Cardboard Modelling On Barchester

Pictures, as requested. All models have been, and are being, made for a ficticious layout, like Barchester, where I design my own kit. They are'nt supposed to represent a prototype but they could just as easily be made to do so.
First loco all card except for funnel and dome, which are balsa.



Loco and coach all card, except for hardware of course.



This one is a diesel railcar.



And here we have a complete train. Loco chassis removed for final lettering and numbering.

Pictures, as requested. All models have been, and are being, made for a ficticious layout, like Barchester, where I design my own kit. They are'nt supposed to represent a prototype but they could just as easily be made to do so.
First loco all card except for funnel and dome, which are balsa.



Loco and coach all card, except for hardware of course.



This one is a diesel railcar.



And here we have a complete train. Loco chassis removed for final lettering and numbering.

More progress being made with this interesting little model. The next picture shows that the box for the cab has been put together, the mounting plate for the swivelling trailer fitted and the wheels assembled. I say assembled but in fact the wheels are just buttons with the four thread holes covered by paper circles from a hole punching machine. The wheel at the bottom of the screen has it's mudguard on show. The wheels are the first non card materials to be used. You can get an idea from the photograph of how this is all going to come together, hopefully.

Bit more done. Cabs assembled with steering wheels added, (one side of press stud fittings), fronts put together with the typical mechanical horse bumper plus door handles. The chassis components have been assembled also. Wheels, brake rods, (florists wire) and swivelling points for trailer attachment. Still to come, front lights, air horns and fuel tanks.

Sorry about that, made a double post somehow or other, trembling finger perhaps.

I have put the prime mover aside for the moment and have got the materials for the five trailers cut out and ready to start assembling. As you can see it's going to be a 'wooden' trailer with 3 plank sides. Wheels as for the prime mover. The card is the usual pure whie. The colouring comes from the lamp I was using.

A bit more progress with the trailers. The underneath support girders for the flat bed are in place and you can see the wheel supports which will be glued to the undersides of the flat bed and inside the support girders. These wont be visible when all is assembled. The wheels are also ready to be glued in place. The only things not shown here are the brake rodding, which was in the previous picture, and the mudguards which I will cut out and fix when the time comes. When the underside is complete I just have to add the side, rear and front planked sides. The sides and rear 3 plank and the front 5 plank. The squares of card are for the trailer swivel plate where it attaches to the prime mover. The trailer has to be able to be twisted to various positions for doing different jobs on the layout.

Now we are really getting somewhere and the project is begining to look something like I envisaged. The first picture shows the trailers with wheels fitted, front 5 plank trailer boards in place and, obviously, the mounting plates for trailer to prime mover, although you can't see them.
The brake rods are also fitted and you can just see them in a couple of the models. The press stud steering wheels are also a bit more obvious. They are the only things I have had to buy for these models, the rest comes from the wife's sewing box and my scrap card box. For 60 cents I have enough steering wheels for 40 more cabs or similar such use. Cheapskate or what?



This next picture shows the 2 plank side panels fitted, cab door handles and the mudguards in position.



Getting there chaps, getting there.

Did a quicky on a container type box just to see what the vehicle would look like with a load on it and this was the result. The 'container' is bigger than the normal load that this type of vehicle would carry but this is just for a 'look see'.
Actually it's a good picture for seeing the wheels (buttons) before painting, door handle, steering wheel (press stud) and brake rods on the trailer.

Here's a picture of three of the trailers finished. The upper woodwork has been stained, chassis painted, mudguards fitted, brake rods and rear lights fitted. The buttons worked out fairly well for the wheels I thought.
Since taking this picture I realise that I have to add support legs for the front of the trailer for when it is disconnected from the prime mover. Ah well, what's one more todo on the never ending list.

Good point but in this case they would have been brown anyway, and I prefer the stain to paint.
Well here's the trailer with legs, at the second go I might add. The first support posts were where they are now but held only by a security clamp so that when the clamp was released the leg fell to the floor and then the clamp was tightened to hold it in place. Simple but effective. Fine until the first bloke to try it, Charley by name, released the clamp and managed to get his foot underneath the post as it dropped, nasty. Back to the drawing board so now we have the legs held on a ratchet and pawl which is operated by the wheels that you can see. Ten times more expensive but at least the leg comes down slowly and you have to stand in front of the wheel to operate it, hence legs and feet out of the way.

Well here they are folks, for better or for worse. Four of the five mechanical horses in action on Barchester. Just a couple of things to do to finish them off. The first thing is to make and fit better headlights and the second to buy some drivers and get them installed. At the moment the drivers are out of their cabs assisting with the loading and unloading of goods, or maybe attending to nature. :wink:
The first picture shows work going on in the Goods Yard.



This second picture is noteworthy for the fact that apart from the plastic figures and the crane everything is scratch built. You can see how the Sculpey polymer has been used to make sacks, the card pallets, string coiled ropes, washer life savers, card barge and all it's fittings, card horses cart, paper and card rear warehouses, card doors, plastic windows, the card jetty, everything.
I don't say this in any way to magnify anything I may have achieved but to show those who hesitate about scratchbuilding that if they will just take the first simple steps then they can have a model railway that will be unlike any other. A unique and very satisfying thing in it's own right.



Finally we are back in the timber yard where two of the models are being kept occupied.