For some reason I've found building the Bole Lasercraft Sand Hutton wagons (spelling changed from waggons for Phil) much more fun than the Trefor wagon. They just feel that little bit more thought out, with some nice touches like the emulation of through timber bolts.. Having said which I made a major mistake by misreading a picture in the instructions. I also built the second body in a completely different order to that suggested by the instructions. I glued the underfloor bearers in first before the L shaped end supports. That made life a lot easier. I had been worrying that as 18" gauge prototypes they would look odd on 2ft gauge, but they don't, in my eyes.
I'm still struggling perceptually knowing that these are small prototypes but feel like big models. On the other hand they look just right in a large garden in a way that I found 16mm didn't after
we moved here.
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| Time to build a railway, I suppose |
I worried they'd look wrong in OO9 for the same reason of the width but I think stretching the chassis to fit the gauge works quite well, seems the same is true in the larger scales too. Shame that the kit seems to have been designed by someone who hasn't looked too closely at photos of the real thing and so has designed the ends of the bodies wrongly. Of course they aren't alone, finding kits where the end is right seems almost impossible.
ReplyDeleteThe ends of these look OK against the photos and GA drawing I have. What I hadn't realised, until building them, and which led to my own mistake, is that Deptford also had wagons built by B.W & C. Co that had major differences. The Trefor wagon, though, is another story
DeleteBy GA drawing I assume you're looking at the one in the RCL book, and Roy's clearer drawing taken from it. The problem is that Roy's drawing doesn't match the GA drawing exactly. To be fair to Roy (as I've had this conversation with him) when he originally drew the drawing he only had a postcard sized version of the original to work from.
DeleteThe issue is that the drawing, and as far as I can tell the kit you've built, have the outside of the end wall level with the edge of the floor. If you look at the photos though, and if you look very carefully at the original GA drawing, you'll see that they are actually set in slightly from the end. This is important as the locking mechanism for the sides means that the strapping on the sides has to be inline with the end wall, whereas on your model the strapping and the end wall don't align. It also means that the strapping on the ends is wrong as well (there should be strapping that runs down the wall and rests on the floor, and then a second piece that wraps around and under the floor). It's all a bit difficult to describe but if you look at some of the close up photos in the RCL book it's really clear. You can see what I mean really clearly in a render I did of the version I tried to 3D print for OO9.
I admit it's a small detail but, it you are anything like me, it's one of those things that once you've seen you can't unsee.
It was the builder GA I had in mind, but I've got Roy's as well. It isn't obvious from my photos but the kit does get that bit right. The supports for the end walls are double thickness at the bottom and the flooring is recessed to push the end wall in from the end of the floor, and do the strapping does line up with the end walls. It possibly isn't quite as pronounced as it could be. partly that is because I should have been more assiduous in trimming the floor recess. And to be fair, the instructions do call that out, but don't really explain the amount needed. I also suspect weathering will make it clearer.
DeleteWhat struck me is that the strapping has the hooks to connect the chains for holding the doors level when open, but the corresponding rings are missing on top of the end wall. I've added the missing ironwork out of plasticard on one wagon, and I think it makes an immense difference. I'll probably do it in brass on subsequent ones. I also need to add the rings on the bottom end plank and to think about getting wagon plates etched or 3d printed since thy are also quite noticable
In that case you're right, it sounds like it's the angle of the photo that hides the recessed end. As you say weathering might help make that more obvious. The missing ring does seem odd given how much other detailing parts there are.
DeleteInteresting James, I am looking for a couple more 7/8ths wagons. I like the Trefor one in 16mm so was considering that. Then again I might just revert to the original plan to make Canadian Forestry Corps log wagons.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't help that the Trefor wagons aren't well documented. Stuart Baker's article in NG &IR 87 is your best source, and even that drawing I would take as representative, not definitive. As I say, none of them are bad kits, and I've really enjoyed building the Woolwich van
DeleteI've had to go through the whole wagons vs waggons thing again thanks to some news for GR that covers kits of prototypes that could really be waggons! I went with the single G to save ink...
ReplyDelete