Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Looking back through the large and unwieldy Pencarrow thread on RMweb I found these photos of my build dating back to Jan 2016 (and still not finished).

Fuelled with beer I took all the rainstrip and destination board detail off the mouldings.
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I then marked up the rainstrip locations based on a shot of the coach I was modelling and glued on some microstrip. Next I added a layer of wide masking tape to the roof to give a felt texture. Marked up the destination board mount locations, removed patches of the masking tape and added on scratch built brackets.

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This coach seemed to have higher roof brackets than the Slater's moulding and a single strip below.

MEK was then soaked into the edges of the tape to secure it good and proper. Final stage was a first waft of two of roof muck.

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Edit. The BSK in this two coach set will have brackets and rainstrips in different places.

Edit2. Looks like I also beefed up the cantrails, I think they were next to non-existent on the kit.

Edit3. More embarrassing is that the coach was started in 2013 (hangs head in shame).
 
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Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Heather,

It's been a long week and I'm just catching up: David Jenkinson did a build of one of Slaters Maunsell carriages for MRJ and made a fair fist of it. His main error was in preparing the vehicle as inter-regional loose stock without the appropriate fittings.

It may help with the odd technique. At the very least I commend it to you as a little background reading...

Steph
 

2-Bil

Western Thunderer
Fellow Travellers twas me (post 22) wot mentioned it all them long days ago.................its actually a very comprehensive article.I saw said coach at Christies South Ken when a lot of Mr Js models were sold on.I bought an LBSCR Terrier .........and to avoid a messy divorce i never told my other half wot it cost.......
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
...I did make multiple images of a moquette seat covering ( taken from the GWR Railmotor interior ... )
For those with a liking for coach interiors, the GWR Steam Railmotor was upholstered with new fabric made using the original Jaquard cards... the pattern is known as "White Star".
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
More embarrassing is that the coach was started in 2013 (hangs head in shame).

Chris,

You're not the only one. The Continental in my avatar is still sat at the 95% mark. I was determined to get it done last year, but it needs some panel joins to be done in tape and when I went to do it just before Christmas I realised my tape had set into a perfect, and inseparable, disc. Probably usable for a comedy-sized tap but bog-all use for panel joins.

Maybe this year. Along with the Thanet and Nondescript brake sitting next to it.
Maybe. :(

Steph
 
The end(s)

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
A new week, and on with the motley.

The CRT lighting connectors arrived on Saturday, so there was no real excuse not to get on with the ends. Yes, I know, I’m supposed to have detailed the ends before sticking them to the sides. Next time, I’ll do that, but I get impatient.

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First up, here’s an end. As The Navy Lark's Sub-Lieutenant Philips might say "Ooh, nasty!" I hope it’s just this particular copy of this particular kit, but the ends are susceptible to the styrene delaminating. Even being ever so careful with sharp implements I found shards of plastic coming away. I took the precaution of flooding the worst affected areas with some solvent and let it dry. I sincerely hope the next one I start is not similarly blighted.

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Anyway, here’s a gangway pegged in place to assess the cast connectors. They’re about three or four millimetres too long. I pondered options, and figured the easiest way out was to subtly shift the mounting point up a millimetre on the coach end.
I plugged the holes I’d drilled previously with some Evergreen rod, and drilled new holes. Then I set about the alarm gear. I’ve chosen one of the CPL brass casting sets. Although strictly speaking not quite correct for these coaches, with a little careful adjustment they look okay.

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Well, I don’t think that looks too bad. You can see the minor surgery required to the alarm gear to fit the Pullman style gangway - essentially, chopping the upper crossshaft out entirely, as it passes through the mounting plate on the real thing. The pencil line you can see traces the upper edge of the gangway plate. I still have to fit the upper step brackets, and figure out how I’m going to fit brackets for the filler pipe/handrails these coaches ended their lives with. I may just go ahead and install the various steps and whatnot at the brake end before I worry about handrails.

Onwards!
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Heather, remind me what period these coaches are for. If it's late BR then the top steps and the one over the gangway were removed. Think this was when the tank fillers were lowered to prevent climbing on to roofs and coming into contact with overheads.
 
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Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Early sixties. I’ll rummage in the references again. :thumbs:

Just had a look at my own references. There's mention in King in page112 that from 1945 lav tank filler pipes were added removing the need for staff to use the end steps.

Photos from the later period generally show the long step board over the corridor connection removed. The removal of up to three of the side steps from the top seems more haphazard. Some coaches seem to have the long pipes and no top board but retain all the side steps, whereas others have some removed.

Where they were removed this seems to have been a brutal cutting off of the flat step but retaining the vertical bit bolted to the carriage end. In many cases the cutting doesn't seem very neat. Typically most photos seem to show the non-step side of the end.

As usual no hard and fast application!
 
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Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
As usual to hard and fast application!

Again, thank you for that. I spoke with the client yesterday (my filing system had failed me and I’d lost some relevant paperwork :headbang:). Things are, at the same time, clearer and clouded! Let me explain.

First, I have a set number and coach numbers for the four vehicles currently on the bench. Set 245, Brake 3rd 3785 + Composite 5658 + Brake 3rd 3789, loose Brake Composite 6672.

Under construction elsewhere are a buffet and open third, which will be slotted into the basic set. I’ve asked that couplings be left unfitted on these, so I can arrange everything to work eventually!

The coupling arrangements are awkward. Essentially, the van ends of the two Brake 3rds will have dropped knuckle couplers so they can be coupled to a loco. Couplings between all the other coaches can be the knuckles, but the client has requested the use of cast connected brake/vacuum pipework from Laurie Griffin. That leaves the loose coach being an awkward s*d, so I’m going to have to rengineer the fitted bufferwork so it can be convertible for any configuration as required. That might be fun.

Meanwhile…

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I’m kicking off the compo bogies. I may be some time.
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
If you have 8 of those brass bogies to build you have my sympathies Heather! The end result is fantastic but they are so fiddly.
 

DougT

Western Thunderer
Meanwhile…

View attachment 98752

I’m kicking off the compo bogies. I may be some time.

Hi Heather

I’m following this there’s with increasing interest, the ‘masking tape to hold side and end together for test fit’ has already revolutionised the way I’m approaching the build of one of my kits... however, to what extent do you think these Slaters brass bogies are a realistic prospect for a novice with a soldering iron? By definition of novice, I have built 2 x Haywood compensates bogies and, errr, that’s it!

Doug
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Hi Doug, hopefully Heather won't mind me jumping in. I built a pair of these brass bogies in 2013. There were the third brass thingy I'd ever done and followed a Connoisseur NE Toad brake van (skill builder) and a WEP clay wagon.

From that novice level I found that all the bits fitted well but the instructions took a bit of getting your head around in places. They are however fiddly and a bit frustrating, particularly the brakes.

I seem to remember there was some confusion too as the suspension parts had been revised with old parts still on the fret and plastic sprue.

Iirc I tried starting with a 25w iron, which was OK but didn't have the grunt to attach the big brass castings, so I got a 50w which also was better for other kits.

If you have files, drills, a soldering iron and something to deepen the half etch fold lines it should be OK. I did buy a Hold and Fold to help with accurate long bends but you could manage with a bar and a pair of clamps.

Other the the brake gear, the bit I found room the time was getting the axleboxes to slide smoothly in the bogie frames. Takes a while, small adjustments at a time. I bet Heather has a dead easy way of making them work...

They do really look the part when built, much better than the plastic option and carry the coach very smoothly. I think the key is to take your time and constantly check you're following the intended sequence correctly.
 
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Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
however, to what extent do you think these Slaters brass bogies are a realistic prospect for a novice with a soldering iron?

I think Chris covered it pretty well. My first pair took me nearly a week on and off! They do look the part, but quite what advantage they have compared to the plastic versions I couldn't really comment on.

If you wind back to the first page of this thread, you’ll see my progress on them. :thumbs:
 
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