03-Sep-2008 08:28
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Manufactured by WEP Models 23 Wellington Court, Best Street, Cradley Heath, WARLEY B64 5PB. Tel: 01384 566059 (After 7pm). |
| Built by Raymond Walley © Raymond Walley - All rights reserved |
As usual, the kit arrives as a flat pack, sheets of etch, a bag of castings and bits and the usual comprehensive instructions. As usual, I binned the buffers.
This kit I found best constructed by assembling as many sub-assemblies as possible. The six doors (3 per side) and the ends are constructed of 10 separate parts and the intervening panels of 6 parts. The cross bracing and stanchions were fitted by twisting the locating tabs from the back of the part. This hold them securely and ensures that no solder creeps into the plank joints.
These two pictures illustrate how it works. The next pictures shews all the parts for the sides ready for constructions. While some of the parts are small, they all fit well.
The individual segments were then fitted together using the twisted tab method and the bases, which fold up to form an off-set, soldered to the sole bar. Not the easiest job but with a few clamps (a lá hair grips) it is possible to get the sole bar soldered in place. I strengthened it all with some off-cuts of steel rail soldered across the backs of the inside fixed panels. The extension is to solder to the inside of the ends when the two sides are fitted together.
The roof comes as a piece of flat sheet but the instructions have 7mm scale drawing included so marking out for ventilators and rains strips is easy. The holes were drilled prior to rolling and the rain strips added once rolled. There are no lamp tops to fit here since I am building for my client a later, modified, version with electric lighting.
The under frame is relatively simple with no brake gear trapping the wheels in so I shall modify the fixed set to be bolted in place.
The
wheel sets, I think, benefit from strengthening. I soldered some 1mm
square rod into the fold and another piece to the upright to give added
stiffness. The axles needed two 5BA washers behind each wheel to prevent
the vehicle hunting when in motion.
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