Modelling Coach 1T described by Ken Elliott The ends were cut from 1/8 inch ply, planks scored with the grain, and faced inside with my white card. The floor is 1/4 inch MDF, cut to fit between sides and ends. The seating is represented by a strip of 3/4 inch square softwood along the floor, each side. I left a space each end, the width of the door. The seats were glued to the floor before assembling the body, and help to keep the body square, as well as adding strength to the whole assembly. The ends fit between the sides. The draw beams are 3/16 inch softwood, with a piece of 1/2 inch ally angle behind the coupling pinned to the floor. The end steps are 1/4 inch pieces of 1/16 inch ply, the hand rail cut from my stiff garden wire. The carriage underframe is represented by two strips of 1/4 inch square Ramin, with a 3/8 inch strip of 1/16 inch ply glued to the outer side of the Ramin strips. These assemblies are glued under the floor, and to the drawbeams. The truss bars were bent up from wire coathanger, and go into holes drilled in the Ramin. The vertical parts of the truss bars are split pins, again sunk into the Ramin. The bogies were made up from 1/2inch. aluminium angle for the sides, with 1inch. flat aluminium for the stretchers. Each bogie has a ball bearing turntable. One has a 1 inch. circular brass disc, with a 3/4 inch. circle within its circumference drilled to take six 1/8 inch balls, with a central hole for the retaining bolt. The other has a 2 inch. by 1/4 inch. strip of brass, with holes set at 1/4 inch. and 1 inch. from one end, with the retaining bolt hole between the two. The other end of the strip is limited in movement by two panel pins, 1 inch. each side of the centre line in the floor. This bogie is then able to rock from side to side to allow for variations in the track. The ball bearings run on brass plates pinned to the floor, on 1/8 inch. ply bolsters to get the correct ride height for my other stock. The roof was built up on an inner ceiling of 1/8 inch ply which drops into the carriage. Five roof bows, cut to the end profiles, are spaced along this ceiling. The roof was then planked with 3/8 inch strips of 1/16 inch ply, then covered with a sheet of thin cotton material. This is held in place with coats of 50/50 mix of PVA wood glue and water. The painting of roof and body was then completed. The vacuum pipes were made up from copper wire from a car battery cable, the centre buffer couplings are from brass sheet, copper pipe and copper wire, with a 3/4 inch 6ba bolt holding each one in place.
| ![]() |