DuncanFogg

I have finally assembled my last set of Masterclass coaches. They comprise D125 BT E155 CK C70 TK D124 BTK E152 BCK One of my drivers was to complete the spraying before the weather turns cold and damp. Detailed painting, fittings (such as door handles) and transfers can be done indoors over the winter.

Matt, There is no roof. You get two sprues, each containing a side, an end and a floor. Here is a photo from an article I have written for the Magazine (not yet published). I have also found 2-337 and you are quite correct: Duncan

A while ago, somebody made available versions of some of Dragon Models 7mm kits, reduced to 2mm. They have sat in the gloat box for some time while I worked out how to build them. I have used standard Association wheels, top-hat bearings, axleboxes/springs and buffers but otherwise the opens are all from the reduced etch. The timber wagons are the same, except for a partially scratchbuilt bolster. Brecon and Merthyr Railway 2-plank opens: A pair of Barry Railway MITEs: Duncan

Matt, I certainly agree with retaining headstocks whenever that is an option. Here are three, with different types of DC brakes.

Searching through my gloat box, I came across one of David Eveleigh's etches, labelled "LNWR single bolster chassis". It seems a good match to a Diagram 12 Timber Wagon, or its counterpart Diagram 13 Twin Timber Wagon. The brake gear is not quite the same as that depicted in LNWR Wagons Volume 1 but could well be a later modification. Since there are two chassis on the etch, I opted for Diagram 13. The etch only provides for a base, fold down sides, W irons, brakes and axle boxes, there are no ends or any form of body. The ends came from my spares box. One end has conventional buffers, the other a circular version. The latter I cut from a slice of brass tube, infilled with solder. The body is a simple styrene structure. The prototype bolster was made from a block of 10 inch timber. Searching for something suitable with which to make it, I hit on turnout sleepers, glued back-to-back. The lower one was drilled to take a 12 BA bolt with the head chopped off to act as a pivot. The bolt will be shortened after final assembly. The stanchions are 0.5mm brass and small loops were added from phosphor bronze. The curved guides were made by scanning the plan, reducing to actual size and using the print as a template to cut thin styrene. The long bar joins the two bolsters from below, making it rather like a very short bogie wagon. Painting will have to wait for the weather to get warmer. Duncan

Commercial transfers generally appear to be designed to fit PECO bodies. Most of the Association RCH kits are somewhat smaller. Particularly if you are going for "typical" wagons and not an exact prototype, I find that designs that can be simplified, for example by reducing the spacing between words, will still work. More complex versions that demand the whole wagon side in one go can be more difficult. However, I think your 1927-1930 timeframe would best be depicted with a variety of 1887, 1907 and 1923 prototypes. Mathieson Models (available from Rails of Sheffield) make a very good 1887 version, easily converted to 2FS. They do show some N Gauge offerings to be ridiculously wide! Duncan

What you need now is a copy of this month's Railway Modeller on the bookstand at W.H. Smith... Duncan

Will, I have one under construction at the moment. The cylinders needed moving forwards by about 1.5mm but that is easy to do, I just filed a new set of locating notches. I also found the pony truck arms needed adjusting - the front one was too short, the rear too long. Additionally, I found I had to increase the clearance above the pony trucks by filing the frames. Duncan

Kevin, If you have a wagon with a warp or a bit of damage, why not add a sheet? Here are a few non-mineral loads I have produced recently. The three wagons on the left are 3D prints from Shapeways, the others Association RCH kits. Sheets are from Smiths (sold by Osborns), although I much prefer the paper of the older batch the SR sheet came from. Cable drums are from York Modelmaking. Duncan

I have done the same thing with strips cut from Post-It notes. It is just about tacky enough to hold in place whilst working on it, held properly in place with a coat of Klear floor polish/varnish. Duncan

John, I used 247 Developments a year ago (247developments.co.uk) for some GWR plates. They were happy to etch numbers to order and there were no issues with posting overseas. Duncan

When I ordered some numberplates from 247 Developments, I noticed that they offered a 3D print for a GWR DD4 CORDON. It is meant to go on a PECO chassis. The real ones re-used old 4-wheel coach chassis and Atkins' GWR Wagons lists no less than 26 different variants, with a maximum of 6 of any one type. Every photo I have seen is slightly different, so I concluded a somewhat freelance approach along the general lines would not be far off. The 3D print is slightly short, no doubt to suit the PECO chassis but I thought I could at least capture the look-and-feel. In keeping with the prototype's second-hand approach, everything other than the print came from the spares box. The main chassis parts are plastic strip. Chivers-type 7mm W Irons (2-315) were used, along with leaf springs from a TOAD etch, V-hangers and brake handles were from a wagon variant I had not used. Spare etch formed the footstep. Some Northeastern scribed timber happened to be the right size to extend the deck and the usual Association parts were used for buffers, vacuum cylinders etc. In a small wagon, I have three different metals, plastic strip, 3D print and wood!

Here is a contribution from across the Tasman. I had just made a start on the saddle tank when the challenge was announced. It began life as a Dean Sidings resin kit intended to go on a Dapol chassis. I used a modified Association conversion chassis for a 57xx - the prototype dimensions are the same except for a slightly shorter distance between the front wheels and the bufferbeam. In the end, I dismembered the one-piece casting to shorten the boiler and tidy up the saddle tanks. I replaced the footplate with a brass one and changed some of the fittings as well. It is powered by a Nigel Lawton motor. Some years ago, I bought quite a few Masterclass coaches and have built six over the past year. The mix shown here is slightly eclectic, amounting to the last of my pile of Toplight kits and a start on the more modern (1920s) ones. The saddle tank can just about haul all six brass coaches, which is probably as much as the prototype might have done. It also almost stretches from one end of my glorified test track to the other!

Martin, This is how I tackle interiors, although I only have a photo to hand of a corridor coach. It is tempting to make brass partitions for a brass coach but the whole thing becomes quite heavy, so I agree with using plasticard. I find the Association coaching strip quite thick when it comes to older stock, so tend to use it now for first class and a simple wedge of plasticard plus seat for third. I am sure the eBay fashions are wrong for the 1930s but all you really see is a human-like shape through the window. Duncan

The other thing I noted was the huge variety of different wagons. Even though it is a whole train from a single starting point, wagons seem to come from just about everywhere. Prototypical justification for modellers building an assortment of wagons! Duncan