Back to wagons again
For the last few months I've been busy on layouts. Both for the club and while intending to get some club
input the Corona Virus shut down has left the option of do nothing until the club rooms open again, or do
it myself. All interesting and keeping me busy, but apart from the '0' brake van I've not touched a wagon.
Couldn't go much further without making something with wheels !!
What's in stock - too many, but the Cambrian GWR/BR 18 Ton Sleeper Wagon caught my eye. Through Autumn
I'd been making engineers stock and this was intended as part of the set.
Cambrian kits can be brutes to make and I would usually advise against any beginner trying one. This one
has been so easy it's fallen together in a few days. Almost no wrinkles of confusing instructions with parts
that once cleaned up fit well.
As with all Cambrian kits they come without wheel sets, bearings, hooks, or decals. All these things cost
money, but the kit was cheap enough at £7.20
I tend not to use the recommended Gibson wheels often using Hornby sets in my wagon builds as their flanges
are somewhat deeper giving running security should you end up with a less than perfectly flat chassis. There is a
danger as some Cambrian kits have so little clearance and these would foul however no problems with this build
as A). I had no spoked Hornby wheel sets. B). My only spare spoked wheel set was Dapol, and these do have smaller
flanges.
Very simple and fell together in a few hours.
White Metal hooks from the 'spares' box, I nip off half the fixing stub, otherwise it could foul my method of
fixing couplings.
This was on the edge for fixing couplings due to a tie bar between the solebars. Already well glued in before I thought
about couplings. A moment of panic as I couldn't find any Bachmann short narrow tension-lock couplings. These have
been in short supply since last Autumn and this build has taken my last 2 !!
With my small platform stuck in it was almost impossible to get a NEM pocket in between it and the tie bar.
I trimmed about 0.5 mm off the tie bar and used a file to create a small groove in the NEM pocket. Even then
I couldn't pull the coupling down the last fraction of a mm to get 100% matching height to my standard of basic
Bachmann RTR height.
Once in there is no way you can change either the wheel sets, or remove the NEM pockets. If you want obviously
you could snap in Kadees, but this is not destined for a Kadee layout.
The made up model less stanchions weighed in at 8.6 grams, VERY light, but was run in a train with 11 wagons behind
it over 3 set track points and some 1st radius curves showing no signs of distress or de-railing. The kit has no brake
hangars meaning the wheel voids are quite empty. I used this space to add some lead sheet, salvaged from Jordan F1
wheel balance weights, this brought it up to nigh on 24 grams and I'm certain give additional running security.
Now painted black for early BR it'll have to await some decals and weathering before any more photographs.
Conclusion an easy model to make of an unusual wagon. Can sit with my Mermaids, Catfish, Dogfish and Shark !!
Dad-1
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