Garden Railway Forum

Another project which has been sitting on the shelf for a while has now emerged from the workshop - a car railcar .
Not sure where the donor body came from for the car. But it seems to look OK .
The passengers are those cheap figures which come from China - butchered a bit. Slightly under scale (1:25) but they don't look too out of place! .
The luggage hides the motor. One of those cheap worm gearbox motors with the 3v motor replaced with a 6v version.

A couple of li-ion AA sized batteries and a Deltang Rx60 receiver/controller and Bob's your uncle.

The premise is that the Hon Frances Tollemache (daughter of Lord Tollemache of Peckforton Castle) is reuturning from her hols with her latest beau.

.
Hope you like it

Rik

I love it Rik... is it usually the case that steering wheels remained after conversion to rail use?

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 9:58 pm .... is it usually the case that steering wheels remained after conversion to rail use?

Not sure, but I decided that the steering wheel would have a hand throttle at its centre and so they kept the wheel as something to hold on to, rather than just having the column with a lever on it.

It is actually a brake wheel from Cambrian Models, so it might even have a secondary function.

Rik

Nice one Rik, I like it that you altered their arms to hold on to their hats! Many of our road to rail conversions kept the steering wheel.
Grant

LNR wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 10:49 pm ......, I like it that you altered their arms to hold on to their hats!

Thanks Grant
I felt this would probably be the most natural pose. The hands were the most difficult to model in milliput. The chap's hand holding the wheel is more like a flipper. Maybe he's a keen swimmer

LNR wrote: ↑Tue Jul 21, 2020 10:49 pm Many of our road to rail conversions kept the steering wheel.

When I bought it off eBay, it had originally been converted to have a front bogie and sit very high off the rails. I thought it looked unprototypical and so lowered it to do away with the bogie. I should have done more research. Reassuring that they retained the steering wheel though..... .
Less clear whether the wheel is still intact, but the driver looks as if he's leaning on something.
.
Rik

Fortunately, it looks as if the conversions took many forms, so maybe mine isn't quite so unprototypical after all..... . . . . . .
Rik

Your ingenuity never fails to amaze me. Also the speed with which you turn these projects out, if it was me I'd still be thinking about it!

That Jeep train looks rather interesting, I wonder if those guys were considered passengers or backup motive power!

BorisSpencer wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:07 am That Jeep train looks rather interesting, I wonder if those guys were considered passengers or backup motive power!

Probably depended on the gradient ......

Rik

I believe some of the conversions, the Jeep for example, were able to be dual purpose, i.e. road/rail vehicles, therefore the steering wheel would still be required.
Would the steering need to be locked for rail use?

pandsrowe wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2020 9:17 am ...... if it was me I'd still be thinking about it!

This one has been on the shelf for a couple of years while I tried to decide how to tackle it. Once I laid hands on the razor saw, it was remarkable how quickly it came together though - probably around three days of intermittent work.

Rik

Excellent Rik. You’ve really captured the Edwardian feel in the dress/jacket. Must be a windy day, as I can’t believe there hats are in danger from the speed of the railcar.

Andy

Love it Rik, particularly the driver and passenger holding onto their hats.

Look forward to the build article on your blog!

If there is anyone who is capable of converting then it's you Rik...

I love the Car railcar....will you sell it to me....

steamyjim wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:44 pm Look forward to the build article on your blog!

Only too happy to oblige, Jim

https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... ilcar.html

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:22 am

steamyjim wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2020 10:44 pm Look forward to the build article on your blog!

Only too happy to oblige, Jim

https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... ilcar.html

Rik

Another enjoyable read Rik!

What 3d printer do you have? How do you find it?

Hi Jim
It's a CTC DIY A8, a very cheap version of the Anet A8. It came as a kit, the construction of which I've described here - https://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2020/0 ... et-a8.html

I got mine for £80 on eBay. The price seems to vary. On the CTC website it's shown as $140 USD, which converts to around £110. https://ctcprinter.com/product_detail.php?ProId=37

As it was cheap, it takes a fair bit of setting up and nurturing to keep it running smoothly and the quality of the prints isn't as good as more expensive printers. According to some reviews, it is possible to get it to produce really top quality prints but so far I've not found the settings which enable me to achieve that.

Rik
PS Looking at the blurb on the website, it looks as if they've changed the design since my model. The frame now looks more substantial and they say construction involves assembling only five parts. My kit contained over 100 (I think I counted them to be 105!). It also looks as if they've upgraded the software. So maybe the latest version has put right some of the limitations of my model. I can't complain, mine cost £30 less!

BTW I've discovered that the donor vehicle is from the Sylvanian Families range. It's called the Vintage Wedding Car. .
I've also noticed they do a very interesting version of the Morris Minor, which could easily be adapted to look like the real thing, sitting in a station car park. Not my era but I'm sure it could be of interest to some of you. .
Rik

Sylvanian do some interestingly adaptable items. I've had a Sylvanian Families narrow boat sitting in the cupboard for years. My original intention was to de-toyify it and moor in on the pond where the track runs alongside. Then a heron visited and I had to net the pond all over and there seemed little point in having a boat under a net!