Orient Express Rolling Stock
- Thread starter ebay mike
- Start date
Rhinochugger
Retired Oik
Well, it probably has to be the last wagon, as it's a forgone conclusion
OK, Hat
Coat
Door
Rhinochugger
Retired Oik
Well, if it's the Orient Express, I suspect there's still quite a few more courses to goIf four have gone.. How many courses, are left? - I'll turn up for pudding!
I'd pass on the waffer thin mints though
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
OK so the cream doesn't match, but to be quite honest I don't mind. The roof is wrong but a quick spray with silver will suffice. Doors are in the process of being painted. One of them had the bottom hinge pip broken off, but some careful drilling and insertion of a short length of umbrella strut has restored operation. The donor coach didn't have roof vents but I found a pack of black car interior trim buttons in the garage which will look the part. I managed to source the correct pattern corridor connections from muns some time ago. My next foray into the Aladdin's cave should produce a bar with pumps, some chairs and a boxful of Meng 1/35 bottles and glasses. The scale differential should not be too noticeable. Lighting will be installed in all four coaches in due course. I have a waiter and barmaid anxious to be released from 'furlough' and by the time all patrons are onboard hopefully social distancing will no longer be necessary.
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ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
Roof completed. Poundland wheel silver rattlecan. Small collar cut from a piece of Plastruct tube so the vent sits proud of the roof, a quick wipe with a black permanent marker (to save getting the paint our and waiting for it to dry), 6mm hole drilled and it pop-fits nicely. From a short distance you can't tell the difference. At 99p for six they're also cheaper than LGB spares.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
Can't get away from him, can you? He pops up everywhere. Michael Portillo has crept in to use the only facilities currently in the coach. Paintwork complete, windows refitted, doors hung, roof back in place - just waiting for the interior fitters to turn up.
Gizzy
A gentleman, a scholar, and a railway modeller....
Portillo in the Portaloo....
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
He's got a pink shirt on - I hope he's alone!
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
Not been much activity on this subject recently. I have just acquired a couple of these. I realise I have been trying to dispose of all my US outline stock, but you know how difficult it is to resist a bargain. They are in need of a little fettling but I had an idea. Treated to a respray and rebranded as VSOE Motorail they could be attached to the rear of one of my expresses. Checked out the loading gauge and having about a dozen low height up-market runabouts to hand I think I can get away with it. May have to make up some protective covers for the cars on the upper decks though.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
The project commenced as there may be a possibility travel restrictions could be relaxed in the not too distant future. Time to attract new clientele - affluent young executives (possibly with partners in tow) who wish to visit the more glamorous locations with the added bonus of parading and posing in their pride and joy without the chore of driving halfway across Europe. Welcome to the CIWL-VSOE answer to BR's Motorail service - Auto Transport Internationale. You travel in unparalleled luxury and your vehicle is delivered to your destination at the same time.
These two wagons were in need of some TLC so I had no qualms in producing a 'might-have-been' conversion. Both were stripped into their components and after a few missing steps were fabricated from 1.5mm copper cable they were sprayed matt black (Poundland Auto Paint). Final paint coat done in Konigsblau with a gloss lacquer finish and my own vinyl printed decals. Having already done some trials with 1/24 scale diecast models I realised there would be too much weight for these to be attached to the rear of a lengthy train. Car boot sales early last year had provided a box of the Revell and Airfix easy build snap together cars which worked out at 50p each. All of the required marques - Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Bugatti, Dodge Viper, Audi R8 - not brilliant detailed scale models, but they would convey the concept. Next a simple method of keeping them in place. I decided they would not be required to actually move in any scenario so an oblong block was fabricated from laminated plasticard which would slot in the trough between the decking and glued to the floor pan of the car. Once painted matt black it would be virtually invisible. Next, holes were drilled in the decking framework to allow the blocks to be held in place with self tapping screws, the shape of the block keeping the car in a central position. The top two cars would be attached first using a long bladed screwdriver inserted through the mounting hole drilled for the subsequent locating of the vehicles on the lower deck. Hopefully the photos will explain better. To be continued...................................
These two wagons were in need of some TLC so I had no qualms in producing a 'might-have-been' conversion. Both were stripped into their components and after a few missing steps were fabricated from 1.5mm copper cable they were sprayed matt black (Poundland Auto Paint). Final paint coat done in Konigsblau with a gloss lacquer finish and my own vinyl printed decals. Having already done some trials with 1/24 scale diecast models I realised there would be too much weight for these to be attached to the rear of a lengthy train. Car boot sales early last year had provided a box of the Revell and Airfix easy build snap together cars which worked out at 50p each. All of the required marques - Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Bugatti, Dodge Viper, Audi R8 - not brilliant detailed scale models, but they would convey the concept. Next a simple method of keeping them in place. I decided they would not be required to actually move in any scenario so an oblong block was fabricated from laminated plasticard which would slot in the trough between the decking and glued to the floor pan of the car. Once painted matt black it would be virtually invisible. Next, holes were drilled in the decking framework to allow the blocks to be held in place with self tapping screws, the shape of the block keeping the car in a central position. The top two cars would be attached first using a long bladed screwdriver inserted through the mounting hole drilled for the subsequent locating of the vehicles on the lower deck. Hopefully the photos will explain better. To be continued...................................
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
I forgot - a word of caution here. Don't make assumptions. Despite both models coming from the same manufacturer, in identical boxes and bearing all the same embossed moulding data on the bottom l cut the mounts for all the cars to the same size. One lot didn't fit. On checking the dimensions I find one wagon is bigger width wise that the other and the centre troughe, both upper and lower, larger by nearly 2mm.
Mike reading this again I think may be something missing here? What was it that was 99p for six, I think the little bit of black plastic for the vents that you cut the tube to make proud could be the thing.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
Car interior trim buttons Jon. They're mentioned in the text of post #105.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
Final coat of paint and lacquer done, just awaiting the application of the branding and a few detail parts including the connecting ramps. Never been happy about the oversize gap which always seems more pronounced on stock with origins in US outline. Had a play with a spare 'loop' which I have cut down so that the hook pivot hole becomes the coupling mount hole. Looks much better and that the ramps will actually be long enough to do their job and prevent a couple of hundred grand's worth of carbon fibre encased metal getting cosy with some stone ballast.
Could be the larger gap is due to KD type couplings as used in US. The lack of a buffer makes it look worse. We had some US Hoppers on the Ruschbahn that looked awful till andy put Balconies and buffers on them.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
I've got a box full of buffer beams (centre single and twin versions) which i have saved from stock that came with a choice. Must have at least 20 pairs. Once I standardise on single or twin I will kit out all the OW rolling stock.
ebay mike
Retired, but still hoarding. (GOF)
'Branding' completed on the transporters so time for a quick pla testing session. They really are heavy and would have been well over the top if I had decided to use Bburago (or similar) diecast models. If I place these at the rear of my 14 coach rake (the fullsize Pullmans) I will need to double head with two Mikados. The local population turned out in force to see today's offering pull into Noyelles. At the end of the run the train was split - the coaching stock handled by the OBB diesel and freight side by the DR Kof.
Last thing to do will be reinstate the loading ramps.
Last thing to do will be reinstate the loading ramps.
Is that Post Van a repaint? If so a vary good job. But looking at your reworked coaches I guess I should not be surprised at your skills.