David1226
Registered
Some time ago I decided that it would nice to have a livestock trailer and towing vehicle to pose beside the cattle loading dock at Gernise End Station, on the Claptowte Railway. Given the time period as being loosely set in the third quarter of the last centaury, my ideal towing vehicle would have been a Series1 Land-Rover. Search as I may, I have been unable to find a Series1 in 1/24th scale, nor a livestock trailer come to that. For a towing vehicle, I settled on the excellent and very reasonably priced 1/24th scale diecast long wheel base Series II estate, by Burago. Slightly newer, but still acceptable within the time period.
The livestock trailer posed an even bigger problem. Britains make an excellent model of an Ifor Williams livestock trailer in their farmyard vehicle series, but unfortunately they are under scale, being 1/32nd. In the end I purchased a Heller 1/24th plastic kit for a four-wheel trailer that can be built in different configurations. It was my intention to use the chassis, from the kit, and scratch build a livestock body to mount on it. I anticipated that it would involve a lot of work. The Britains Ifor Williams trailer is a superb model of a prototype, in its own right. It occurred to me that, in the real world, livestock trailers come in all shapes and sizes, even Ifor Williams, and that I could possibly get away with the trailer being slightly under scale. A smaller trailer would still be large enough represent one large enough to carry half a dozen sheep of pigs, or two or three calves.
Britains no longer appear to sell the four-wheel livestock trailer any more, and their current six-wheel offering would be too modern in appearance. I managed to source a new condition second hand model of the four-wheel trailer, from eBay. When coupled to the 1/24th scale Land-Rover, it appears perfectly acceptable to my eye, so job done.
The Britains Ifor Williams 1/32nd scale livestock trailer, as purchased.
The only alterations that I have carried out, to an already excellent model, is to add a bit of weathering, inside and out, and add some real cut up straw to the interior. I have added a number plate, to match the towing Land-Rover.
David
The livestock trailer posed an even bigger problem. Britains make an excellent model of an Ifor Williams livestock trailer in their farmyard vehicle series, but unfortunately they are under scale, being 1/32nd. In the end I purchased a Heller 1/24th plastic kit for a four-wheel trailer that can be built in different configurations. It was my intention to use the chassis, from the kit, and scratch build a livestock body to mount on it. I anticipated that it would involve a lot of work. The Britains Ifor Williams trailer is a superb model of a prototype, in its own right. It occurred to me that, in the real world, livestock trailers come in all shapes and sizes, even Ifor Williams, and that I could possibly get away with the trailer being slightly under scale. A smaller trailer would still be large enough represent one large enough to carry half a dozen sheep of pigs, or two or three calves.
Britains no longer appear to sell the four-wheel livestock trailer any more, and their current six-wheel offering would be too modern in appearance. I managed to source a new condition second hand model of the four-wheel trailer, from eBay. When coupled to the 1/24th scale Land-Rover, it appears perfectly acceptable to my eye, so job done.
The Britains Ifor Williams 1/32nd scale livestock trailer, as purchased.
The only alterations that I have carried out, to an already excellent model, is to add a bit of weathering, inside and out, and add some real cut up straw to the interior. I have added a number plate, to match the towing Land-Rover.
David
