Neil's workbench thread - wagon building

[NeilMac]

I have progressed two more wagons, but the glue is still drying so no photos as yet. What I also did was build some bolsters in advance ready for use on other wagons. I realised that I had not until now photographed any of these, other than when already on the wagons, so I thought I would do so just to show how easy they are.

These are bolsters for mounting the Peco bogies, which include the couplers. It does of course cost to buy them in the first place, but having done that they will then just clip into place if you have built the bolsters correctly.



Sometime you have a choice of the chassis design, but other times you need to work with what you have. This design of bolster is for wagons where the chassis base is higher than the headstocks by 0.080" - 0.120" (I prefer the higher value becuase I like wagons to ride low), or for any wagon where the gap is less but you do not want to cut holes in the floor, i.e. an open wagon where you do not want to be forced to run it permanently loaded.

The Peco instructions state that the bolster needs a 4mm hole through a 0.060" strip, and a clearance of 0.040" to clear the clip on the mounting pin (units mixed to fall in line with the supllies and tools I use!).

For the bolster I use 0.060 x 0.276" strip, although it would be equally possible to cut a strip from 0.060" sheet. The strip is around 6.5mm wide, so the 4mm hole needs to be drill exactly central to ensure it is not to close to the side for comfort. Yes, I have reject some I started, but no great investment in time or materials to turn back at this stage if the first attempt does not look good.

To drill the hole I have 1mm, 2mm, 3mm and 4mm drills all ready in pin chucks and rill the hole progressively using all 4. This can still raise a slight burr around the hole which should be cleared off to ensure trouble free operation.

The packing at the ends can be anything suitable. I used 0.040 x 0.080 strip becuase I had it to hand, although pieces cut from sheet would work equally well.

And that is it. Glue these to the underframe ensuring they are the correct distance from the end for the wagon spacing you prefer, leave long enough for the glue to dry, clip in the bogies and onto the layout...


Where the chassis base is lower, and the wagon floor can be cut, the bolsters can be just the drilled strip without the spacers at the ends. These will then need holes making in the wagon floor to clear the mounting clip. A 6mm hols would be possible, but I usually just cut out a rough square - the wagons you can do this to are not the ones where this will be visible. See photos of the cattle wagon conversion on page 1 of this thread for an example of this method.

[NeilMac]

Slow and steady progress. I have done a bit more, but no photos yet so that will be a future update.

For now this is the GW van conversion.




After separating what had originally been a built up body and narrowing the ends I was basically left with a kit, minus the floor.
Here I started with what may well have been the recommended method of assembling the kit - joining pairs of sides and ends. To ensure these stayed at 90 degrees to each other until dry I added 0.080" strip to help.




I had a decision to make as to whether or not to create a floor and assemble the sides round this, but decided it would be easier to join the side/end pairs, let them dry, then measure the inner width to work out the floor width needed. Because I had added 0.080" strip to the bottom of the sides this did not need to be absolutelty perfect, just so long as the was enough overlap to get a good strong joint.
I deliberately made the floor short, partly because it was easier! but mainly to enusre that when  the roof was later added it would have no chance to create a sealed box to trap the solvent fumes.


This wagon needs a bit more work on the underframe - I plan to add U channel below the sides to represent a steel chassis, after which just bolters and bogies to be a runnable wagon (although still needing weight, roof, details, paint, letting, weathering etc to be really finished!)

[NeilMac]

I have been away so not much progress, but here is a wagon made useable earlier that I have only just got round to processing the photos for.

This is the Bachmann composite gondola conversion, which had all the main bodwork complete at the last update, but still needed running gear




Because this wagon was designed from the outset to ride lower than the previous Bachmann conversion from the all steel body I have used bolsters without the 0.040" spacers. The body having been designed to leave a deliberate gap between the two sides of the orginal floor to clear the mounting clip when the bogies are clipped in place.




And here is the wagon with the bogies. Note to self: get a decent photo plank built to show wagons when they are able to sit on the track!
Not much more to do to complete this other than vac pipes and paint. If I was building a 'normal' layout I would probably paint and letter it the same as the other low side open wagons I have built so they appeared to all be part of one fleet - but as shunting layouts work better when all stock is distinctive, rather that just different numbers on the same livery, I expect to select a different livery and possibly lettering.

[NeilMac]

Progress on a few more wagons last week. Here are photos of the first of these

This is the GW kit conversion, which has progressed to be able to run on the layout (or will be able to when I get round to building one...)




To finish the visible chassis I added strip to represent  a steel underframe. I selected this such that it matched the height of the headstocks when assembled, and fortunately I had some in stock for the correct size - 0.0120" if I remember correctly.




Becuase of the way this wagon and its chassis were build up I needed to build bolsters with more than my usual depth of packing to get the correct ride height. Fortunately none of this is visible when the wagon is on the track




And finally with the bogies clipped on and stood on the track.

The elephant in the room here - of should that be in the picture - is that this van does not yet have a roof. Currently none of mine do, except those where this is unaltered from the base model as in the Heinz van a few posts back. None even have the supports yet ready for the roof. This is until I decide on the weight per wagon. This just needs a haulage test to see  what works, but I have been putting of for two reasons.

Firstly was the realisation that even though my layout will have no gradients and no prolonged curves it would still not be a full test just using a length of track. To accurately test haulage capacity would need pointwork to pull the train through - one of my layouts could see a train running through the curved route of 4 points.

Second reason, and the real delay, is that I would like to try this also with a Kato 8 wheel chassis - a chassis not known for its pulling power. I have no definate plans for these, but I do have a few, and at least one kit designed to use one, so I want to check them to see if they are feasible for use. I need to dig these out from my stash before I can try this, and I know they are buried deep!

[NeilMac]

The other of my wagons that saw more significant progress was the Hornby rib side van conversion.

You may remember from an earlier post that this turned into one of the simpler OO body conversions when I realised how narrow it was, so narrow in fact that it fit within my narrow gauge loading gauge without needing to be narrowed.




Here we see an example of do as I say, not as I do! I realised later in the build that I needed to add bolsters without packing to get the wagon to ride as low as possible (a choice of mine, others my prefer them to ride a little higher). Had I planned ahead better durng the construction I could have built it with a higher floor, but as it was I needed to cut holes in the floor to clear the bogie mounting pins.





And finally, after fitting bolsters, here it is with bogies and on the track.

As this is stock for a shunting layout I am planning on leaving the wagon in Heinz livery - however I still plan to do something about the roof. I may choose lighter grey or a dark grey (to look like weathered black) because I think the overall green do look a bit too toy like.

[NeilMac]

It has been some time since I updated this thread due to other distractions and time away, however I have not been totally idle on the workbench so I do have things ready to show.

At least one of the things I have done will need a proper camera to photograph, rather than a phone, so I will show that soon.

For now, to keep the thread going, here are two more 'victims' for conversion I have just bought. I got these from a model shop I found on the main street in Hythe in Kent. This shop sold mainly second hand and had drawers full of wagons in addition to locos, buildings, road vehicles etc and I recommend a visit if you are in the area.



The van is the same body as the Heinz van on the previous update, so should be a quick conversion, and will be a good candidate for my shunting layout which will work best with distinctly different wagons.

The mineral wagon is not one I have tried before, but it is the correct length for my fleet and I am hopeful that being black (picked this specially for that reason) I can keep the livery intact on the sides whilst beng able to paint the ends to cover the cuts needed to narrow the body.


This (plus one other new wagon I have not shown yet) brings the count of wagons I am working on to 21, for a layout I have not yet started. This just shows how I do prefer building wagons to actually getting down to building a layout!

As I have 3 possible layout plans I can manage to justify this to myself by claiming that I am planning to create stock for all 3 layouts. Due to the method of operation each layout would benefit from a different mix of rolling stock.

To prevent this becoming an essay, or a layout thread, the differing needs for these layout, which I will simply label A, B & C, are;

A - 5 or 8 wagons, depending on the size built. Generic sidings so any wagon types acceptable, the more visual different the better
B - 6 wagons. Sidings against loading doors or platforms. Best served with all vans, so similar in body style but different in color/livery
C - 6 wagons. 3 sidings with specific purposes, so needs two groups of the same 3 wagon types, e.g. van, tank car, cattle wagon with each group made up of wagons of the same colour, again for easy visual differenciation when operating the layout.

[NeilMac]

Finally details of something currently on my workbench. This is a kit I am building, a Chivers RC812 - Round End Bogie Open Wagon.

This is a good kit and very qiuck to assemble. The parts are clean and crisp, with only the lightest of flash on the truss roads and turnbuckles, which took no more than a scrape with edge of a knife blade to remove.

Does this mean I am going to build something by following the instructions to the letter? Well, nearly, but not quite as you will see.




The kit is supplied with bogies but without wheels or couplers - this is clearly indicated before purchase. Because of this, and that all my other stock for this layout uses Peco bogies, I decided to keep the Chivers bogies for another model and stick with my standard.

This then was the one deviation from the instructions. I did not photogragh the parts before I started, but the slightly rough area to each end of the underside of the floor is where I removed the Chivers bogie mounting points to make way for my standard bolsters.




And very quickly the body was complete.

This still needs bolsters adding, but no rush there as I need to order some more bogies first as I have just used the last of my stock.

[JulienW]

I've not long built one of those (and the 'straight end' version) myself. They go together well and make nice wagons.

When it comes to building the bogies from the kit it will pay you to gently dress the square ends of the bogie stretchers with a file.  On all of these that have passed across my bench (probably a dozen or more!) there seems to be a very minor mismatch in the mould and it just needs a couple of gentle strokes with a file to make them square so that they fit neatly into the square socket in the bogie sides, and that these are square to the bogie pivot axis.

[NeilMac]

Back on page 2 of this thread I showed a wagon that I had purchased as a body only which had one roof ventilator missing.
At the time I requested if anyone knew where I might get another, and did recieve some suggestions. However I did not do anything about it at the time because I was getting another thought in my mind.



I had been putting together a 3d model for some other models to print using Shapeways (all narrow gauge, but definately not 009, although I may show them when they are painted), and I thought that whilst preparing those I would try adding some ventilators - adding extra small details to an exiting print costs practically nothing providing all parts are sprued together.
I measured up the one currently on the model and tried to get it as close as I could. The print they were added to was for Frosted Ultra Detail which is the second best quality so no problems with fine details being obscured.

Having taken time to get a qualiry camera on the job, rather than my usual fallback of a phone, I can now see that the roof does need a little touch up with some matching paint!

[NeilMac]

I have made a start on one of my latest purchases, the Hornby Red Arrows van.

This will be similar to the Heinz van just a few posts up. But not identical...



The two other Hornby vans I have - the Heinz above, plus one that I cut down to little more than the sides - were all hollow inside. I had expected this to be the same, but it has these supports. As you would expect they are in the way.
Since taking the photo I have cut these back. I first tried with a knife. That was too slow so I switched to a razor saw which I ran down close to the body side and cut deep - need these well out of the way so that I can get my fingers in later to attach the part floor sections. Then just a light score with a knife across the support near to the botttom of the cut allowed the upper parts to be snapped off.
Then just a clean up back to the body side enough to allow .120" of strip along the lower edge of the side to be fitted later.

[NeilMac]

Picking up on a wagon that has not seen any activity in a while, the Liliput van conversion.

When making this post I realised that all the parts in the photo were showing only the back. As the previous posts for this wagon are on a previous page I am repeating the last image here for better context.



And the following image is where progress is at currently



On the left are the sides to which I have added .120" depth of strip to the bottom to support the floor.

In the middle is the floor cut from .030". This thickness will allow some flex when the sides are attached, however once the ends are also in place the body will be solid.

On the right I have tried an experiment with the ends. Due to the corrugations I decided that they would be tricky to mark and cut to width - by taking a slice from each side - when working from the front. So, when I was cutting the floor I marked and initially cut it over length before separating the floor out from the middle. This left me extra lengths which were exactly the same width as the floor. By glueing these to the back of the sides I am hopefull that these will provide a guide for the knife and for sanding to get the ends to the exact width to be able to form a nice square body. Watch this space to find out if this works...

[NeilMac]

I am away from my workbench for the week because my work room  has become a guest room. This update brings me up to date with where I was before 'eviction'.

Firstly the Liliput van shown in the last update. No photos for this one this time, but in the last post I showed how I had attached plasticard cut to the width of the chassis - and therefore the required width of the ends - as a knife guide for cutting. I can report that this method was a sucess and I now one well trimmed end, with the other to complete when I am back.

And now what to do if you already have several wagons partly built - well, start another one of course!

This is a Dapol gunpowder van. I bought 3 of these some time ago with the plan of cutting and extending them into a long van with a double set of doors each side, similar in length to an L&B 8 ton van. This never got progressed so I decided to use them for this fleet. Here they will be extended, but not by quite so much.



On the left are 2 sides with the end posts trimmed back ready for joining.

Centre are the ends from a second body. The near one is already cut back to one panel ready for joining to the main sides to give 3 panels either side of the door, although the end does still need removing and cutting down. The second end is still awaiting the same treatment.

To the right are the left over doors. These will be saved for another model, for which I can scratch build the sides rather than try cut down 2 more bodies.

Just need to wait now until I can have my work room back...

[NeilMac]

And yet another new wagon. This is a Parkside OO LNER grain wagon kit that I dug out recently. I had remembered that I had it, and because I like the wagon I had been planning on building it standard gauge as a static model on a layout with a SG interchange



However, from this photo of all the parts you can see the problem - no chassis! Not sure where this would have gone as I have has the kit for years, and as the body is well within the length range for my fleet the decision was made - 009 it is.

From the parts shown here I plan to use the sides as is.

I am thinking of not using the ends at all - which would need narrowing if used - and just build them from scribed sheet and L channel. In the meantime I will keep the original ends for reference.

As for the hopper, the jury is out on that until I get to that point in the build. I may cut down the parts here. On the other hand, it may be easier to just build it from scratch to exactly fit the space available.

Finally the roof. Normal I do not plan to use these, but as this has the hatches moulded in I may try and cut this down and use it. If it does not work out then I can just scratchbuild one instead.




And the progress so far. As I have been doing for other vans I cut the floor significanly over length so as to have a long strip of a consistent width. The floor was cut from the centre of this and the remainer cut up for the supports you see here to keep the body square, and also for use in cutting the ends - by laminating the strip to scribed sheet and then trimming that back to the width I should get easily to ends that are square and should need nothing more that a light file to be an exact fit.

[NeilMac]

Some more wagons that I worked on during the last workbench session



I added the chassis to this van. Because I had previously done a conversion using an identical body (Heinz van 4 posts above), this job simply became one of following the proven method from last time. Or at least nearly followed, I actually learned from the mistake I made last time and increased the floor height meaning I did not have to cut holes in it this time.




This is not a nearly complete wagon, just the tank place on to of the floor to see how it will look.

For the floor this is simply planked sheet laminated to .030" plain sheet. I had originally considered making the decking full width, however decided against this. Although I know there were narrow gauge wagons build like this I could not shake the feeling that doing it that way looked more American than British (that was the way I had previously build a HOn30 tank car using an N gauge tank body). Instead I made the floor narrower, and will then surround it with low frameing, similar to a conflat wagon.

In an alteration to what would be my normal sequence of construction I plan to paint the planking before going any further. I had previously worked out a good method to represent unpainted and weathered wood using enamels, but now want to try this with acrylics, so not sure if I will need to vary the technique to make it work. Either way I know it is easier when you can easily make brush strokes in the direction of the grain, hence when there is the option of leaving the framing off until later then I plan to take it.

[B.Meldon]

This is not a nearly complete wagon, just the tank place on to of the floor to see how it will look.

If you ever want to add the ladders and platform handrails to this Egger-bahn wagon tank body that was made for them by Rokal here is a link to an e-bay seller that makes replica metal ladders. However, these are TT 3mm scale just as were the ones on the Egger-bahn wagons:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324286257281