(https://i.imgur.com/xlkAJjZ.jpg)
Early in September I converted one of those fine Chivers / Five79 RC810 "Innisfail" coach kits into a clerestory coach. As well adding a clerestory, I replaced the plain ends with windows. It looks rather fine, and someone (David Malton, I think!) suggested it might make a nice NER-style railcar. So, I picked up the gauntlet...
A Railmotor would have to be longer than just one coach, but how much so? I found a suitable chassis in one of my boxes - the long wheelbase Tomytec B0-B0 chassis. By holding this up against the coach, I could see that I would require an extra door and window or a door and two windows' worth of length. I decided to go for the latter design and ordered two RC810 kits from Five79.
From two of the sides I cut out the central door plus one window each side. These new pieces are mirror-images as they both go to the same end of the vehicle, so the cuts are in different places. The photo may give a better idea. While these cut and shuts were setting, I used a 2D cad package to draw up enough end and internal doorway sections to make two ends with windows and two internal partitions. I also drew up two pairs of clerestory windows, These were printed onto 210gsm card (about the thickest that will easily go through my printer).
(https://i.imgur.com/GzZpG3i.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uu2d9a4.jpg)
I stuck together the ends and sides, using initially a solvent, then running "Glue n Glaze" down the inside for strength, which seems to work well. It was then time to get a good ride-height for the chassis – it has to be at the same height as the other rolling stock. This took a bit of messing around with styrene strip. The coach frame is from "U" section styrene each side stuck to the bottom of the sides as shown in the photo.
(https://i.imgur.com/CvljZHQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ogCsIK9.jpg)
I made up two interior partitions. The idea here is that the front compartment, which is the "window-door- window" section, contains the driving position and boiler etc, which a partition only one window wide at the rear contains a second driving position.
(https://i.imgur.com/H5FghdO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8ys8m1O.jpg)
Meanwhile, the roof was taking shape. I taped an over-large piece of 210gsm card to a circular former of suitable diameter. On top of his I glued two further pieces of 210gsm card, each held down at the straight edges with tape. Prior to gluing the final piece on, I drew on the guide lines for the roof and the clerestory top and bottom. The whole thing was allowed to dry for 24 hours, after which it keeps it curve nicely.
(https://i.imgur.com/FQ6KkIH.jpg)
I cut out the windows in one pair of clerestory sides but kept them together on the sheet; these were then glued carefully over the other pair and pressed together until dry. I then cut out six of the eight windows through the lower lamination, as I would make the clerestory over the engine compartment "blind". This was then glued to a piece of acetate sheer set aside to dry again. Finally the two sets of sides were cut out. They do bend a bit, but are firmly held in place on th
(https://i.imgur.com/w4tgoSH.jpg)
I cut out the roof section and two smaller pieces to form the top and bottom of the clerestory. The bottom pieces was stuck centrally on to the roof and small verticals stuck at the ends and at the transition between glazed and unglazed sections.
(https://i.imgur.com/2nrejrt.jpg)
The bend in the roof is corrected by the fixing process, which I have from Paul Titmuss. The roof is made removable with a sections of laminated cereal packet (Paul uses balsa, I believe) This is a tight-ish fit inside the coach walls and is stuck to the curve of the roof with strips of card of decreasing width. It has the advantage of letting you decide on passengers at a later stage!
And that is really it; I made a boiler from a short section of brass tube filled with Liquid Gravity; this is tuck to a false floor in the engine compartment. Two benches are stuck (with legs shortened) on another false floor in the passenger compartment. There is some extra weight added. The chassis is a friction fit in the frames. I added Greenwich couplings, which because of the large overhang, are fitted to the underside of the body rather than the bogies. The chimney is short piece of brass tube with a little loop of wire stuck to the top end.
(https://i.imgur.com/L9EbV7E.jpg)
Very nice.
Jeff S.