Vale of Rheidol summer coaches scratchbuilds

[laalratty]

Most Vale of Rheidol Railway trains run with at least one "summer coach" semi opens on the front. However, having seen an otherwise lovely VofR train run at the Scorton Bank Railway back in April without one, I thought it was time that someone in the NWAG had one so that a full Rheidol train could be run at steamups. So in my last E-Newsletter to NWAG members I offered to build one for a cost significantly less then the Perfect World kit. Thus far, 3 NWAG members have taken me up on this, and so I've started construction of a batch of at least 3 and possibly 4 summer coaches. A picture of the drawing featured in my Jims Model van thread, this has since been slightly modified to raise the roofline by 6mm to better match the Brandbright model of the saloon coaches.

Floor and ends cut out, plus pics of the prototype

A several ends marked out for cutting out

What will prove to hopefully be the only major headache is the end windows, with have curved corners. This means drilling the four corners to roughly the right radius, cutting in between with a jig-saw and then a lot of fileing to neaten everything up, taking a good couple of hours at least for a pair of ends. Oh to have a laser cutter!
The coaches are being finished to the painting stage, to allow the customers to choose the livery

[DVT Dweller]

Chris,

Are these only available to your local group?

[laalratty]

No Steve, I'd be willing to do one for you should you wish, I've cut enough ends for 4 coaches thus far, with 2 confirmed orders from NWAG members (one pulled out upon selling his VoR loco). Just don't expect it immediately! The prototype, which is going to SLRmidge is virtually complete body wise, but I'm still wondering how best to go about the seats. Hopefully I'll get a pic up within the next week

[laalratty]

Got some photos at last, if photobucket plays ball....






As you can see, it's fairly complete, just needs the interior, mesh panels and roofing before it can be handed over to SLRmidge for finishing. Hopefully, any rough bits will be better in the future models

[METHSSNIFFER]

Taking shape I'm looking forward to seeing its interior and wondered if you are going to attempt to have working tram style seating. I've studied this coach myself for the challenge of doing this but its way down the list at the moment. But its looking good. GWR choc and cream is a great livery..

[laalratty]

I'm not intending on making the seats working, I think it would possibly be too much work especially with 10 seats to the carriage (I think, it may be more but I can't remember off the top of my head)

[METHSSNIFFER]

Might be worth making a couple facing the opposite direction to give it the impression that they are tram like seats or have a go at one or two.

[laalratty]

In pics I've seen of the interior the seats have all been facing the same way, I suspect that most people would want to face the way the train is going. However, if anyone has a photo showing any different...

[METHSSNIFFER]

The VOR is an end to end line so they are likely to reverse them on their return and not always with a full coach of passengers of course so one or two would be left facing each other

[laalratty]

There has been quite a lot of progress since I last posted on this....!


First of all, SLRmidge managed to source seating off ebay that although not ideal, gave a flavour of the original. With suitable modification to make it both wider and higher this was fitted


10 seats to a coach is a best guess looking at photos I've found. They have been fixed down with some in the reverse position as Midge decided he would like some like this. As you can see, he had already painted the coach body, both inside and out


Meanwhile, work has started on the next two, for ayepad Ed and DVT Dweller


End detail, the mesh is aluminium and used in car body repairs. SLRmidge managed to find what seemed to be the last piece in Morecambe!


Midge bought 6 figures off Modeltown, these were fixed in before the roof was put on. If you listen to him for long enough he will tell you that they are all named either Mr Pinter or Mrs Pinter....


How it looked this morning, after setting the roof to glue on overnight. For about the first time ever I didn't have to redo any part of the roof, it all stuck!


How it looked this afternoon, once I'd put the bogies under it. I was going to give it a test run but Midge came to collect it before I got the chance. He will be doing some final finishing before the coach enters service.

[laalratty]

SLR midge has completed the coach and mighty fine it looks too if I say so myself


It must be said the cream isn't right, and I believe Midge is thinking of repainting it although it will probably match his current GRC VoR coaches quite well

And appropriately for the first train...

....haulage was by a Rheidol tank, and the rest of the train comprised Rheidol saloon coaches (and a 4 wheel brake as well). Therefore, it has started doing what it was built for, to make NWAG Vale of Rheidol trains look more prototypical. Now, I've just got the other commissions to finish, increased to three now since SBR Arthur has decided one would look good in his rake as well. Photos of todays steamup at the Scorton Bank Railway will be posted tommorow

[laalratty]

The Afonglas carriage works has not been idle since the completion of SLRmidge's summer coach

DVT Dweller and Ayepad Ed's coaches are both nearly complete, just now requiring seating. The construction of these two was much faster then Midge's, practice makes perfect it seems. However, one obstacle remains, the seating. I've decided not to use the G-scale plastic seats on these, instead taking on the challenge of scratchbuilding them. Now I'm still not sure quite how I'm going to do them, but I've made a start on the actual seats

Hopefully, with slats added they should look quite reminiscent of the real ones, hopefully!

[HereticUK]

Impressive models, indeed!

[MDLR]

Sooner you than me - I found the slatted seats on my open Penrhyn coach bad enough.....................

[METHSSNIFFER]

Now winter is approaching on your summer coaches going to adopt the drop down tarpaulin to shelter those winter days ahead

[laalratty]

I am not supplying them with tarpaulins but that doesn't stop the purchasers fitting them. The coaches on the Rheidol do not have them fitted these days, presumably it is now thought that seeing the views is preferable to staying dry, which is fair enough really

[laalratty]

So, we left off with the seats under construction. With each seat having 4 slats, plus front, back and side pieces making them took rather a long time. And that was before taking the and devising a way of supporting them, preferably looking like the Rheidol reversible tram style seats, and for as small a financial outlay as possible. But eventually a solution was devised and the completion of all 20 seats commenced. That is each seat assembly needing 20 of each part. What else can I say apart from I'm a modelling masochist....!

This was taken whilst the legs were being added to the bases. The back was added last, the seats were all made out of brass strip and offcuts of plywood, strip wood and card, all then held together with either PVA or superglue.

Finally after well over a weeks work, the seating in Steve's (DVT dweller) coach complete. The seats now just need fixing to the dummy floor. The dummy floor means that the interior can be spray painted with the seats out of the way.

The two coaches together, the other one has roof sticks in place ready to fit the roof, but this will be done by Ayepad Ed.
With my part of the projects almost done, I look forward to seeing what the finished results will be!

[METHSSNIFFER]

A correction in your terminology "Roof sticks" if one is going to become a recognised modeller please use the correct terminology

What are they called cross members, roof joists, roof joisticks!

[laurence703]

Engineers / modellers aren't well known for their communication skills... I understand what he meant so I don't think it matters... he's building them so he can call them what he likes!

Looking good Chris! Only just come across this one...

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

A correction in your terminology "Roof sticks" if one is going to become a recognised modeller please use the correct terminology

Yep, so laalratty manages to get some brilliant work done on the coaches built and all he gets back is criticism of a piece of terminology