Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Thanks Simon. I’ve fitted Kadees to EasyBuild and JLTRT kits in the past. The problem with the Maunsells is that Slater's have worked hard to make the underframes true to the prototype - and there’s not really much room left to fit the Kadee coupler box. It’s a similar issue I encountered with the MMP RMB - not easy to fit the third party coupler system when the kit is built like the real thing.

Having experimented further, I think I can continue to use the kit couplers.
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
Hi Heather

A further thought on using Kadee couplers.

Rather than use the Kadee draft box, and having seen the underside of the chassis, could you not modify the chassis coupler draft box by inserting a pin or nut/bolt/tube equivalent in the chassis to replicate the Kadee pin? I've edited a section of one of your photos to explain my thinking.

This would also allow you to move the pin towards the end of the chassis rather than have a lump of the Kadee draft box exposed if using their standard rather than long shank coupler.

Coupler.jpg
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Thanks for that, Dave. I’ll have to have a think about it some more. I can leave such decisions for a bit longer while I press on with more basic construction.
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Heather,

If you use S-scale Kadee couplers they fit better: Much better being slightly underscale than hugely overscale (the Kadee 0-scale coupler is for a much larger US coupler). I've just reinstalled the images in my thread about making working drop head couplers (Ker-lunk: Functional drop-head couplers in 7mm scale.). Not something I'd recommend, unless you're a masochist modelling 'loose' stock, but it shows how the Kadee coupler box fits in the headstock of the frame resulting in a roughly scale size coupler pocket.

I really enjoy building the Slaters' Maunsell carriages and have worked out most of the ways to 'bring them on a bit', they're worth the effort and it's good to see you back at these.

Steph
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Cheers Steph. I will review the coupler options. I’m led to believe three of the coaches will form a semi-permanently coupled set, but easier coupling would still be a benefit.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Hi Heather.

I've used the S-scale Kadees on my Maunsell push-pull (0r should that be pull-push as it's the Southern?). I've hesitated before posting about this previously as mine are from RJH etchings so may not be appropriate but they work fine and mounted easily. I'll attach a photo of the end of one of the vehicles so you can see how they look in situ, but what your potential attachment points are on a Slaters kit I simply don't know. The corridor connections (Slaters) touch properly too, and the vehicles will go through a six ft reverse curve without any problems.

Brian

100_1647.JPG
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
It’s the weekend, but that doesn’t stop Mrs Mojo deciding to make an appearance. Why not erect the sides and ends on the brake third, I thought. No obvious reason not to.

13301284-0D6B-4AC2-8C62-A2077CF3D149.jpeg

Well, apart from having not installed the CPL passcom gear at the toilet end, of course. Silly. Some awkward marking out and drilling is in my future, then.

I guess I should assemble the bogies for this coach, too. I’ve come this far, after all.
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Cheers John! We aren’t going anywhere next week - that I know of!

All three coaches - built so far - now have passenger communication gear installed. I’m going to tackle the bogies starting tomorrow. That’ll keep me quiet for a while.

One job I need to think about is roof fixing. Magnets seem favourite, and that gives Best Beloved and me the excuse to polish off the shortbread we were given for Christmas so's I can chop the tin up! Current thinking is to attach a small round magnet or two inside the upper part of each end, and glue some tinplate strip under each roof. With some added ridges inside the roof, it should make it a nice clean fit without being too awkward to align. I also plan to add some cross braces to the bodywork to prevent it being crushed at gutter level if picked up awkwardly. Slater's, sensibly, assume the modeller will glue the roof in place, giving strength to the assembly that way.

Once the roofs are arranged, I can make up the toilet tank filler pipes. The period these coaches are set in being the early 1960s, it’s reasonable to assume most, if not all, vehicles had been updated to the platform/track level fillers. As the "pipes" will need to unclip from the roof for the latter's removal, making such things will be about the last thing I tackle on the bodywork before painting starts.

Some cursory research on interior colours and fittings has taken place, too. It’s all beginning to take shape. Well, it will, once the final brake third is put together.

Time to eat, I think. Toodle-pip until the morrow!
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
One job I need to think about is roof fixing. Magnets seem favourite, and that gives Best Beloved and me the excuse to polish off the shortbread we were given for Christmas so's I can chop the tin up! Current thinking is to attach a small round magnet or two inside the upper part of each end, and glue some tinplate strip under each roof.
Heather (@Heather Kay), what you describe above is what Peter is doing with his Slater's GWR 4-whl coaches, there are two or four (rare earth) magnets fitted vertically into the top edge of each end and with a strip of steel shimstock affixed to the underside of the roof (steel shimstock, 2 thou thick, bought from Ebay). I recollect that the magnets are 1mm diameter and 2-3 mm long. As Peter is replacing one of the internal coach partitions with (say) 60 thou plastic sheet then that means that there are at least six, maybe more, points of attraction for each roof.

regards, Graham
 
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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Those tank filler pipes are a PIA. I've had to take the roofs off my Maunsells a couple of times (mostly due to broken cover glass windows - they look lovely but are just so fragile) and to do so really means redesigning the pipework each time. This time (yes, broken glass again!) I'll try to introduce a break point at one of the carriage end fixings. The frustrating thing is that the toilet was sealed, so they were not functional anyway.

Brian
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Heather (@Heather Kay), what you describe above is what Peter is doing with his Slater's GWR 4-whl coaches

Great minds, etc. My stock of magnets consists of quite large diameter ones, up to about 6mm I think. I’m going to experiment to see how best to deploy and install them.

Why not glue the roof onto the ends with Evostik. Removal, if necessary in the future, is easy by slitting the joint with a knife.

That’s not a bad idea, but … I like to be able to temporarily fit the roof while I’m working. Gluing is the final step when eveything's finished. Like Brian, I hope to use microscope glass, and knowing my hamfistedness I’ll have glued the roof on and then break a couple of panes!

Those tank filler pipes are a PIA.

I have a cunning plan. I will check with drawings and photos, but my idea is to leave the roof ends unglued, plugging into the filler bump on the tank top. They can be prised out easily then, and the roof lifted away. It’s a technique I’ve used on several builds now with some success. A drop of PVA is usually sufficient to hold the ends in place if required.

Anyway, today is Bogie Day. Even though I’ve got a couple of sets already built, I’m not really looking forward to the adventure again. Needs must, however.
 
Bogies, again.

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
43E35989-04C3-48BF-B96F-D18737CEEDB4.jpeg

*wibble*

It has been suggested I should document building these bogie kits. I did cover some aspects right at the start of this thread, but I appeared to skip some stages. If it’s of interest to a wider audience, I will try to document in more detail putting together the final pair of this build. That said, if you follow the instructions from Slater's, you won’t go much wrong. The hardest bit, really, is working out how to form some of the folds.

Anyway, I’ve managed to get both basic bogie frames together, cleaned up all the castings and made a start on the etched parts for the bolsters. I dug out my little jig to aid bolster soldering, and in the time between the last build and this one it’s been altered so it doesn’t work. It wasn’t me. ;)
 
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