Penrhyn Coal Wagon by Gerv Wright
Photo 1 shows the inspiration for the model the original wagon in Penrhyn Castle Museum.
My normal materials for scratch building rolling stock are ply and strip wood. For ply I mainly use 1/16” with detail added either with 1/32” and 1/64” ply or strip wood. If I need any thicker section I laminate two or more pieces together. However for this model I decided to rummage through all those ‘come in useful one day’ bits in my scrap box. So the frame (photo 2) is cut from a piece of 4mm ply.
Planks were added (photo 3)
and these were cut from some unknown 1/16” hardwood I must have had for a least a decade. Similar wood but 3/64” thick was used for the sides and strapping made up from strip wood (photo 4).
To hold the wheels (Slaters WD) I used some aluminium angle sawn and filed to shape and drilled to take the brass top hats. Dummy axle boxes were stuck onto the angle. These were turned and filed from a piece a square steel bar from an old door handle set. Photo 5 shows one side with these boxes in place the other with just the top hats.
With the underframe in place it was back to the body work. Photo 6 shows rubbing strips and buffing blocks made from stripwood and metal brackets from brass strip.
The countersunk screw holes were made with a rivet embossing tool and the strip put on the wagon the ‘wrong way round’ so that the indentations showed.Photo 7 shows added detail.
The bolts were soldered up from 12BA nuts and washers and brass wire. The corner brackets round the frame and the reinforcing on the buffing blocks are card. The bolts on the latter are filed down snap head rivets.
The final photo shows the wagon with the rest of my Penrhyn fleet, this ensemble having made it to the AGM at Peterborough for a run on Mount Dowd or Felin Fawr as it was for the day. Last job is to add the lettering.
