All Aboard ! plus more

[JohnRatzenberger]

I thought I'd get a thread started while waiting on Al to render some guidance ( http://www.uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=241777#p241777; ).

I was inspired by the receipt of this today.



with a short chapter dedicated to my kits ....





And here are the kits: two 2nds, 1 brake 2nd, 1 composite 2nd, 1 restaurant 1st.



And the Peco interiors for all but the restaurant, which has its own kit interior.



The reason, mentioned before, for two corridor 2nds is that the interior can be built as a 2nd and as an open.

Note sure what all we want, but I'm ready for anything.

My first few tasks will be to break out common parts, like the trucks, and just start cleaning. I also might want to look for replacements for wheels, couplers, etc, depending. I am also going to copy yht Peco card kits onto 65lb stock; experience says that the bending and folding of some pieces may go better.

[JohnRatzenberger]

And after discussing with Al, I'll be doing a Corr 2nd and a Brake 2nd, in running order, in Blood & Custard, with all the interior goodies - happy passengers partying or something like that ... I have already found Hornby couplers and metal-tire wheels for these ...

I'll also be doing a double-long train shed ...



The other 3 coaches I offered will be 2nd priority in some different livery .... They will probably be static but might be pulled so I'll do wheels and couplings on them also ....

I have enough to keep me busy now ....

[ShaunW]

Excellent, I'm sure you'll do great work with these classics John. Railways are a fascinating subject but I don't have the space or indeed spare hobby cash to run a layout. Static kits, however, have got me thinking with regard to occasional alternative subjects to my usual fare of aircraft and military vehicles.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Spent a bit of time today starting to separate my kits into piles of parts. The one big problem I had with the Brake 2nd was a bent roof, so task one was to go through each kit, and all my spares to find the best roofs by type, because they are all different in a subtle way and I don't want some train spotter to have a coronary at our booth. I will have to do some straightening and some careful filling/sanding to cover up a couple mold flaws. It is my intent to get these to sit neatly on the body if running, so they can be lifted off if static.

Same I have checked that I have 5 good bodies, floors, and weights. I noticed that I am missing a restaurant floor so that makes one kit a hangar queen. I'm also missing all the undercarriage of one of my Corr 2nd and have a badly bent body elsewhere so probably makes one more hanger queen.

Fortunately all the kits are identical except the coach sides and roof, so I'll be starting piles of components next.

Al, anyone, I need some suggestion on interior colors: the ceiling, the inside of the coach walls, and the inside of the end pieces.
I suppose I could just follow what the Peco interior walls are ?

Likewise, the two train sheds have been dumped together, will be well shaken and out will pop a long shed.
Al, do you want me to cobble together some kind of interior, and if so point me at something to work from.
I'm not sure I see a purpose, but I want to check before not after.

[beany]

Al, anyone, I need some suggestion on interior colors: the ceiling, the inside of the coach walls, and the inside of the end pieces.[/b]
I suppose I could just follow what the Peco interior walls are ?

Off the cuff I typed the following search into Google (Images) John "uk mk1 railway coach interiors" - give that a go mate - there is no right or wrong answer. I'd certainly use the Peco interiors for reference if that will be easier as well.

Likewise, the two train sheds have been dumped together, will be well shaken and out will pop a long shed.
Al, do you want me to cobble together some kind of interior, and if so point me at something to work from.
I'm not sure I see a purpose, but I want to check before not after.

From the ones I've been in of that period, just dirty brickwork would suffice, a brick/rust colour painted straight on the model walls or attach some brick paper (and weather it with pastels or whatever) if you have any. I will probably have a loco with it's nose poking out of the shed anyway John so wouldn't loose sleep over the interior too much.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Thanks, Al !

[JohnRatzenberger]

And we're off !!

I have gotten all my kits and interiors down. I have gone through each kit and separated parts into like piles. Only the roofs and sides are specific to the coach, everything else is generic. Where needed I have swapped bad parts with another kit. I have done a bit of filling and sanding.



And above you can see:
-- all the glass waiting a Future bath
-- the sides and roofs
-- the floor/underside with weight glued in
-- several boxes of separated parts.

Much of this is off to the spray booth over next few days - desert yellow interior so I can do a wood grain; semi-gloss black on the floorplate, ends, wheels pieces, etc; some gray on the roof as primer.

The Hornby couplers have arrived, still waiting the wheels.

And, no rail yard would be complete without a fiddle yard, so here's where my coaches will sit when not being worked on, and one piece of track that the current working one will sit on. Some of this is a bit premature because it's not fun working these with the running gear on ....



And last, the 4 Peco interiors. I have two pieces of balsa, covered in wax paper, each holding two interiors. These are built onto the base and then inserted into the built-up car body later.



NOTE: before you start cutting parts from the Peco kits, make a photocopy of the parts sheet - there are a lot of little arrows & parts numbers on there that you need to put the right part in the right place.

Anyway, I can work the coaches & interiors in parallel for quite a while, then magic happens and they all come together

--

[fredk]

Ah, The Ratzenberger Coach Works is open for business. Studebaker better watch out! [they closed down didn't they?]

[beany]

Excellent progress so far John, I'm looking forward to seeing the coaches being built - I think they are the life and soul of any railway - especially when full of adults and children all having fun, going on holiday or for a good day out, to the coast or to an airshow or whatever, i.e. all the things I have precious memories of!

[splash]

My memories as a child are of trips from Folkestone to Waterloo in a non corridor carriage and a full bladder

[JohnRatzenberger]

I'll hang an "Out of Order" sign on the lavatory ...

[ShaunW]

Good to see these underway John, they should make for interesting builds.

[JohnRatzenberger]

Wheels came in today .... stylish & smooth-running. I can start the bogies .

[JohnRatzenberger]

I'm hearing all this "replace handrails" chit-chat .... that was not my plan, but if I'm going to now is about the time to do so before I paint the exteriors ... speak up ... OTOH, just how much does it matter if the passengers are folded card ?

[beany]

Replacing handrails really only applies to the locos John when the mouldings are so obvious and scream out to be replaced. Not applicable to coaches really.

Cardboard people - hell yeah!