GWR Crocodile H/Weltrol WH

[Richard08]

When this came up I had to take a punt. It's on my wagon likes list (which admittedly varies quite a lot), not this one per se, I just like bogie well wagons. I love Connoisseur kits and finding one that is currently out of production is always a plus. So, here we go... £30 eh, those were the days. I hope to god there's overlays for all those rivets.

[Richard08]

The first step is to clean all the brass - it's been around a while! And then punch a galactic quantity of rivets. The etch is very thick compared to modern standards, which is nice but represents something of a challenge when making folds. So as to actually get 90' bends I've had to rake out the fold lines with triangular file and needle file point, no biggie but... The kit is marked up a suitable for beginners, which with other Connoisseur Easy Build kits is very true, but, well the folding on this is not straightforward, but not because of the previous thing but accessing the folds. The attached strips that form the top and bottom of the 'girder' side frames get in the way. Doing the other folds by bending as far as I could the using the Hold And Fold then to turn pliers to fold the bits the folder cannot reach such that the folder can get in and then finishing the fold nice and straight. Quite a faff. I have no idea how I'm to do the last fold - the bending tool is too long to fit in the well. A period of staring and contemplation follows.

[Lofty]

The kit is marked up a suitable for beginners

You haven’t convinced me with the rest of your post. Certainly looks a beefy beast.

[Richard08]

Now if could just find a bit of thick steel with sharp angles to sandwich the part in, that might work. I've got some small G clamps to hold things and the square provides a good handhold. Wonders from room to room, eyeing all possible sources of such a thing. The only thing I could think of is taking a door hinge off, but that's probably a tad extreme. Also, I can't get it out of my head that the weight from my long gone Triang Class 31 would be ideal. Looks like I'm going to have to really go at deepening the fold line. Ho hum.

[Phred]

I'm hopeless at working with metal so I'm well impressed.

[Richard08]

In the absence of any suitable chunks of steel turning up, I resorted the curved pliers - a surprisingly useful tool, not only for getting into small spaces. Starting at one end I bent the fold a little, moved along one jaws length, bend a little again - all the while avoiding bending too much to avoid kinking the brass. Rinse and repeat until it's square. There's a slight wibble in the upper one that needs adjustment. For some mysterious reason the curved pliers do this very well, it's doesn't work well the 'normal' pliers - geometry's probably in there somewhere. The pliers also worked well for bending the top and bottom rails round the corners, lots of tiny little twists, not too sharp or dramatic, following the curve of the side and then solder. So far so good.

[Richard08]

I'm hopeless at working with metal so I'm well impressed.

It's not rocket science, just a bit of practice. Though admittedly the basic tools to get set up can dent the wallet a bit.

[Bigmet]

That's going to look very handsome. I have rather too many of the specially constructed vehicles appropriate to my modelling territory simply because they are attractive. Of course there's a disciplined approach to only running them occasionally - yeah, like that's going to happen...

...There's a slight wibble in the upper one that needs adjustment...

Can't see it in the photograph, but I would so leave it in. One of the pleasures of a kit wagon - and this applies just as much to subjects that are available as good RTR models - is that the kit can be built to represent an example that has taken a wallop in traffic. They didn't retain their ex-works appearance very long.

My favourite in this last respect is the numerous LNER/BR build of 'Hi Steel' general merchandise opens. Bachmann produce a neat RTR OO model which is fine; but I have had to build a fair number from the Parkside kit representing the various common manglings I recall: top rail well distorted, 'we lit a fire in it', side panel caved in, door got really bent, and my real favourite and and most often seen, several examples of 'a strong man with a heavy sledge and a short temper was allowed to let off steam in it' . All of course variably garnished with rust where the paint has suffered.

[Dad-1]

Hi Bigmet,

You're beginning to sound like 00-Dave, dirty & grotty late BR stock
being his favourite 'stuff'.

Geoff T.

[Richard08]

One of the pleasures of a kit wagon - and this applies just as much to subjects that are available as good RTR models - is that the kit can be built to represent an example that has taken a wallop in traffic. They didn't retain their ex-works appearance very long.

Yes, 'perfect' wagons isn't reality. One or two ex-works yes, but not all. Looking at old grouping and pre-grouping wagon photos (in trains, not PR photos) goods wagons were always somewhat neglected - BR only carried the torch forward But brown (and occasional grey) and dirty with blue engines = nirvana in my decrepit corner of the little world.

Yeoman and ARC PGAs were beaten to death on the sides as on icy mornings (and sometimes just anyway) when the loads refused drop - the bod at Botley used to look like the Rank Organisation bloke, and nearly as loud. The wagons were sprayed with water leaving the quarries to keep dust down (having covers fitted didn't go well), great in summer, no so much after being dragged along a 60moh for a couple of hours at -2' or lower. When the end flew off his sledge one morning it was priceless watching his expression as he realised it was most likely on the conveyor, off to be made into tarmanc.

[Bigmet]

There was such a mixture of wagon stock running when I was a kid. All wooden wagons, mostly very sad indeed, but so interesting, sometimes there was a hint of a private owner livery: these could be running in the same train with a trot of bright and shiny wagons, probably on their first or second revenue trip. The variation was near endless, which kept us entertained.

Just how puzzled were we by shiny 21T steel hoppers branded 'COAL CONCENTRATION'? Our primary school class teacher couldn't explain how coal might be concentrated; but happily one of the chaps on the school staff was a rail enthusiast, and some weeks later he provided the answer, and also the less welcome news that this would shortly end the traditional coal yard operation of our local station.

[Richard08]

So with the major components prepared and tacked together with 80' solder, having checked all was square (it would be difficult not to be!), it was out with the blunderbuss soldering iron and 145' solder to fix it all together. I use the blunderbuss iron at times like this as huge bits of brass conduct heat away rapidly, it speeds things up. The major part of the kit is now done - there's not a whole lot to it really.

[Richard08]

Adding the top rails to the sides was... interesting. Keeping the curved bends un-kinked was more luck that judgement, it worked out ok.

[Richard08]

The bogies supports fit in nicely, and nirvana was attained with beautiful neat solder. Then..... bugger.

The blunderbuss managed to get the part hot enough to remove it, solder in the screw, and put back on again. The dangers of listening to "Wish You Were Here" while making stuff.

With that little hurdle overcome, the lower girders (that's what the instructions call them) went on, followed by going round the whole thing running 80' solder into the edges where the brass is layered and then filing off flush to make the any layers as one.

With temperatures in the loft unlikely to go below zero, at least for a while, the painting and decorating season resumes and a start made on the backlog. Some task switching required. A sign of the times I guess, but low met solder is getting prey pricey. With Eileen's Emporium sadly gone finding good value took some doing.

[Richard08]

Assorted plates have been added to the sides, and the chain loops placed. The instructions say to make the loops out of wire wrapped round a needle file, but I've never had much luck with this - getting them really round is fraught with disappointment. Having a ponder I remembered the loops supplied with the Dapol screw couplings intended to secure the springs (I prefer split pins, because Tuesday or something). Bingo! The handbrake levers have been fitted temporarily (so I don't forget/lose them),but I'm not clear how they should go exactly, the ones in the photos are all somewhat 'used' (mangled).

Next is all the the white metal bits.