The SPA as built several years ago.
First up was an SPA wagon I built around 2000. I was living in Exeter at the time and it brings back some good memories. However, the buffers were plastic and the weathering was done with some powders. So I drilled out the buffer bodies and super glued in some turned brass buffer heads, much more suitable for using 3 link couplings. After this a quick scrub down in the sink was followed by some air brushing for weathering. The railfreight red has faded over the last 10 years or so, in an almost prototypical way!! The SPA build was the excellent cambrian kit and this is now ready to enter service in one of my air braked freight trains. I have a Bachmann OBA and Hornby OAA to convert, as well as some of the Cambrian OTA timber wagons. These were all prototypically used along the tarka trail in the 1980's, working wood and fertiliser loads.
Updated SPA with brass buffers and new weathering
The other main freight along along the Torrington line was ECC china clay, being mined out near Halwill (the exact name of the quarry escapes me now). So last year I purchased the ready weathered Bachmann offering and this week I started the conversion of the first to 3 link couplings. What should have been a simple task was actually a bit of a nightmare. Firstly, 2 out of the 3 screw mounts had to be cut off and filed flat at the end of the wagon. Then the coupling hook had to have its bar shortened and a new hole re-drilled. An improvised spring was made from the pin, and the ends of the pin glued into place. As I had cut off the screw mounts for 2 of the crews the wagon was secured back together with araldite. All in all a lot of effort for a simply conversion. 1 down, about 9 to go!!!!
On taking the agon apart it is evident that the mounts for the screws will have to be removed at either end of the wagon.
The two halves of the wagon body with the offending items removed with a combination of drill, knife and file. The couplings are then added.
The finished wagon with the couplings converted
The other main project I have on the go is the Parkside CCT. I will finish the construction of this today. This wagon is going into a smart engineering olive repainted livery, with a southern PMV of the same colour. Then I plan to build another two CCTs, one LMS, one southern, both in faded and battered rail blue. I want to add the masokits detailing set to these wagons, but this almost doubles the cost of the project, so I am currently undecided about whether to add this cost to each wagon. I also noticed that buffers supplied with the Parkside kit were different to the ones I was modelling from photographs I have of an engineering CCT. So these buffers were swapped for a set of whitemetal ones I had lying about (heaven knows who manufactured them). Other than this the build is per instructions and is very straight forward. I am looking forward to seeing it painted.
Nearly finished build of parkside CCT
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