Llwyndrissi Halt.

[Mountain]

Now if we can move the smaller end window so it can be in the middle of the two larger windows instead, we can use it to represent a door. I had been holding off doing this because I could not find my razor saw which had the thing that makes it easier to make square cuts. I spent months looking for this thing after relocating (And the spare saw) and today I found it along with some castings of axleboxes which I had spent ages looking for! (Yes, I could have just bought another saw with the square thing I wanted (Mitre box), and I could have easily cast myself some more axleboxes, but it was something I was not happy about until I found them, as I don't like buying more when somewhere I already have them! )

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As can be seen in the middle picture, (Top picture I was filing off the internal supporting structure), the lower left of the picture I have roughly aligned the three windows together to show how it will look. (Right of picture is an unaltered side section).

Of course, I could cut everything into sections like this and make longer or shorter coaches to my hearts desire! But the aim is to end up with two smaller coaches from each coach if that makes sense?

[Phred]

Mountain wrote:
the thing that makes it easier to make square cuts

Mitre box?
I know the reluctance to buy a thing when I know I have one here...somewhere.

[Mountain]

Mountain wrote:
the thing that makes it easier to make square cuts

Mitre box?
I know the reluctance to buy a thing when I know I have one here...somewhere.

I was trying to remember what they were called! My Dad made many of them over the years as he was a carpenter. I could not get my brain to remember the name as I was writing! Actually, these mitre boxes are perfect for these coach sides, as if It was smaller the sides would not fit, and if it was larger the sides would not align so well. Other 7mmNG coach sides may not quite fit, but these do!

[Mountain]

So in order to re-assemble, I tend to use the back of one of those metal signs. This one has minis on the other side as the previous owner was into minis. She didn't want it back, so turning it over for doing things like this protects the carpet when I have not yet had a proper work surface set up. Now this sheet of metal looks lovely and flat for glueing these pieces together with, BUT, I was concerned incase the pieces end up stuck to the metal with the glue! So I found the remains of a roll of my Grandads old tracing paper he used with technical drawing, which doubles up as a kind of grease proof paper, so I am using that by sticking the paper down onto the metal with masking tape. (Those familiar with technical drawing used this tape all the time! Problem is this roll of tape is old and tends to break a bit unpredictably, but it is still sticky enough to use. One would normally use four smaller bits of tape on the corners, but this tracing paper is quite springy!)

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[Mountain]

As can be seen, the second portion of the same origional longer coach is being worked on as well. (Currently filing down the strengthening supports from the rear (Not needed) before cutting this next side into slots so I can re-arrange where the smaller window so it sits in the centre to form a door for the new little coaches.

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[Phred]

I have a roll of sticky tape about 20mm wide which I apply to the top of my work table so as to avoid accidentally gluing little things onto it. Good to know tracing paper repels glue as well if I need to cover a larger area.

[aleopardstail]

I have a roll of sticky tape about 20mm wide which I apply to the top of my work table so as to avoid accidentally gluing little things onto it. Good to know tracing paper repels glue as well if I need to cover a larger area.

try tin foil, it also repels cats

[Mountain]

This is thicker heavier duty stuff so it is less likely to stick, though I did gently move the parts a couple of minutes later to ensure they were not owing to stick, hence the red marks as I had tried polystyrene cement on these plastic parts to see if it gives a nice solid bond. (Seems to be working the last I looked (Earlier) as the red plastic mark showed the polystyrene cement was doing its job. (This type of glue sort of melts the parts together which is why it only works with certain types of materials. Same stuff used with Airfix kits. I will check for strength soon to see if this works or if superglue or another type of glue works better)).

[Phred]

aleopardstail wrote:
try tin foil, it also repels cats

Tsk - I used it all up making my hat. S'pose I could buy some more.
It must work, though. I haven't had a cat on my head for quite a while now.

[aleopardstail]

aleopardstail wrote:
try tin foil, it also repels cats

Tsk - I used it all up making my hat. S'pose I could buy some more.
It must work, though. I haven't had a cat on my head for quite a while now.

result

did have a rat lay on my head a while back, figured out the little sod had gone to sleep

[Phred]

aleopardstail wrote:
did have a rat lay on my head a while back

I don't doubt it, if it was a pet one.
When my family lived in army quarters in Woolwich we had a hamster called Hammy (clever name eh?) who was allowed to roam around the flat as he liked since he always returned to his cage to use the toilet (a jam jar) and sleep.

One night my father was asleep in bed when he felt something touching his hair. Assuming it was fly or something, he sleepily swatted it away. Next day, we couldn't find Hammy. We searched high and low until someone heard a scratching inside one of Dad's army boots. Sure enough, it was Hammy trying to get out. He must have flown across the room when Dad swatted him and landed in there.

The real mystery was how a hamster who could climb anywhere was unable to get out of a boot.

[Mountain]

Now looking back at the donor carriages, do you see what I can see?
Here are pictures of both sides to show you what I mean.

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As can be seen, one side has doors and the other does not.
Now I could make doors on both sides and build them as nice bogie coaches, but the roofline makes them just a tad too narrow in this form. Yes, one can widen them but one is making a lot more work for oneself. To make them into bogie coaches with doors on both sides is enough of a job in itself. To make shorter 4 wheel coaches is actually easier from what I can see.

But anyway... As can be seen in the photos above, if I cut right down the middle and cut the roof off ready to join again later, on the door side of the carriage I can make two three windowed sides, and on the non-door side, I can actually make two four window sides (Look at the photographs above to see what I mean).
Now I can either re-arrange the window positioning to make a 4 window coach with a door at either end, or I can leave the positioning as it is, and make a passenger brake coach perhaps using spare Peco dockets in the smallest of the smaller windows at the end? It looks made for it! I can also see if I can align the square opening hatch on the roof to align with the brake coach if that will work out... We shall see. Lots of possibilities both in the form of model locomotives along with carriages making these toys well worth the money compared with buying the usual kits as well as being a whole lot cheaper than if such a coach was available in ready made form.

[Mountain]

So to explore a 4 window sized body, we need to remove a section of the non-door side of one of these lovely coaches.

So, first one selects a coach... Let's use another red one!

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Then one removes the body using a screwdriver to remove all the screws (Keep all screws etc), and using a razor saw, one carefully starts to separate the non-door side from one of these lovely coaches.

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Then one files down the rear supports...

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And then using the handy mitre box that some of these razor saws have, one cuts the side in half to make two sides.

[Mountain]

Now if I build one of my nice Peco 4 wheel carriage kits into a standard passenger coach, I can free up a pair of guards dockets for use on one of my project carriages. I can also use some of my resin cast axle boxes with these project builds.

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1. Resin castings.
2. Guards dockets.
3. The origional toy chassis which may come in handy (We shall see!).

So how can I use the roof keeping the roof details?

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By balancing a 4 window side and a 3 window side that I prepared earlier on this thread, one can see how one can align the roof so it will have the hatch end as part of the guards type coaches, and the two roof vent bumps can be used on the shorter 3 windowed type coaches as can be seen in the photograph below...

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The roof will then be cut in the right places to form two coaches...

[Mountain]

Now it is all convenient that the window make a matching pair, as in the smaller windows when one forms a 4 windowed coach, are all at the same end, and as it will be a guards brake coach, it all works out perfectly indeed!
But which is the best position for the duckets?

The more traditionally rear mounted duckets like so where I can use the smaller window as a door...

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Or the slightly forward duckets so one has an end guards door instead?

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Either way there are possibilities. While I rather prefer the second version, I could build both!

And, to add to this, I could potentially build a 4 windowed passenger coach with a door at each end, demonstrating that these toy coaches really do have lots of potential.