Evan's workbench

With a new soldering iron on the workbench, I decided tonight I would finally get stuck into something I have been wanting to try my hand at for years - Building a laminated brass etch kit. The subject of tonight's enterprise was to be a limited run kit from the mid 1990s by Craig Warton, an early days NSWGR modeller. The kit itself is a model of a "Man type" horsebox, later classed KG and later MKG when telegraphic codes were introduced in 1892. These vans entered traffic between 1879 and 1887, being displaced by the arrival of bogie KKG type horseboxes during WW1, thiough a few did linger into the 1920s, and one as late as 1934. The reason behind being classed as "Man type" vans was that these had a small compartment for the grooms to travel with the horses, as opposed to the "dog" type horseboxes which included a small ventilated compartment at one end and no groom accommodation.

The prototype. This example was converted from an earlier "Dog type" horsebox


The basic chassis folded up


First side soldered up


And a shot just to show just how tiny this van really is.

 

It certainly does have some ver small and fiddly parts... Probably the worst has been the hinge straps on the doors for the horse compartment, which had to be soldered on individually. Ironically, it'll be quite at home behind the DJH NN that I'm building, though I think when these horseboxes were built, even the NNs were but a pipe dream.

You're certainly not the only one with a lot of projects on the go. I think I have at least 20 on the go at the moment.

 

Thanks Steve and Ian, but the real credit goes to my friend who drew up such beautiful etches. I'm just hoping to do them justice. Anyway, here's tonight's progress on the MKG


End mouldings soldered


Solebars now fitted to the rolling chassis. Next up, headstocks.


And for those interested, here's the complete kit

I have also made some progress soldering up parts of the NN class

 

Sounds like you're in for a fun time, Keith. My one tip, learned from this build, would be to assemble what you can without removing the main parts from the fret. It saves many a burnt finger that way



Gary, that Nanny had better not be naughty when running around Petersham

 

Cheers Chris. Unfortunately no joy in finding the missing etch, even after three hours of searching. An identical example of the part in question can be seen next to the tip of the scalpel blade for scale. Tonight I intend to try and replicate it so I can get on with building this kit.

Attached files

 

Alas the missing etch was not to be found, so a replacemtn has been made by hammering flat some 0.45mm brass wire, and once all the soldering is done, Archer rivet decals added to finish the part. With that also, the second end could now be fitted. Next up will be modifying the body and underframe to have bolt on mounting, which will allow me to fit a simple interior and dim LED to represent the flickering oil lamp that would have hung beneath the solitary roof ventilator.
Body 90% completed. Only awaiting "T" handles for the doors and roof vent.


View of the end with the replacement section of flattened wire

 

Advancing alongside the MKG, is the pair of HBWs. First up tonight was properly securing the brake V hanger. Rather than glue it down and then risk the fumes while soldering the rest of the brake gear, I drilled through the solebar casting and brass W iron etch, and then fed 0.33 wire through both etches to firmly secure both into the solebar.