Having completed the roster of Claptowte Railway freight wagons, work has started on the passenger fleet. A start has been made on the first coach, which has been converted for some time, and is in the process of being painted. Unfortunately, since the start of the year, I have been preoccupied with the planning, and purchasing, for some fairly extensive 12” to the foot alterations to the ancestral pile. As a result there has been little or no time for modeling. This state of affairs will last into July this year, when the alterations should be complete with ‘only’ the redecorating to complete. I decided that in order to maintain interest, yours and mine, I will publish the work so far and add photographs of the finished model later.
As with the freight stock, I have collected the necessary vehicles over many years, to await modification/conversion. When finished, there will be a total of thirteen assorted bogie passenger vehicles formed up in three rakes of three assorted coaches plus a ‘floating’ buffet coach that can be added to any of the rakes, on demand. The fourth rake will comprise a 1st/3rd coach and a full brake (for papers and parcels) to which will be added the two 4-wheel freight liveried milk vans, to form the milk train.
The first conversion is based on the LGB old time US coach. I have a pair of these which will become all 3rd class coaches No6 & No7 on the Claptowte Railway, although it is anticipated that No7 will be additionally modified’ in the Claptowte Railway workshops, to become a buffet coach and re-numbered No14. The coach in the unmodified shots was obtained second hand off Ebay. I assume it was the previous owner who sprayed the black edges along the roof rather than LGB. The actual converted coach (No6) was purchased new.
Now, to describe the conversion. The object of the exercise was an attempt to Anglicise the model and to try and disguise the obvious origins as much as possible. Not sure where to begin as a lot of work has gone into this conversion.
The unmodified coach
The modified coach
The most obvious alteration is to the windows. The original passenger compartment has eight windows. The first thing I did was to cut out alternate side panels to create four larger windows. These were then framed out using plasticard strip to give a more British appearance. The white panels on the side of the coach are flat boards (plasticard) to take the decals for the railway name, coach numbers and third class designations. The bogies are now fitted with Al Kramer plated brass wheels, standard issue across the Claptowte Railway fleet.
The roof has been modified with the addition of GRS lamp tops and ventilators. Pipe work (brass wire) has been added that would originally have carried gas to the lamps but now forms a convenient conduit for cable to the modern electric lamps.
Before
After
The balcony ends have been extensively modified. The shape and position of the handrails has been altered using brass handrail wire and plastic tube. Balcony railings have been added courtesy of GRS white metal castings and additional brass wire, also GRS brass lamp irons added. Buffers and vacuum pipes have been added, salvaged from the process of mounting LGB Toytrain stock back to back, to form bogie vehicles which will be the subject of future threads.
Before
After
The seating has been modified. The old time wooden ends to the seats have been removed, ,they just pull off, and the peg holes filled in (it occurs to me that the discarded seat ends, with new platicard seats and backs will make excellent, cheap and unusual platform and/or waiting room seating). The wooden panels between the seat back and the head rest have been cut out and the headrests glued straight onto the seat backs. This was all intended to give the seating a lower, more modern and open appearance.
Before
After
Before
After
As with all of my conversions, the biggest alteration to appearance is down to the work carried out in the paint shop. The posting of that will have to wait until time allows..
David
As with the freight stock, I have collected the necessary vehicles over many years, to await modification/conversion. When finished, there will be a total of thirteen assorted bogie passenger vehicles formed up in three rakes of three assorted coaches plus a ‘floating’ buffet coach that can be added to any of the rakes, on demand. The fourth rake will comprise a 1st/3rd coach and a full brake (for papers and parcels) to which will be added the two 4-wheel freight liveried milk vans, to form the milk train.
The first conversion is based on the LGB old time US coach. I have a pair of these which will become all 3rd class coaches No6 & No7 on the Claptowte Railway, although it is anticipated that No7 will be additionally modified’ in the Claptowte Railway workshops, to become a buffet coach and re-numbered No14. The coach in the unmodified shots was obtained second hand off Ebay. I assume it was the previous owner who sprayed the black edges along the roof rather than LGB. The actual converted coach (No6) was purchased new.
Now, to describe the conversion. The object of the exercise was an attempt to Anglicise the model and to try and disguise the obvious origins as much as possible. Not sure where to begin as a lot of work has gone into this conversion.
The unmodified coach
The modified coach
The most obvious alteration is to the windows. The original passenger compartment has eight windows. The first thing I did was to cut out alternate side panels to create four larger windows. These were then framed out using plasticard strip to give a more British appearance. The white panels on the side of the coach are flat boards (plasticard) to take the decals for the railway name, coach numbers and third class designations. The bogies are now fitted with Al Kramer plated brass wheels, standard issue across the Claptowte Railway fleet.
The roof has been modified with the addition of GRS lamp tops and ventilators. Pipe work (brass wire) has been added that would originally have carried gas to the lamps but now forms a convenient conduit for cable to the modern electric lamps.
Before
After
The balcony ends have been extensively modified. The shape and position of the handrails has been altered using brass handrail wire and plastic tube. Balcony railings have been added courtesy of GRS white metal castings and additional brass wire, also GRS brass lamp irons added. Buffers and vacuum pipes have been added, salvaged from the process of mounting LGB Toytrain stock back to back, to form bogie vehicles which will be the subject of future threads.
Before
After
The seating has been modified. The old time wooden ends to the seats have been removed, ,they just pull off, and the peg holes filled in (it occurs to me that the discarded seat ends, with new platicard seats and backs will make excellent, cheap and unusual platform and/or waiting room seating). The wooden panels between the seat back and the head rest have been cut out and the headrests glued straight onto the seat backs. This was all intended to give the seating a lower, more modern and open appearance.
Before
After
Before
After
As with all of my conversions, the biggest alteration to appearance is down to the work carried out in the paint shop. The posting of that will have to wait until time allows..
David
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