Darjeeling Coaches

[maxi-model]

I was just about to start doing the step hangers for my new IP Darjeeling coaches when I noticed my "3rd hand" seems to have developed aspirations beyond its design perameters. Not a bad impersonation of a certain Mr Bolt don't you think ? It's certainly pumped up and ready for action. Do you think I should enter it in the 100 metres ?

Or would you prefer I post some pictures of the Darjeeling coaches ?

 

[dudley]

Re:3rd Hand

Well it was deigned to hold a bolt

 

[maxi-model]

After my little impression above (it was on the shelf in that pose, honest) the real reason for this thread. I have just finished building my set of 3 IP Darjeeling coaches. OK, I know y'all post pictures of the build but I hate interuptions while I build. Will do some detail shots and build tips tomorrow, if you would like, that would be generic for most IP/wood kits. Here are the pic's. Off to bed now.
Max.

 

[maxi-model]

A few tips on building IP wooden coaches. Everybody has ther own way of doing these things but these work for me.

For exterior paints I use automotive (Halfords) rattle can sprays. On wood I use filler primer to take out a bit of the wood grain as well as using a flat sanding block with some 250-400 grade as well for preparation. Sand between coats, more filler primer- less grain. Don't forget to sand the edges that have been burnt by the laser during the cutting process prior to painting. The burnt residue of resins and adhesives are a great paint repellent.

I have a few scrap bits of 50 thou plastcard covered with double sided tape with wet and dry on top cut into strips and use them to clean up and take off any tabs left by the cutting process.

For main construction I used medium thickness super glue, the type that has been "de-gassed", i.e. leaves no white residue. These are usually identified as clear by thier makers'. A slight deviation from the excellent pictoral IP manual, the side overlays were fitted after painting. Try and leave a "laticework" of unpainted areas on the main coach body for the overlays to be glued to. Any staining, I used Coloron, must be done prior to any applicaion of glue. NOTE - wood stains will leech through primers and and colour coats, applied over them, if you have not used anything to seal them beforehand. I took me about 4 colour coats to get rid of the discolouring effect.

It is interesting to see how IP have used layers of wood to build up the detail, such as the vents, and give the model some "depth". All those layers of wood also give the model nice acoustics when it goes down the track. if you know what I mean.

Glazing and and small items small exterior items that will have to resist knocks were applied using Evode's "seriously strong glue". It appears to be silcon based and resists sudden shocks which superglues are not good at.

I added a mod' to the steps by attaching them with some of GRS's etched metal hangers fitted with 1.2mm rivets soldered in. Stronger and nicer looking (imho) that directly glued to the solebars.

More to follow, Max.

 

[maxi-model]

A few more little bits.

Roof was fitted using IP's roof mounting jig. The coach has 4 internal ribs + the end bulkheads to which to apply the glue as well as the roof side edges. When using the jig make sure you have everything properly aligned and make sure the roof is properly seated against the full curvature of the bulkheads and ribs as well as the coach sides. Once everything is in place and pressed together try using a bit of accelerator on the superglue. Be careful where your fingers are as this accelerator stuff can soften automotive paints.

I decided to add a little "bling" to the coach ends, which is not included in the kit. "Expo" make brass screw eyes, some reshaped and cut, with some left over chain and 12BA brass washers were used to make up some safety chains and attachment hooks.

The buffers have a strip of black tape added to their faces to stop them looking too knocked about with use.

IP offer some neat detail with the "brake jamming" bars. Little tip - Halfords Matt Black spray and Humbrol Coal Black #85 have identical finishes when dry, even if you have brushed on the Humbrol stuff. Great if you need to touch things in if you have a post construction mishap or need to hide a raised coach side overlay at its bulkhead ends. Just feather in the Humbrol stuff to fix problems or detail. Generally enamels can be applied over automotive car paints and excess wiped away with a white spirit damped (not soaked and just a swift wipe) cotton bud.

Wheels are IP's own insulated ones and run in brass bearings that fit into the laser cut wooden axleguards. The bearings were given smear of epoxy to seat them as I had set the underframes a little too wide apart. The above paint blending technique was used here to hide the un-painted area where an underframe part that was glued in after painting was fitted to facilitate the fitting of the wheels without painting.

That is all I hope you enjoyed and found it of help. Next the 3 x tea wagons and 2 x goods vans ! I could not say no at the Midlands Garden Rail show and the 16mm national show - IP were doing the coaches at £22 each and the wagons £18, wheelsts £5 per coach/wagon. Could have got the bigger coaches at £44 but baulked

Max.

 

[maxi-model]

Time for a trundle ! Posed of course, I only got two hands.

But 3rd hand limbers up for the next task. The tea wgons

Max

 

[mike]

well thought out and built, nicely done sir!

 

[Doug]

Lovely little coaches, here's one of mine:

I also painted them before assembly, showing the side before gluing together:

 

[maxi-model]

Very nice work there Doug.

I found getting pictoral information on these coaches and other older types of Darjeeling rolling stock on the internet very difficult, other than that of kit makers finished products. Nothing definitive to get reasonably close to protoypical appearances. Do you know any good sources ?

Wish I had bought some of the bogie versions that were on offer at the shows for £44.

Max.

 

[Doug]

After i finish the small ones i bought at the 16mm show, i'll be going for some from this supplier:

http://www.yattonmodelengineering.co.uk/index.html

 

[maxi-model]

While the Yatton models look interesting in their raw unpainted form it would be nice if they were shown finished and painted. Given my above comment in post #9 it is a major disincentive to buy if the maker cannot show the fully finished and decorated item or confirm that the information is available up front. The other problem is that all the "Heritage" items I might be interested in that Yatton are 32mm gauge only and I run 45mm. Can't have everything ,I suppose.

Max.

 

[Spule 4]

Max, have you built the tea wagon? They look like a nice model from the photos.

 

[maxi-model]

Tea wagon, non standard bits - safety chains and hooks, grab iron, door handles, door locking pin and chain. Body and roof coated Halfords filler primer and flated back to fill in the woodgrain a bit. Then body finish all over Phoenix Paints early BR bauxite with Halfords matt black underframes and Halfords Ford Ivory roof with a Microscale Microflat finish, roof only. Roof fitted using IP jig after painting.

Interior of wagon dark stained prior to painting.

Larger goods wagon in process of construction. Roof is corrugated, a plastic material supplied with kit fixed with contact adhesive to ply roof. More to follow on this one as I go.

Max

 

[Spule 4]

What a nice van, thank you for posting the photos. Your added details set it off well.

The "larger" goods van, I assume by this remark, that the tea van is small?

 

[garrymartin]

I do admire your tea wagon A super job, & the finish is excellent.

 

[Mossala Hill]

Unfortunately it's volume 2 of the Iron Sherpa that's the rare one, and they can go for silly prices on ebay, the highest I've seen was over £180!
I don't understand why they aren't printing any more, given the demand and the fact that all the production costs have already been covered so it's presumably just a matter of asking the printer for more copies. Makes you wonder if someone's got a wharehouse full and they're planning to put them on ebay, one at a time. Mind you, the last two I saw didn't make their £140 reserve, so perhaps sanity will return.

Rob

 

[Mossala Hill]

Ah, yes. "Volume 2 currently out of print, reprint under consideration"

Fingers crossed!

Rob