Garden Railway Forum

As a change from working on my O9 I've been back on the 'big jobs' again....

..and I must say: I hate lollipop sticks. A right royal pain to cut compared to balsa or coffee stirrers, hence the open wagon looks a bit ragged. Need to make a jig for the next lot.

For both wagons the chassis framework is bass wood with a balsa deck. The axle box assembly is just fashioned out of plasticard and cocktail sticks (still need the proper axle boxes putting on to hid the bearing ends). Wheels are from the Gauge O Guild 2nd hand stall....probably out of scale for these wagons that are meant to be 14mm:ft but they look OK to my uncultured eye. Couplings are track pin and paper clip. The ends of the flat are balsa with a load made from the stuff I'm clearing out of the garden to make way for the garden railway. The 'open' has sides and ends made of lollipop sticks with plasticard strapwork.



I think that I produced both wagons for under a £5er...who says the larger scales have to be expensive!

Pretty good for under a fiver eh?

I don't think the open looks 'ragged'. Thats how NG stock is supposed to look isn't it?

They look fine - remind me of the Saltford Models kit from years ago. Brian Clarke suggested using "distressed Plasticard" - I used wood coz it was easier!

Nice!

What happened to Brian Clark? I used to enjoy his sketches.

He retired, grumbling that other people were stealing his designs. I've just re-made contact with him after a gap of many years................. in the meantime, take a look at: http://www.mdlr.co.uk/saltford01.html .................

I suppose that was bound to happen. It's a shame, because after all this time I would have bought one of his models. I suppose I should say he should be flattered, but that's of no comfort.

Perhaps it's a sign of the hobby becoming more mainstream and less pioneering. Brian was a pioneer - providing reasonable representations of little locos which no one else was doing.

An IP Simplex it is then.

funny this thread should rise up again now. Was just contemplating rebuilding the log wagon after spending an afternoon with it repeatedly flying off the bend coming into the upper station.
Can't figure out which would be less painful - pulling up the track and track base to relay it level, or rebuilding the wagon with a compensated chassis?

Obviously, in the ideal world, you'll all tell me to do the track properly, but this is the only wagon that doesn't like it (combination of longer wheel base and shallower wheel flanges) and I've always fancied having a go at doing a compensated chassis anyway. Watch this space!

Si:86519 wrote:funny this thread should rise up again now.  Was just contemplating rebuilding the log wagon after spending an afternoon with it repeatedly flying off the bend coming into the upper station.  
Can't figure out which would be less painful - pulling up the track and track base to relay it level, or rebuilding the wagon with a compensated chassis?

Obviously, in the ideal world, you'll all tell me to do the track properly.................

..................... and use the log wagon as your test vehicle - if it'll stop on, anything else will! I used do do this with a W&L van.....................

MDLR:86520 wrote:

Si:86519 wrote:funny this thread should rise up again now.  Was just contemplating rebuilding the log wagon after spending an afternoon with it repeatedly flying off the bend coming into the upper station.  
Can't figure out which would be less painful - pulling up the track and track base to relay it level, or rebuilding the wagon with a compensated chassis?

Obviously, in the ideal world, you'll all tell me to do the track properly.................

..................... and use the log wagon as your test vehicle - if it'll stop on, anything else will! I used do do this with a W&L van.....................

I do the same with my l&b carriage, it MUST go round anything up to mamod curves..... This has lead to a lot of track work in the past

I've always felt sone form of compensation is essential - like the real thing. Expecting wagons to stay on without it is quite a goal. The same is true of carriages.

Compensated bogies are easier to make than doing it for wagons .