Darius43

Simple fix with a needle file. Cheers Darius

Window frames fitted and cab front blended in. Cheers Darius

Driving by Motor Coach (DMBTO) construction commenced. I decided to use the MTK white metal cab ends but removed the softly moulded jumper cables etc. and cleaned up the surface. I will add jumper sockets etc. using plasticard, brass wire and electrical wires. The MTK white metal driver’s doors were glued in place and secured whilst the glue set. Once the doors were fixed the cab front was glued in place. The rear end brass part was scored and bent to the required profile, soldered in place and the joints filed and sanded flush. Cheers Darius

Wouldn’t that diminish the mystery somewhat? Cheers Darius

More the sorcerer’s apprentice. Cheers Darius

Buffet/Griddle coach chassis completed. Cheers Darius

Primer applied. Cheers Darius

Roof and end gubbins fitted to the Buffet/Griddle coach. Cheers Darius

Yes it did - the ones with the folded up edges. I find making my own from plasticard easier and more user-friendly. Cheers Darius

Window frames and door furniture fitted. Cheers Darius

Just checked the other MTK 4-COR (actually a 4-BUF) kit that I have and the Buffet coach body is 3mm longer than the others in that one. I have looked a bit more into the logistics of cutting and shutting the brass body of the Buffet/Griddle car and the resultant weakening of the body. Getting two clean and parallel cuts and a decent strength connection of the subsequent “halves” is too great a risk to take. The coach will be longer than the others and only I and anyone else reading this thread will be the wiser… Cheers Darius

Whilst placing the Buffet/Griddle coach body next to the Composite coach that I have assembled I noticed that it is 6mm longer (essentially a scale 1.5 feet longer). The composite and driving motor coach bodies are all the same length and scale out close* to the 63’6” length of the prototype coaches. I can find no information on the web that the Buffet/Griddle coach was longer than the other coaches in the unit so this would appear to be another “gift” from Mr MTK. The question is: do I live with this or take a 6mm slice out of the Buffet/Griddle coach body to make it the correct length? * close enough for MTK. Cheers Darius

I totally concur. Living in Worthing, I would need to book hotel accommodation for the nights before and after a Cumbrian Mountains express tour from London - or any other one departing London before 7am and returning after 11pm. Not really an option so I and my railtour friends restrict ourselves to trips starting and finishing at “sensible” times. Cheers Darius

Buffet/Griddle coach body “reprofiled”. Brass ends soldered in place and joints cleaned up. Cheers Darius

Primer on. Cheers Darius

Coach end details fitted. A mixture of MTK cast parts plasticard bits and brass wire. I also fitted Roxey Mouldings brass grab rails and MJT handles to each door. Cheers Darius

Chassis trusses made from 1.6mm Plastruct angle section. Bogies fitted. Cheers Darius

Chassis fabricated from 1mm plasticard sheet and 2.4mm Plastruct angle section. I’m using Bachmann Bulleid bogies in place of the MTK offerings. Cheers Darius

Looking good - and the windows line up on each side - unlike MTK. Cheers Darius

Roof vents and rainstrips added. Cheers Darius

Etched window frames attached using superglue applied using fine brass wire. Cheers Darius

Made a start this morning. First step was to correct the somewhat haphazard coach body side profile. This was done by clamping the side against the face of a steel rule in a vice - working in stages along the length of the coach. Re-profiled coach body on the left in the photo below. MTK provides brass coach ends that have to be folded to the correct profile. The buffer beam has pre-formed buffer holes, which, being MTK, are too far apart. I snapped off and discarded the brass buffer beams. These will be scratch built in plastic with the correct buffer spacing. The brass ends were soldered to the coach body and filed and sanded flush with the sides. Filler was added to the gaps between the tops and the coach roof. This was my first time soldering brass coach sides/ends. The outside looks much neater than the inside… Cheers Darius

Another delivery from Kernow 😀 Cheers Darius

The layout has now been dismantled in preparation for my friend’s (and shed owner) house move in March. A brand new shed is to be erected at the new house and the layout will be reinstalled in the new shed. Dismantling was undertaken with minimal damage to the “scenic” part of the layout. The new shed will allow us to iron out the bugs that were popping up with the original layout concept. Watch this space… Cheers Darius