Alex3410 June Competition - SECR Rake of Wagons

[Alex3410]

Hi guys,

Finally decided on topic for Junes competition, not sure if i will complete it this month (busy at work) but am going to give it a good try!

I have chosen to build a rake of SECR wagons, as per last month its to go with my SECR locos and wont be 100% accurate but going for a representation which should be good enough to keep me happy

Kits ordered today so should arrive next week, will stop me from starting before the 1st anyway! I don't know if all of the kits will be done but am going to be optimistic, it will be the first kit built wagon i have made though so a bit of a milestone.

Shopping list so far:
Cambrian C109 - SECR 12 Ton Twin Bolster Wagons (00) X1
Cambrian C77.SECR 10/12ton Dropside Ballast Wagon Kit X3
Cambrian C108. SECR/SR 10 Ton 5-Plank Wagon Kit. (00) X2
Romford Pin-Point Shouldered Bearings x 50 - (00)
Hornby R8098 12.6mm Diameter Spoked Wheels - Pack of 10

total including P&P: £45.40


2nd order:
bearings & 3 link couplings: £12



6 wagons in total

i think i have the transfers and paint at home, if i dont have the grey for the wagons will use a suitable shade i own from Humbrol range

Wish me luck

[skyblue]

I look forward to seeing your progress on these kits. These should go nicely with your C Class locos - how many do you have now? (or should I say how many of those that were produced don't you own, probably easier to count those? ).

[mattmay05]

Done all of those kits, most difficult was the bolster, instructions were not terribly clear on few areas, probably want some Bachmann couplings as they will fit the coupling blocks that come with the kit.

[carnehan]

I look forward to this build Alex - looks like a good one and will make a cracking rake.

Paul

[Alex3410]

Thanks guys

easy answer to how many C class locos i have is to many - i would rather like the SECR grey one but few and far between, Rails had one recently but wanted £200 for it!


@mattmay05 really handy photos thank you for sharing them - good tips about the coupling as well, not sure what i fancy doing yet might fit 3 link couplings but will see when i get that far

[Alex3410]

I have dug out an old airfix brake van - BR era but will do & will make the rake complete

Have also found a LNER bolster wagon which I have been meaning to build for awhile so added that in as well

[Alex3410]

jumped the gun a little early but with the number of wagons i am trying to do cant help it

Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

i know its not a SECR wagon but its my layout and all that

kit went together really nicely, only slight disappointment was the buffers which looked like they didnt form correctly, had a set in my spares box however so nothing to worry about:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

I have opted for the 3 link couplings as i do rather like the way they look and run, it will mean the rake will be fixed most of the time however due to the massive pain when uncoupling them

I have to say i was not convinced in the way the bogies attach to the body, the pin needed glueing at the end only so that it fixed firmly to the rest of the body but not to the bogie to allow free movement - i know its more to do with my modelling skills & worrying about using to much glue but after winding out the holes in the body and being careful with the glue the arrangement works well. Its another step towards painting sections separately before i build kits which would make life easier - well once i get over the fear of screwing it all up when i get the glue out!

weight also added under the body
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

a quick test to make sure its all OK:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

[Alex3410]

As i said i have dug out an old Airfix break van to complete the rake, there is something about these old kits that i just love i think it might just be the box / packaging & the smell of an old kit

Anyway this is the kit:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr


i also dug out the rest of them which might feature in a future competition:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

on with the build, i fitted bearings to help with the running but i think these are now causing the frames to bend outward slightly - its either those or the wheels. I have ordered some plain bearings rather then the shouldered ones i have been using to see if i can fit them further into the frames to stop it from happening on future builds.
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

The kit is old & has several bits are in need of some TLC, one of the walls had allot of damage to the details & one of the buffers snapped when sanding so i have opted to nab replacement bits from another one of the kits as i have 4 of them and wont need them all - this will explain any of the grey plastic

Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

3 link couplings fitted - its allot easier to do this during the build then attempt to retro fit them to RTR stock, i had to remove some of the under frame to make way for the coupling but nothing to bad:

Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

starting to put the body together with a weight in the middle as there is more room here then under the body:

Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr


off to a good start anyway

[Alex3410]

Finally, a quick shout out to Kitlady on ebay! My order above ended up being £15 P&P even with the auto discount for multiple items but kitlady has refunded some of it to give a much more realistic postage amount

spent it already on the bearings i mentioned above and some more 3 link couplings (from kitlady again)

will update my totals

[mattmay05]

Shes very good Kitlady on eBay brought from here many times. Always a good service.

[carnehan]

That's a nice start you have there and it looks good.

I'm a bit jealous of that stack of kits all sitting ready to build. My stock list is much, much smaller! I'm sorry for that reading like an extract from a Julian Clary sketch!!

Paul

[Alex3410]

its just something about the old airfix kits i cant help but grab them when they crop up at fairs etc - has lead to a small collection over the years

the break van has had a few coats of SECR wagon grey:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

all brush painted so far as i cant really be bothered with the airbrush, its working well so far especially as it means i can get an extra coat of paint on a wagon or two before i leave for work in the mornings

I have started work on the next wagon:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

really impressed with this kit so far, the shouldered bearings fitted into the kit perfectly and the wheels run really smoothly as a result:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

i guess its down to the fact this kit was designed to accommodate them & is younger then the airfix one, either way the wheels spin brilliantly - even better then a hornby RTR wagon i had to hand to pleased about that (just hope it keeps the running qualities when its done

the outside wagon body has had two coats of SECR grey so far:
Untitled by Alex Wells, on Flickr

I have test fitted the 3 link couplings and the hook fits in but i dont think the spring will due to the floor of the wagon being to close to the coupling hole - not a problem however as i will simply glue the coupling into place as i don't think the spring actually does all that much.

[Dad-1]

Hi Alex,

Missed this as I'm not doing the June challenge and anyway it's only just June !!
I'm all for kit making if it saves money (I can be a tight old so & so) BUT they MUST
run well and that's the area that put me off initially, but most have run well.

So all power to your elbow as the saying goes ......

Geoff T.

[Alex3410]

i think the wagon is going to run beautifully, the brake van however is not as smooth - its still free rolling so should be OK but i think its down to the kit not being designed for the bearings. I will push forward with it however and if need be i have a few other kits of this model i can always try again


your right however they need to run well to make it viable, if not they wont be ran and then whats the point

[Dad-1]

Seeing your use of car wheel balance weights reminds me my 'Stock' is running down
need to visit ATS ..... on a good day, to blag some more !!

Geoff T.