LarryG's loco & coach WB (4mm/00)

[LarryG]

After saying i had enough GWR coaches, I've ordered some more etched non-corridor sides - and ends this time. I dislike separate droplights particularly in GWR coaches, but I had decided to bite the bullet. Imagine then my delight at seeing on the website that they have integral droplights.

EDIT: Rover Damask Red is no longer stocked by Halfords. My last remaining aerosol is going to have to last me out.

 

[LarryG]

GWR C66 Non-Corridor Third
Comet etched sides arrived today for the GWR Collett C66 non-corridor third. These coaches were only 55ft 3 inches in length and so the first job was to cut one of my old floors to length with allowance made for the 12thou thick Comet coach ends. New holes were drilled for the bogie centres...



Below: Note the wider flanking quarterlights than on earlier Collett coaches...


Basic box with solebars and footboards...

 

[LarryG]

I had a welcome visit from WT member Craig (Muddyblues) this morning. A bit more was done on the C66 this faternoon. The doors were drilled so the lowest hingest could be soldered in position. The underframe was then detailed. It is nearing completion...



A grabshot on recycling bin in pouring rain. The trussrod legs had to be shortened to clear the bogie swing on this short coach...

 

[LarryG]

Finished complete with interior.


I have fitted Hornby bogies since today. I looks better balanced now...

 

[LarryG]

I have been without a photo stage or diaramma for a good while and had been using the old lifting bridge, which weighed a ton. So I knocked up the beginnings of a new diaramma this afternoon...

 

[LarryG]

Another Hawksworth corridor coach, this time a brake third or second. I wasn't too impressed with the brownish maroon, but seeing as removal of the glazing would have destroyed the coach sides, I opted for masking the windows instead...

After masking off the roof, a light coat of Halford Plastic Red Oxide primer was followed by my cellulose LMS Crimson Lake. I applied all the 'Methfix' insignia before the paint set rock hard and put up a resistance to the HMRS transfers. Lining followed including the black guttering. The original paint can be seen on the sliding windows...



After a coat of Halfords satin varnish, the masking tape was removed from the windows. Ends and chassis were sprayed with 'weathering'. If I had realised how easy this was to do, I would never have messed around fitting etched sides to Hornby's fine coaches...

 

[jonte]

Hi Larry

May I ask which Hornby bogies you use please?

Cheers.

Jonte

 

[LarryG]

Hi Larry

May I ask which Hornby bogies you use please?

Cheers.

Jonte

Hornby bogies are GWR 'Pressed Steel' as come on their Hawksworth corridor coaches. Pressed Steel bogies are more freely available from Bachmann Spares (Peters Spares, Hattons, Kernow etc.)

 

[jonte]

Hornby bogies are GWR 'Pressed Steel' as come on their Hawksworth corridor coaches. Pressed Steel bogies are more freely available from Bachmann Spares (Peters Spares, Hattons, Kernow etc.)

Many thanks, Larry

One more, if I may, then I’ll leave you alone : what do you use to fix the bogie to the chassis, please?

Best

Jonte

 

[jonte]

8BA nuts and bolts mainly. I have been etching my own bolsters recently because the old castings that gave 3-point suspension dried up. RTR Bogies are usually fitted with a 60thou or 80 thou plastikard stretcher. Below is a Bachmann bogie with plastikard centre stretcher plus a brass spacer. Note the shortened coupling bracket and remounted tension-lock...
View attachment 148869
Our etched bolster...
View attachment 148870

Thanks, Larry.

Jonte

 

[LarryG]

Hornby don't half go the extra mile these days. I have never seen it mentioned in reviews that their BR(W) Hawksworth Passenger Full Brake has the correct pressed steel 'freight' bogie with shorter springs and stepboards than the regular passenger version. There was a third variant with long springs and short stepboards fitted to 'Centenary' stock. The passenger and freight versions are shown below on newly purchased models...


I needed a Hawksworth coach to donate its chassis to my new Hawksworth 10-compartment non-corridor third, however, this coach will not now be etched. I wont be producing any more new coaches.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Can anyone think of a use for a full brake on a quiet branch line?

Perishable (fruit and veg?) or any goods which needed to somewhere fast.

Just apply rule #1 ........ justify the use of the large vehicle by saying it was picking up the aforementioned goods at other stations on the branch line before being shunted onto another fast train at the junction...

 

[LarryG]

Carmine & cream body given Halfords Plastic Red Oxide primer to kill the cream. When hard, my cellulose carmine red was applied followed immediately by a light blow over with Ford Rosso Red.

Roof and ends were sprayed with Halfords Matt Black then while wet, they were lightly sprayed with my weathering colour. The chassis was done the same and so were the sides after the lettering had been applied.

The whole body then got a coat of Testors Dullcoat matt. When hard, the glazing was tacked with Mekpak...

Ends of bufferbeams should be angled.

 

[LarryG]

I have repainted a Hornby Hawksworth corridor brake composite exactly the same as the brake third by masking off the windows. This time though, the roof was sprayed matt black and weathered while the black was still wet. A glance through colour albums shows coach roofs were much of a sameness of brownish grey and so this coach sets the pattern for all the brass coaches awaiting spraying. Bogies were dusted with black weathering powder on springs, lower axleboxes and W iron ties....

 

[Heather Kay]

I do like the Hawksworth look. I reckon it’s the best pre-Nationalisation coach design.

 

[Pencarrow]

I do like the Hawksworth look. I reckon it’s the best pre-Nationalisation coach design.

After Bulleid of course Heather.

 

[Heather Kay]

After Bulleid of course Heather.

Yes, you’re probably right.

 

[LarryG]

After Bulleid of course Heather.

Yer havin' a larf.

 

[Pencarrow]

Yer havin' a larf.

Was that said in a Southern accent Larry?

 

[LarryG]

I inadvertently ordered a Bachmann instead of Hornby LMS 50' full brake.. Sadly, it shows its age. However, it is the correct width (these vans were much narrower than passenger carrying stock) so I could use the roof, ends, and bogies...



It might have been simpler to put it in the recycling bin, anyway I opted for 'having a go' and ordered some Comet etched sides...


The sides were cut off leaving 4mm at either end, which was then filed back to allow for the thickness of the brass sides. These sides come with a crude form of tumblehome and so the mark down the side is a left-over from reforming the tumblehome...



A false ceiling was cut from brass (a redundant coach floor actually)...

The two sides were soldered to the ceiling. I tacked them on in situ on the plastic roof & ends. When removed from the roof, the seames were soldered almost continuous...


After fitting handrails and cleaning up the insides, the ceiling/sides were glued to the roof with Evostik and attached to the ends with Loctite...


To be continued...