my brake 3rd. Since the wheel base is the same in both types, however, it is not difficult to remove the excess length from each end. The roof is a bit more difficult as, in order to retain the rain gutter shape, it is necessary to remove a section from the centre of the vehicle and then butt the two halves together. I managed to cut them very cleanly with a 'Silky' saw and then cemented the ends together with liquid poly, but there is still a fine line showing.

The completed coach makes a good companion to my 'Stella', to make a rough replica of the scene shown in the Leamington photo.

Mike