Garden Railway Forum

Decided I needed another van to handle the fruit traffic on the railway - so this time I bashed a Newqida box car (£18.99 + P&P).

A bit too long, a bit too continental and a bit too yellow for the PLR!! .
So, after some surgery with a razor-saw and a few coats of paint...... . . . .
I think it looks OK. Need to give it a good test-run (weather permitting) to check it works OK - but plenty of detailing on the model to save me the trouble.
Will weather it once the paint has fully hardened.

Rik

Amazing Rik, what a transformation!

When you do things like this, it makes me wish I'd started off with 45mm!

philipy wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:54 pm When you do things like this, it makes me wish I'd started off with 45mm!

I agree, there is so much more choice when running 45mm although I do prefer the look of 32mm track.

I'm sure it would be relatively easy to fit 32mm wheel sets.

Just blogged the build BTW - http://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2018/08 ... -into.html

Rik

You make it look so easy.

Fantastic work Rik. I know the Newqida coaches have been converted as others, including me have done it, but I've never seen any other rolling stock modified. I'm sure others will have a go now.

Got to agree, that is a beautiful conversion. Almost pm'ed you last week as we were staying at Hawarden for the week. I did see the Peckforton Hills in the distance from Chirk Castle

bazzer42 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:40 pm Got to agree, that is a beautiful conversion. Almost pm'ed you last week as we were staying at Hawarden for the week. I did see the Peckforton Hills in the distance from Chirk Castle

Always happy to see fellow modellers. Next time .....?

Rik

Thanks folks. It's not too difficult. Probably a day's work, though I did it in three sittings.

Rik

Huge improvement on the original yellow wagon. Well done.

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:13 pm

bazzer42 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 8:40 pm Got to agree, that is a beautiful conversion. Almost pm'ed you last week as we were staying at Hawarden for the week. I did see the Peckforton Hills in the distance from Chirk Castle

Always happy to see fellow modellers. Next time .....?

Rik

Didn't realise how close we were until Tueday evening, c'est la vie! If you have a spare chassis I have a Newqida red body here going spare. I used the chassis to build an rhb style log carrier in my lgb days.

You have such a good eye for spotting British vans hiding within continental outline models. I run 32mm and I’m tempted to have a bash and stick it on 32mm wheels (I have 32mm newqida coaches)- even if I could achieve something that looks a fraction as good as yours I’d be delighted.

Simon, I know Rik suggested it, but doesn't just putting 32mm wheels in a 45mm chassis look odd with the solebars/axle boxes an extra 6mm too far away from the wheels?

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:44 am Simon, I know Rik suggested it, but doesn't just putting 32mm wheels in a 45mm chassis look odd with the solebars/axle boxes an extra 6mm too far away from the wheels?

Accucraft get away with it on their models - I suppose it's a personal decision as to whether you can live with it. I found a spare set of Accucraft wheels and tried them. It does work, though they will need some plastic or brass tube spacers to keep the wheels centred. .
Rik

bazzer42 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 7:10 am Didn't realise how close we were until Tueday evening, c'est la vie! If you have a spare chassis I have a Newqida red body here going spare. I used the chassis to build an rhb style log carrier in my lgb days.

PM sent

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 11:20 am
Accucraft get away with it on their models - I suppose it's a personal decision as to whether you can live with it. I found a spare set of Accucraft wheels and tried them. It does work, though they will need some plastic or brass tube spacers to keep the wheels centred.

Thanks Rik. I don't think I'd be happy with that look, myself, but each to his own.

The gap would annoy me as well which is why I am always put off buying Accucraft stuff for 32mm gauge.

I have one W&L wagon though that I managed to move in the axle boxes without ruining the look of the model.

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:44 am Simon, I know Rik suggested it, but doesn't just putting 32mm wheels in a 45mm chassis look odd with the solebars/axle boxes an extra 6mm too far away from the wheels?

I think Rik's right about it being a personal question of if you can live with it! When I assembled a Swift Sixteen 7 plank wagon I was dismayed by the gap between the axle boxes.
I thought it would bother me a great deal (it's not even as if the axle extends to the fake axle box). But even though it's far more obvious than the gap on my Newqida coaches, in fact I rarely notice or remember, and it appears frequently in my consists because I now think it's a great looking wagon and a nice little runner.

I won't know until unless I try it, but I suspect that even if wheels on the van will look odd from certain angles very low to the track, I personally won't ever actually notice it while running!

Done a bit of weathering, and added cosmetic brake gear. . . .
Rik