"And now for something completely different..."
Back in April last year, I came across the kit for an L&Y Dia.3 van by Three Peaks Models (which subsequently led to me building the Dia.1 open). At the time I was put off by the obvious seam line around the ends of the van and so I never went through with ordering one.
Then one day, whilst researching for a future project, I discovered something interesting:
Much like the Hull and Barnsley refrigerator van of Hornby fame in the early 1970s, Triang produced an Insulfish van that was quite clearly based on an L&Y Dia.3. It got me thinking, can you breathe life into an old model by making it into what it was meant to be?
One auction site visit later and I got this:
Dimensions wise, from what I can tell, the body is the correct length, 2mm too wide and unclear on any height discrepancy. However, the side strapping looks correct and so will form a suitable basis.
I split the wagon apart:
Before giving the body a wash and removing the transfers:
The roof and chassis will be replaced and some relevant components are on order. This is very much a trial and error project and I'm not wholly concerned about 100% accuracy of the finished item. It's simply a bit of fun, to see what I can make of a 60 year old wagon!
- James
