How I constructed three wooden Maddison Coach kits

I bought three coach kits from Mark Addison of Maddison Coaches (no longer trading). Although Mark made them for SM32, he modified his bogies for me to run on 45mm track. These kits had been languishing for some time awaiting the urge to construct them. When I realised I would either have to modify the platforms at Beeston Castle and Bulkeley to accommodate the Accucraft W&L Pickering coaches I bought last year or modify the coaches, I decided to construct the kits to see if they would solve the problem.

Following the excellent set of instructions which accompany the kits, I firstly tidied up the pieces with a file and some sanding blocks:

The first stage of construction was to glue the exterior framework to the sides:

Next, the seats were added to the compartment partitions and ends by gluing them into the relevant slots.

The partitions were then glued on to one side:

and then the other.....

Then the base was fixed into place:

 and the end frames were glued into place.

Next, the frame for the roof was assembled. Two side members were super-glued to the curved upper sections of the partitions:

 to make the frame:

 Once dry, the side members were planed and sanded to match the contours of the roof:

 and then the frame was super-glued to the pre-formed roof:

The rain-strips were then trimmed to size and glued to the roof, following the marked-out guide-lines:

The roof was test fitted to the body, with a few small adjustments with a sanding-block.

Attention was turned to the underframe. The buffer beams were fixed to the ends:

and then, to accommodate the wider bogies and R1 curves, the ends of the side members were thinned:

 Before fitting between the buffer beams. In addition the bogie mountings were glued in place:

After test-fitting the bogies and working out the how the couplings would be fitted (I prefer the couplings to be attached to the bogies (see below)), the buffer beams were rebated to allow the couplings to swivel with the bogies.

Next, I slightly enlarged the holes for the door hinges. These were supplied with the kit as whitemetal castings:

The hinges were inserted and then fixed in place with a dab of thin superglue

The door vents were superglued above the doors...........

and the vents for the gas lamps were fixed in place on the roof:

..... as were the steps and handrail:

Painting
The stage of kit-making I least look forward-to is painting. However, it has to be done so I do the best job I can - which usually takes me ages. Mind you, the more I do the more I learn.

The first step was to varnish the inside of the campartments and the underside of the roof. On reflection, I should have done this earlier, maybe before the floor was added, as trying to varnish beneath the seats was somewhat difficult. I used a polyeurethane varnish with an antique stain. I did contemplate adding some detail to the interiors but as the roofs are removeable, this can be done at a later stage.

Next, the windows were taped over with masking tape. This was done carefully to try and ensure that no gaps were left for the spray paint to seep through.

The roof was then taped over.........

....and the coaches were given a coat of primer. One coach was spray-painted with Plasitkote primer whilst the other two were brush painted (as I ran out of spray). One reflection, I should have bought another can of spray. I found it's much more difficult to get an even coat with brush painting. The primer tends to pool in the mouldings which must then be removed before the final coach can be applied. It makes the job much more complicated and more time consuming, and affects the finish.

 Once the primary was dry, it was sanded with fine wet & dry paper and three coats of car paint were applied using rattle-can aerosol sprays from Halfords. I used Rover Damask Red, which seems to be close to a maroon finish. Before the final coat was added, the previous coats were sanded smooth with 1200 wet & dry paper, using a small wooden block:

Once the maroon paint was dry I removed the masking from the ends and masked off the sides with tape and newspaper. Again I learnt from experience to leave the paint to dry for at least 24 hours. On the first coach I put the masking tape on before the paint was fully hardened and took the sheen off the surface (another rub-down and final coat needed!).

The ends were then sprayed matt black (another Halfords aerosol). The roofs were also sprayed at the same time. Two coats seemed sufficient.

A day or two later, making sure all the paint was hardened off, I re-drilled the holes for the door handles and drilled holes for grab handles and fixed these in place with superglue. Although the kit was supplied with cast whitemetal handles, I bought some brass castings from Brandbright as I felt these looked a little more classy. The castings needed the minimum of cleaning-up and do look impressive.

Finally, waterslide transfers from GRS were added to the doors.

 and the sides were sealed with clear gloss varnish.

The footrails were then primed and painted matt black, before being screwed to the bottom of the coaches using the screws and spacers provided.

The ends, roof and footboards were sealed with matt varnish and the glazing was added to the windows. This is provided a a single strip which slots in between the compartment dividers and the sides.

The bogies
These were supplied without wheels, which were purchased from Garden Railway Specialists. The bogies are constructed to provide compensation (much needed on my trackwork).

However, they were designed to operate prototypically and swing independently of each other, rather than being steered through the couplings. Given that I have some R1 curves on my railway, I decided to play safe and add some brass extensions to the bogies on which LGB couplings could be mounted.

For each bogie a piece of 1"x1/16" brass strip was cut to a length of 80mm.

A 2.5mm hole was drilled 15mm from one end and two 2mm holes were drilled at 24mm and 31mm from the other end along the centre line.

I decided to superglue the strip to each bogie rather than soldering - my soldering skills with brass is not wonderful! Bachmann LGB style couplings were fixed to the end, using self tapping screws, and a coat of matt black paint was applied.

The bogies were then screwed beneath the coaches.

Testing
Now the fun part. The coaches were extensively tested over all parts of the line to check clearances.

When running the coaches in a train for the first time, I was perturbed to find the controller kept cutting out. Somehow, the coaches were shorting-out across the rails. A close inspection of the bogies revealed that the insulation of the centre of the wheels purchased from GRS was recessed and hence the rim of the wheel was making contact with the brass bush of the bogie.

What was needed were some small insulated washers. An extensive search of various bits boxes failed to reveal any and so I would either have to order some or make my own. Being impatient, I decided to go for the second option.

Firstly, a 2.3mm hole was drilled into the thinnest plasticard I could find:

The base was removed from a paper hole-punch and the plasticard was inserted and manoeuvred until the hole appeared in the centre of one of the holes in the base of the hole-punch:

The washer was then 'punched' from the sheet. This procedure was repeated until I had accumuated sufficient washers:

A washer was then fitted over the protruding axle stub (journal) on each set of wheels .............

................... and these were then inserted back into the bogies:

The coaches were then successfully test-run again, this time with no short-out problems.

I realise that these washers will have a limited life-span. Plasticard is a fairly soft plastic and hence will probably wear fairly quickly. I will seek out a source for fibre or paxolin washers in the meantime.

I want to add a few interior details and maybe some lighting, but in the meantime this rake of coaches fills a long overdue gap in the line's rolling stock roster:

Short video showing the coaches in action

Progress Report 32

Quite a few time consuming jobs have been completed over the summer holiday period and so it might appear that very little tangible progress has been made. However, these jobs have moved the railway on quite considerably, it's now beginning to feel a lot more like a British narrow gauge railway.

Peckett Loco - No1 - Peckforton
At long last I have completed the Peckett loco (see How I made a Peckett loco from a GRS kit). I was unhappy with its paint finish and so decided to apply another coat of paint and line it out with Trimline self adhesive lining tape. Although this approach to lining cannot mirror that of carefully applied lining with a bow-pen, it has the advantage of ease and can also be removed and reapplied. I've not yet figured a way of making radiused corners but the result is quite pleasing, if viewed from a distance:

 

A couple of things I learned from painting and finishing off this loco:

1. Don't spray paint or varnish when it's raining outside. The dampness in the air dulls the finish. I also discovered that spraying near a door which was open to allow the fumes to escape is risky when it's raining outside: a few stray drops of rain landed on the final coat of varnish and ruined it completely! Let's just say the air was not only damp but somewhat blue!
2. Test varnish on the paint to which it is going to be applied (as it often says on the can). I found, for example, that one brand of varnish actually disolved Humbrol acrylic paint. Fortunately, I discovered this on a test piece before I applied it to the loco. My suggestion is either to stick to one brand of paint and varnish to ensure compatability, or spray a test piece (eg plasticard) with the base coat and then apply some varnish to see what happens before potentially ruining your handiwork.

As a consequence of the above, I think the Peckett loco must have at least ten combined coats of primer/paint/varnish and must have been rubbed down at least four times.

To finish off the loco, nameplates and number plates were ordered from A P Briggs Nameplates and applied with superglue. Another tip - I've found it's more advisable to apply the glue to the body rather than to the plate. One of the number plates deposited itself in totally the wrong place leaving a deposit of glue on my pristine paintwork when it became temporarily glued to my fingers! I may have to invest in some manufacturers nameplates to cover the damage.

Once I have mastered the lining process with Trimline tape I will produce an article on that (see How I line my locos with Trimline Tape).

Maddison coach kits
The remaining two coach kits were completed, leading to the production of a rake of three UK style coaches to replace the temporary US style balcony coaches and the two Accucraft Welshpool and Llanfair coaches which were were too wide for some parts of the line. (See Progress Report 29)

The most time-consuming part of the construction process was for me the painting and application of transfers and varnish. My painting techniques have improved considerably, but I still find painting the most challenging part of the modelling process.

For more information, see How I constructed three Maddison Coaches


Painting and detailing the interior of a station building

Having purchased a secondhand finished model of Chelfham Station building made from a GRS resin kit, I decided I would not use it on the line as it did not match the pattern of timber buildings which I had already adopted. I therefore decided to sell it through eBay. I gave it a comprehensive paint job to improve its outer appearance, then decided it might sell better if I detailed the interior. I added panelling, bench seats, a chair desk and table and lighting powered by the circuit from a redundant solar powered rock light.

For more information see How I detailed a station building

Running sessions
The weather in the North West of England has been almost continuously wet through the summer holiday period. At best it has been showery, which is extremely frustrating for garden railway running. Once the track has been cleaned and the stock deployed one has to decide if the shower will be short and sharp and can thus be ignored, or whether it's going to turn into a downpour. I do continue running though light showers but and always somewhat wary about the impact of dampness on DCC electronics.

Most of my running sessions this season have tended to be running tail-chasing trains around the main circuit for the benefit of visitors. However, I have managed a couple of more prototypical sessions. For more information see: A typical operating session

Future plans
As with all railway modellers, I have a long and comprehensive todo list. The most pressing jobs are:

• finishing off the painting, lining and detailing of the Barclay 2-4-0 (No. 2 - Beeston) - now complete (see Progress Report 34)
• completing the Hunslet kit (No. 3 - Bulkeley) - (Now completed - see How I assembled a GRS Hunslet loco kit)
• bashing the Zillertal 0-6-2 into something similar to the Southwold Manning Wardle 0-6-2 (No. 4 - Bickerton)
• weathering the rolling stock, particularly the ore hoppers which look far too pristine (now completed - see How I weathered a rake of LGB tipplers and How I made a rake of loaded, weathered tipplers)
• adding more detail to the stations (including people and clutter)
• constructing at least 8 more open wagons (see How I made a rake of open wagons from resin castings)