Originally marketed by SM Models Models. Now available from Midland Carriage Works. SQL Server
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Midland Carriage Works	Barry Yardley
Birmingham	07545 883044
West Midlands
B24	Email: midlandcarriageworks@virginmedia.com
	Web: http://www.midland-carriage-works.co.uk

Raymond Walley

What's in the box? This is based upon a original Janick kit (I have an original to build too), This range is no longer obtainable from SM Models but the range has passed to Midland Carriage Works, who have been most helpful in supplying missing parts. This kit has etched brass replacing the wooden parts that were a feature of the original Janick kits but the sides are still double skinned. It will make for a heavy carriage so free running will be essential. There are a couple of bags of white metal castings (Ugh!), sans gas tanks and buffers, some of which will undoubtedly be replaced. An A5 booklet of 16, unnumbered, pages contain basic instructions and a good number of line drawings that appear to be generic to a series of carriages. When I return from a couple of weeks break in Cyprus, work will begin in earnest on this and several others.

This kit, and another from the same stable, has a number of parts missing, due I suspect to packing errors but most have been sourced from Midland Carriage Works. However, the bogies will need to be replaced. The original carriages were mounted on 10' bogies and later changed for 8', the set with the kit is for a 9' bogie.

There are other problems too, for instance there are no etched holes for grab handles, added to which the handles themselves are of a pattern that, so far, I have been unable to find. It is probable that I may have to try making a master for them and get them cast in brass. The bolsters are the wrong size and so do not fit the slots in the floor. Another packing error I suspect as they came on a fret with a set of corridor connections, which this vehicle does not require.

Work on this will be stalled for a time while the problems are sorted out. In the meantime I got on with a few things that can be done.

The Bogies:

The set that I had to hand were of an older pattern of Invertrain (used to be Wayho) bogies with white metal cosmetic sides. They were very, very poor castings so I scrapped them and sent for a more up to date set of resin castings. Here are the parts for one bogie suitably modified. The side frames need to have a depression hollowed out to fit over the fulcrum pin on the brass frame. Holes are drilled to take the bearings and the flash, of which there was little, removed. The two remaining parts then need some surgery. The central spring hanger needs the removing and the top section cut off. This needs care or it can fall apart, how do I know? Guess! The brass frame is quite deep so the replacement leaf spring unit will not fit without modification. I chose to cut the springs in half rather than cut into the assembled brass frame. One assembled bogie and one part finished. This is an older version that came with rivets to fix the ends; I changed one on each end for a 10BA nut and bolt and soldered the bolt in place so that the wheels can be removed if necessary. Newer bogie sets come with nuts and bolts. The wheels sets needed the supplied washers fitting to reduce side play. The wheels supplied by my client are very heavy and give the bogies considerable weight. They are also very free running and will run away at the slightest provocation; useful in view of the weight of the body that is to be fitted on them. The resin parts are simply super glued in place.

Here are the, almost, completed bogies. I have still to figure out how to produce and fit the steps that were fitted to the originals.

The other part holding up production are the grab handles. Despite considerable searching, all I had to go on was a 4mm scale drawing of the coach side. This I blew up to 7mm and used the outline of the grab handle to have a go at producing a master for casting:

Here is the result, cruelly enlarged. I hope it proves useable, we shall see what Laurie Giffin has to say about it.

The grab handles that Laurie Griffin has made from my masters ready for assembly.

To be continued/