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Manufactured by WEP Models23 Wellington Court, Best Street, Cradley Heath, WARLEY B64 5PB. Tel: 01384 566059 (After 7pm). |
| Built by Raymond Walley © Raymond Walley - All rights reserved |
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Bill Parker's kit for the Signal Post Open (Diagram T10) comes in his usual flat pack. You will need to add a set of 3' 1½". 8 spoked wheels. I had some in stock, which I think were Haywood. Instructions are well up to his usual standard.
This picture shews all the components after having been made ready for assembly. I find it pays to do as much work "in the flat" as possible. All bends were done using a "Hold and Fold" where the bend line has been heavily scribed so that a witness mark shewed through on the reverse side.
The end stanchions were fitted by twisting the tabs through about 30°. This
holds them firmly without soldering, rather like the old Hornby tinplate used to
be assembled.
All WEP kits are compensated so there was no need to modify
anything.
The completed body ready to accept the underframe.
Two shots of the underframe shew off the simple and effective design.
There are some nice touches too, like the way the brake units, together with the
safety straps, fit together and the tab that folds
over then fits into an etched depression on the other
side of the floor.
The body goes together easily and produces a neat, strong box under which the
underframe is a tight fit. The side stanchions are fitted by turning the
tabs on the side through about 30° too before the body is assembled, so no solder to have to clean up.
The only parts of the original kit not used were the buffers, as usual.
I replaced them, this time with neat castings from Prestige Models. One day, Bill will get
around to including buffers that match the excellence
of his design, until then we shall just have to get used to spending a bit more
money to build
his vehicles, not that I would object to paying a little for good
buffers in the first place.
Here are two shots of the completed wagon awaiting a trip to Ian's paint shop.
Anyone who has built an etched kit should be able to put
this wagon together
in a relatively short space of time. It took me about a day altogether,
most of the work being in preparing the various components, filing down cusps
and punching out rivets. Actual assembly is relatively easy.