Having decided to construct a 32mm gauge feeder from the copper mines to the crusher and loading hoppers on my main railway, I required some stock to run behind the diesel loco which I had converted to radio control (see How I converted a battery diesel to radio control).
I happened to see a kit for a barrel wagon on eBay for £10 from the seller vwmonkeyblue and so decided to invest in one. The kit duly arrived, comprising mostly laser-cut MDF pieces, perspex underframes, plastic wheels, wooden turned barrels and a metal axle. Not bad for a tenner.
The superstructure was tackled first. The two barrel supports and cross member were glued into the slots. I decided to use superglue throughout the build as I was too impatient to wait for PVA to dry.
The plastic underframes were then attached to the chassis floor......
..... and headstocks added to the ends.
The axles were marked-out at 45mm......
.... and then cut to length with a trangular needle file.
One wheel was pushed on the the end of each axle......
..... and the axle inserted into the underframes.
The other wheels were then pushed on to the other ends of the axles with washers between the wheels and fames, a small block of wood being used to push against.
The wheels were then checked for gauge and spun to ensure they were true and friction free.
The solebars were then glued to the underside of the chassis
The supplied copper wire.......
.... was trimmed and bent into coupling hooks.
..... and inserted into the headstock (it was at this point I realised I'd glued the other part of the headstock beneath rather than above the chassis. I should have read the well illustrated and well explain construction leaflet more carefully!
The body was then glued to the chassis and the barrels put into place. These will be glued after painting.
I decided that the mine rolling stock will be bauxite (ie red primer) rather than the grey finish for the main railway.
These wagons represent excellent value for money. I have decided to invest in a couple of their passenger coaches to transport the workers to and from the mines to the main railway. I have already bought a couple of Binnie Husdson skip kits (£9.00 each) and so, for less than £100 I will have bought all the stock, including the loco (£40) needed to operate this railway. This seems like a very cost effective way for someone to venture into the world of garden railway modelling without heavy investment.
I happened to see a kit for a barrel wagon on eBay for £10 from the seller vwmonkeyblue and so decided to invest in one. The kit duly arrived, comprising mostly laser-cut MDF pieces, perspex underframes, plastic wheels, wooden turned barrels and a metal axle. Not bad for a tenner.
The superstructure was tackled first. The two barrel supports and cross member were glued into the slots. I decided to use superglue throughout the build as I was too impatient to wait for PVA to dry.
The plastic underframes were then attached to the chassis floor......
..... and headstocks added to the ends.
The axles were marked-out at 45mm......
.... and then cut to length with a trangular needle file.
One wheel was pushed on the the end of each axle......
..... and the axle inserted into the underframes.
The other wheels were then pushed on to the other ends of the axles with washers between the wheels and fames, a small block of wood being used to push against.
The wheels were then checked for gauge and spun to ensure they were true and friction free.
The solebars were then glued to the underside of the chassis
The supplied copper wire.......
.... was trimmed and bent into coupling hooks.
..... and inserted into the headstock (it was at this point I realised I'd glued the other part of the headstock beneath rather than above the chassis. I should have read the well illustrated and well explain construction leaflet more carefully!
The body was then glued to the chassis and the barrels put into place. These will be glued after painting.
[Awaiting photo]
These wagons represent excellent value for money. I have decided to invest in a couple of their passenger coaches to transport the workers to and from the mines to the main railway. I have already bought a couple of Binnie Husdson skip kits (£9.00 each) and so, for less than £100 I will have bought all the stock, including the loco (£40) needed to operate this railway. This seems like a very cost effective way for someone to venture into the world of garden railway modelling without heavy investment.
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