Is it worth bidding for?

[angiea]

The only thing you can really do in this case is to replace the entire wheel-carrier and coupling shaft assemblies (the "bogies", although of course they are only one axle each - the bit that swivels a few degrees to allow the coupling shaft to swing) with the more modern type. They are fairly easily obtainable as spares, and are not terribly expensive. The newer type should be a straight drop-in replacement for the original old ones, just by unscrewing the chassis frame from the body of the coach/wagon.

Here they are, just over a tenner a pair from Peter at Chalk Garden Rail:
http://www.chalkgardenrail.co.uk/store/product/item323.html

Jon.

Thank you so much for such a rapid and informative response. I'll get some of those, so my buffet car won't always have to be at the back of the train.

 

[a98087]

Or another option is just buy another wagon with the correct couplings, swap them over and either keep or eBay the spare wagon

Dan