The type 27 trolley The first type 27 motorised platelayers trolley manufactured by Wickham of Ware in Hertfordshire appeared in 1949. There was a need to supply a more powerful unit than previously built machines; one that was capable of carrying either a small gang of personnel, to be used for inspection purposes, or of moving equipment about with or without towing a trailer. Generally a Ford four-cylinder petrol engine producing 30hp was fitted.

This first order was for the Nigerian Railways built to 2ft 6in gauge. Production continued right up to 1980 (albeit with minor modifications) in many different gauges. British Railways purchased many examples some of which can still be seen in preservation at locations such as the Bluebell railway, Mid-Hants Railway, South Devon Railway and the Alderney Railway on the Channel Islands.

The Model

This kit of the type 27 is manufactured by N Brass Locomotives in 7mm scale. I also decided at the time of purchase to include the trailer kit. This is built from a Mercian Models kit who also supplied the replacement O gauge axles. As I intended to motorise the model, a Tenshodo spud was purchased from Branchlines. The nickelsilver etches of the kit stand up to handling and bending much better than if they were produced in brass. Some of the parts are extremely delicate so great care needs to be taken.

The instructions are concise and include a scale drawing. A 40 watt soldering iron and 140 degree solder was used throughout construction. This is a slot and tab method in the main with other parts needing to be sweated on. As the proportions are small, there is not a lot of room for manoeuvring the soldering iron.

This reminded me why I moved up to O gauge. The space between the engine cover and floor was filled with 10g of lead weight with a further 20g under the rear seat to aid adhesion. Apart from the fuel pipe, which was fashioned from plastic tube and the side curtains, no other modifications were necessary.

After priming, Humbrol Green 149 was applied to the body ends, which gives a middle of the road general colour, and by means of dry brushing various shades of black, grey and rust, (including the wheels and under frame), give the vehicle a well worn appearance. The roof was treated to a coat of Railmatch Roof Dirt and the seats and floor painted with Humbrol Brown 86. Two coats of matt varnish then followed. Once thoroughly dry the glazing was attached.

The side curtains are pieces of a garden hammock cover held in place by Velcro. The front two have cocktail sticks inserted to make them more ridged. The crew are from the Slater’s seated passenger range, (they must all be brothers because they look remarkably similar) although I had to perform several amputations and reattachments to get legs and arms in the required positions.

Trailer This followed the same procedure. As with the trolley, no problems were encountered. I beefed up the coupling making a new hook and eye as the kit version is flimsy After painting, a load was added; a piece of sacking hiding another lead weight, a sack of tools and a third member of the gang riding illegally on board. No Health and Safety here. The sacking material is an old duster suitably coloured.

Motorisation The kit is designed to fit around a 26mm wheelbase spud which push fits under the floor. Extended pick-ups need to be soldered to the originals if converting to standard O gauge. For extra security I added a piece of Blu-tack. The Tenshodo spud needs to be fitted with a suppression unit that is quite difficult to hide in such a small model. I overcame this by drilling a hole in the floor and resting the unit on the back seat and covering it with sacking. The instructions from Branchlines are very clear in how to attach this to the motor. Lastly the two rear most side curtains are modelled in the down position disguise it.

Conclusion It was a joy to build although a bit fiddly in places, and the model is something away from the norm. The only concern I have is perhaps the wheels needed larger flanges for O gauge as the ones I used are of OO size and therefore need level track to maintain stability. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the end result that took approx 50 hours to complete.

Anyone interested in the history of the Wickham Company should see Wickham of Ware published by Rockingham press to whom I acknowledge prototype information for this article.