SQL Server
DRIVER={SQL Server};SERVER=sql11.hostinguk.net;DATABASE=gaugegu1_gog2;UID=gaugegog1;PWD=g2Fr8*r6=yN-_4DUs$z!45;

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

It is invariably a great pleasure to build one of Jim's kits, and when I was asked to build this one, it was no exception.

I was given the kit, by the purchaser, without instructions, with etched frets taped to a piece of board, complete with castings and plenty of brass wire of the required diameters. Current kits do have very good exploded view instructions. A pair of 3ft 1.1/2in diameter three-hole disc wheels and bearings is required. I used those manufactured by Haywood Railway, together with their turned steel sprung LSWR buffers, to replace Jim's cast whitemetal ones.

The kit is a brilliant piece of graphic design, utilising two identical frets to build the whole vehicle. It speaks volumes for the way that things are set out, that I was able to absorb all of the parts without reference to instructions. Those without a lot of experience would need to have the instructions which now come with the kit.

Access to a good riveting punch is a prerequisite, I feel, as anything less will possibly make a mess of some very well detailed pieces of overlay detail which show off rivets to advantage on the finished model.

I started by assembling a square box, the inner ends each being tacked to a side as opposing pairs (photo 1).

Photo 1. Side and end set up

The inner ends of the van have protective bars to the windows. There are eight windows and four holes to each (photo 2).

Photo 2. Jig for bending window bars

This means 32 accurate bends of 0.4mm wire to form the bars. I made a simple jig to bend these, by tacking on a piece of scrap brass sheet to the rear of the outer window and drilling the top and bottom holes. The scrap was removed and a slot cut down to meet one of the holes. It is then a simple job to make a first bend in the wire, locate it in the one hole of the jig and run the wire into the slot to form the second bend. Result – 16 perfectly formed window bars which dropped into their respective holes with no trouble for soldering up from the inside.

You might prefer to add beading detail to the van sides prior to this, whilst the sides are still in the flat. Aluminium 'Dinkie spring clips' are very handy for this process (photo 3).

Photo 3. Application of beading

The inner verandah was completed prior to adding the outer ends (photo 4).

Photo 4. Inner verandah

The outer ends were detailed up with the buffers, beading and sandboxes etc before being attached to the van body (photo 5).

Photo 5. End detailed prior to fixing

The four verandah top rails are very vulnerable at this stage, so reinforce well with solder, where they join the inner cabin ends (photo 6).

Photo 6. Verandah end showing door

Great care needs to be taken with the etching which forms the solebars, step hangers, lower footboards and bodyside support brackets all in one piece (photo 7). A miracle of design if I ever saw one.

Photo 7. Solebar arrangement

A set of bending bars should be used if possible, and it will help if the half etched lines are first deepened with a scrawker or a small vee Swiss file, to aid folding. The small tabs on the bottom edge of the solebar fold back on themselves to form a very clever support bracket under the sides of the body (photo 8).

Photo 8. Solebar and steps soldered in place

At this stage, I attached the axlebox and spring one piece castings. They do need a bit of fettling with a scalpel to clean out the flashing on the W-irons, and the bearing holes should be deepened to take the brass bearings. It helps to make a vertically slotted hole with the bit, to allow the bearing to rise and fall slightly, as there is no compensation. It pays to measure the spacing between the axles at the backs of the wheels, to get a square running chassis. Time spent here will reap dividends, as you can't easily rectify a poorly running chassis after this stage (photo 9).

Photo 9. Underside of chassis

A cunning little pair of half etchings form the beam between the solebars to carry the V-hangers and cranks (photo 10). Make this up as a separate item and fix athwart the solebars in the centre of the chassis. The pull rods come back to the double ended crank which sits on the rod through the trunnions, as in the photo.

Photo 10. Vee hanger assembly

The pull rods need a bit of organising and it is best to start off with an anchor, which is not supplied but easily made from scrap strip. This forms the first fixing for the rod between anchor and outer yoke (photo 11).

Photo 11. Brake rigging anchor

The brake gear needs a bit of concentrated effort as it is quite comprehensive. The most taxing job is soldering up the pairs of brake pulls onto the brake yokes (photo 12). Once these are done, the laminated brake blocks can be inserted into the relevant slots and the yokes fixed in between. Note that the brake blocks are handed, so keep them in pairs so that they don't get mixed up. Finally, follow the drawing for all of the rodding.

Photo 12. Brake yoke and pull rod levers

There is no floor supplied for the van interior. There just isn't the room on the etching. Using the verandah floor as a guide, a piece of 1mm ply was cut to suit and the planks marked with a scriber. As there is no floor as such, joists of scrap etching, the same depth as the verandah floor, were made to fit across the void between the solebars, on the inside. See (photo 9) again. The van floor rests on this and is glued in place.

Such a beautiful model deserves a full interior, so I set about making one (photos 13 and 14) from the drawing in the S.R. Wagon book by OPC which was first published in 1984 and is still occasionally available as a second-hand item. It is titled An illustrated history of Southern Wagons. Volume One. ISBN 0-86093-207-9. A drawing and some photographs appear on pages 63 and 64 of this volume. The required items for the interior were made from 0.040in Plastikard, painted to represent wood. After fixing the floor, the van interior can be glued in place.

Photos 13 and 14. Interior detail

I normally make all of my rolling stock roofs detachable. If the van end is used as a pattern it is easy to mark out a couple of roof stiffeners which can be soldered to the inside of the roof, just inboard of the van interior, so that it becomes a push fit. The underside edges of the roof had a piece of 0.4mm pre-tinned wire soldered all the way around, which enhances the profile of the roof. The centreline was marked with pencil and a hole drilled for a piece of tube with a suitable washer, for the chimney. There is a small casting supplied which can be used if preferred.

The whole vehicle was scrubbed with kitchen cleaner and when dry had a coat of grey primer from a rattle can. Two coats of Precision S.R. Freight Brown followed, with the verandah outer ends and the upper half of the inner ends painted in flat red. The interior of the cabin has the upper walls painted in light buff. A stove and pipe together with a brake standard and sanding lever were fashioned to complete the fittings.

Photo 15. Interior finished and painted

Connoisseur does have a very nice LSWR pot belly stove in its arsenal, but it is not included in this kit (given that there is no floor to put it on!). I do wish that Jim could make such an item available as a spare casting to purchase.

Lettering came from the HMRS Pressfix transfer sheet No 13. The roof was left as weathered grey and the whole model was given a couple of coats of hairspray varnish – no good using it on me these days!

The kit took me just over a week to build and finish, using Tower Models’ sprung three link couplings for drawgear, as a replacement for the etched items supplied. For those who enjoy soldering, I couldn't recommend the kit highly enough. Well done Jim, excellent value for money.