Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Discussion of Rolling Stock related topics should go here
User avatar
ace
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:03 am

Post by ace » Tue Jun 03, 2014 8:07 pm

Mr. Bond of the DVLR:101377 wrote:great looking rake of carriages - will the salloon be the same scheme or contrasting as some others have done?
Thanks Zach. ;)

Initially I was going to do it exactly the same as the others, but having spoken to a few about it they suggest to do something a little different. I will still use the three basic colours of cream, red and black but in different places. :)
YouTube ChannelImage

User avatar
ace
Fireman
Fireman
Posts: 294
Joined: Sun Jul 14, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by ace » Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:43 pm

Have you ever heard the saying 'Better late than never?', well here is the former part of that saying.

The last was that I had bought a directors coach from Brandbright, This was before they closed for a couple of years and was taken over earlier this year (2017) by someone new. Here is the photo account of when the kit was built back in 2014.

The brandbright kit, as expected went together an absolute breeze and was highly detailed and with very good instructions. Here are a few photos of the build as it progresses.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Slightly different colour scheme, enough to be different but still complimentary to the rest.

Image

The completed rake

Image

The latest and the first coach ever bought

Image
YouTube ChannelImage

User avatar
Peter Butler
Driver
Driver
Posts: 5219
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2012 10:33 pm
Location: West Wales

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by Peter Butler » Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:04 pm

Lovely looking stock Ace and well put together and finished. Good to see you back on the Forum.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

bazzer42
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1215
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2012 1:37 pm
Location: Forest of Dean

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by bazzer42 » Thu Nov 02, 2017 9:12 pm

I've always liked the interior of that coach and you've made a cracking job of it.

User avatar
Soar Valley Light
Driver
Driver
Posts: 1451
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
Location: North West Leicestershire

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by Soar Valley Light » Sun Nov 05, 2017 8:21 pm

As Bazzer says - Cracking job! I love the liveries.
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

Big Jim
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2694
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 5:28 pm
Location: Near Llanelli

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by Big Jim » Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:57 pm

As they say "Better late than never"
That is a nice looking rake of coaches there. I had a similar problem with my IP open, the roof is way too heavy for the coach without lots of ballast underneath.
If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer!

User avatar
sebastian35554
New User
New User
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2023 2:39 am

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by sebastian35554 » Wed Jul 26, 2023 5:33 am

ace wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:45 pm Hi Folks,

The significance of this rake is quite important. Its origins go back to 1995 when I had a brand new RH Billy and needed something to pull. The first coach was bought and built by myself as a 13 year old boy, the coach in question? A Brandbright PS16 panelled freelance luggage brake coach. This was the first introduction into building coaches for 16mm, and I really enjoyed it. This was shortly followed by a Brandbright PS21 3 compartment passenger coach in 1996. The rake was crudely decorated by yours truly and still stand in the same décor to this day. After the discussion in our meeting room online about my idea they expressed their interest in joining us at the intersect to tackle more information together.

Here they both are in all their glory stood in 2013 for some website photos. Sadly I did not think of taking any during building. :(

Image

Here is Billy in 2010 warming up ready to haul the two Brandbright coaches inside during the darkness of winter.

Image



In more recent times, over the last 2 years, the rake has steadily expanded from two coaches to four, by means of help from IP Engineering. Credit where is is due the kits from IP Engineering are good, but not as good as the Brandbright kits of a few years ago. That all said, you get what you pay for.

The first new addition was a total steal on ebay. It is a short, four wheeled, open sided, third class, two compartment coach. If I remember correctly the auction finished at a silly time (something like 2am) so I bagged it for the humble sum of £7 odd. I built it up and found that all the sides and bottom were twisting out of shape, so I clamped it up and glued it all together. Mysteriously it came with some plastic wheels, and the usual quarry axle boxes and brass bushes. The roof is mild steel and made the whole thing ridiculously top heavy. Initially I glued the roof on with cyanoacrylate, but with all the derailments and subsequent 'fallings over' due to the terrible centre of gravity, this was not to last.

In short this coach was bloody awful. It was top heavy, didn't free roll very well and was slowly twisting back to shape so was rocking on the diagonal. Several attempts to correct the rocking were made with shims under the axle-boxes , but it would slowly change. This coach was shelved for some time.

Here is the IP Engineering short coach stood on a rare run with the other earlier Brandbright coaches

Image

Image

Here is the short IP Engineering coach stood with its brand new sister.

Image

This follows on nicely to a purchase in spring 2013 of the IP Engineering 3 compartment coach kit. I bought this one direct from IPE, and is one of the last ply made kits that they produced (later swapped to MDF).

Here is the kit on delivery with a new Rapier electric loco.

Image

Titan bringing in the parts to the works.

Image

This coach was assembled and was without a roof for some months. The plastic roof that came supplied, I could just not work with. I ruined it trying to make it removable for easy access inside for placing figures and props. It took me some time to actually buy a piece of plywood to make a roof that I could form arches to make this possible.

Here are the formers for the arched ply roof.

Image

All glued and resting in my new roof jig.

Image

The finished article.

Image

And fitted.

Image

The idea for this rake was to simulate the growth of the line and the requirement for more carriages, therefore it was decided to buy the IP Engineering coaches because they were slightly different in appearance yet retaining the same style or origins.

Looking proud behind Billy

Image

During the course of the next few posts, I'll update you all with things of how they are now and what the future plans will be. The rake is expanding and has plans to expand further and also have a totally different appearance, loosing the 'cartoon colours' of the early brandbright coaches.

Stay tuned folks!:)
Wow, what a fantastic journey you've had with your coach rake! It's incredible to see the progression from your first Brandbright coaches back in the '90s to the recent additions from IP Engineering. The photos you've shared really showcase the evolution and growth of your collection.

I must say, your dedication and craftsmanship are truly impressive. Building and customizing these coaches must have been quite a rewarding experience, even with the challenges you faced along the way. The attention to detail, like creating the arched ply roof, is commendable, and the final results are stunning.

It's evident that you've put a lot of love and passion into this project. The idea to simulate the growth of the line and gradually expand the rake with slightly different-looking coaches is a brilliant concept.

I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more about your future plans and how the rake continues to evolve. Your dedication to improving and refining your models is inspiring. Keep up the great work, and thank you for sharing this journey with us. It's a joy to see your progress and the wonderful locomotive, Billy, pulling these beautifully crafted coaches.

Best of luck with your future endeavors, and I'll definitely be staying tuned for updates!

User avatar
FWLR
Driver
Driver
Posts: 4262
Joined: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:45 am
Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK

Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR

Post by FWLR » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:13 pm

So will I, those rakes do look fantastic. Well done. :thumbright:

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests