7mm GWR B set from an old Cavalier two coach kit set.

[John TAYLOR]

I snapped these coach kits off ebay back in 2013 having once seen a completed set in the window of a model shop along Holdenhurst Road Boscombe way back in the 1980`s

Rare to get an unmolested example.....

…………. and I like complete kits ………...

The coach sides come ready rolled albeit in very thick gauge brass …...which left some of the parts awkward to fold and fettle up...


……….particularly these...….

Underframe castings are really good...………...


However, trying to fold narrow thick gauge half etched truss rods aint no fun so I found suitable angle brass replacements during the underframe assembly..




It is very handy to have a separate solebar and chassis assembly even though its a hardboard base.


I also used some excellent coach hinges from CPL models and door stoppers from a long forgotten trader at Telford...….


The pre- shaped roof sections are thick gauge tinned steel , so together with the brass sides and whitemetal coach ends are a challenge to solder together !!!

I did a bit of research on the www. and added some extra detailing to the brake end castings...



...with the addition of some more excellent CPL lost wax castings etc....

Then comes the fun of airbrushing and masking up.... great help from Tamiya products with this...




I prefer to use Fox transfers as they are more accurate , but I just couldn't get the black/gold lining to hold without it breaking into bits....

So I had to settle with Pressfix and Methfix transfers which are yellow/black lining and strictly not accurate.………….but no one will ever know...…. !!!!



Any way, this week, apart from the guards handrails the coaches are 99.5% complete....

 

[Dai88D]

Very nicely done, particularly like your painting and lining BUT, and this is contentious because nobody seems to know the answer, I think Cavalier got the underframe wrong. Instead of four sets of truss rods, there should be two. I think four sets were fine during the top light days, but were reduced when angle bars were brought in. I think Four sets were reserved after that for very long or heavily laden vehicles. This was the consensus at Didcot last time I checked, but nobody seems to have proof. I’m not normally a river counter but this particular aspect got to me a few years back!

 

[John TAYLOR]

Very nicely done, particularly like your painting and lining BUT, and this is contentious because nobody seems to know the answer, I think Cavalier got the underframe wrong. Instead of four sets of truss rods, there should be two. I think four sets were fine during the top light days, but were reduced when angle bars were brought in. I think Four sets were reserved after that for very long or heavily laden vehicles. This was the consensus at Didcot last time I checked, but nobody seems to have proof. I’m not normally a river counter but this particular aspect got to me a few years back!

Many thanks.............

Well I gave it a lot of thought and convinced myself that this pic hinted at more than two.....................



So in the end... I sided with Dapol O gauge.......................


Cheers

 

[Dai88D]

Ha ha, I said it was contentious! There’s going to be no winner on this one, so I won’t bother with counterclaim evidence. Still, very nicely done; and I promise not to turn it upside down if I see it anywhere!

 

[John TAYLOR]

Ha ha, I said it was contentious! There’s going to be no winner on this one, so I won’t bother with counterclaim evidence. Still, very nicely done; and I promise not to turn it upside down if I see it anywhere!