Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
The rake is growing...
I ordered a two compartment luggage coach from ip engineering to compliment the rake.
Here it is going together. Sadly it is a MDF version, but it gives me an idea for changing the colour scheme as the MDF will never have a wood grain effect.
Sadly the coach sides came in wrong twice, but Ivor from ip engineering sorted it all out in the end.
Here are the overlays in their new colours, it made sense to paint them first.
All primed up ready for the top coats.
(edited to change image host)
I ordered a two compartment luggage coach from ip engineering to compliment the rake.
Here it is going together. Sadly it is a MDF version, but it gives me an idea for changing the colour scheme as the MDF will never have a wood grain effect.
Sadly the coach sides came in wrong twice, but Ivor from ip engineering sorted it all out in the end.
Here are the overlays in their new colours, it made sense to paint them first.
All primed up ready for the top coats.
(edited to change image host)
Last edited by ace on Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Soar Valley Light
- Driver
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- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
Hi ACE,
That's coming along a treat. Looks like a really nice job, thanks for sharing the detail photos of your efforts.
I'm no stranger to kit building - well, I've done plenty in the past , about a thousand years ago! That was in much smaller scales though. Now I'm about to embark on modelling again after more years away from the hobby than I care to count and in a a scale I've never worked in before, I find myself slightly nervous about taking the plunge and getting on with it. Postings such as yours are a real inspiration to the likes of me.
Thanks again and keep up the postings.
Andrew
That's coming along a treat. Looks like a really nice job, thanks for sharing the detail photos of your efforts.
I'm no stranger to kit building - well, I've done plenty in the past , about a thousand years ago! That was in much smaller scales though. Now I'm about to embark on modelling again after more years away from the hobby than I care to count and in a a scale I've never worked in before, I find myself slightly nervous about taking the plunge and getting on with it. Postings such as yours are a real inspiration to the likes of me.
Thanks again and keep up the postings.
Andrew
"Smith! Why do you only come to work four days a week?
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
So now it is time to finish off what we started (sorry I forgot to update this thread). The rake has grown with the purchase of another member, more on that later.
The colour scheme has now been finalised, and on reflection, looks a little better than the teak and maroon, a little more ‘narrow gauge’ I feel.
And then with the black overlay.
So now it was time to turn the rest into the same. A little more fiddly with the already fitted overlay details.
A little masking
Add some more maroon
And then the black detail
And multiply by a few times….
And for now that concludes the painting. I just need to build the last roof for the luggage coach and start the new one.
(edited to change image host)
The colour scheme has now been finalised, and on reflection, looks a little better than the teak and maroon, a little more ‘narrow gauge’ I feel.
And then with the black overlay.
So now it was time to turn the rest into the same. A little more fiddly with the already fitted overlay details.
A little masking
Add some more maroon
And then the black detail
And multiply by a few times….
And for now that concludes the painting. I just need to build the last roof for the luggage coach and start the new one.
(edited to change image host)
Last edited by ace on Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Dr. Bond of the DVLR
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Thanks Zach.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?
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.
Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
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.
Slightly different colour scheme, enough to be different but still complimentary to the rest.
The completed rake
The latest and the first coach ever bought
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.
Slightly different colour scheme, enough to be different but still complimentary to the rest.
The completed rake
The latest and the first coach ever bought
- Peter Butler
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Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
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?
Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
I've always liked the interior of that coach and you've made a cracking job of it.
- Soar Valley Light
- Driver
- Posts: 1451
- Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 5:18 pm
- Location: North West Leicestershire
Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
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!"
"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"
Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
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.
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!
- sebastian35554
- New User
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Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
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.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.
Here is Billy in 2010 warming up ready to haul the two Brandbright coaches inside during the darkness of winter.
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
Here is the short IP Engineering coach stood with its brand new sister.
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.
Titan bringing in the parts to the works.
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.
All glued and resting in my new roof jig.
The finished article.
And fitted.
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
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!:)
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!
Re: Freelance Coach Rake of the RHLR
So will I, those rakes do look fantastic. Well done.
ROD
Life is so easy when I run my trains.
https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11364
https://www.youtube.com/@fairywoodlightrailway
Life is so easy when I run my trains.
https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11364
https://www.youtube.com/@fairywoodlightrailway
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