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Connoisseur Models	Jim McGeown
1 Newton Cottages	01544 318263.
Nr Weobley
Herefordshire	Email: james.mcgeown2@btinternet.com
HR4 8QX	Web: http://www.jimmcgeown.com/

Built by Raymond Walley This is one of Jim's pocket money kits and the instructions are, for his kits, somewhat minimal. One needs carefully to study the diagrams and instructions before commencing work. It is the normal flat pack and includes a pre-formed roof as usual.

I began by pressing out all the bolt heads and folding the sides, ends and solebars before fitting as many parts in the flat as possible.

Here are the sides, ends and sole bars about ready for assembly. The vertical stanchions are all fitted by twisting their tabs at the back once threaded into the appropriate slots. The only parts not fitted at this stage are the corner plates for the sole bars, the side/roof and end/roof battens. These need to be fitted after the body is assembled. The ventilators required some fettling to get them to sit correctly before they were soldered in place. Once the sides and ends are ready for assembly one side and end were offered up and tack soldered at the top only. They were then checked for square and that the diagonal stanchion etched in both parts lined up correctly. Only then were the parts seamed up. Here are the two halves of a side and end ready for further assembly. Great care was taken in fixing these two sub assemblies together and the whole lot checked and double checked for square.

Once that was completed, fitting the sole bars was a relatively simple operation. Here is the assembled body ready for the next phase. The W irons & axle boxes were soldered in place for a change using 179 degree solder cream with a little flux on the white metal after cleaning up with a glass brush. The RSU probe is placed on the brass sole bars until the solder ran and then quickly removing the heat source. The picture is distorted due to it being taken with the close-up facility.

The doors need to be fitted now so that the roof can be filed to shape. It needs a small indent, about half a millimetre deep for the length of the doors. The rain strips were then fitted. The wheel sets were mounted in WEP compensation units for fitting later, after the brake gear but the units can be tried in place to ensure the brakes line up and do not foul the wheels.

A partial floor was fitted at either end so that the WEP units can be soldered in place in due course, as shewn in the next picture. The brake gear requires a little careful thought and trial fitting before soldering in place but goes together well.

All the white metal castings are now fitted. All that remains to be fitted are the replacement cast brass buffers (Slater's I think) and the WEP compensated suspension units and couplings.

Here is the completed van ready to go to Ian's paint shop. Not a difficult build, anyone with a kit or two under their belts would find it easy. Finally, after its return from Ian's paint shop: Raymond Walley