This is an initial item from the stores of Craig, transferred at mate's rates - a Connoisseur Models Pocket Money Toad brake van dia AA3 kit, suitable for a beginner, or more correctly a re-starter after 57 years.
In preparation I sourced from Dick Smiths an own brand variable temperature soldering iron with a few bits. These were prepared according to the C & L advice, for long life. Then came the tedious business of impressing the many rivets using a sort of scribe in a handle fashioned from a cut-off section of a hexagonal split cane rod. The main body parts were then detached using an Exacto-style knife and snips, trimmed/filed in a small rubber jawed vice, folded with the aid of an Etch Mate 3C and prepared for soldering in the Carr product. Initial soldering was with Carrs 145 solder and green flux. After labouring mightily, the first end was splendidly attached to the sides. The problem was that this was the balcony end, but on the other end of the cabin - so unsoldering was added to the skill base. After two sessions the main body, balcony side doors were all in place, and amazingly, all sat square. What became evident was that if the cabin side opening onto the balcony were to be fitted sitting all the way down, there would be about a 1 mm gap below the roof line. But who will notice that? Next things get a bit more fiddly such as fitting the side and end stanchions, switching now to Carr's paste solder and working on the inside. For good stiction some flux was added, but with the outcome that some solder spread to the outside. Craig said remove it with the fibre glass brush that has largely worked, but this van will end up heavily weathered to deceive the viewer. Attaching the coupling plates required the use of fly tying magnifiers and seeing them (plates) jump in the air as the flux crackled. Eventually with paste alone they are on, but with somewhat shiny surrounds. The lamp irons made me acquire a new set of magnifiers with an LED for perfect illumination. Now I think they are not genuine GWR type irons as they have no crank, or is that only on locos? .Anyway set aside for later.
Next came folding up the solebars and small and long steps and trying them for fit, particularly as I plan to Use Bill Bedford sprung W-irons. All good. So then fitted and of course now that all is in place, there is need for a little heavy hand work as the BB items no longer fit, despite there being no gaps solebars/end of side stanchions. This also requires the ends of the long steps' attaching wires to be filed flat to the back of the solebars, resulting in two coming loose. Ah well.
By now the outside handrails were supposed to be attached but this is proposed as wire in body holes, quite unlike the prominent handrail knobs seen in various illustrations. I await some small knobs in the coming mail.
Cosmetically this is not as complete as Craig's kit, so I have added a cabin door handle, and a rough imitation of the gear linking the handle to the visible sandboxes. I don't have the dinky (dog bowl?) item on Craig's floor.
There is a looming issue of the competition for space between the W-irons, solebars, setting of the brass bearings, hopefully no spreading of the W-irons using Ultrascale 12 mm wheels and pinpoint axles, fiddling with the original possibly 4 foot springs for glue-on and the brake frets. Going to be interesting.
Sorry about the crude composition. I really found the adding of pictures like going to the Kimberly and back. Maybe I will find out how to place the pix sometime. But enough for today!
